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HNoMS ''Norge'' was a coastal defence ship of the ''Eidsvold''-class in the Royal Norwegian Navy. Built by Armstrong Whitworth at Newcastle on Tyne, she was torpedoed and sunk by German
It was intended to augment the Norwegian coastal defence ship fleet with the two ships of the ''Bjørgvin'' class, ordered in 1912, but after these were requisitioned by the British Royal Navy while still under construction at the outbreak of World War I the Eidsvold class and the older, two ship strong, ''Tordenskjold'' class was forced to soldier on long after they were obsolete.
On the morning of 9 April 1940, German forces entered Ofotfjord under cover of fog and heavy snow. The Germans contacted the captain of ''Eidsvold'', demanding that he surrender, and when this was turned down, the battle-ready German destroyers torpedoed ''Eidsvold'' before she could fire her guns.
Aboard ''Norge'', deeper inside the fjord, the explosions were heard, but nothing could be seen until two German destroyers suddenly appeared out of the darkness. Captain Per Askim of ''Norge'' gave orders to open fire. Four rounds were fired from the 21 cm guns (one from the fore gun and three from the aft) as well as seven or eight rounds from the starboard 15 cm guns, directed against the German destroyer '' Bernd von Arnim''. The range has been estimated as 800 metres (1/2 mile). Due to the difficult weather conditions, it was hard to use the optical sights for the guns, which resulted in the first salvo falling short of the target and the others going over the target.
The German destroyers waited until they were alongside the pier before returning fire. ''Bernd von Arnim'' opened fire with her 12.7 cm (5 inch) guns, as well as with machine guns, but the weather gave the Germans problems as well. The destroyer also fired torpedoes—in all three salvoes of two torpedoes each. The first two salvoes missed, but the last struck ''Norge'' midships, and she sank in less than one minute, her propellers still turning. Ninety of the crew were rescued from the freezing water, but 101 perished in the battle which had lasted less than 20 minutes.
PS Norge
at Skovheim.org, retrieved 2 January 2007
destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
s in Narvik
( se, Áhkanjárga) is the third-largest municipality in Nordland county, Norway, by population. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Narvik. Some of the notable villages in the municipality include Ankenesstranda, Ball ...
harbour on 9 April 1940.
Description
Built as part of the general rearmament in the time leading up to the events in1905
As the second year of the massive Russo-Japanese War begins, more than 100,000 die in the largest world battles of that era, and the war chaos leads to the 1905 Russian Revolution against Nicholas II of Russia (Shostakovich's 11th Symphony i ...
, ''Norge'' remained, along with her sister-ship ''Eidsvold'', the backbone of the Royal Norwegian Navy for just over 40 years. ''Norge'' and ''Eidsvold'' were the largest vessels in the Royal Norwegian Navy, displacing 4,233 tons and crewed by 270 men. Both vessels were considered to be quite powerful for their time, with two 21 cm (8.26 inch) guns as their main armament. They were armoured to withstand battle with ships of a similar size, with 6 inches (15.24 cm) of Krupp
The Krupp family (see pronunciation), a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, is notable for its production of steel, artillery, ammunition and other armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG (Friedrich Krup ...
cemented armour
Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or fr ...
in the belt and 9 inches (22.86 cm) of the same armour on the two gun turrets.
It was intended to augment the Norwegian coastal defence ship fleet with the two ships of the ''Bjørgvin'' class, ordered in 1912, but after these were requisitioned by the British Royal Navy while still under construction at the outbreak of World War I the Eidsvold class and the older, two ship strong, ''Tordenskjold'' class was forced to soldier on long after they were obsolete.
First and final battle
On the morning of 9 April 1940, German forces entered Ofotfjord under cover of fog and heavy snow. The Germans contacted the captain of ''Eidsvold'', demanding that he surrender, and when this was turned down, the battle-ready German destroyers torpedoed ''Eidsvold'' before she could fire her guns.
Aboard ''Norge'', deeper inside the fjord, the explosions were heard, but nothing could be seen until two German destroyers suddenly appeared out of the darkness. Captain Per Askim of ''Norge'' gave orders to open fire. Four rounds were fired from the 21 cm guns (one from the fore gun and three from the aft) as well as seven or eight rounds from the starboard 15 cm guns, directed against the German destroyer '' Bernd von Arnim''. The range has been estimated as 800 metres (1/2 mile). Due to the difficult weather conditions, it was hard to use the optical sights for the guns, which resulted in the first salvo falling short of the target and the others going over the target.
The German destroyers waited until they were alongside the pier before returning fire. ''Bernd von Arnim'' opened fire with her 12.7 cm (5 inch) guns, as well as with machine guns, but the weather gave the Germans problems as well. The destroyer also fired torpedoes—in all three salvoes of two torpedoes each. The first two salvoes missed, but the last struck ''Norge'' midships, and she sank in less than one minute, her propellers still turning. Ninety of the crew were rescued from the freezing water, but 101 perished in the battle which had lasted less than 20 minutes.
The wreck
The remains of ''Norge'' lie at a depth of about , in the middle of Narvik harbour. Partly salvaged in situ, it is considered a war memorial and diving on the wreck is prohibited.at Skovheim.org, retrieved 2 January 2007
Notes
Sources
* *External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norge Eidsvold-class coastal defence ships Ships built on the River Tyne 1900 ships World War II coastal defence ships of Norway Maritime incidents in April 1940 World War II shipwrecks in the Norwegian Sea