''Fridtjof Nansen'' was the first ship in the
Norwegian armed forces
The Norwegian Armed Forces ( no, Forsvaret, , The Defence) is the military organization responsible for the defence of Norway. It consists of five branches, the Norwegian Army, the Royal Norwegian Navy, which includes the Coast Guard, the Royal ...
to be built specially to perform
coast guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...
and fishery protection duties in the
Arctic
The Arctic ( or ) is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, N ...
. She saw service in the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
with the
Royal Norwegian Navy
The Royal Norwegian Navy ( no, Sjøforsvaret, , Sea defence) is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for naval operations of Norway. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 in mobilized state, ...
until she ran aground on an
unmarked shallow at
Jan Mayen
Jan Mayen () is a Norwegian volcanic island in the Arctic Ocean with no permanent population. It is long (southwest-northeast) and in area, partly covered by glaciers (an area of around the Beerenberg volcano). It has two parts: larger ...
in November 1940.
Construction
''Fridtjof Nansen'' was constructed with yard number 118 at the Royal Norwegian Naval Yard at
Karljohansvern
Karjohansvern (''Karljohansvern Orlogsstasjon, KJV'') at Horten was the main base for the Royal Norwegian Navy from 1850 to 1963.
Background
In 1818, it was decided to establish a naval base in Horten. It was first called ''Hortens verft'', an ...
in
Horten. She was launched on 5 November 1930, and command was assumed on 29 May 1931 by Commander Ole A. Blom.
1933 sinking
On 21 December 1933 ''Fridtjof Nansen'' departed the port of
Hammerfest
Hammerfest (; sme, Hámmerfeasta ) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. Hammerfest is the northernmost town in the world with more than 10,000 inhabitants. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Hammerf ...
on her way to her patrol areas in eastern
Finnmark
Finnmark (; se, Finnmárku ; fkv, Finmarku; fi, Ruija ; russian: Финнмарк) was a county in the northern part of Norway, and it is scheduled to become a county again in 2024.
On 1 January 2020, Finnmark was merged with the neighbouri ...
. While passing through
Vestervågen in
Måsøy
Måsøy ( sme, Muosát; fkv, Moseija) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Havøysund. Other villages include Bakfjord, Gunnarnes, Ingøy, Måsøy, Slåtten ...
she
ran aground and sank the next night. She was
raised the next year and taken to Horten for repairs.
War service
Norwegian Campaign
At the outbreak of war in Norway with the
German invasion German invasion may refer to:
Pre-1900s
* German invasion of Hungary (1063)
World War I
* German invasion of Belgium (1914)
* German invasion of Luxembourg (1914)
World War II
* Invasion of Poland
* German invasion of Belgium (1940)
* G ...
on 9 April 1940, ''Fridtjof Nansen'' was posted to the Finnmark detachment of the 3rd Naval District covering
North Norway
Northern Norway ( nb, Nord-Norge, , nn, Nord-Noreg; se, Davvi-Norga) is a geographical region of Norway, consisting of the two northernmost counties Nordland and Troms og Finnmark, in total about 35% of the Norwegian mainland. Some of the larg ...
. When the German invasion began ''Fridtjof Nansen'' was operating from the port of
Honningsvåg
, other_name =
, native_name =
, nickname =
, settlement_type = Town
, image_skyline = Honningsvåg-01.jpg
, image_caption = View of the city
, pushpin_map = Finnmark#Nor ...
in Finnmark.
Escape abroad
After surviving several air attacks without damage during the
Norwegian Campaign ''Fridtjof Nansen'' was one of the thirteen
Royal Norwegian Navy
The Royal Norwegian Navy ( no, Sjøforsvaret, , Sea defence) is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for naval operations of Norway. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 in mobilized state, ...
vessels
that made it to the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, as she escaped westwards at the dawn of the 10 June 1940 mainland
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
capitulation. On 8 June 1940 she took on board in
Tromsø
Tromsø (, , ; se, Romsa ; fkv, Tromssa; sv, Tromsö) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.
Tromsø lies in Northern Norway. The municipality is the ...
Rear Admiral Henry E. Diesen, foreign minister
Halvdan Koht
Halvdan Koht (7 July 1873 – 12 December 1965) was a Norwegian historian and politician representing the Labour Party.
Born in the north of Norway to a fairly distinguished family, he soon became interested in politics and history. Star ...
and General
Carl Gustav Fleischer
Carl Gustav Fleischer KCB (28 December 1883 – 19 December 1942Fleischer 1947, p. 216) was a Norwegian general and the first land commander to win a major victory against the Germans in the Second World War. Having followed the Norwegian gov ...
, in addition to some other refugees.
[Sivertsen 2001: 139] Among those who escaped on ''Fridtjof Nansen'' were some 20-25
anti-Nazi
Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...
German refugees. One of the Germans fleeing with his family on ''Fridtjof Nansen'', was
Dada
Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 1920 Dada flourished in Pari ...
ist painter
Kurt Schwitters
Kurt Hermann Eduard Karl Julius Schwitters (20 June 1887 – 8 January 1948) was a German artist who was born in Hanover, Germany.
Schwitters worked in several genres and media, including dadaism, Constructivism (art), constructivism, surrealism ...
.
She arrived at
Tórshavn
Tórshavn (; lit. "Thor's harbour"), usually locally referred to as simply ''Havn'', is the capital and largest city of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the northwest of the city lies the ...
on the
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.
They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
on 13 June and sailed on at 0600 on 16 June to
Rosyth
Rosyth ( gd, Ros Fhìobh, "headland of Fife") is a town on the Firth of Forth, south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to the census of 2011, the town has a population of 13,440.
The new town was founded as a Garden city-style suburb ...
in Scotland in the company of six other Norwegian warships. The Norwegian vessels were escorted from Tórshavn by the British destroyer
HMS ''Veteran'', the destroyer
HMS ''Kelvin'' and two trawlers joining the convoy later during the journey. After her arrival at Rosyth on 18 June work began on making ''Fridtjof Nansen'' war ready.
In exile
From 29 August 1940 she was posted as a
patrol vessel
A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and the ...
in
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
to reinforce the British naval forces there. On 8 November she ran aground on an
unmarked shallow off the south coast of the Norwegian Arctic island of Jan Mayen and sank. The crew of 67 all survived the shipwreck.
[Thomassen 1995: 228] After the loss of their ship, the crew reached land at the
Eggøya peninsula, and took shelter in the abandoned Norwegian radio station on Jan Mayen. The shipwrecked crew made preparations to send a boat to Iceland to retrieve help. Help arrived before the boat could leave, when the naval trawler
HNoMS ''Honningsvåg'' came from Iceland four days later, responding to the emergency messages the crew had sent before ''Fridtjof Nansen'' had to be abandoned. The crew was brought back to Iceland.
[Barr 2003: 149]
Citations
Bibliography
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*
*
*
*
*
External links
Naval history via FLIX: ''Fridtjof Nansen''
retrieved 17 March 2006
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fridtjof Nansen 1930
1930 ships
Norwegian Coast Guard
Ships built in Horten
Patrol vessels of the Royal Norwegian Navy
World War II patrol vessels of Norway
World War II shipwrecks in the Norwegian Sea
Maritime incidents in 1933
Maritime incidents in November 1940
Ships sunk with no fatalities
Fishery protection vessels