SS Sanct Svithun
Encyclopedia
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. She sailed the Hurtigruten
route along the coast of Norway
until she was lost in an air attack on 30 September 1943 during the Second World War
.
Sanct Svithun was employed on the passenger/freight line between Bergen
in Western Norway and various ports in Northern Norway. In 1931 she was rebuilt with a refrigerated cargo hold to enable her to transport fresh fish from the fisheries in Northern Norway. During the rebuild she was also fitted with wireless telegraphy
. She was a popular ship amongst her passengers, with a large superstructure and a spacious promenade deck
with a look-out salon in the bow area. Sanct Svithun was also known as a superbly seaworthy vessel.
invaded Norway
on 9 April 1940 Sanct Svithun was at the Klaseskjær shipyard
in Stavanger for her annual maintenance work. By the summer of 1940 she was back in regular service along the coast of occupied Norway
.
peninsula in Western Norway, from Ålesund
to Måløy
. As was the case with all Norwegian ships operating in German-occupied Norway she had her name and NORGE (NORWAY) painted on both her sides. Large Norwegian flags were also painted both on her sides and on her roof. Her complement of passengers consisted of both Norwegian civilians and German military personnel. Although a civilian ship on a regular cargo and passenger route she had German anti-aircraft artillery
on board and these guns were always manned by German soldiers.
At 1900hrs, when Sanct Svithun was in a position between the islets of Vossa and Buholmen, she was attacked by six Bristol Beaufighter
s from the Canadian
404 Squadron
armed with "60 lb" 3-inch rockets
. Sanct Svithun was sailing alone without escort, and her anti-aircraft armament was ineffective, allowing the Beaufighters to press through their attack with great precision. The attack, which included machine gun
and 20 mm auto-cannon
fire, left the Norwegian steamer burning in strong gale-force weather. Many people jumped into the ocean to escape the flames, soon perishing in the stormy seas before the pilot
managed to beach
the ship between Buholmen islet and a rocky outcrop on land. Sanct Svithun lay burning on the islet for hours while the burning stern was sinking beneath the waves. During the evening and night many of the people on board managed to make their way ashore, greatly aided by local people from the nearby village of Ervik, twenty of whom went to sea in half a dozen rowing boats
to try and rescue the survivors. Between 41 and 46 Norwegians died in the incident, while 75 or 76 were saved; only two of the Germans on board survived. Many people were able to make their way ashore after sailor Olav Iversen Kvalvågnes managed to swim to land with a rope. The captain
, Samuel Alshager, was the last to abandon ship. Two to three days after the attack Sanct Svithun slipped off the islet and sank in deeper waters. Today most of the wreck has been broken up by the weather. The remains are located off Buholmen at a depth of between five and thirty metres.
The Allied
sinking of Sanct Svithun – an unescorted Norwegian passenger ship – led to strong reactions in Norway, with the leadership of the Norwegian resistance movement
sending a letter of protest to the press office of the Norwegian government in exile
in London
on 20 October 1943. In the letter the resistance stated that "We have received message from a trusted source in Western Norway who has been gathering reliable intelligence from eye witnesses and survivors about the sinking of Sanct Svithun. He declares that the German reports in the media are by and large correct. When the negative impacts have not been greater, the reason is that everyone back home refuse to believe that the English could have behaved in such a manner. This is in conflict with the experiences that people back home have made over almost three years. If anything like this was to happen again, it would be highly damaging." The letter was presented to Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Trygve Lie
and debated in a government conference.
The sinking was featured heavily in the Nazi-controlled Norwegian newspapers, with the Norwegian national socialist party Nasjonal Samling's official publication Fritt Folk
used the incident in its anti-Allied propaganda
, calling the attack "a horrifying British enemy deed".
On 20 May 1944 the Norwegian Postal Service released three postage stamp
s with designs commemorating war-related shipwrecks, the 15 Øre
stamp featuring the sinking of SS Sanct Svithun. Each stamp cost an extra 10 Øre meant to go to the benefit of injured shipwreck survivors and the relatives of those killed. The shipwreck stamps were designed by German-born Norwegian pro-Nazi propaganda artist Harald Damsleth
and the other two ships portrayed on the stamps where SS Barøy
and SS Irma
, sunk in 1941 and 1944 respectively.
built in Ervik that year, where it has since remained. The idea to build a memorial chapel had originally been proposed by Vidkun Quisling
's collaborationist
Nasjonal Samling administration
. Although many Norwegians opposed the chapel plans Captain Alshager of Sanct Svithun supported the building of a memorial, stating that honouring the dead of the shipwreck had to be seen separately of the war in general. Alshager had captained Sanct Svithun from 1928 until her 1943 sinking. The first foundation stone for the chapel was laid down in 1944, but the project was put aside after the end of the war. The new foundation stone for the chapel, moved a distance from the original location, was laid down in 1968. When the chapel was inaugurated in 1970 close to 1,000 people were present and the building was handed over to Selje
municipality.
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
built by the German shipyard Danziger Werft
Danziger Werft
Danziger Werft was a German shipbuilding company, located in Danzig. It was founded in 1921 on the site of the Kaiserliche Werft Danzig that had been closed after World War I.During World War II Danziger Werft built 42 Type VII U-boats for the Kriegsmarine....
and delivered to the Norwegian Stavanger
Stavanger
Stavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...
-based shipping company Det Stavangerske Dampskibsselskab
Det Stavangerske Dampskibsselskap
Det Stavangerske Dampskibsselskap ASA is a private Norwegian shipping company that operates internationally through the subsidiary DSD Shipping AS 13 vessels. The group also owns major parts of Tide and Nor Lines. DSD dates back to 1855 when it was founded. Head offices are located in Stavanger.In...
on 1 July 1927. She sailed the 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...
route 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...
until she was lost in an air attack on 30 September 1943 during the Second World War
World 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...
.
Pre-Second World War
After her delivery from the Free City of DanzigFree City of Danzig
The Free City of Danzig was a semi-autonomous city-state that existed between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig and surrounding areas....
Sanct Svithun was employed on the passenger/freight line between 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 , ....
in Western Norway and various ports in Northern Norway. In 1931 she was rebuilt with a refrigerated cargo hold to enable her to transport fresh fish from the fisheries in Northern Norway. During the rebuild she was also fitted with wireless telegraphy
Wireless telegraphy
Wireless telegraphy is a historical term used today to apply to early radio telegraph communications techniques and practices, particularly those used during the first three decades of radio before the term radio came into use....
. She was a popular ship amongst her passengers, with a large superstructure and a spacious promenade deck
Promenade deck
The promenade deck is a deck found on several types of passenger ships and riverboats. It usually extends from bow to stern, on both ddd,çsides, and includes areas open to the outside, resulting in a continuous outside walkway suitable for promenading, thus the name.On older passenger ships, the...
with a look-out salon in the bow area. Sanct Svithun was also known as a superbly seaworthy vessel.
Second World War
When Nazi GermanyNazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
invaded Norway
Operation 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...
on 9 April 1940 Sanct Svithun was at the Klaseskjær shipyard
Shipyard
Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
in Stavanger for her annual maintenance work. By the summer of 1940 she was back in regular service along the coast of occupied Norway
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...
.
Sinking
On Thursday 30 September 1943 Sanct Svithun was on her way southwards off the StadStad (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...
peninsula in Western Norway, from Ålesund
Ålesund
is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre, and the center of the Ålesund Region. It is a sea port, and is noted for its unique concentration of Art Nouveau architecture....
to Måløy
Måløy
is a town and the administrative centre of the municipality of Vågsøy in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. Måløy is located on the southeastern side of the island of Vågsøy, about northeast of the village of Holvik and about south of Raudeberg. The Måløybrua connects the town to the village of...
. As was the case with all Norwegian ships operating in German-occupied Norway she had her name and NORGE (NORWAY) painted on both her sides. Large Norwegian flags were also painted both on her sides and on her roof. Her complement of passengers consisted of both Norwegian civilians and German military personnel. Although a civilian ship on a regular cargo and passenger route she had German anti-aircraft artillery
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
on board and these guns were always manned by German soldiers.
Bristol Beaufighter
The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...
s from the Canadian
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
404 Squadron
No. 404 Squadron RCAF
404 Maritime Patrol and Training Squadron is a long range patrol and training squadron in the Royal Canadian Air Force. The squadron was originally No. 404 Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force .-History:...
armed with "60 lb" 3-inch rockets
RP-3
The RP-3 , was a British rocket used in the Second World War. Though primarily an air-to-ground weapon, it saw limited use in other roles. Its 60 lb warhead gave rise to the alternative name of the "60 lb rocket"; the 25 lb solid-shot armour piercing variant was referred to as the "25 lb rocket"...
. Sanct Svithun was sailing alone without escort, and her anti-aircraft armament was ineffective, allowing the Beaufighters to press through their attack with great precision. The attack, which included machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
and 20 mm auto-cannon
Hispano-Suiza HS.404
The Hispano-Suiza HS.404 was an autocannon widely used as both an aircraft and land weapon in the 20th century by British, American, French, and numerous other military services. The cannon is also referred to as Birkigt type 404, after its designer. Firing a 20 mm caliber projectile, it delivered...
fire, left the Norwegian steamer burning in strong gale-force weather. Many people jumped into the ocean to escape the flames, soon perishing in the stormy seas before the pilot
Maritime pilot
A pilot is a mariner who guides ships through dangerous or congested waters, such as harbours or river mouths. With the exception of the Panama Canal, the pilot is only an advisor, as the captain remains in legal, overriding command of the vessel....
managed to beach
Beach (nautical)
Beaching is when a vessel is laid ashore, or grounded deliberately in shallow water. This is more usual with small flat-bottomed boats. Larger ships may be beached deliberately, for instance in an emergency a damaged ship might be beached to prevent it from sinking in deep water...
the ship between Buholmen islet and a rocky outcrop on land. Sanct Svithun lay burning on the islet for hours while the burning stern was sinking beneath the waves. During the evening and night many of the people on board managed to make their way ashore, greatly aided by local people from the nearby village of Ervik, twenty of whom went to sea in half a dozen rowing boats
Watercraft rowing
Watercraft rowing is the act of propelling a boat using the motion of oars in the water. The difference between paddling and rowing is that with rowing the oars have a mechanical connection with the boat whereas with paddling the paddles are hand-held with no mechanical connection.This article...
to try and rescue the survivors. Between 41 and 46 Norwegians died in the incident, while 75 or 76 were saved; only two of the Germans on board survived. Many people were able to make their way ashore after sailor Olav Iversen Kvalvågnes managed to swim to land with a rope. The captain
Captain (nautical)
A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
, Samuel Alshager, was the last to abandon ship. Two to three days after the attack Sanct Svithun slipped off the islet and sank in deeper waters. Today most of the wreck has been broken up by the weather. The remains are located off Buholmen at a depth of between five and thirty metres.
Reactions to the sinking of SS Sanct Svithun
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
sinking of Sanct Svithun – an unescorted Norwegian passenger ship – led to strong reactions in Norway, with the leadership of the Norwegian resistance movement
Norwegian resistance movement
The Norwegian resistance to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms:...
sending a letter of protest to the press office of the Norwegian government in exile
Cabinet Nygaardsvold
Nygaardsvold's Cabinet was appointed on 20 March 1935, the second Labour cabinet in Norway. It closed the brought to an end the non-socialist, minority Governments that had been dominating politics since the introduction of the parliamentary system in 1884, and replaced it with stable, Labour...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 20 October 1943. In the letter the resistance stated that "We have received message from a trusted source in Western Norway who has been gathering reliable intelligence from eye witnesses and survivors about the sinking of Sanct Svithun. He declares that the German reports in the media are by and large correct. When the negative impacts have not been greater, the reason is that everyone back home refuse to believe that the English could have behaved in such a manner. This is in conflict with the experiences that people back home have made over almost three years. If anything like this was to happen again, it would be highly damaging." The letter was presented to Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Trygve Lie
Trygve Lie
Trygve Halvdan Lie was a Norwegian politician, labour leader, government official and author. He served as Norwegian Foreign minister during the critical years of the Norwegian government in exile in London from 1940 to 1945. From 1946 to 1952 he was the first Secretary-General of the United...
and debated in a government conference.
The sinking was featured heavily in the Nazi-controlled Norwegian newspapers, with the Norwegian national socialist party Nasjonal Samling's official publication Fritt Folk
Fritt Folk
Fritt Folk was a Norwegian newspaper, published in Oslo. It was the official organ of the Fascist party Nasjonal Samling, and came to prominence during the Second World War.-History:...
used the incident in its anti-Allied propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
, calling the attack "a horrifying British enemy deed".
On 20 May 1944 the Norwegian Postal Service released three 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 with designs commemorating war-related shipwrecks, the 15 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 featuring the sinking of SS Sanct Svithun. Each stamp cost an extra 10 Øre meant to go to the benefit of injured shipwreck survivors and the relatives of those killed. The shipwreck stamps were designed by German-born Norwegian pro-Nazi propaganda artist 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:...
and the other two ships portrayed on the stamps where SS Barøy
SS Barøy (1929)
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...
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...
, sunk in 1941 and 1944 respectively.
Post-war memorial
In gratitude to the villagers of Ervik's rescue efforts the shipping company, Det Stavangerske Dampskibsselskab, donated in 1970 the ship's bell from Sanct Svithun to a memorial chapelChapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
built in Ervik that year, where it has since remained. The idea to build a memorial chapel had originally been proposed by Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling was a Norwegian politician. On 9 April 1940, with the German invasion of Norway in progress, he seized power in a Nazi-backed coup d'etat that garnered him international infamy. From 1942 to 1945 he served as Minister-President, working with the occupying...
's collaborationist
Collaboration during World War II
Within nations occupied by the Axis Powers, some citizens, driven by nationalism, ethnic hatred, anti-communism, anti-Semitism or opportunism, knowingly engaged in collaboration with the Axis Powers during World War II...
Nasjonal Samling administration
Quisling regime
The Quisling regime, or the Quisling government are common names used to refer to the collaborationist government led by Vidkun Quisling in occupied Norway during the Second World War. The official name of the regime from 1 February 1942 until its dissolution in May 1945 was Nasjonale regjering...
. Although many Norwegians opposed the chapel plans Captain Alshager of Sanct Svithun supported the building of a memorial, stating that honouring the dead of the shipwreck had to be seen separately of the war in general. Alshager had captained Sanct Svithun from 1928 until her 1943 sinking. The first foundation stone for the chapel was laid down in 1944, but the project was put aside after the end of the war. The new foundation stone for the chapel, moved a distance from the original location, was laid down in 1968. When the chapel was inaugurated in 1970 close to 1,000 people were present and the building was handed over to Selje
Selje
Selje is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Nordfjord. The village of Selje is the administrative center of Selje municipality...
municipality.