The sinking of MS ''Þormóður'' (Icelandic: Þormóðsslysið) occurred on 17 February 1943, when the motorboat MS ''Þormóður'' sank off the coast of Garðskagi in

Reykjanes Reykjanes () is a small headland on the south-western end of the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland, giving the main peninsula its name. Volcanic action is responsible for forming the entire peninsula. The nearest town is Keflavik. The name, , trans ...

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

during a storm. The vessel was en route from

Patreksfjörður Patreksfjörður (, ) is a fishing village in the Westfjords of Iceland. It was an important fishing and trading post until the Icelandic government's introduction of a fishing quota in 1990. Administratively, it is part of the municipality of Ve ...

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

, resulting in the loss of 31 lives. This tragic incident caused an uproar in Iceland regarding the safety on the sea.

Ship

MS ''Þormóður'' was built in 1931 as a motorized fishing ship. It was owned by Gísli Jónsson, a member of

Alþingi The (; ), anglicised as Althingi or Althing, is the supreme national parliament of Iceland. It is the oldest surviving parliament in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at (' thing fields' or 'assembly fields'), about east of what la ...

, and was leased to the ''State Shipping Company'' (Icelandic: Skipaútgerð Ríkisins) as a passenger and cargo ship at the time of the sinking.

Passengers and crew

Of 24 passengers and 7 crewmembers, there were no survivors. One body was found during rescue operations and eight later washed ashore the following months.

References

{{reflist 1943 in Iceland Maritime incidents in February 1943 Shipwrecks of Iceland