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HNoMS Rauma (1939)
Encyclopedia
As the threat of war in Europe
became ever more clear the decision was made to improve the Royal Norwegian Navy
's mine warfare
capabilities. At first a number of 2. class gunboats were rebuilt into minelayer
s and minesweepers
, but with war looming it soon became clear that more capable vessels were required. Thus, two new purpose-built minesweepers were constructed at Nylands Verksted in Oslo
; the Otra
and the Rauma. Both ships were completed and commissioned only a short time before the German invasion of Norway. The Otra class vessels used the Oropesa
system of minesweeping.
announced that the Royal Navy
had laid out a number of minefields
along the coast of Norway
to interfere with the German import of Swedish iron ore
through the North Norwegian port of Narvik
. The British government claimed to have mined three areas; off Stad
, Hustadvika
, and Landegode north of Bodø
. In response to this report, the Norwegian government ordered the minesweepers Otra and Rauma to sail north from their base in Horten
and sweep the minefields on 9 April 1940.
at Horten in the Oslofjord
. A force consisting of the R-boat R boat
s R.17 and R.27 and the torpedo boats
Albatros and Kondor entered Horten harbour at 0435 hrs, shortly after the invasion was identified by Otra. Defending the naval base was Rauma and the minelayer HNoMS Olav Tryggvason
. Rauma charged the enemy vessels with her single 76 mm gun and two machine guns, succeeding in helping the Olav Tryggvason sink the R.17 and force a damaged Albatros to flee the area. However, despite the intense fire from the two Norwegian warships, the R.27 managed to land a small force of infantry
in the harbour before running aground after repeated hits. While running the gauntlet between the Norwegian ships the R.27 returned fire and hit Rauma repeatedly, severely damaging the minesweeper and killing her commander, Lieutenant Ingolf Carl Winsnes, and a sailor, as well as wounding six others. Only eight crew members remained unwounded. At 0735hrs, after threats of aerial bombardment of the naval base and the city right next to it, as well as a misguided impression of the size of the German landing force, the Norwegian forces at Horten surrendered.
service. Rauma was repaired and recommissioned as the Kamerun on 18 April 1940. Kamerun first served as a Vorpostenboot
in the Hafenschutzflotille Oslo, later being converted into a minelayer. Kamerun spent her entire war in Norway and was part of the German Mine Sweeping Administration
(GM-SA) after the German surrender in 1945.
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
became ever more clear the decision was made to improve the Royal Norwegian Navy
Royal Norwegian Navy
The Royal Norwegian Navy is the branch of the Norwegian Defence Force responsible for naval operations. , the RNoN consists of approximately 3,700 personnel and 70 vessels, including 5 heavy frigates, 6 submarines, 14 patrol boats, 4 minesweepers, 4 minehunters, 1 mine detection vessel, 4 support...
's mine warfare
Mine warfare
Mine warfare refers to the use of different types of explosive devices:*Land mine, a weight-triggered explosive device intended to maim or kill people or to destroy vehicles...
capabilities. At first a number of 2. class gunboats were rebuilt into minelayer
Minelayer
Minelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines...
s and minesweepers
Minesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
, but with war looming it soon became clear that more capable vessels were required. Thus, two new purpose-built minesweepers were constructed at Nylands Verksted in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
; the Otra
HNoMS Otra (1939)
The Otra and the Rauma were two purpose-built minesweepers constructed at Nylands Verksted in Oslo. Both ships were completed and commissioned only a short time before the German invasion of Norway. The Otra class vessels used the Oropesa system of mine sweeping...
and the Rauma. Both ships were completed and commissioned only a short time before the German invasion of Norway. The Otra class vessels used the Oropesa
Oropesa
An Oropesa is a streamlined towed body used in the process of minesweeping. The role of the Oropesa is to keep the towed sweep at a determined depth and position from the sweeping ship....
system of minesweeping.
Prelude
Shortly before the German invasion the UKUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
announced that the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
had laid out a number of minefields
Operation Wilfred
Operation Wilfred was a British naval operation during World War II that involved the mining of the channel between Norway and her offshore islands in order to prevent the transport of swedish iron ore through neutral Norwegian waters to be used to sustain the German war effort...
along the coast of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
to interfere with the German import of Swedish iron ore
Swedish iron ore during World War II
Swedish iron ore was an important economic factor in the European Theatre of World War II. Both the Allies and the Third Reich were keen on the control of the mining district in northernmost Sweden, surrounding the mining towns of Gällivare and Kiruna...
through the North Norwegian port of Narvik
Narvik
is the third largest city and municipality in Nordland county, Norway by population. Narvik is located on the shores of the Narvik Fjord . The municipality is part of the Ofoten traditional region of North Norway, inside the arctic circle...
. The British government claimed to have mined three areas; off Stad
Stad (peninsula)
Stad or Stadlandet is a peninsula in the municipality of Selje in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway.The name is sometimes also written as Stadt, Statt or Stadlandet–not to be confused with the similar German word Stadt. The d in Stad is pronounced in Norwegian as a t. The Stad peninsula has a...
, Hustadvika
Hustadvika
Hustadvika is a long section of coastline outside the municipality of Fræna in Romsdal, Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the shipping route between Molde and Kristiansund. The area is shallow and is full of little islands and reefs...
, and Landegode north of Bodø
Bodø
is a city and a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten region.The city of Bodø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Bodin was merged with Bodø on 1 January 1968. Skjerstad was merged with Bodø on 1 January 2005...
. In response to this report, the Norwegian government ordered the minesweepers Otra and Rauma to sail north from their base in Horten
Horten
is a town and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway—located along the Oslofjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Horten. The municipality also includes the villages of Borre, Åsgårdstrand, Skoppum, and Nykirke....
and sweep the minefields on 9 April 1940.
The invasion force is spotted
Before the order to go north could be carried out, however, the German invasion of Norway began in the early hours of 9 April. As reports of intruding warships started coming in Otra was sent out to investigate, and at 0410hrs reported that the intruders were German. The invasion flotilla blocked Otras return to Horten.Battle in Horten harbour
An important part of the Germans' plan to invade Norway was the seizure of the Royal Norwegian Navy's main naval baseNaval base
A naval base is a military base, where warships and naval ships are deployed when they have no mission at sea or want to restock. Usually ships may also perform some minor repairs. Some naval bases are temporary homes to aircraft that usually stay on the ships but are undergoing maintenance while...
at Horten in the Oslofjord
Oslofjord
The Oslofjord is a bay in the south-east of Norway, stretching from an imaginary line between the Torbjørnskjær and Færder lighthouses and down to Langesund in the south to Oslo in the north....
. A force consisting of the R-boat R boat
R boat
The R boats were a group of small minesweepers but used for several purposes during the Second World War.A total of 424 boats were built for the Kriegsmarine before and during World War II. The German Navy used them in every theatre including the Baltic, Mediterranean and the Black Sea...
s R.17 and R.27 and the torpedo boats
German torpedoboats of World War II
The German torpedoboats of World War II were armed principally, if not exclusively, with torpedoes and varied widely in size. They should not be confused with the larger destroyers, nor with the smaller, torpedo-armed Schnellboote .-Raubvogel and Raubtier :The six Raubvogel class torpedo boats were...
Albatros and Kondor entered Horten harbour at 0435 hrs, shortly after the invasion was identified by Otra. Defending the naval base was Rauma and the minelayer HNoMS Olav Tryggvason
HNoMS Olav Tryggvason
The minelayer HNoMS Olav Tryggvason was built by the naval shipyard at Horten in the early 1930s and had build number 119. She served in the Royal Norwegian Navy until captured by the Germans in 1940. The Germans renamed her first Albatros II, and a few days later Brummer...
. Rauma charged the enemy vessels with her single 76 mm gun and two machine guns, succeeding in helping the Olav Tryggvason sink the R.17 and force a damaged Albatros to flee the area. However, despite the intense fire from the two Norwegian warships, the R.27 managed to land a small force of infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
in the harbour before running aground after repeated hits. While running the gauntlet between the Norwegian ships the R.27 returned fire and hit Rauma repeatedly, severely damaging the minesweeper and killing her commander, Lieutenant Ingolf Carl Winsnes, and a sailor, as well as wounding six others. Only eight crew members remained unwounded. At 0735hrs, after threats of aerial bombardment of the naval base and the city right next to it, as well as a misguided impression of the size of the German landing force, the Norwegian forces at Horten surrendered.
German service as the Kamerun
After the German capture of Horten the surrendered Norwegian vessels were pressed into KriegsmarineKriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
service. Rauma was repaired and recommissioned as the Kamerun on 18 April 1940. Kamerun first served as a Vorpostenboot
Vorpostenboot
Vorpostenboots were German patrol boats which served during both World Wars...
in the Hafenschutzflotille Oslo, later being converted into a minelayer. Kamerun spent her entire war in Norway and was part of the German Mine Sweeping Administration
German Mine Sweeping Administration
The German Mine Sweeping Administration was formed from former crews and vessels of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine for the purpose of mine sweeping after the Second World War, predominantly in the North Sea and Baltic Sea, and existed from June 1945 to January 1948.-History:The GMSA was formed on 21...
(GM-SA) after the German surrender in 1945.