HNoMS Garm

HNoMS Garm

The destroyer HNoMS "Garm", known locally as Torpedojager "Garm" (litt.: "torpedo hunter"), was the third destroyer built for the Royal Norwegian Navy, and was a Draug class destroyer. "Garm" was constructed several years after her two sisterships, but to the same plans. She was built at the naval shipyard in Horten, with build number 107. [Horten municipal archive for local history: [http://www.lokalhistoriskarkiv.no/arkivet/historiske_sider/horten_verft/byggenummer Build numbers at Horten Yard] no icon]

Reactivation at the outbreak of World War II

"Garm" was mothballed after she became obsolete, but was recommissioned 28 August 1939 and took part in the defence of Norway after the German invasion in 1940. She was deployed to the 2nd Naval District's 1st destroyer division [ [http://niehorster.orbat.com/022_norway/navy_02.htm Administrative Order of Battle Royal Norwegian Navy] ] , a district covering an area roughly the same as the Vestlandet and Trøndelag regions.

Name

She was named after Garm, the greatest of all wolfs and guardian of Hel - the Norse underworld for those died ingloriously of disease or in old age.

Neutrality duties and the "Altmark incident"

On 15 February 1940 "Garm" was the third and final Royal Norwegian Navy warship to search the German tanker and POW ship "Altmark" after she entered Norwegian territorial waters up until the Altmark incident. "Garm" transported the commanding admiral of the 2nd naval district, Admiral Carsten Tank-Nielsen, to the German vessel, then in the Hjeltefjord, so could personally approve the decision to let the ship proceed. After this final cursory inspection "Garm " let the German ship continue southwards.

Norwegian campaign service

On 9 April 1940 "Garm" was stationed at Norway's second largest city, Bergen, and the vessel operated in the Sognefjord after the Germans had occupied Bergen.

Attempted defence of Bergen

During the German attack on Bergen "Garm" intercepted the last ship of the enemy flotilla, the cruiser "Königsberg", and tried to carry out a torpedo attack. This failed due to the distance between the two ships being to great for a quick surprise attack by the tiny Norwegian destroyer. As the "Garm"'s commander, Captain S. Skjolden, attempted to close to torpedo range of the cruiser (the distance between the ships was about convert|4000|m|ft and the torpedoes were pre-set for convert|2000|m|ft range) the "Königsberg" opened fire and straddled the Norwegian ship with 15 cm shells. After a number of narrow misses from the German guns the "Garm" broke off her attack and fled to the north, pursued by Luftwaffe bombers.

inking in the Sognefjord

She was sunk by a direct hit from Luftwaffe bombers while anchored near her sister ship "Troll" at their Sognefjord base of Bjordal on 26 April.

Five German bombers attacked the two destroyers and one of the around thirty bombs dropped hit the "Garm" right behind the front funnel, detonating two of her torpedoes and some other ammunition. The old ship was almost broken in half by the explosion and burned for hours before sinking. All members of the crew had abandoned ship when the attack came as she had no effective anti-aircraft weapons to defend herself with, hence no casualties were endured during the "Garm"'s sinking.

Other ships called "Garm"

The Royal Norwegian Navy between 1956 and 1977 had a River class frigate that until 1965 was known as HNoMS "Garm" and was then renamed HNoMS "Valkyrien".

ee also

* List of World War II ships of less than 1000 tons
* List of shipwrecks in 1940

References

ource

* Abelsen, Frank: "Norwegian naval ships 1939-1945", Sem & Stenersen AS, Oslo 1986 ISBN 82-7046-050-8 no icon&en icon

External links

* [http://navalhistory.flixco.info/H/288216x53056/8330/a0.htm Naval History via Flix: KNM Draug] , retrieved 29 January 2006 en icon
* [http://hem.fyristorg.com/robertm/norge/Norw_navy_ships.html Ships of the Norwegian navy] , retrieved 29 January 2006 en icon
* [http://www.lokalhistoriskarkiv.no/arkivet/historiske_sider/horten_verft/byggenummer Byggenummer ved Horten verft] , retrieved 8 February 2006 no icon


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