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SS Barøy (1929)
Encyclopedia
SS Barøy was a 424 ton steel-hulled steamship delivered from the Trondhjems mekaniske Værksted
shipyard in Trondheim
in 1929. She had been ordered by the Norwegian shipping company Ofotens Dampskibsselskab
for the local route from the port city of Narvik
to the smaller towns of Lødingen
and Svolvær
. After the company suffered ship losses in the 1940 Norwegian Campaign
Barøy was put into Hurtigruten
service on the Trondheim–Narvik route. She was sunk with heavy loss of life in a British air attack in the early hours of 13 September 1941.
' s pre-war service was on the Narvik–Lødingen–Svolvær route for which she had been built, although she also acted as a reserve vessel for the Narvik–Trondheim express route.
led to Norwegian government restrictions on the Hurtigruten from 1 October 1939 onwards, with a reduction in both sailing speed and the number of departures from Bergen
, which was cut from seven to five a week. The restrictions followed a massive increase in shipping along the Norwegian coast in the autumn of 1939 as supplies were transported to ports all along the Norwegian coast in preparation for war. After massive protests from the coastal population daily departures were reintroduced on 5 December 1939.
In April 1940 many Hurtigruten ships were being refurbished before the summer season and reserve vessels were sailing the route. One of the reserve ships on the Hurtigruten service was Barøy, standing in for the 873 ton SS Nordnorge, which was undergoing maintenance work at Trondhjems mekaniske Værksted. Barøy had departed Bergen on 2 April, arrived at Trondheim on 4 April and was docked at Hammerfest
in the northern county of Finnmark
on 9 April 1940.
and the 62 day long Norwegian Campaign
that followed it, Barøy was set to assist in the transportation of released German prisoners of war from the Norwegian prisoner of war camp
on the island of Skorpa in Kvænangen
, Troms. Barøy carried out the mission together with Finnmark Fylkesrederi
's steamer Tanahorn, the latter carrying some 200 Germans to Tromsø
and Barøy taking the remaining 260 to the same port city. Barøy continued serving in Nordnorge' s place during the German occupation of Norway
, Nordnorge having been sunk by Royal Navy
warships during the Norwegian Campaign after she had been pressed into service as a covert troopship by the invading German forces. Barøy was considered too small a vessel for the longer distances, such as the Hurtigruten route between Bergen and Narvik, and her prolonged service on the route was an emergency measure.
on her way to Tranøy
on Hamarøy
. On board the ship was a crew of 26, as well as 105 passengers, 37 of whom were German soldiers. The German troops on board were members of the 197th Infantry Division
.
At 0350hrs on 13 September Barøy was struck by a torpedo some 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) west of Tranøy Lighthouse
, sinking within minutes. The torpedo ripped open the ship's hull, quickly flooding her with water, and immediately knocking out the electrical power on board. Due to the ship sinking so rapidly there was no time to lower the lifeboats, and the people on board had to jump into the water in order to survive. At the time of the sinking the water temperature was 7–8 °C
. The torpedo that sank Barøy had been dropped by an 817 Squadron
Fairey Albacore
, one of seven that attacked shipping in the Vestfjord
area that morning. The Albacore crews also claimed to have sunk another vessel, of around 2,000 tons, in the same attack. The Fleet Air Arm
aircraft came from the fleet carrier HMS Victorious
, which was part of Force M which had escorted the old carrier HMS Argus
, carrying 24 Hawker Hurricane
fighters to the Soviet Union
. On their way back to the UK the Albacores on board Victorious were assigned anti-shipping and bombing missions on the Norwegian coast and 12 aircraft took off at 0300hrs and flew east, navigating by moonlight. Seven of the Albacores belonged to 817 Squadron and carried torpedoes, the remaining five were 832 Squadron aircraft with bombs. While the 817 Squadron aircraft sank Barøy, the 832 Squadron bombed the hydroelectric power station
in Glomfjord
, the aluminium plant Nordag in Haugvik and the radio station at Røst
. Two Norwegian civilians died at Glomfjord and one at Røst. No British aircraft were lost during the operation. At the time of the attack Barøy had been sailing with full lighting due to work being carried out on the deck cargo. The wreck of the ship rests at depth of around 300 metres (984.3 ft).
The first ship to discover the sinking of Barøy was the 762 ton Norwegian cargo ship SS Skjerstad, which passed the scene of the sinking on her way southwards and rescued 19 survivors, as well as recovering 15 bodies. The survivors of the sinking were set ashore at Svolvær. Seventy-seven Norwegians died in the attack, including seven children and 21 women. Fifty-nine of the 68 Norwegian passengers were lost, while 18 of the 26 crew members died. Of the 37 German soldiers only two survived.
The Nazi regime in Norway used the attack on Barøy, together with other attacks on civilian Norwegian shipping, in propaganda against the Allies. On 20 May 1944 the Nazi-controlled Norwegian Postal Service issued a series of postage stamp
s commemorating three of the most infamous cases of Norwegian ships sunk by Allied attacks. Barøy was the subject of the 10 øre
stamp, while SS Sanct Svithun
and SS Irma
were depicted on the 15 øre and 20 øre stamps respectively. The shipwreck stamps were designed by German-born Norwegian Nazi propaganda artist and war reporter Harald Damsleth
.
Trondhjems mekaniske Værksted
Trondhjems mekaniske Værksted or TMV was a major shipbuilding company in Trondheim, Norway.-History:It was founded in 1872 by engineer and industrialist, Sophus August Weidemann. Weidemann had started in 1864 as manager of one of the pioneer companies in Trondheim...
shipyard in Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
in 1929. She had been ordered by the Norwegian shipping company Ofotens Dampskibsselskab
Ofotens og Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab
Ofotens og Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab or OVDS was a Norwegian shipping company that operated ferries in Northern Norway, including the Coastal Express, car ferries and passenger ferries. The company merged with Troms Fylkes Dampskibsselskap in 2006 to form Hurtigruten Group.OVDS's main office...
for the local route from the port city 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...
to the smaller towns of Lødingen
Lødingen
Lødingen is a village and municipality in Nordland in Northern Norway. Lødingen is located on the southeastern corner of the island Hinnøya, and is part of the Ofoten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lødingen.Lødingen was established as a...
and Svolvær
Svolvær
-Communications:Parts of the town is built on small islands connected by bridges. There is a regional airport near the town, Svolvær Airport, Helle, and Svolvær is a port of call for Hurtigruten. There is a ferry connection Svolvær to Skutvik in Hamarøy, and express boat connections to Bodø...
. After the company suffered ship losses in the 1940 Norwegian Campaign
Norwegian Campaign
The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...
Barøy was put into Hurtigruten
Hurtigruten
Hurtigruten or Hurtigruta is a Norwegian passenger and freight line with daily sailings along Norway's western and northern coast. Sometimes referred to in English as Norwegian Coastal Express, Hurtigruten ships sail almost the entire length of the country, completing the roundtrip journey in 11...
service on the Trondheim–Narvik route. She was sunk with heavy loss of life in a British air attack in the early hours of 13 September 1941.
Building and commissioning
Barøy was delivered by Trondhjems mekaniske Værksted to Ofotens Dampskibsselskab on 19 August 1929. She was a typical North-Norwegian local transport, with an open weather deck and configured with two cargo holds, a First Class passenger section in the aft and a Third Class area in the bow. The First Class accommodation included 45 bunks, and the ship was certified to carry a total of 200 passengers.Pre-war years
Most of BarøySecond World War
The outbreak of the Second World WarWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
led to Norwegian government restrictions on the Hurtigruten from 1 October 1939 onwards, with a reduction in both sailing speed and the number of departures from Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
, which was cut from seven to five a week. The restrictions followed a massive increase in shipping along the Norwegian coast in the autumn of 1939 as supplies were transported to ports all along the Norwegian coast in preparation for war. After massive protests from the coastal population daily departures were reintroduced on 5 December 1939.
In April 1940 many Hurtigruten ships were being refurbished before the summer season and reserve vessels were sailing the route. One of the reserve ships on the Hurtigruten service was Barøy, standing in for the 873 ton SS Nordnorge, which was undergoing maintenance work at Trondhjems mekaniske Værksted. Barøy had departed Bergen on 2 April, arrived at Trondheim on 4 April and was docked at Hammerfest
Hammerfest
is a city and municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The municipality encompasses parts of three islands: Kvaløya, Sørøya, and Seiland. Hammerfest was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
in the northern county of Finnmark
Finnmark
or Finnmárku is a county in the extreme northeast of Norway. By land it borders Troms county to the west, Finland to the south and Russia to the east, and by water, the Norwegian Sea to the northwest, and the Barents Sea to the north and northeast.The county was formerly known as Finmarkens...
on 9 April 1940.
German occupation
After surviving the 9 April German invasionOperation Weserübung
Operation Weserübung was the code name for Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign...
and the 62 day long Norwegian Campaign
Norwegian Campaign
The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...
that followed it, Barøy was set to assist in the transportation of released German prisoners of war from the Norwegian prisoner of war camp
Skorpa prisoner of war camp
Skorpa prisoner of war camp was a facility built by the Norwegian 6th Division to hold German prisoners-of-war during the 1940 Norwegian Campaign of the Second World War...
on the island of Skorpa in Kvænangen
Kvænangen
Kvænangen is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Burfjord. The European route E6 highway goes through the municipality and over the Sørstraumen Bridge, and most people stop at the mountain pass of Kvænangsfjellet to view the...
, Troms. Barøy carried out the mission together with Finnmark Fylkesrederi
Finnmark Fylkesrederi
Finnmark Fylkesrederi AS or FFR is a ferry and bus operator in Finnmark, Norway owned by Veolia Transport Norway. The company operates almost all public transport in the county. FFR operates 111 buses and 6 high-speed catamarans....
's steamer Tanahorn, the latter carrying some 200 Germans to Tromsø
Tromsø
Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...
and Barøy taking the remaining 260 to the same port city. Barøy continued serving in Nordnorge
Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany started with the German invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940, and ended on May 8, 1945, after the capitulation of German forces in Europe. Throughout this period, Norway was continuously occupied by the Wehrmacht...
, Nordnorge having been sunk by 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...
warships during the Norwegian Campaign after she had been pressed into service as a covert troopship by the invading German forces. Barøy was considered too small a vessel for the longer distances, such as the Hurtigruten route between Bergen and Narvik, and her prolonged service on the route was an emergency measure.
Last voyage
A year and a half after the German invasion Barøy was still sailing the Hurtigruten route as the fifth weekly northbound departure from Trondheim to Narvik. In the early hours of 13 September 1941 she was on her way northwards, and had recently called at SkutvikSkutvika
Skutvika is a small village in the municipality of Hamarøy in the county of Nordland, Northern Norway, with 212 inhabitants .The name Skutvik literally means " Ship Cove"....
on her way to Tranøy
Tranøy, Hamarøy
Tranøy is a settlement and ancient trade centre in the municipality of Hamarøy, Norway. Later novelist Knut Hamsun worked as a shop assistant at Tranøy in his younger days. A lighthouse from 1864 is located as an islet near the village, connected via a pedestrian bridge....
on Hamarøy
Hamarøy
Hamarøy is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Oppeid...
. On board the ship was a crew of 26, as well as 105 passengers, 37 of whom were German soldiers. The German troops on board were members of the 197th Infantry Division
197th Infantry Division (Germany)
The 197th Infantry Division was a German division in World War II. It was formed on 1 December 1939.-197...
.
Sinking
At 0350hrs on 13 September Barøy was struck by a torpedo some 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) west of Tranøy Lighthouse
Tranøy Lighthouse
Tranøy Lighthouse is a coastal lighthouse located on the islet of Stangholmen in Hamarøy, Norway. It was first lit in 1864, and automated in 1991. A pedestrian bridge connects the islet to the village of Tranøy....
, sinking within minutes. The torpedo ripped open the ship's hull, quickly flooding her with water, and immediately knocking out the electrical power on board. Due to the ship sinking so rapidly there was no time to lower the lifeboats, and the people on board had to jump into the water in order to survive. At the time of the sinking the water temperature was 7–8 °C
Celsius
Celsius is a scale and unit of measurement for temperature. It is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death...
. The torpedo that sank Barøy had been dropped by an 817 Squadron
817 Squadron RAN
817 Squadron is a Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm squadron.-Current Roles:817 is currently active as a helicopter squadron equipped with Westland Sea King Mk 50 helicopters. 817 Squadron is a land based squadron operating the Sea King helicopter in Fleet Utility Support roles, including Search...
Fairey Albacore
Fairey Albacore
The Fairey Albacore was a British single-engine carrier-borne biplane torpedo bomber built by Fairey Aviation between 1939 and 1943 for the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm and used during the Second World War. It had a three-man crew and was designed for spotting and reconnaissance as well as delivering...
, one of seven that attacked shipping in the Vestfjord
Vestfjord
Vestfjord is a Norwegian fjord, which would be described as a firth or an open bight of sea between the Lofoten archipelago and mainland Norway, northwest of Bodø...
area that morning. The Albacore crews also claimed to have sunk another vessel, of around 2,000 tons, in the same attack. The Fleet Air Arm
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
aircraft came from the fleet carrier HMS Victorious
HMS Victorious (R38)
HMS Victorious was the second Illustrious-class aircraft carrier ordered under the 1936 Naval Programme. She was laid down at the Vickers-Armstrong shipyard at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in 1937 and launched two years later in 1939...
, which was part of Force M which had escorted the old carrier HMS Argus
HMS Argus (I49)
HMS Argus was a British aircraft carrier that served in the Royal Navy from 1918–1944. She was converted from an ocean liner under construction when the First World War began, and became the world's first example of what is now the standard pattern of aircraft carrier, with a full-length flight...
, carrying 24 Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
fighters to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. On their way back to the UK the Albacores on board Victorious were assigned anti-shipping and bombing missions on the Norwegian coast and 12 aircraft took off at 0300hrs and flew east, navigating by moonlight. Seven of the Albacores belonged to 817 Squadron and carried torpedoes, the remaining five were 832 Squadron aircraft with bombs. While the 817 Squadron aircraft sank Barøy, the 832 Squadron bombed the hydroelectric power station
Glomfjord power plant
Glomfjord power plant is a 6*20 MW hydroelectric power plant in Glomfjord, Norway. It gets its water from Nedre Navervatn lake which is located about 465 meters above the sea level, but there are plans to start taking water also from Fykanvatn lake....
in Glomfjord
Glomfjord
Glomfjord is an industrial community at the head of a small fjord of the same name in Meløy municipality, northern Norway, above the Arctic Circle. The population is 1,204.-Heavy industry:...
, the aluminium plant Nordag in Haugvik and the radio station at Røst
Røst
Røst is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Lofoten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Røst. Røst was separated from the municipality of Værøy on 1 July 1928.- Environment :...
. Two Norwegian civilians died at Glomfjord and one at Røst. No British aircraft were lost during the operation. At the time of the attack Barøy had been sailing with full lighting due to work being carried out on the deck cargo. The wreck of the ship rests at depth of around 300 metres (984.3 ft).
The first ship to discover the sinking of Barøy was the 762 ton Norwegian cargo ship SS Skjerstad, which passed the scene of the sinking on her way southwards and rescued 19 survivors, as well as recovering 15 bodies. The survivors of the sinking were set ashore at Svolvær. Seventy-seven Norwegians died in the attack, including seven children and 21 women. Fifty-nine of the 68 Norwegian passengers were lost, while 18 of the 26 crew members died. Of the 37 German soldiers only two survived.
Reactions to the attack
One of the consequences of the sinking of Barøy, together with the sinking of fellow Hurtigruten ship SS Richard With off Rolvsøy in Finnmark later the same day, was that the Hurtigruten ships would no longer sail further north than Tromsø. Between Tromsø and Hammerfest the route was taken over by smaller replacement ships.The Nazi regime in Norway used the attack on Barøy, together with other attacks on civilian Norwegian shipping, in propaganda against the Allies. On 20 May 1944 the Nazi-controlled Norwegian Postal Service issued a series of postage stamp
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
s commemorating three of the most infamous cases of Norwegian ships sunk by Allied attacks. Barøy was the subject of the 10 øre
Øre
Øre is the centesimal subdivision of the Norwegian and Danish krones. The Faroese division is called the oyra, but is equal in value to the Danish coin. Before their discontinuation, the corresponding divisions of the Swedish krona and the Icelandic króna were the öre and the eyrir...
stamp, while SS Sanct Svithun
SS Sanct Svithun
SS Sanct Svithun was a 1,376 ton steel-hulled steamship built by the German shipyard Danziger Werft and delivered to the Norwegian Stavanger-based shipping company Det Stavangerske Dampskibsselskab on 1 July 1927...
and SS Irma
SS Irma (1905)
SS Irma was a 1,322-ton steamship built by the British shipyard Sir Raylton Dixon & Co. Ltd. in Middlesbrough in the north-east of England. She was delivered to the Norwegian passenger ship company Det Bergenske Dampskibsselskab of Bergen in 1905...
were depicted on the 15 øre and 20 øre stamps respectively. The shipwreck stamps were designed by German-born Norwegian Nazi propaganda artist and war reporter Harald Damsleth
Harald Damsleth
Harald Damsleth was a Norwegian cartoonist, illustrator and ad-man. He is best known for his posters for Nasjonal Samling during World War II.-Early life and work:...
.