Bergen
Wrecks in Western Norway (page 3)
On
the 15th of December 1944 a German convoy of six ships crossed the Sognefjorden
under cover of dark with the Ferndale in the lead.The German Luftwaffe
had no resources available to provide air cover, forcing convoys to sail only at
night. At Krakhellesundet, strong currents misled the captain of the Ferndale
and the ship hit the Seglsteinen rock The remainder of the convoy managed to
manoeuvre away from the reef and continue on to Ålesund city. The V5305 and the
tugboat Fairplay X stayed with Ferndale until the rescue vessel Parat arrived.
The vessels lay there until noon the following day when nineteen Allied
Mosquitoes attacked the ships with cannons and rockets. Both Ferndale and Parat
were set on fire with the loss of only one aircraft. The crews on Ferndale and
Parat tried to put out the fires, but the exploding ammunition cargo hindered
their progress. An hour later, another eight Mosquitoes arrived and attacked the
ships again. The V5305 hit one of the planes which smashed straight in the
mountain near Seglsteinen. However, both the Ferndale and the Parat received
hits and both ships sank after the second attack. Today both ships lie next to
Seglsteinen in a depth of 8 to 60 mts. Ferndale's bow is broken up on the reef
and she lays at quite a steep angle towards the intact stern at 40 mts.
The salvage tug Parat was built in 1905 at her Home port of Trondhiem for Norsk Bjergnings Kompagni 135ton 106ft loa. During the war she was requisitioned by the Germans and ended her days in the bid to salvage the Ferndale. Both ships were set on fire, the Parat was along side Ferndales starboard quarter. When both ships sank the Parat settled upright along side an underwater cliff with her bows behind Ferndale. Looking from the stern at 40 mts Parats mast can easily be seen, divers can swim over to the mast or cliff looking down at Parat and back up to the Ferndale. Descending down to Parats deck and around her stern at 60 mts while looking up at Ferndales stern is an amazing sight, guns can be seen on the sea bed before ascending up the steeply inclined Ferndales hull. There are swim through the inside and under Ferndales hull before decompressing around the over hanging Seglsteinen rock in relatively warmer water (16c). This is one of the best dives in Norway but divers must be aware that strong surface currents in a narrow busy shipping channel demand controlled decompression stops, divers must never drift away from the safety of Seglsteinen rock. Avoid this site in strong south winds and ferry traffic times.
The SS Frankenwald sank on the 6th of January 1940. The German vessel missed the channel in Brattholmen. Striking rocks, the vessel quickly started to sink. The crew were rescued by fishing vessels. The wreck lies upright in 40 metres on the west side of Ytre Sula The aft mast comes up to 5 mts and supports much sea life, the bridge is at 20 mts the deck is at 30 mts the only damage is the funnel which is laid over. The ship was partly salvaged after the war by Ander Brothers, the anchors, chain, and propellers were removed but the wreck is mostly intact with many swimthroughs. This intact wreck is a very popular site located away from the main shipping channel in a rocky bay with many narrow outlets. Surface currents can be quite strong at times but only becomes a problem for drifting divers who will see more scenery than others who surfaced up the shot.
The ship Havda, built in 1881, was a coastal passenger/mail boat from Trondhiem to Stavanger before WW11. She was sunk by British airplanes outside Luta island on the 9th of December 1944, whilst on route from Måløy to Bergen. Today the wreck of Havda lies west of the island Luta in a depth of sixteen to thirty meters on her port side she is still relatively intact for being in an exposed position, glass bottles litter the sea bed. This is an easy interesting dive, the visibility can be very good.
The steamship Helga Ferdinand went down after being attacked by British airplanes under a journey in convoy northwards along the Norwegian coast on November 8th 1944. The convoy took cover in Mid-Gulen to await darkness before they could continue their journey north. In the afternoon the ships were spotted by a British reconnaissance plane, and the Aquila and Helga Ferdinand were sunk shortly after by a group of British airplanes. Today the wreck of Helga Ferdinand stands upright intact at a depth of thirty five mts at the bow to sixty meters at the stern. The bow and stern still have the anti aircraft guns attached. The foremast stands up to 28 mts complete with rigging, this mast is a good place to start and finish your first dive, swimming from there down to the bridge is best done high off the deck so you can see the towering funnel while maintaining a good dive profile. At the funnel you can descend down passing ventilators and engine room skylights until you land on the deck at 55mts. At this point on your first visit its time to start working your way up the deck passing the engine room, looking up at the funnel over the remains of the ships wheel and bridge, up the deck passing deck winches and noting the foremast at 40 mts, then up on the bow is the gun standing high on its pedestal at 35 mts. From the bow you can see the sea bed, from the gun looking up and back you can see the mast and your way up. Surface conditions tend to be good in this quite location so planning and executing a more ambitious dive with long deco stops is possible. A second down line to the top of the funnel puts the stern within reach 70 mts at the rudder.
Only 300mts away is another classic wreck see Aqulia
The German steamship Aquila disappeared at Midt-Gulen on November 8th 1944 after having been attacked by British airplanes while in convoy northwards along the Norwegian coast. On the afternoon on November 8th the convoy which included the ships Aquila and Helga Ferdinand was spotted by a British reconnaissance plane and later attacked by a group of British airplanes. Today the wreck of Aquila rests in a depth of 35 to 60 mts with a list to port. The best place to start this dive is high on the port bow from here you can look over to the steep cliff on the starboard side swimming aft you go deeper, this is a big wreck with much to see, the stern is in 60mts expect to get a deep square profile dive if you get to the stern.
The steamship Ilse Fritzen sank on the 26th of January 1945 after having been attacked by British airplanes in Eidsfjorden. Ilse Fritzen was originally built in France in 1922, but was commandeered into service by the Germans. Today the wreck of Ilse Fritzen rests in Eidsfjorden outside Askvoll at a depth of forty five to sixty five meters, listing to her starboard side. The wreck is in good condition apart from the stern.
The
steamship Inger Seks went down after an allied air attack in Instefjorden
on the 23rd of April 1945. The ship had stranded the day before, and was quickly
spotted by the British who attacked this large freighter. The Inger Seks stood
on the reef burning for several days before she disappeared. Inger Seks was
requisitioned by the German force in Norway in May 1940, and had
almost survived the second world war under the German flag when she was sunk.
The wreck of Inger Seks rest in a depth of twenty six to seventy meters on her
port side on the sloping seabed,making her deck the lowest place, her bow is almost on the shore.
but you need to do a deep dive to see her decks.