Sanct Svithun
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Sanct
Svithun was sunk 30.September 1943 by six British
airplanes under a journey from Ålesund to Måløy. When she
got attacked she was clearly marked with national colors
identifying her as a civilian and unarmed vessel. After
the attack she was still afloat and was soon after beached
at Ervika. The sinking of St. Svithun appears to have been
hushed down or ignored at the time by both the British and
the Norwegian exile authorities, and even the number of
casualties wasn't fully verified. It is believed that 41
people lost their lives, while 75 people survived after
heroic actions from the local population in Ervika. The
only official statement at that time came from the
national authorities in Norway. A formal complaint was
delivered to the British and Norwegian exile government in
England, but received no answer. Considering the level of
propaganda from both sides under second world war its
difficult to verify all details and the truth behind them.
The beached wreck was slowly grinded to bits the following
days, before she disappeared and sunk in deeper waters.
The few scattered remains of her rest today at Buholmen
outside Ervika on a depth of 15 to 30 meter.
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 Picture: Sanct Svithun Originally from skovheim.org ( 1997 ) From Bjørn Milde's postcard collection |
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