HNoMS Frøya
Frøya was the Royal Norwegian Navy’s first purpose-built minelayer. Built at the Horten shipyard (yard number 108) during World War I, she was launched on 20 June 1916 and commissioned on 1 July 1918. She weighed about 595 tons, was 75.3 meters long, and could reach about 22 knots. Her original armament included four 10 cm guns, two 46 cm torpedo tubes, and she carried 180 mines; a 76 mm gun was added later.
In April 1940, during the German invasion of Norway, Frøya was sailing from Finnmark toward the Oslofjord. On 8 April she stopped at Brekstad for shelter because bad weather made it risky to carry a full load of mines into Hustadvika. On 9 April the German attack began, and Frøya moved to the Stjørnfjord to avoid capture, coming under fire from land and air.
On 13 April, the captain decided the ship could not be saved. After removing some equipment and mines, the crew rammed Frøya ashore at Søtvika, opened the valves, and exploded the ship to destroy it. The wreck was soon found by German submarine U-34. Its commander, believing the ship might still be salvageable, torpedoed Frøya and blew off the stern. The remains linger on the sea floor and remain a notable dive site today.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 07:23 (CET).