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SS Dronning Maud (1925)
Encyclopedia
SS Dronning Maud was 1,489 ton steel-hulled steamship built in 1925 by the Norwegian shipyard Fredrikstad Mekaniske Verksted in Fredrikstad
. Dronning Maud had been ordered by the Trondheim
-based company Det Nordenfjeldske Dampskipsselskap for the passenger and freight service Hurtigruten
along the coast of Norway. She served this route as the company flagship
until she was sunk under controversial circumstances during the 1940 Norwegian Campaign
.
on 17 June 1924, sinking with the loss of 12 passengers and seven crew members. The building order of Dronning Maud made her the first new ship to join the Hurtigruten route since Finmarken in 1912. After her 8 May 1925 launch she had her first test run in the Oslofjord
on 30 June 1925 and was formally handed over to Nordenfjeldske on 3 July. Nordenfjeldske immediately sent her northwards to Trondheim from where she joined the northbound Hurtigruten service, sailing from Brattøra
at 1200hrs on 13 July.
. She was considered a very seaworthy vessel and in 1931 became the first Hurtigruten ship to be equipped with the new safety feature of wireless telegraphy
. By 1936 all the Hurtigruten ships had been equipped with the new technology.
. Dronning Maud herself had an accident when she ran aground south of Florø
in October 1929.
Norway declared herself neutral and the Hurtigruten service continued as normal in the first months of the war.
after losing her propeller. Coming to the iron ore-laden Johann Schultes rescue through a north-westerly gale and snow Captain Edward M. Grundt brought his vessel close enough to the German ship so that a line could be thrown on board and used to drag the shipwrecked people to safety. In all Dronning Maud and her crew saved all 36 German sailors and two Norwegian pilots
from the sinking ship. After everyone on board had been pulled to safety the German ship hit a reef near Bessaker
and was crushed. During the rescue operation, carried out at night in pitch black conditions, some 100 passengers and 45 crew were on board the Hurtigruten ship. The rescued Germans were set ashore in Rørvik
while the two pilots remained on board as Dronning Maud continued northwards. The Johann Schulte rescue has been described as one of the most incredible ever accomplished on the Norwegian coast, and resulted in congratulatory telegrams to the ship when it reached Svolvær
and later monetary gifts to the crew. In the 1960s Captain Grundt received a gold medal from the German rescue society and a diploma from the Norwegian counter-part for his efforts.
on 9 April 1940 Dronning Maud was northbound off Sandnessjøen
in Nordland
and continued northwards to her end port of Kirkenes
in Finnmark. After arriving in Kirkenes she was requisitioned by the Norwegian government as a troopship
.
Dronning Mauds first troopship assignment was to take part in the transport of Battalion I of Infantry Regiment 12 (I/IR12) from Sør-Varanger
to the Tromsø
-Narvik
area. Escorted by the British heavy cruiser Berwick
and the destroyer Inglefield
, Dronning Maud and two smaller vessels from Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab
(the 874 ton SS Kong Haakon and Hestmanden) disembarked most of the Norwegian infantry battalion at Sjøvegan
in Troms
on 16 April 1940. The remainder of the battalion was transported on the fellow Nordenfjeldske Dampskibsselskab steamer Prins Olav
a few days later. The next day, 17 April, Dronning Maud and Kong Haakon were escorted northwards to Sagfjorden by the Norwegian the off-shore patrol vessel Heimdal
.
The second troopship mission Dronning Maud carried out was the transport of one infantry company, the battalion's staff, the communications platoon and one heavy machine gun platoon of the Alta Battalion
from Alta
in Finnmark to areas closer to the front line in Troms
. The rest of the battalion was transported on the Kong Haakon and the 858 ton cargo ship Senja. The three troopships were originally meant to be escorted by the off-shore patrol vessel Fridtjof Nansen
but this order was changed and the ships were instead to sail without escort. The three ships set off from Alta singly; Kong Haakon at 2100hrs on 19 April, Dronning Maud at 2200hrs the same day, and Senja at 0400hrs on 20 April. Each of the three ships carried a heavy machine gun platoon for anti-aircraft
defence, Senja had two platoons as she was transporting the battalion's horses. Dronning Maud and Kong Haakon arrived almost simultaneous at Tromsø
at 0900hrs on 20 April, then continuing southwards after a short conference with the naval authorities in Tromsø. Dronning Maud that time sailed at 1000hrs, while Kong Haakon followed at 1100hrs, both ships still without escort. As Dronning Maud reached the island of Dyrøy
she was stopped by the patrol boat
Thorodd and told to wait for Kong Haakon. When Kong Haakon reached Dyrøy the two Hurtigruten ship continued to Sjøvegan
under escort by Thorodd, arriving at 1730hrs on 20 April and disembarking the troops.
After the completion of her troop transporting missions the Norwegian authorities decided to use Dronning Maud to transport the 6th Militia Medical
Company from Sørreisa
to Foldvik in Gratangen
. The company she was tasked with transporting consisted of 119 medics, along with eight horses and three trucks. In preparation for the voyage to Foldvik Dronning Maud had one 3 metre by 3 metre (9.8 ft by 9.8 ft) Red Cross flag stretched out over her bridge deck and flew two more Red Cross flags in her masts.
Dronning Maud set off from Sørreisa at around 1130hrs on 1 May 1940, arriving at Foldvik three to four hours later in calm seas and sunshine. As the ship was about to dock with the small wharf on her port side two or three aircraft of the German Lehrgeschwader 1
made a low-level attack with bombs and machine gun fire on the Norwegian steamer. Seven bombs were dropped from the aircraft, with two being direct hits, one between the funnel and the bridge, the other just aft of the fore cargo hatch. The first bomb entered the engine room and blew out the ship's sides and the second exploded in the bottom of the hull. The first bomb killed everyone in the refrigeration room, four men and three women. As the crew and passengers tried to abandon ship only one or two boats could be lowered into the water due to the fire that had broken out on board. The fire also threatened to destroy the wooden wharf at Foldvik, until a local fishing boat managed to pull the burning ship some distance away from shore. Dronning Maud drifted a short distance, then ran aground, burned and sank listing to port.
Following their attack on Dronning Maud the German aircraft proceeded to bomb nearby Gratangen, destroying several houses and killing two civilians.
After the attack the wounded survivors were given first aid by the crew of the 378 ton hospital ship MS Elieser. In the evening the British destroyer HMS Cossack
brought the most severely wounded to hospital in Harstad
while Elieser transported those less critically wounded to Salangsverket.
Nine medics lost their lives during the attack, while a tenth later died in a hospital near Harstad. Of the ship's crew eight died and all the materiel on board was destroyed as Dronning Maud burned and sank. Thirty-one medics and crew members were injured in the sinking of the ship, two of them severely.
The wreck of Dronning Maud remains where she sank, a short distance off the wharf at Foldvik in Gratangen. The ship is still upright at around 26 to 35 metres (85 to 115 ft) depth, at coordinates 68°41.917′N 017°26.367′E.
and under the protection of the Geneva Conventions
. The Germans retorted by pointing out that Dronning Maud had not been fully marked as a hospital ship, as she had retained her black hull instead of it being painted white with a horizontal green stripe.
Fredrikstad
is a city and municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Fredrikstad....
. Dronning Maud had been ordered by the Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
-based company Det Nordenfjeldske Dampskipsselskap for the passenger and freight service Hurtigruten
Hurtigruten
Hurtigruten or Hurtigruta is a Norwegian passenger and freight line with daily sailings along Norway's western and northern coast. Sometimes referred to in English as Norwegian Coastal Express, Hurtigruten ships sail almost the entire length of the country, completing the roundtrip journey in 11...
along the coast of Norway. She served this route as the company flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
until she was sunk under controversial circumstances during the 1940 Norwegian Campaign
Norwegian Campaign
The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...
.
Building and commissioning
Dronning Maud was ordered from Fredrikstad Mekaniske Verksted shortly after the loss of Det Nordenfjeldske Dampskipsselskap's Haakon Jarl. Haakon Jarl had suffered a collision with fellow Nordenfjeldske ship Kong Harald in the VestfjordVestfjord
Vestfjord is a Norwegian fjord, which would be described as a firth or an open bight of sea between the Lofoten archipelago and mainland Norway, northwest of Bodø...
on 17 June 1924, sinking with the loss of 12 passengers and seven crew members. The building order of Dronning Maud made her the first new ship to join the Hurtigruten route since Finmarken in 1912. After her 8 May 1925 launch she had her first test run in the Oslofjord
Oslofjord
The Oslofjord is a bay in the south-east of Norway, stretching from an imaginary line between the Torbjørnskjær and Færder lighthouses and down to Langesund in the south to Oslo in the north....
on 30 June 1925 and was formally handed over to Nordenfjeldske on 3 July. Nordenfjeldske immediately sent her northwards to Trondheim from where she joined the northbound Hurtigruten service, sailing from Brattøra
Brattøra
Brattøra is an artificial island in the city of Trondheim in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. The island is located at the mouth of the river Nidelva just north of the city centre , west of Nyhavna, and south of Trondheimsfjord. There is a canal that divides the mainland from what is now the island of...
at 1200hrs on 13 July.
Characteristics
With the construction of Dronning Maud a new concept was introduced to the Hurtigruten ships, with the First Class section moved forward to amidships and the Second Class removed altogether in order to make room for a greatly improved Third Class in the aft section. The salons and cabins in the Third Class area on board Dronning Maud were described at the time as both "light and practical". Her outer appearance was characterized by long, clean lines, a large superstructure and a long continuous promenade deckPromenade deck
The promenade deck is a deck found on several types of passenger ships and riverboats. It usually extends from bow to stern, on both ddd,çsides, and includes areas open to the outside, resulting in a continuous outside walkway suitable for promenading, thus the name.On older passenger ships, the...
. She was considered a very seaworthy vessel and in 1931 became the first Hurtigruten ship to be equipped with the new safety feature of wireless telegraphy
Wireless telegraphy
Wireless telegraphy is a historical term used today to apply to early radio telegraph communications techniques and practices, particularly those used during the first three decades of radio before the term radio came into use....
. By 1936 all the Hurtigruten ships had been equipped with the new technology.
Hurtigruten service
After she entered service with Nordenfjeldske Dronning Maud sailed with passengers and freight along the coast of Norway. During her regular coastal service in the 1920s and 1930s the ship repeatedly had to come to the assistance of ships in difficulties. In 1926 she assisted the 556 ton steamer Pallas after the latter had run aground off Grønøy and in 1927 she helped a British trawler after it had run aground in the sound Magerøysund in FinnmarkFinnmark
or Finnmárku is a county in the extreme northeast of Norway. By land it borders Troms county to the west, Finland to the south and Russia to the east, and by water, the Norwegian Sea to the northwest, and the Barents Sea to the north and northeast.The county was formerly known as Finmarkens...
. Dronning Maud herself had an accident when she ran aground south of Florø
Florø
is a town and the administrative centre of Flora municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is also a former municipality that existed for just over 100 years. The town was founded on the Florelandet island between the Botnafjorden and Solheimsfjorden by royal decree in 1860. In...
in October 1929.
Second World War
At the outbreak of the Second World WarWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Norway declared herself neutral and the Hurtigruten service continued as normal in the first months of the war.
The Johann Schulte
During this period Dronning Maud was involved in a dramatic incident when on 1 January 1940 the 5,334 ton German merchantman SS Johann Schulte shipwrecked at BuholmråsaBuholmråsa Lighthouse
The Buholmråsa lighthouse is a lighthouse in the municipality of Osen in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. The lighthouse is located in the Svesfjorden on the small island Sønnaholmen about northwest of Seter....
after losing her propeller. Coming to the iron ore-laden Johann Schultes rescue through a north-westerly gale and snow Captain Edward M. Grundt brought his vessel close enough to the German ship so that a line could be thrown on board and used to drag the shipwrecked people to safety. In all Dronning Maud and her crew saved all 36 German sailors and two Norwegian pilots
Maritime pilot
A pilot is a mariner who guides ships through dangerous or congested waters, such as harbours or river mouths. With the exception of the Panama Canal, the pilot is only an advisor, as the captain remains in legal, overriding command of the vessel....
from the sinking ship. After everyone on board had been pulled to safety the German ship hit a reef near Bessaker
Bessaker
Bessaker is a village in the municipality of Roan in the northern part of Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located north of the Brandsfjorden, about a drive to the municipal center of Roan and about a drive to the municipal center of neighboring Osen...
and was crushed. During the rescue operation, carried out at night in pitch black conditions, some 100 passengers and 45 crew were on board the Hurtigruten ship. The rescued Germans were set ashore in Rørvik
Rørvik
Rørvik is a port village in the municipality of Vikna in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The village also serves as the administrative centre of the municipality. It is on the eastern side of the Vikna archipelago on the island of Inner-Vikna. The village has a population of 2,721. The...
while the two pilots remained on board as Dronning Maud continued northwards. The Johann Schulte rescue has been described as one of the most incredible ever accomplished on the Norwegian coast, and resulted in congratulatory telegrams to the ship when it reached Svolvær
Svolvær
-Communications:Parts of the town is built on small islands connected by bridges. There is a regional airport near the town, Svolvær Airport, Helle, and Svolvær is a port of call for Hurtigruten. There is a ferry connection Svolvær to Skutvik in Hamarøy, and express boat connections to Bodø...
and later monetary gifts to the crew. In the 1960s Captain Grundt received a gold medal from the German rescue society and a diploma from the Norwegian counter-part for his efforts.
Troopship duties
When the Germans invaded NorwayOperation Weserübung
Operation Weserübung was the code name for Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign...
on 9 April 1940 Dronning Maud was northbound off Sandnessjøen
Sandnessjøen
Sandnessjøen is the centre of the municipality of Alstahaug in the county of Nordland, Norway, with a population of over 9,000. It was made a township in 1788....
in Nordland
Nordland
is a county in Norway in the North Norway region, bordering Troms in the north, Nord-Trøndelag in the south, Norrbottens län in Sweden to the east, Västerbottens län to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The county was formerly known as Nordlandene amt. The county administration is...
and continued northwards to her end port of Kirkenes
Kirkenes
is a town in the municipality of Sør-Varanger in the county of Finnmark in the far northeast of Norway...
in Finnmark. After arriving in Kirkenes she was requisitioned by the Norwegian government as a troopship
Troopship
A troopship is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime...
.
Dronning Mauds first troopship assignment was to take part in the transport of Battalion I of Infantry Regiment 12 (I/IR12) from Sør-Varanger
Sør-Varanger
Sør-Varanger is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kirkenes. Sør-Varanger was separated from the municipality of Vadsø on 1 July 1858.-Name:...
to the Tromsø
Tromsø
Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...
-Narvik
Narvik
is the third largest city and municipality in Nordland county, Norway by population. Narvik is located on the shores of the Narvik Fjord . The municipality is part of the Ofoten traditional region of North Norway, inside the arctic circle...
area. Escorted by the British heavy cruiser Berwick
HMS Berwick (65)
HMS Berwick was a Royal Navy County class heavy cruiser, of the Kent subclass. She was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company , with the keel being laid down on 15 September 1924...
and the destroyer Inglefield
HMS Inglefield (D02)
HMS Inglefield was an I-class destroyer leader built for the Royal Navy that served during World War II. She was the navy's last purpose-built flotilla leader. She was named after the 19th century Admiral Sir Edward Augustus Inglefield , and is so far the only warship to carry the name of that...
, Dronning Maud and two smaller vessels from Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab
Ofotens og Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab
Ofotens og Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab or OVDS was a Norwegian shipping company that operated ferries in Northern Norway, including the Coastal Express, car ferries and passenger ferries. The company merged with Troms Fylkes Dampskibsselskap in 2006 to form Hurtigruten Group.OVDS's main office...
(the 874 ton SS Kong Haakon and Hestmanden) disembarked most of the Norwegian infantry battalion at Sjøvegan
Sjøvegan
Sjøvegan is a village and the administrative centre of the municipality of Salangen in Troms county, Norway. The population of the village is 729. The home venue of the Salangen IF team is located in Sjøvegan....
in Troms
Troms
or Romsa is a county in North Norway, bordering Finnmark to the northeast and Nordland in the southwest. To the south is Norrbotten Län in Sweden and further southeast is a shorter border with Lapland Province in Finland. To the west is the Norwegian Sea...
on 16 April 1940. The remainder of the battalion was transported on the fellow Nordenfjeldske Dampskibsselskab steamer Prins Olav
HMY Alexandra
HMY Alexandra was a steamship built as a British royal yacht, being completed in 1908. Normally transporting British royals to European ports, Alexandra served as a hospital ship during the First World War. After 17 years of British service, she was sold to Norwegian commercial interests in 1925...
a few days later. The next day, 17 April, Dronning Maud and Kong Haakon were escorted northwards to Sagfjorden by the Norwegian the off-shore patrol vessel Heimdal
HNoMS Heimdal OPV (1892)
HNoMS Heimdal was a Norwegian warship built at Akers mekaniske verksted in Kristiania, Norway in 1892 with build number 137.She was built to patrol Norwegian territorial waters and act as a rescue ship for sea travelers...
.
The second troopship mission Dronning Maud carried out was the transport of one infantry company, the battalion's staff, the communications platoon and one heavy machine gun platoon of the Alta Battalion
Alta Battalion
The Alta Battalion was an independent battalion within the Norwegian 6th Division based in the village of Alta in western Finnmark and commanded by Lt...
from Alta
Alta, Norway
-Birdlife:For those interested in bird watching, the river outlet, known locally as Altaosen is well worth a visit. This tidal area is used as a stopover for many wetland species.-Transportation:...
in Finnmark to areas closer to the front line in Troms
Battles of Narvik
The Battles of Narvik were fought from 9 April-8 June 1940 as a naval battle in the Ofotfjord and as a land battle in the mountains surrounding the north Norwegian city of Narvik as part of the Norwegian Campaign of the Second World War....
. The rest of the battalion was transported on the Kong Haakon and the 858 ton cargo ship Senja. The three troopships were originally meant to be escorted by the off-shore patrol vessel Fridtjof Nansen
HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen OPV
HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen was the first ship in the Norwegian armed forces to be built specially to perform coast guard and fishery protection duties in the Arctic...
but this order was changed and the ships were instead to sail without escort. The three ships set off from Alta singly; Kong Haakon at 2100hrs on 19 April, Dronning Maud at 2200hrs the same day, and Senja at 0400hrs on 20 April. Each of the three ships carried a heavy machine gun platoon for anti-aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
defence, Senja had two platoons as she was transporting the battalion's horses. Dronning Maud and Kong Haakon arrived almost simultaneous at Tromsø
Tromsø
Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...
at 0900hrs on 20 April, then continuing southwards after a short conference with the naval authorities in Tromsø. Dronning Maud that time sailed at 1000hrs, while Kong Haakon followed at 1100hrs, both ships still without escort. As Dronning Maud reached the island of Dyrøy
Dyrøy
Dyrøy is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Brøstadbotn. The municipality is named after the island of Dyrøya, which is connected with the mainland with the modern Dyrøy Bridge...
she was stopped by the patrol boat
Patrol boat
A patrol boat is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defense duties.There have been many designs for patrol boats. They may be operated by a nation's navy, coast guard, or police force, and may be intended for marine and/or estuarine or river environments...
Thorodd and told to wait for Kong Haakon. When Kong Haakon reached Dyrøy the two Hurtigruten ship continued to Sjøvegan
Sjøvegan
Sjøvegan is a village and the administrative centre of the municipality of Salangen in Troms county, Norway. The population of the village is 729. The home venue of the Salangen IF team is located in Sjøvegan....
under escort by Thorodd, arriving at 1730hrs on 20 April and disembarking the troops.
After the completion of her troop transporting missions the Norwegian authorities decided to use Dronning Maud to transport the 6th Militia Medical
Combat medic
Combat medics are trained military personnel who are responsible for providing first aid and frontline trauma care on the battlefield. They are also responsible for providing continuing medical care in the absence of a readily available physician, including care for disease and battle injury...
Company from Sørreisa
Sørreisa
Sørreisa is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sørreisa.- General information :...
to Foldvik in Gratangen
Gratangen
Gratangen is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is part of the Hålogaland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Årstein. The municipality encompasses the land on both sides of the Gratangen fjord. European route E6 runs through the...
. The company she was tasked with transporting consisted of 119 medics, along with eight horses and three trucks. In preparation for the voyage to Foldvik Dronning Maud had one 3 metre by 3 metre (9.8 ft by 9.8 ft) Red Cross flag stretched out over her bridge deck and flew two more Red Cross flags in her masts.
Final voyage
Lehrgeschwader 1
Lehrgeschwader 1 formerly Lehrgeschwader Greifswald was a Luftwaffe multi-purpose unit during World War II, operating fighter, bomber and dive-bomber Gruppen. The unit was formed in July 1936...
made a low-level attack with bombs and machine gun fire on the Norwegian steamer. Seven bombs were dropped from the aircraft, with two being direct hits, one between the funnel and the bridge, the other just aft of the fore cargo hatch. The first bomb entered the engine room and blew out the ship's sides and the second exploded in the bottom of the hull. The first bomb killed everyone in the refrigeration room, four men and three women. As the crew and passengers tried to abandon ship only one or two boats could be lowered into the water due to the fire that had broken out on board. The fire also threatened to destroy the wooden wharf at Foldvik, until a local fishing boat managed to pull the burning ship some distance away from shore. Dronning Maud drifted a short distance, then ran aground, burned and sank listing to port.
Following their attack on Dronning Maud the German aircraft proceeded to bomb nearby Gratangen, destroying several houses and killing two civilians.
After the attack the wounded survivors were given first aid by the crew of the 378 ton hospital ship MS Elieser. In the evening the British destroyer HMS Cossack
HMS Cossack (F03)
HMS Cossack was a Tribal-class destroyer which became famous for the boarding of the German supply ship Altmark in Norwegian waters, and the associated rescue of sailors originally captured by the Admiral Graf Spee....
brought the most severely wounded to hospital in Harstad
Harstad
is the second largest city and municipality by population, in Troms county, Norway – the city is also the third largest in North Norway. Thus Harstad is the natural centre for its district. Situated approximately north of the Arctic Circle, the city celebrated its 100th anniversary in...
while Elieser transported those less critically wounded to Salangsverket.
Nine medics lost their lives during the attack, while a tenth later died in a hospital near Harstad. Of the ship's crew eight died and all the materiel on board was destroyed as Dronning Maud burned and sank. Thirty-one medics and crew members were injured in the sinking of the ship, two of them severely.
The wreck of Dronning Maud remains where she sank, a short distance off the wharf at Foldvik in Gratangen. The ship is still upright at around 26 to 35 metres (85 to 115 ft) depth, at coordinates 68°41.917′N 017°26.367′E.
Reactions to the sinking
The sinking of Dronning Maud, an unarmed ship flying Red Cross flags and carrying medical personnel, brought a great amount of anger and criticism directed against the Germans. From the Norwegian perspective Dronning Maud had been a hospital shipHospital ship
A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital; most are operated by the military forces of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones....
and under the protection of the Geneva Conventions
Geneva Conventions
The Geneva Conventions comprise four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish the standards of international law for the humanitarian treatment of the victims of war...
. The Germans retorted by pointing out that Dronning Maud had not been fully marked as a hospital ship, as she had retained her black hull instead of it being painted white with a horizontal green stripe.