Boats escaping from Norway WW II

More details will be added as time allows

M/B Reidar (SF 2 D)

Departed Bryggja, Nordfjord on May 10-1940 with 4 British and 3 Norwegians on board.

The following came along:
Skipper Edvin Nore, Frans Bogdanoff, Johs. Kvittingen. One of the British passengers was Lieutenant J. L. Chaworth Musters, who later took part in forming Kompani Linge. Johs. Kvittingen had helped him get to Bryggja where they made contact with Reidar's skipper. They reached land near Out Skerries the day after departure and went into Lerwick. The intention was to return to Norway with Reidar after the passengers had been landed, but this was not permitted.

M/B Reidar

With Syver Blindheim as skipper, Reidar departed Ålesund with 14 people on March 25-1941, but experienced engine failure the next day and drifted back towards the coast where she ran aground west of Vigra. The passengers were able to disembark on a diserted islet where they were later spotted by people from land who went out to rescue them. About half of the passengers got passage on Njål the same evening, while 2 went with Dolsøy on Apr. 16. (follow link for more details).

M/B Reidar (M 107 A)

Left Ålesund on Jan. 6-1943 with 3 people, arriving Lerwick on the 8th. This was their 3rd attempt at getting away, both boats they had used previously had proven useless.

The following made the voyage:
Arnold Evensen, Gunnar Bjørn Pedersen, Louis Normann Vestrum - all from Trondheim.

M/B Reidulf (lost)

Left Ellingsøy on March 21-1941 with 7 people, never to be heard from again. Probably lost in a storm that same day.

On board were:
Elias Myklebust, Einar Gamst, Bjarne Henriksen, Olav Langva, Paul Haugseth, Torleif Arentz, Arild Edvardsen.

M/S Rival (R 4 V)

Left Egersund on Sept. 5-1941 with 10 people, arriving Aberdeen on Sept. 8. The boat had been purchased for the purpose of escaping. Half way, a German aircraft had circled around the boat several times but did not attack.

On board were:
Skipper and owner Emil Vold (a driver by profession), Steinar Finseth, Ingvar Gausland, Per Haugstad, Øystein Kvia, Sven K. Lode, Wilhelm Lund, Brynjulf Mugås, Berge Opstad, Ola Torland (the majority of them from the Rogaland area).

M/B Roald (SF 218 A)

Departed Askvoll in the spring of 1940 for Shetland. Skipper and owner was Peder Grane.

D/S Rundehorn (M 317 B)

Departed Langevåg on May 8-1940 with 14 people, reaching Klakksvik, Faroe Islands.

On board were:
Skipper and owner Johan Melbø, Gunborg Melbø, Edna Melbø (age 18), Rigmor Melbø (age 11), Mons Bauge, Ole Festø, Sigurd Helgesen, Lovise Måseidvåg, Peder Måseidvåg, Steinar Måseidvåg (age 3), Nils Kristian Nilsen, Erik Normann, Oddmund Søreide, Petter Vildberg.

L/S Rundø

Pilot vessel.

Left Rundehamn on Sept. 18-1941 with 26 people, some of whom had attempted to get away with a smaller vessel a few days before, but were forced back twice due to bad weather. They eventually arrived Shetland on Oct. 21 with Rundø.

These came along:
Skipper Petter Joakim Runde, Toralf Bertel Backe-Hansen, John Birger Berntzen, Berit Ingrid Bjerke, Per Bjerknes, Gunvor Bjørnstad, Hjørdis Bolle, Ellen Inger Wilkens Eckbo, Per Leo Wilkens Eckbo, Reidar Birger Ekerholt, Olav Ingebrigtsen Frøystad, Tore Frøysa, Maja Gerda Goksøyr, Johannes Nedkvitne, Knut Nedkvitne, Helge Kristen Nerem, Per Nordal Ottestad, Ingeborg Paus, Aksel Remøy (see his brother Fritjof Remøe's story on my page Warsailor Stories and Bonneville), Lydia Remøy (sister of Aksel), Hans Kristian Skou, Kirsten Skou, Lars Slette, Birger Edvin Martin Strømsheim, Åse Liv Strømsheim, Ågot Jørgine Østensen, and intelligence agent Inge Kiran.

M/K Rupee (H 6 FB)

Pre war history (from T. Eriksen, Norway): Built in England in 1893 as sailing vessel Rupee, wooden hull. Sold in 1909 to Kristian P. Holme, Bømlo (ref. link to Guestbook message below). Sold in 1913 to unknwn owner. As per 1923 owner was Peder Wilhelmsen Hinderaker, Visnes, Karmøy. Sold in 1937 to P/r Erling Halvorsen & Stener Stenersen, Grindheim, Mosterhamn (fishery No.. H-16-M ), in freighting service. Rebuilt in Ølen in 1938, as per 1939 she was 57’ x 15.5’ x 7.5’, 33 gt, 70 tdwt, and at some point a 1cyl 2tev Wichmann 30bhp motor was installed. Sold (year unknown) to Tor Sæbø, Sæbøvik, Halsnøy (H-6-FB). Rebuilt by Georg Eide, Høylandsbygd, Halsnøy. Owner as per 1939 was Anders T.Fjelland, Fjellberg.

Early picture of Rupee
Another picture - Both were received from Richard Holme, whose great uncle was Kristen P. Holme. See this Guestbook message.

WW II: In 1940 she was owned by P/r / Torbjørn O. Fjelland, Toftevåg. She departed Bremnes on Febr. 10-1942, having been purchased for the voyage by the Bremnes group in Bergen under the leadership of Birger Larssen. Many of those who came along on the voyage were wanted by the Gestapo, having avoided arrests when the so-called Stein organization was split up. This was the last, large transport of fugitives from the coast of Norway during the war. Rupee arrived Lerwick on Febr. 14-1942.

The following came along:
Skipper Ingolf Andersen, his wife Elisabeth (from Glasgow), and his son Norman John (born 1925). Others were Birger Egenes, Finn Engelsen, Jan Holmboe Eriksen, Olaf Ramsvik Eriksen, Einar Garner, Lars Gjendemsjø, Joachim Grieg, Harald Gundersen, Bernhard Theting Hansen, Jan Helen, Truls Håskjold, Reidar Isaksen, Karl S. Johansen, Hagbart Johnsen, his wife Henny and sons Bjarne and Odd as well as daughter Siri, Jentoft Kulleseid, Otto Lohne, P. M. ("Mike") Løberg, Rudolf Mikkelsen, Alfred Myrland, Bjørn Nilsen, Bjørn Mowinckel Nilsen and Helen Mowinckel Nilsen (both born in Vladivostok), Sverre Røsland, Kåre Sætherdal, Olaf Carsten Sørvig*, his wife Kristine, daughter Ingerd and sons John Carsten, Thomas and Odd, Hans Thomsen, Thorolf Thorstensen, Helge Ullebust and Børge Vik. Some of these passengers had previously attempted to cross with Anna B.

*Here's a Guestbook message from the daughter of Ingerd Sørvig, saying that the Sørvig family lived in Scottland all through the war.

Rupee was later used by Royal Navy and was sent to Møre twice.

POST WAR (T. Eriksen): Returned to Norway after the war and used as freighter again. Sold in 1947 Trygve Andal, Måløy (SF-9-SV ). Deleted from Norwegian register in 1977.

M/S Rypa (T 87 K)

Left Stokmarknes on Jan. 18-1941 with 13 people, heading for Lerwick, but encountering a storm, and having a bad compass, they passed between Shetland and the Faroe Islands and eventually reached land near Cape Wrath in the afternoon of Jan. 25. The following day they went into Dureness Bay. The vessel sank shortly after having reached port.

Some of those on board were:
Skipper Einar Fuhr, Per Frøili, Asbjørn Grøneng, Skjalg Liljedal, Arne Ågård.

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