Boats escaping from Norway WW II (original) (raw)

More info on these voyages will be added as time allows.

Left Bergen on Sept. 13-1941 with 3 people and arrived Lerwick on the 17th.

These came along:
Skipper was Radio Operator Kåre Knudsen, Johan Madsen Dreyer, and Arvid Johan Henriksen.

Left Straumane, Herøy on Jan. 18-1941 with 4 people, and arrived Baltasund on the 20th (the boat had been stolen).

On board were:
Skipper August Nærø, Mindor Berge, Gunvald Bergsnes, Ivar Brekke - all from Straumane.

2 weeks later they returned to Sunnmøre with Agent Karl Johan Aarsæther, then went back across the North Sea with him 3 days later. These men were among the first in the "Shetland Gang". 3 later lost their lives, 1 of whom died on a merchant ship. There's a seaman named Gunvald Bergsnes listed among the casualties for D/S Fanefjeld who might be identical to the Gunvald Bergsnes above. August Nærø was the only one who could return to Straumane

"Englandsfarten" states that Mars was later blown up by a German patrol boat in Feiefjorden - no date is given. However, according to a message in my Guestbook, this is incorrect. She's said to have disappeared without a trace, after having landed agents at Agnefest on Apr. 9-1942.

Departed Espevær on Dec. 1-1941 with 4 people, arriving Fair Island the following day.

On board were:
Knut Amundsen, Karl Kristian Larsen, Knut Madsen, Per Paulsen.

Left Eggesbønes, Herøy on March 17-1941, picked up a group off Ulsteinvik and another in Langevåg until there were 25 people on board. They arrived Krikwall on March 22. The boat had been stolen by Kåre Zahl, Herfjord and Harald Notanes, Ulstein.

On board were:
Dankert Bostad, Bernt Salomonsen Dimmen, Karl Dimmen, Reidar Ole Eggesbø, Karl Peder Eriksen, Ottar Andreas Garshol, Reinhard Hatlø, Ansgar Kristian Knutsen, Harald Ingmar Knutsen, Aksel Erik Kiran, Karsten Molversmyr, John Myklebust, Harald Notanes, Kjartan Tormod Olsgard, Roger Elias Osnes, Asbjørn Ribsskog, Inge Jostein Sandvik, Jens Ansgar Skavaas, Ottar Lidvard Tøsse, Jarl Olaf Ulstad, Henry Peder Ulstein, Asbjørg Veddegjerde, Andreas Kristian Viik, Aasmund Wisløff, Kåre Zahl.

Departed Herdla on Oct. 5-1941 with 6 people, arriving Lerwick on the 10th. Skipper was Severin Oksnes.

Owned by Thomas Turøy. Left Turøy, Herdla on Febr. 9-1941 with 12 people and arrived Lerwick on Febr. 11.

These were on board:
Skipper Leif Larsen (known as "Shetland Larsen"), Sverre Andahl, Salo Goldfarb, Alf Larsen, Leif Larsen, Robert Juell Larsen, Finn Mikkelsen, Torger Nævdal, Johannes Turøy, Mons Turøy, Edvin Vikebø, and a bus driver from Oslo.

They had attempted to leave in a smaller vessel but had to return due to heavy weather.

From T. Eriksen, Norway, I've received the following on her pre war history:
Delivered on Febr. 15-1918 from Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby, UK (833) as escort vessel HMS John Welstead to The Royal Navy (fishery No. LO 270). Steel hull, "Mersey-class" escort trawler, 148’/138.6’(lpp) x 23.9’ x 13’, 324 gt, Triple Expansion (Holmes) 87nhk 11 knots. Sold in 1922 to Bickering & Haldane’s Steam Trawling Co. Ltd., Hull, and reanemd Lord Harewood (H 567). Sold in 1929 to Bunch Steam Fishing Co. Ltd. (H. G. Crampin), Grimsby, UK (GY 12). Call sign from 1934 was GBZS. Sold in June-1937 to A/S D/S Sydøen (Olav B. Hess), Bergen, renamed Sydøen. Converted to seiner, 324 gt. Sold in 1939 to D/S A/S Myrland (Harald J. Olsen, Haugesund), rebuilt, 321 gt., and 6cyl 4tev Atlas dm 500bhp motor installed. Entered service as seiner Myrland (R-26-H).

Myrland was at Svolvær on March 4-1941 when the first Lofoten raid took place (Operation Claymore - see related link below). Undamaged, she was allowed by the British forces to leave Svolvær for allied port, and she left that same day with 10 people, arriving Thorshavn on March 7. Skipper was Per Johan Sverdrupsen.

T. Eriksen has told me she was requisitioned by the The Royal Navy on Apr. 1-1941, entering service as minesweeper FY 1784. Firefloat (?) from Sept.-1944.

Returned in 1946 with the fishery number R-76-H. Rebuilt in 1947, becoming 138.5’ x 23.7’ x 12.8’, 335 gt, 400 tdwt, 6cyl 4tev Mirrless dm 500bhp (1941, from MMS). That same year(?) the owning company changed its name to A/S M/S Myrland (Harald Olsen), Haugesund (R-76-H). Rebuilt in 1954, 347 gt, 400 tdwt. Sold in May-1955 to Brødrene Davik (Severin Davik), Brattvåg, renamed Hellefisk (M-306-H), and in use as seiner, fishing for herring in the wintertime. Converted to purse net seiner in 1966, 347 gt, 400 tdwt, 6cyl 4tev MaK dm 850bhp,10 knots. Around 1974 owner became Br. Davik A/S, Brattvåg (M-306-H). Condemned in Sept-1975. Sold on July 2-1976 to I/S Jada (Ernst Abrahamsen), Nærsnes in Røyken, motor removed in Egersund and installed in freighter Dagrand (ex Frakto - later sold to Kuwait as Ali 2). Sold on Febr. 21-1977 to Edmund Hansen, Tønsberg, registered as barge. Deleted from Norwegian registers as condemned on Febr. 15-1979.

(Trygve's sources are Atle Wilmar, Arild Engelsen, Alf Johan Kristiansen, Derek Sullivan, Roger Griffiths [via a posting on my Ship Forum, as well as another thread, starting with this query] and misc.).

Departed Ålesund on Sept. 19-1940. Owners of this vessel were the brothers Ole and Johan Dyrøy. The former was executed following the unsuccessful attempt to get away with Viggo in Febr.-1942 - follow the link for more information.

The escape with Måken was organized by the Torsvik Group (see my Statistics page, link below), most of the passengers being Navy officers and pilots, who on a previous occasion had been assisted in getting from Ålesund to the front in the north of Norway. When the country capitulated they had flown south along the coast, then sank the aircraft west of Ålesund. That fall they returned to Ålesund, wanting to get to a British port, and were subsequently put in touch with the Torsvik Group.

On board were:
Johan Brinch, Christian Kahrs, Finn Kjos, Harald Kruse, Collet Müller, Jens Riser, Haakon Rustad, Johan Ulstrup as well as the civilians Per Devold and Odd Hope.