HNoMS Pol III

	Pol III as a whaler before the Second World War
History
Norway
Name	Pol III
Laid down	1926
Launched	July 1926
Out of service	8 April 1940
Captured	by the Germans on 14 April 1940
Service record
Operations:	Opposing the German invasion of Norway
Nazi Germany
Name	NO-05 Samoa
Acquired	14 April 1940
Renamed	V-6105 and NH-05
Fate	Handed back to Norway after VE Day
Service record
Operations:	Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
Norway
Name	Pol III
Acquired	1945
Identification	IMO number: 5172597
Fate	Sold off to civilian interests post-World War II, scrapped in 2011.
General characteristics
Displacement	214 tons
Propulsion	Triple expansion steam engine
Speed	11.0 knots (20.37 km/h)
Complement	15 men
Armament	1 × 76 mm,; 2 × machine guns;

Pol III was a patrol boat of the Royal Norwegian Navy, used for guarding the inlet of the Oslofjord in early April 1940. She was a small vessel, originally a whaler, of 214 tons. She is best known for being the first Norwegian unit to engage the German invasion forces during the 1940 Operation Weserübung.

Operational history

Pol III was built by Akers mekaniske verksted as build no. 429 in 1926. She was requisitioned by the Royal Norwegian Navy in 1939 and pressed into service as a guard vessel in the Oslofjord. Late on 8 April 1940 the guard vessel spotted the German Kampfgruppe 5 heading north as part of the German invasion of Norway. Despite being seriously outnumbered - the Kampfgruppe consisted of the heavy cruiser Blücher, the heavy cruiser Lützow, the light cruiser Emden, three torpedo boats and eight minesweepers carrying 2,000 troops to Oslo - Pol III engaged the German forces. After firing a warning shot, Pol III closed with the German torpedo boat Albatros. Realising that the enemy would not turn away, but was going to violate Norwegian neutrality, Pol III fired flares to alert Norwegian coastal batteries and rammed Albatros in the side. From Albatros it was clear that the guns on Pol III were manned, and that the Norwegians intended to fight. Albatros hit the small Norwegian vessel with anti aircraft fire, wounding the captain, Leif Welding-Olsen, and starting several fires. As Pol III was burning, her crew abandoned the vessel and was captured. Leif Welding-Olsen, weakened by blood loss, did not manage to enter the lifeboat and drowned, becoming the first Norwegian fatality in open war between Norway and Nazi Germany.

Kampfgruppe 5 was temporarily turned back by Oscarsborg Fortress a few hours later, with the loss of the heavy cruiser Blücher.

The next day, 9 April, Pol III was towed to Tønsberg. The German Kriegsmarine captured her on 14 April, and after repairs utilised the vessel as a Vorpostenboot under several names (NO-05 Samoa, V-6105 and NH-05).

*Pol III* as *Arnøytrans* in Bodø in 2006

After the war, Pol III became part of the Norwegian mine sweeping fleet before she was sold off. Later Pol III had several different owners and names, the engines replaced and her structure rebuilt. In 1949 she was sold to Hareid where she was rebuilt as a fishing vessel and given the name Johan E. In 1978 she was sold to Ørnes and rebuilt as a fish transport vessel and named Odd Oscar. Five years later she was sold to Bodø and given the name Fisktrans. Although in essence a different vessel than in 1940, the hull of Pol III remained afloat and in use for many years. In her last guise, she was owned in Salten and had the name Arnøytrans. She ran as a fish transport vessel along the Norwegian coast.

On 1 October 2011, she was sailed on own power to Fosen Gjenvinning breaker's yard at Revsnes in Sør-Trøndelag for scrapping.^[1]^[2]

Some of her hull plates survived and are in the care of the Larvik Maritime Museum.^[2]

References

^ "Pol III (5172597)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
^ ^a ^b Hansen, Svend E. (8 April 2015). "Larvik-hvalbåt først i kamp for Norge". Østlands-Posten (in Norwegian). Retrieved 20 April 2015.

External links

[1] "Pol III (5172597)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 20 April 2015.

[OP-2] Hansen, Svend E. (8 April 2015). "Larvik-hvalbåt først i kamp for Norge". Østlands-Posten (in Norwegian). Retrieved 20 April 2015.

[1]

[2]

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in April 1940
Shipwrecks	6 Apr: U-1, U-50 8 Apr: HMS Glowworm, Rio de Janeiro 9 Apr: HNoMS Æger, Blücher, HNoMS Eidsvold, HMS Gurkha, German cruiser Karlsruhe, HNoMS Norge, Seattle, Sørland, HNoMS Tor 10 Apr: Albatros, Z22 Anton Schmitt, Friedenau, HMS Hardy, HMS Hunter, Königsberg, HMS Tarpon, HMS Thistle, Z21 Wilhelm Heidkamp 11 Apr: V 105 Cremon 13 Apr: Z11 Bernd von Arnim, Z17 Diether von Roeder, Z12 Erich Giese, Z13 Erich Koellner, HNoMS Frøya, Z2 Georg Thiele, Z18 Hans Lüdemann, Z19 Hermann Künne, HNoMS Storm, U-64, Z9 Wolfgang Zenker 14 Apr: Bärenfels, Brummer, Oldenburg 15 Apr: U-49 18 Apr: HNoMS Sæl, HMS Sterlet 20 Apr: Stegg 25 Apr: HMS Bradman, Trygg 26 Apr: HNoMS Garm 29 Apr: HMS Unity 30 Apr: HMS Bittern, HMS Dunoon, Maillé Brézé
Other incidents	8 Apr: HNoMS Pol III 10 Apr: Alster, HMS Hotspur 11 Apr: Alster, HNoMS Brand 12 Apr: HMS Eskimo, Schürbek, HNoMS Storm 13 Apr: Malangen 16 Apr: HNoMS Brand 18 Apr: Achille, Pasteur
1939 1940 1941 March 1940 May 1940

v t e Vorpostenboote of the Kriegsmarine
List of Vorpostenboote in World War II
1 Vorpostenflotille	V 101 Schwan V 102 Cressida V 103 Sylvia V 104 Falke V 105 Cremon V 106 Phönix V 107 Botilla Russ V 108 Friedrich Karl V 108 Porjus V 109 Flamingo
2 Vorpostenflotille	V 201 Seydlitz V 202 Franz Westermann V 204 Dorum V 205 Hermann Bösch V 206 Gauleiter Telschow V 207 Otto Bröhan V 208 Gebrüder Kähler V 209 Carl Röver V 209 Dr. Rudolf Wahrendorff V 210 R. Walther Darré V 211 Friedrich Busse V 212 Hinrich Hey V 213 Claus Bolten V 213 Zieten V 214 Spica V 214 Teutonia V 215 Baden V 215 Oliva V 216 Goëland
3 Vorpostenflotille	V 301 Weser V 302 Bremen V 303 Tannenberg V 304 Breslau V 305 Ostpreussen V 306 Fritz Hincke V 307 Württemberg V 308 Oscar Neynaber V 309 Martin Donandt V 310 Rosemarie V 311 Osdorf V 312 Hanseat V 313 Eifel V 314 Heinrich Lehnert V 315 Bris V 317 Wega
4 Vorpostenflotille	V 401 Nordland V 401 Dr. Adolf Spilker V 402 Hans Loh V 403 Germania V 404 Deutschland V 404 Baden V 405 J. Hinrich Wilhelms V 406 Jan Mayen V 407 Saarland V 407 Dorum V 408 Haltenbank V 409 August Bösch V 412 Bremerhaven V 413 Ferdinand Niedermeyer V 414 Sachsenwald V 420 Alcyon V 421 Rauzan V 422 Kergroise V 423 Keryado II V 424 Carl J. Busch V 427 Victoire
5 Vorpostengruppe	Wandrahm Birka Neuss Nerissa
6 Vorpostengruppe	Dr. Heinrich Wiegand Jupiter Oldenburg Schürbek
6 Vorpostenflotille	V 601 Dr. Heinrich Wiegand V 602 Richard C. Krogmann V 603 Carsten V 604 Fritz Reiser V 605 Arthur Duncker V 606 Fladengrund V 607 Düsseldorf V 620 Derfflinger V 621 Mars V 622 Almuth V 623 Jupiter V 624 Köln V 625 Johann Schulte
7 Vorpostenflotille	V 704 Richard C. Krogmann V 705 Carsten V 706 Fritz Reiser V 707 Arthur Duncker V 708 Fladengrund V 710 Düsseldorf V 727 Goëland
8 Vorpostenflotille	V 801 Max Gundelach V 804 Skolpenbank V 804 Spica V 811 Hugo Homann Schiff 7 Wega
11 Vorpostenflotille	V 1101 Preußen
13 Vorpostenflotille	V 1302 John Mahn V 1337 Victoire
14 Vorpostenflotille	V 1419 Victoire
15 Vorpostenflotille	PA 1 PA 2 V 1502 Wiking 6 V 1503 Wiking 10 V 1504 Wiking 8 V 1507 Rau VI V 1512 Unitas 8 V 1523 Deltra I
16 Vorpostenflotille	V 1605 Mosel
17 Vorpostenflotille	V 1703 Unitas 4 V 1704 Unitas 5
18 Vorpostengruppe	Schiff 7 Wega
18 Vorpostenflotille	V 1801 Wandrahm
51 Vorpostenflotille	V 5102 Orkan V 5106 Sindbad
55 Vorpostenflotille	V 5501 Zick
57 Vorpostenflotille	V 5717 Fritz Homann
59 Vorpostenflotille	V 5908 Togo
61 Vorpostenflotille	V 6105 Samoa V 6112 Friese V 6114 Eismeer
65 Vorpostenflotille	V 6512 Togo
Vessels are listed under their first designation within each Vorpostenflotille. Subsequent changes in pennant numbers not shown.