HNoMS King Haakon VII

HNoMS "King Haakon VII", was a Royal Norwegian Navy escort ship during World War II, named after King Haakon VII of Norway. She was gifted to the RNoN by the United States on 16 September 1942, in the presence of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Norwegian Crown Princess Märtha.Hansen 2005: 149]

Handover ceremony

The original intention of the US authorities had been to hand over the warship to the Norwegians on 3 August 1942, on the 70th birthday of King Haakon VII. This plan could however not be carried out as Crown Princess Märtha was going spend that day with her stepfather the King in London and the handover date was postponed.

During the handover ceremony Roosevelt delivered his famous "Look to Norway"-speech.

HNoMS "King Haakon VII" was formerly part of the U.S. Navy as USS PC 467. The ship was built in Neponset, Massachusetts where she was launched on 29 April 1942.

Norwegian service

HNoMS "King Haakon VII", under her first commander kapteinløytnant (Lieutenant) Leif R. Lund, was first based at Halifax. [http://www.mil.no/sjo/start/aktuelt/article.jhtml?articleID=93844 The first Norwegian escorts] , Official Norwegian Defence Force website no icon] Later on she was moved to Red Bay in Newfoundland and Labrador. In November 1942 she took part in the escorting of eastbound transatlantic convoy SC-108. This trip showed that the small vessel was not sturdy enough for transatlantic escorting and after a spell in the UK she relocated to St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador in May 1943. For the rest of World War II "King Haakon VII" escorted convoys on the coast of North and Central America, from from the coast of Labrador to the Caribbean. [Berg 1997: 76] During her war service HNoMS "King Haakon VII" sailed convert|85000|nmi|km and escorted 79 convoys without accidents. No men were lost or seriously injured on the "King Haakon VII" during the war years. From 3 May to 2 June 1945 "King Haakon VII" was at Key West for maintenance and repairs, this delaying her the start of her return voyage to Norway until 4 June. On 26 June 1945 HNoMS "King Haakon VII" arrived at the southern Norwegian port of Kristiansand.Thomassen 1995: 55]

She was decommissioned on 1 February 1951 and laid up in Trondheim. On 26 June 1952 the Norwegian Storting (Parliament) decided that "King Haakon VII" was to be decommissioned and sold off. In August 1953 she was sold to Rogaland Sjøguttskole (Rogaland Sailing School for boys) for 30,000 Norwegian kroner.

ee also

* List of World War II ships of less than 1000 tons

Footnotes

Literature

* Abelsen, Frank: "Norwegian naval ships 1939-1945", Sem & Stenersen AS, Oslo 1986 ISBN 82-7046-050-8
* Berg, Ole F.: _no. "I skjærgården og på havet -Marinens krig 8. april 1940 - 8. mai 1945", Marinens krigsveteranforening, Oslo 1997, ISBN 82-993545-2-8 no icon
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