Norðdepil (pronounced ; ) is a town on the east coast of the island of Borðoy in the Norðoyar Region of the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...

History

Norðdepil was founded in 1866. Its school opened in 1895. On 18 August 1941, around noon, a German Junkers Ju 88 bomber crashed in heavy fog into the mountainside above the village. Norðdepil has been connected with the town of Hvannasund on

Viðoy Viðoy (, ) is the northernmost island in the Faroe Islands, located east of Borðoy to which it is linked via a causeway. The name means ''wood island,'' despite the fact that no trees grow on the island; the name relates to the driftwood that f ...

to the east by a

causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet T ...

with a road on top since 1963. Because the two communities are located directly across from each other on opposite shores, they often act as one community. Since 1967, two single-lane tunnels have connected Norðdepil with the regional city of

Klaksvík Klaksvík () is the second largest town of the Faroe Islands behind Tórshavn. The town is located on Borðoy, which is one of the northernmost islands (the Norðoyar). It is the administrative centre of Klaksvík municipality. History The fir ...

. Immediately bordering Norðdepil to its north is the abandoned settlement of Fossá, of which nothing remains. Fossá was named after some waterfalls. Further north on the east coast of Borðoy there is a road going from Norðdepil to the abandoned hamlet of Múli.

Whaling station

In 1897 the whaling station Norddeble was constructed by ''Andorsen & Neumann'', but whaling activity didn't start until 1898. Among the first owners was Peder Michelsen, who had been an accomplished gunner on the boat ''Urd'', with Grøn at Gjánoyri. And for the first time we see the company Chr. Salvesen & Co. in the Faroes, the company which later started up the station Við Áir. The station started with one boat, ''Norddeble''. The well-known Faroese writer

Sverri Patursson Sverri Patursson (1871–1960) was a Faroese writer, author, and journalist. He was also a translator, ornithologist and environmentalist. Patursson was born in the village of Kirkjubøur on Streymoy, Faroe Islands. He attended Vallekil ...

went on one trip with ''Norddeble'' in 1899. The station was only active for part of the first season of 1898, but 54 whales were harpooned, which gave 1316 barrels of

whale oil Whale oil is oil obtained from the blubber of whales. Oil from the bowhead whale was sometimes known as train-oil, which comes from the Dutch word ''traan'' ("tear drop"). Sperm oil, a special kind of oil used in the cavities of sperm whales, ...

. In 1899 the station processed about 60 whales, of which 26 were

blue whale The blue whale (''Balaenoptera musculus'') is a marine mammal and a baleen whale. Reaching a maximum confirmed length of and weighing up to , it is the largest animal known ever to have existed. The blue whale's long and slender body can ...

s, and got around 1700 barrels. For the first four years, the station only had the boat ''Norddeble''. In August 1902 the station bought a second boat. 1906 was a bad year for all whaling stations, and only Norddeble managed to produce more than 2000 barrels. 1907 was better and the station produced 2600 barrels, the good weather that season had a lot to say for the end result. Michelsen was lost at sea on 28 December 1910 in Antarctica, and the company stopped whaling activities at Norðdepli in 1912. The station was sold to A/S Suderø, who attempted whaling in the season 1920, but it failed completely, and the station closed down.

References

Populated places in the Faroe Islands Populated places established in 1866 Whaling stations of the Faroe Islands Whaling in the Faroe Islands 1866 establishments in the Danish colonial empire {{Faroes-geo-stub

History

Whaling station

See also

References