At the onset of both world wars, Norway had one of the world's largest merchant fleets. Both as a neutral and as an ally, the Norwegian fleet attracted significant attention from the warring parties, and during both wars, the losses of crew and material were substantial.
During World War II, through the "Norwegian Shipping and Trade Mission" – NORTRASHIP – Norway made a significant contribution to the allied war effort. Nearly 1,000 Norwegian vessels and 30,000 seafarers participated. According to contemporary allied propaganda, at times 40% of British oil imports were carried on Norwegian tankers.
In the exhibition, you can learn more about the ships and crews, see the original Vaco survival suit, the bridge coat, wreckage from a Japanese Zero airplane that failed in its attack on a Norwegian merchant ship, and models of both Norwegian- and American-built cargo ships in war service. We also tell the story of - and display wreckage from - the cargo ship Voorbode, which exploded in Bergen on April 20, 1944.
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From the war exhibition; a wreckage piece from the ship Voorbode that exploded at Festningskaien in downtown Bergen on April 20, 1944, causing extensive damage. Foto: Silje Katrin Robinson / Stiftelsen Museum Vest.
