Norwegian submarine lost to British intelligence error

A British intelligence error led to the sinking of the Norwegian submarine Uredd in Fugløyfjorden, Nordland, after it struck a mine believed not to exist in the area, killing all 42 on board, Dagbladet reports.

The submarine was on a secret mission in February 1943, carrying a radio station for deployment in Noviken and a team from Kompani Linge tasked with sabotaging the Sulitjelma power supply, critical to German wartime industry. It was also to retrieve two Norwegian SIS agents and two stranded French naval officers.

British intelligence had assured that Fugløyfjorden was not mined. The explosion tore through the engine room, and the submarine sank without survivors. On 27 February 1943, the British naval minister informed Norway’s defence minister that Uredd was presumed lost.

The wreck was not located until the 1980s, after a Trondheim diving company contacted British defence archives. The submarine, a gift from the Royal Navy, was the only Norwegian submarine lost in combat during World War II.

A bronze swordfish monument at Ureddplassen in Gildeskål, unveiled by King Olav V in 1987, commemorates the 42 lives lost.