HNoMS Narvik (FY-1725) - A Whaler requisitioned at the start of ww2 and armed with an 101.6mm cannon, 36 depth charges and more!

Til_Dovre_Faller · August 25, 2024, 2:08pm

HNoMS NARVIK (FY-1725)

TYPE: Whaler/patrol vessel/anti sumbarine
BUILDING SITE: Kaldnes Mekaniske Verksted, Tønsberg
PREVIOUS NAME: GOS IX
LAUNCHED: August 1937
REQUISITIONED: 1940
IN COMMAND: 1 January 1941 to 1946
WAS OPERATIONAL FROM: 14 October 1941
OWNER: Hvalfangerselskapet Pelagos A/S, Tønsberg

ARMAMENT

Spoiler

1x 4" US Mk.IX Mod 5 cannon
-Caliber in metric: 101.6 Millimeter
-Barrel length in calibers: L/45
-Placement: Bow in front of the wheelhouse on a platform
1x 20mm Oerlicon cannon
-Placement: Aft platform above the depth charge racks
2x1 12.7mm Colt MG/52 Machineguns
-Placement: 1x on each side of the vessel, on each side of the brigde on the wheelhouse
-Cooling system: Water cooled
1x 12.7mm Air-cooled Colt machinegun
-Cooling system: Air cooled
-Placement: Int he middle of the vessel, just behind the lifeboats
1x 12.7mm Colt MG/52
-Placement: 1x Placed on the very front of the bow, replacing the whale cannon
-Cooling system: Water cooled
36x 400 lbs Mk.VII HD Depth Charges
-2x Type NO. C.74 (CL CO ltd.) Throwers
-2x Rows
-Mass: 420 lb (190 kg)
-Filling weight: 290 lb (130 kg) TNT
ASDIC RADAR TYPE 123 A

TECHNICAL DATA
Displacement: 366 Gross tonnage
Length: 42.94 Meter
Width: 8.04 Meter
Depth: 4.45 Meter

MACHINERY
1x piston steam machine (steam reciprocating)
Type: Triple expansion 3-cylinder
Cylinder Diameter: 19.0”–32.5”–56.0”
Stroke: 27.0”
Built by: Kaldnes mek. Workshop, Tønsberg
Power: 1800 Indicated Horse Powers
Speed: 14 Knots (25.92 km/h)
Bunkers: 181 Metric Tons of oil
Range: 4800 n. miles at 11 knots (20.37 Km/h)

CREW
Estimated crew: 31 Men

TIMELINE OF IMPORTANT EVENTS
08/1937: Delivered as GOS IX to Hvalfangerslsk. Pelagos A/S (Bruun & van der Lippe) Tønsberg
10/1940: Requisitioned by the Royal Norwegian Navy (FY 1725), new name NARVIK
00/1945: Returned to Hvalfangerslsk. Pelagos A/S (S. Foyn Bruun) Tønsberg, new name GOS IX
11/1954: Sold to The South Georgia Co. Ltd (Chr. Salvesen & Co) Leith, UK, new name SISTRA
06/1962: Sold to Marie Edvardsen, Ålesund, new name LANGVIN
00/1963: New engine: Deutz BHK 1000 Speed: 12.5 knots
00/1964: Transferred to Ole Edvardsen P/R, Ålesund
00/1971: Extended 19.1’-Gross:466 h. NET:219 h. DIM:52.42m-8.04m- 4.48m
00/1980: Transferred to P/R Ole Edvardsen Fishing Boat Company (Ole Edvardsen) Ålesund
07/1987: Deleted on 9/7-87 from the Ship Register as condemned

HISTORY
During the summer of 1940 the Norwegian navy seized 16 Norwegian whaling boats in South Africa. they were taken to Halifax in Canada for conversion into patrol vessels. the whaleboats proved to be in such poor condition that extensive repair work had to be started at the same time as the rebuilding. 7 of these whaleboats were therefore sent to Great Britain for conversion to minesweepers, and the rest were converted to patrol vessels. GOS IX/HNoMS Narvik was one of those that was converted into a patrol vessel, and which you will hear about here. I would like to suggest a whale boat that was Requisitioned by the Norwegian navy after the German invasion of Norway. This vessel was armed and used as a patrol vessel throughout the war.

In 1937, this ship was built for the whaling company Pelagos A/S (Bruun & von der Lippe), located in Tønsberg, by Kaldnes mekaniske Verksted. It was then launched on 19 June, delivered to the company on 17 August and christened GOS IX. In 1940 the ship arrived in Mars, Walvis Bay, South West Africa, where it was transferred to Nortraship and was sailed on to Halifax, NS, Canada via Pernambuco, Brazil and Trinidad where they departed on 16 July and arrived on 24 August. The ship was leased to the Royal Navy from October. The ship was converted into an anti-submarine vessel. Renamed HMS NARVIK with Norwegian crew. Had cannon mounted in Dartmouth, NS. Went to her base in Birkenhead, England together with two other Norwegian whaleboats that had been converted (GOS 8 as BODØ, and KOS XX as MOLDE), in addition to three English vessels that all entered the Liverpool Local Escort Force. They were assigned to escort convoys back and forth across the North Atlantic, and elsewhere if necessary. Later she was stationed at Scapa Flow, Orkney Islands and at Lerwick, Shetland as an escort vessel. She was also on occasion assigned to tow two MTBs over to Western Norway.

In February 1942, she was sent out to pick up a lost submarine, which had run out of oxygen and had to seek the surface just outside the Trondheimsfjord. At first it was not possible to spot the submarine, but on the fourth day contact was established and the entire crew of 47 was found to be safe. The submarine could maneuver on its own, but on arrival in Dundee, Scotland, HMS NARVIK took her on the side, just like a whale. In this way they arrived at the port of Dundee, where a great crowd of people had come forward to receive them. The photo below show’s this!

Another interesting thing that happened in the same year was that she was once sent out to pick up the crew of a Dutch vessel near the Norwegian coast. The ship had been taken by the Germans, but only the captain was German. The crew had managed to overpower the captain and tied him to the galley, after which the crew from HMS NARVIK could board the ship and take care of the crew.

From 19 to 30 April, HNoMS Narvik took part in escorting a convoy from Falmuth to GIbraltar, and from 4 May to 18 May a convoy X.B.65 from GIbraltar to Falmuth. During this escort, on 13 May, HNoMS Narvik saw the periscope of a German submarine attacking the convoy. The patrol vessel HNoMS Narvik attacked the submarine and dropped 9 of its sinking mines on good Asdic contact directly above the submarine. On the vessel, it was then assumed that the submarine was damaged by the sinking mines since no contact was made with it later. The ship continued in a total of 19 convoys without any hostilities taking place.

In 1944 Just before Christmas HMS NARVIK picked up 40 refugees from Holden in Vesterålen and the year later (1945) When the war ended she transported equipment from England to Bergen and then in 1946 the ship was returned to the owners. Converted to a whaleboat at Kaldnes mek. Workshop, Tønsberg. Renamed GOS IX. The “Jahre group” separated after the war. The company Bruun & von der Lippe was split up and the whaling company Pelagos A/S (Sven Foyn Bruun), Tønsberg takes over GOS IX. Captured for Fl/k PELAGOS until 1954.

DETAILED GENERAL ARRANEMENT OF THE REFITTING OF THE VESSEL BEFORE SERVICE

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