Submerged

I am extremely gratefull to Ralph Brigginshaw for his 'memories' and all his wonderfull photo's, and to Ron Cope for his hard work in tracking him down.

I am very gratefull to Les Smale B.E.M. for this fascinating account of his part in the battle of Narvik, where he survived the sinking of H.M.S.Hardy. His account is also quite unique, because he wrote it all down so soon after the event. 2nd Flottilla

I am very grateful to Leo Styles for sending me this great story about Austin McNamara and his pair of sea boot stockings. Although it is a light hearted story, to me it just emphasises the quiet bravery of men like Austin. The politicians are always

Aged 92, (2010) Harry Rogers is probably the last remaining survivor from the Hardy. I am very gratefull to his son Tony, grandson Alex, and of course Harry himself for sending me the story and photo's below. HARRY ROGERS Harry was born on 28 November

I am extremely grateful to John Avery for this story about his Dad. It’s these little forgotten details that round out the whole event. My father Frederick Gordon Avery was a leading stoker on HMS HARDY. Paymaster Stanning ordered my father to sabotage

I am very grateful to Kate Kennedy for the photo’s and stories of her father Robert Mc Atamney. Robert Samuel Mc Atamney was one of six boys from the same family in Carickfergus, Northern Ireland, who fought in the war. They became known as the fighting

I am very grateful to Ron Cope for providing me with his Father's story and all the wonderful pictures of Cyril Cope and the Norwegian people that helped him and the rest of the Hardy Survivors. This story, typed up by Ron Cope from his father’s recollections,

In January 2008 the HMS Hunter was found lying at the bottom of the Narvik fjord in over 1000 feet of icy water by the Norwegian mine hunter Hnoms Tyr. 68 years after she was sunk, this is one survivor’s story of friendship, sorrow, hardship and life

In the Navik Overview I describe briefly the attack by the British into the Fjord. Recently (March 2008) I was lucky enough to meet James Renshaw, who was an Able Seaman on H.M.S. Hunter, and survived the attack. Also in the same month the wreck of ‘Hunter’

The Georg Thiele was a Leberect Maass Class Destroyer with a displacement of 2200 tons, and a complement of 315 officers and men. She was 374 feet long, 37 feet in the beam, and had a draught of nine and a half feet.

In April 1940, indecision on the part of the British Government, and the surprise invasion of Norway by the Germans, contrived to place the two opposing fleets in the same bit of sea at the same time, albeit unknown

The Strasser was an ore carrier built in Stockholm in 1921. On Arpil 6th 1940, the Strassa left Narvik harbour bound for Baltimore in the U.S.A. with a cargo of iron ore and a crew of thirty four men. When she reached

The Romanby was originally an English ship built at Harlepool in 1927. On the 10th April she was lying peacefully in Narvik harbour with other merchant ships and some German Destroyers, when the British Destroyers Hardy,

The period between the outbreak of the Second World War and the invasion of Norway is often called the Phoney war. Whilst on land this might have been the case, with the opposing army's glowering at each other from

The Martha Henrik Fisser was originally the British Steamship, Blackheath, and was built at Stockton in 1911. Martha Henrik Fisser On the 9th of April 1940 she lay in Narvik harbour after loading a cargo of

The Karmoy was built in Alloa (Scotland) in 1921 and was around 295 feet long with a beam of 43 feet. After the German invasion of Norway, she was requisitioned by the Germans and used as a general gargo transporter

The Herman Kunne, together with the Hans Luderman, Wilhelm Heidcamp, Dieter von Roeder,and Anton Schmitt were all Dieter Von Roeder class destroyers. They had a displacement of 2400 tons and a complement of 313 officers

The Jane R. over the wreck of H.M.S.Hardy photo Frank Bang On the morning of April 8th 1940, the British mounted Operation Wilfred, who's main purpose was to lay mines of the southern side of Vestfjord, together with

The Erich Koellner was a Leberect Maass Class Destroyer with a displacement of 2200 tons, and a complement of 315 officers and men. She was 374 feet long, 37 feet in the beam, and had a draught of nine and ahalf feet.

The Dornier 26 DO Seaplane was designed for transatlantic service and was used extensively as a reconnaissance plane in the Norwegian Campaign. Donier Seaplane She had four tandem engines and retractable pontoons.

The motorvessel Black Watch was, in her time, one of the most modern vessels in her class. She was built for the Fred Olsen Lines in 1939 and was designed to serve as a passenger ship between Kristiansand, Newcastle