Click in graphic above to go to the "free" Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945
  A • Ba–Bl • Bo–Bø • C • D • E • F • G • Ha • He–Hø • I • J • K • L  
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This section lists Norwegian ships in the "Homefleet"; ships seized by the Germans, ships that would ordinarily have been in foreign trade but happened to be in Norway when the Germans invaded and were unable to get out, local passenger/cargo steamers, car/passenger ferries etc., in other words - vessels that mostly sailed in Norwegian waters and/or were in domestic trade. Even though there's no special war story for some of them, their job was an important one in that they kept "daily life" going, and they all sailed in the danger zones and deserve to be mentioned. Additionally, the Norwegians who sailed on them were in a difficult situation in that they had to sail for the "enemy", and risked being sunk by "their own".

A click in the graphic above will take you to the section primarily listing Nortraship's Fleet, i. e. ships that were requisitioned by The Norwegian Shipping and Trade Mission in Apr.-1940 (see my page Nortraship for some background history). That section also includes ships sold to other countries in 1939 (and other vessels that sailed the oceans in the year 1939, even before war broke out), ships sunk during the neutrality period, some vessels that sailed under the Panamanian flag (with Norwegian managers) as well as corvettes, whale catchers and ships laid up in Sweden under allied control. I've also added a few of the fishing vessels that went across to Britain, to be known as the "Shetland Bus" (more of the latter group will be added later). In short, that section lists the FREE merchant fleet - vessels that sailed outside of occupied Norway or were otherwise in allied service / foreign trade.

Some of the ships may be listed in the wrong section. This is due to the fact that I do not have enough information on them to know exactly where they sailed. If this mistake is spotted, I would greatly appreciate being notified so that I can get it corrected. I can be reached through my Guestbook, or at the contact address at the bottom of this page.