HNoMS Pol III
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | |
| Laid down: | 1926 |
| Launched: | July 1926 |
| Fate: | Abandoned by her crew on 8th April 1940, salvaged, still afloat. |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 214 tons |
| Armament: | 1 x 76 mm, 2 x machine guns (probably 6.5 x 55) |
| Propulsion: | Triple expansion steam engine |
| Top speed: | 11 knots (20 km/h / 12.6 mph) |
| Crew: | 15 |
Pol III was a guard vessel of the Royal Norwegian Navy, used for patrolling the inlet of the Oslofjord in early April 1940. It was a small vessel, originally a whale catcher, of just 214 tons. It is best known for the valiant, but ultimately hopeless, attempt to turn back a whole German Kampfgruppe during Operation Weserübung.
[edit] Operational history
Late on the 8th April 1940 the guard vessel spotted the German Kampfgruppe 5 heading north as part of the German invasion of Norway. Despite being seriously outnumbered - the Kampfgruppe consisted of the heavy cruiser Blücher, the heavy cruiser Lützow, the light cruiser Emden, 3 torpedo boats and 8 minesweepers carrying 2,000 troops to Oslo - Pol III engaged the German forces. After firing a warning shot, Pol III closed with the German destroyer Albatros. Realising that the enemy would not turn away, but was going to violate Norwegian neutrality, Pol III fired flares to alert Norwegian coastal batteries and rammed the Albatros in the side in an attempt to sink her. From the Albatros it was quite clear that the guns on Pol III were manned, and that the Norwegians intended to fight as long as possible. The Albatros promptly hit the small Norwegian vessel with anti aircraft fire, wounding the captain Leif Welding-Olsen and starting several fires. As Pol III was burning, her crew abandoned the vessel and was captured. Leif Welding-Olsen, weakened by blood loss, did not manage to enter the lifeboat and drowned, becoming the first Norwegian casualty in war between Norway and Nazi Germany.
Kampfgruppe 5 was turned back by Oscarsborg festning a few hours later, with the loss of the heavy cruiser Blücher.
The next day, 9th April, Pol III was towed to Tønsberg. The German Kriegsmarine captured her on the 14th April, and after repairs utilised the vessel under several names (NO-05 Samoa, V-6105 and NH-05). After the war, Pol III became part of the Norwegian mine sweeping fleet before she was sold off. Later Pol III had several different owners and names, the engines replaced and her structure rebuilt. Although in essence a different vessel than in 1940, the hull of Pol III is still afloat and in use.
