The Easter hurricane in the Vesterisen 1952

After World War II, there was a great demand for the acid-free seal oil, so both the blubber and the skin were well paid. There was great optimism in the industry and new ships were built and many ships were rebuilt – in practice new ships. And the salaries for the crew were good.

The 1951 season was very good, with large catches and record high prices. This created great optimism before the 1952 season. A total of 53 ships with just under 900 men were equipped.

There were harp seals and hooded seals caught in the West Ice. The white seals (the harp seal pups) were the easiest to get in numbers, but the blue seals (the hooded seals' pups) were the ones that yielded the most, both in terms of skin price and in terms of blubber quantity. So the blue seals were sought after.

Below is a description of what Vesterisen was typically like in the 50s and 60s:

The West Ice Sheet is the mass of ice that has broken away from the ice in the Arctic Basin and is drifting southward with the current. This current, which runs along the east coast of Greenland, is called the East Greenland Current. The ice it carries is many years old, and the largest flakes stick out above the water to the height of a man or more. This is what is called the polar ice cap. The sea area between Greenland and Svalbard freezes over every winter. This ice is called winter ice, and can stick up to half a meter above the sea surface.

The polar bear drifts all the way to the mainland of East Greenland, where it encounters mountains, and is crushed to a pulp by a deafening roar.

From East Greenland, the mighty belt of drifting polar ice extends eastwards – forming the West Ice Sheet. The West Ice Sheet is at its greatest extent in March. On extra cold days, the water also freezes in the areas around the winter ice and the polar ice sheet. First, ice floes form, which then become pancake ice and then freeze together into larger flakes. This ice is then called new ice. All this ice disappears on the drift southwards, and by the time it has passed the Denmark Strait, most of it has melted. Only icebergs are found further south; icebergs are pieces of glaciers that have formed on land and then calved into the sea.

When the Vesterisen is exposed to rough seas after cold and calm days, the new ice is broken up, and slush ice forms, a kind of ice porridge that can be up to a meter thick. The winter ice that then forms is also broken up – in small flakes at the far end, in larger flakes further inland. If there is a storm coming across the current, the heavy polar ice is also affected, and the huge masses of ice are broken against each other and pressed into the air. These formations that then arise are called skrugardar.

The eastern width of the Vesterisen, where the edges extend towards the Norwegian Sea, is jagged at the edges. The largest tags are called odd. They can extend ten Norwegian miles (100 km) out from the polar ice cap and can be up to three Norwegian miles wide at the root. But they are usually smaller. The small and loosely torn tags are called strips. They are often formed outside the headlands or in the bay between two headlands. Usually the headlands and strips consist of the broken up winter ice, but the root of the headlands is often formed by polar ice.

The flakes that form the headlands are covered in snow – except for those that lie to the east, because they are washed away by the sea. In addition, it is not only the snow that disappears, some of the ice is also eroded by the sea. Therefore, only parts of the outermost flakes are visible. The parts of these flakes that lie under water are called ice feet. An ice foot is an underwater protrusion that protrudes like a finger or like a foot – hence the name.

The West Greenland Ice Sheet, with its polar ice cap, the capes and strips that drift south, is not constant in its structure. When the onshore wind sets in from the east, the drifting ice masses are pressed together. The capes and strips form a single continuous white blanket that extends all the way to the polar ice cap, and a straight edge is created against the sea. This ice edge is called a tight strand edge. As soon as the wind comes from East Greenland, capes and strips are formed again. If this wind is prolonged, the ice quickly drifts outwards and “distributed ice” is created, which can get lost far out to sea. The wind that sealers like best is either with or against the current. Under such conditions, the structure of strips and capes is reasonably stable. When ice is in motion, it is the largest and heaviest ice that drifts fastest. An iceberg is always unstoppable, and hitting the iceberg reveals which way the current is going.

Gale and storm set the sea in motion, but the rough sea with its huge waves and foam spray never reaches the ice. When the agitated sea meets ice, the wildness is immediately tamed, for ice has the same effect on agitated seas as oil has. In the ice one only notices the swell of the inferno outside; strongest near the sea and weaker and weaker the further into the ice one gets, until one is so far inside the ice that one notices nothing.

No matter how strong the swells are, they are always just a quiet adaptation, and the Arctic Ocean swells have the same peace about them as a sleeping giant taking long, quiet breaths. The only thing you hear is the crisp crackling of ice rubbing against ice.

If you are fishing or looking for a catch, you are always on the lookout for wind and barometric pressure. Winds from the northeast cause the headlands to collapse, and if the ship is in such a bay, you can get stuck in the tightly packed stern and freeze inside. The northeast is cold; it goes with the current, and the drift ice gains great speed. The northeast makes a sharp edge and is the strongest, and also the most dangerous, wind in this area. Despite all the aids that are available today, all skippers have an almost heroic relationship with the barometer. It reacts at once, and what it does not show, you can see from the clouds, as was said earlier. When the storm came, it was important to find a shelter, i.e. a place where there is little swell, while at the same time not having to be so far inside the ice that you risk getting stuck. Easter storms in the Vesterisen were more or less certain every year; It wasn't like Easter before we had a storm.

The West Ice Age 1952:

24. The fishing season opened on March 1. In 1952, the ships that caught in the Vesterisen were wooden ships with a size ranging from just under 70 feet to about 120 feet. Similarly, the engine size varied from 60–70 to 400–500 hp.

The week before departure there was a lot of activity in Ålesund. The ships were lying side by side, getting ready for the trip. Provisions had to be put on board, oil bunkers, guns, ammunition and dynamite had to be in place. The crew made their private purchases. Trappers from the fjords came with sailor's sacks on their backs and barrels of salted meat in their hands. The fjord dwellers were careful with their money, it was the same equipment as in previous years. The young men who had already made a few kroner from herring fishing had been to Thor Dahle's in Skansen to buy new leather hats and boots. Excitement and expectation were in the air.

An adult sealer had been to the doctor and was told not to travel due to stomach problems. On his way back on board, he ran into a friend, they got talking and he offered his friend his place on board the ship. The friend needed work and wanted to try seal hunting, so he agreed.

Life can be so random. One got sick and survived, while the one who left never returned.

On March 12th, there was a farewell party with a speech by the Arctic priest Monrad Norderval at Fiskarheimen in Ålesund.  

Most of the ships set sail and headed west on Saturday, March 15th.

Since the catch date was as late as the 24th, the ships had plenty of time to look for harp seals and hooded seals. There wasn't much to see, but as the start of the catch approached, the excitement increased and the skippers became more and more alert to where the others were.

Already on March 23rd, the Tjørvåg ship "Vestis" sank.

The ice caught the rudder and the steering chain broke, the ship was left lying in the ice and the ice gathered and eventually took the entire ship. After a tough march across the ice, the crew was picked up by a fishing boat from "Sjannøy" . All men were rescued.

Some vessels made early useful catches of blueback and hooded seal. Since then most vessels have been searching for harp seals and newborn white seals. Some came across single litters, but none found the large litter.

There was a lot of searching and driving. All the skippers kept an eye on each other and kept an eye out for ships that were silent on the radio, which often meant they were being hunted.

When some ships thought they had found the seal and the dumping site northwest of Jan Mayen, the seal went into the water.

The experienced skippers dress their heads and exchange views on why the seal behaved so foolishly.

"Ringsel" had been silent for a long time, some knew that it was heading west (south) as it is said in Vesterisen. Several discussed whether they should head west and see if there was anything to be found. Far southwest in Vesterisen is an ugly place, there is often the largest ice, hard washed blue ice, and the strongest wind. In the absence of any weather, it is typically a straw border with no way to find shelter.

Then there was the bad catch. It was for a good outcome that everyone was out fishing. Coming home with an empty ship was not a good thing for skipper or crew. The weather forecast was not to be trusted for the West Ice. Then it was better to trust your own eyes and the barometer. The barometer was never wrong.

A number of skiers took the chance and went west. Before they got so far as to find catch, most of them turned around, including "Polstjerna", "Myregga" and "Asbjørn". Vartdalskuta "Buskø" and Tjørvågskuta "Pels" were among those that did not turn around. They continued westward. They went straight into blueback fishing. One knows for sure that there were six sloops in the far west, in addition to the Sunnmørs skuten, there were "Vårglimt" , "Brattind", "Ringsel" and "Arild", all from Troms.

"Ringsel", skipper Terje Johnsen, had caught well and was close to full load when the barometer fell. Terje's father, Julius Johnsen, was skipper of "Polis". The two talked when the weather had come. Julius knew well that "Ringsel" was not a particularly good ship, so he was a little worried. Terje's answer was that they were as good as full load and had found a good hold, so there was no danger. These words were the last Julius heard from his son.

The Arctic ships "Fangstmand" - skipper John Nedrelid, and "Eskimo" - skipper Bernt Brandal, were both on their way west. They did not go together, but the goal was the catch in areas where "Ringsel" was low. The two ships were probably not far from each other, nor were they far from the other six ships when they turned east.

Bernt Brandal said that "Eskimo" was heading west. His brother, Angel, was the first gunner, and he came and urged Bernt out on the night of April 3 because the wind had picked up and the barometer had dropped sharply. Bernt immediately gave the order to turn the ship around, and they set off at full speed east in a thick snowdrift and a headwind from the northeast. They were the first and only ship to have radar, and on it they gradually saw a ship inside the ice. They went to it, it was the Arctic ship "Polarøy" - skipper Sørensen. The two ships were in a row, the swell grew and the edge was torn out. After a while they had to continue northwest, it was a bit of a thrill when they had to go through an ice hole. Furthermore, there was swell, sea spray and thus icing. And they had to stay away from the edge of the ice so as not to be crushed against it when the wind was so strong that the ship would lie on its side.

Ola Jarle Bigset, who was the gunner on the "Fangstmand", has told about the same thing. They were heading west. The barometer fell, even though the wind was not that strong at the time, so skipper John Nedrelid turned and they gave full steam east. The wind increased outwards, and they sailed all day and only towards evening did they find such a good headland that they decided to lie down behind it. During the next night the wind picked up to a full hurricane. There were thick snowdrifts, mixed with sea spray that hit the ship. And it was freezing cold. The men who were going over deck and up to the cabin cloak crawled over deck so that the wind would not throw them overboard. As the headland was torn outwards, first the small ice floes came surfing, but as soon as they were gone, there were large, heavy ice floes that came surfing on the swells. The helmsman's task was to control and regulate the speed to avoid such flakes hitting the ship. This was very demanding, and only the most experienced were entrusted with this task.

Storm in Newfoundland

On the first of April, the ships caught a storm at Newfoundland. Arnljot Brandal, who was the first gunner on the "Polaris" , remembers that when the storm passed, he heard skipper Guttorm Jakobsen on the "Norsel" say that this storm would be felt in the West Ice as well. As a former sailor and war sailor, Captain Guttorm knew the storms in the Atlantic well. Unfortunately, there were not good communication options between Newfoundland and the West Ice at that time.

In retrospect, it has also been shown that the weather reports that were sent out initially reported weak winds, and then upgraded to storms and hurricanes after the winds had been at their strongest. The phenomenon of polar low pressure was first discovered in the 60s when weather satellites came into use. They are difficult to predict and therefore also difficult to report. There is no doubt that the 1952 storm was formed by polar low pressure.

Polar lows are small, intense low-pressure areas that form in Arctic air masses on the north side of the polar front in winter. They are usually between 150 and 600 kilometres in diameter, and they do not produce much wind. On average, a wind speed of 21 metres per second (m/s) is observed around a polar low, but about a quarter of cases have winds of full gale force or more. The strongest observed in modern times was 36 m/s ( hurricane force) over a twelve-hour period. Polar lows form when cold air from the large ice- and snow-covered areas of the Arctic is blown out over the relatively warmer sea. When the air mass is supplied with heat and moisture from the sea surface, it rises and forms cirrocumulus clouds. The air gradually becomes unstable, and the cirrocumulus clouds gradually build up as the air flows over the open sea.

The main weight of the Arctic fleet was in the north (east) of the Vesterisen, in the area around Jan Mayen. They all felt the storm, the cold and the ice. As previously pointed out, it was easier to find good shelters further east, so the ships that were in the area north of Jan Mayen when the storm came, went out through the ice and found good shelters, where the risk of being stuck and with it getting stuck was small.

The ships furthest to the west were hit by the storm first and probably the strongest. On the second of April they had caught blueback in good conditions. When they went to rest, it was in the hope that the next day would be another good day of fishing. During the night the barometer fell rapidly and the wind came. There was a snowstorm and the temperature dropped.

The six ships that lay furthest west were "Pels", "Buskø", "Vårglimt", "Brattind", "Ringsel" and "Arild". Of these, "Buskø" was by far the largest. It has subsequently emerged that "Buskø" had damage to its propeller and could not use full engine power. It has been mentioned that "Pels" also had some problems.

These ships got the weather first, and they had to find a way to hold on. The first day they probably had a good hold on, but if we put together the little information we have, it seems that on the fourth of April the hold on has decreased or disappeared. Skipper Aksnes on "Furenak" then spoke to Karsten Brandal on "Buskø", he then said that now they are covering, that is, they have given up the hold on and are on their way to sea. This conversation was also overheard by first gunner Angel Brandal on "Eskimo".

Soon the weather will be bad all over the Vesterisen. The fishing season is over, now it's time to find good holds, and keep the ships as free of snow and ice as possible. From a gale, the wind increases to a storm and hurricane. The temperature has dropped to -30 degrees Celsius. And it's blowing violently. The crew hears the strong whistling in the air, the howling of the wind in the rig, and on the ships closest to the low pressure, the people have strong pressure in their eardrums. The ships watch for the hold, and not least for signs that it is disappearing or tearing away from the fast ice. If the hold disappears, the ships have to find new ones, and then it's out to sea and heading into the wind. It's the engine power that determines how successful it is.

The storm has been raging over the Vesterisen for many days.

On board "Flemsøy" on the evening of April 7th.

Many of the ships that lie furthest northwest in the Vesterisen are lying together. Despite strong winds, "Brandal" lies alongside "Flemsøy" and on the evening of April 7, skipper Johannes M Brandal and student Per Øynes from "Brandal" visit skipper Karl Brandal on "Flemsøy". Karl Brandal was a young skipper, only 29 years old. On the chart table, he used drawing pins to keep track of where the other ships were. To know when he had last heard from them, the drawing pins had different day colors. No other skippers had this, they relied on their memory, or a short note in the map margin or on a piece of paper. The two guests are warmly welcomed, the host Karl Brandal walked and rummaged between the wheelhouse and the cutlery, he could not find any peace.

"It's been a long time since I've heard from Buskø" and "Pels"," he says, looking at skipper Johannes M Brandal.

The older skipper doesn't like that kind of talk, so he drags it out before automatically saying, "Yes...they're catching fish, right?"

"Well? In this weather?"

It's just as skipper Johannes M Brandal wakes up, the slightly sharp tone in the young skipper's voice has made him realize that this was no ordinary dry talk. "No... of course not."

The two study the chart table, while the student watches curiously.

"We'll have to shout at them," says Karl Brandal, and goes over to the radio transmitter.

He first calls out “Buskø.” When he hasn’t received a response after fifteen minutes, he calls out “Pels.” There’s just as much silence in the receiver.

They sit down and talk about other things than ships that are not showing any signs of life. In their minds they console themselves with the fact that they may be in such a bad situation in the weather that they have control over the possible catch and do not want to show any signs of life. While they are sitting like this, they hear one of the Tromsø ships calling for "Brattind" several times without receiving a response. Karl Brandal is restless and takes another round on the radio to hear if anyone has heard from "Buskø" and "Pels" in recent days. No one had heard from them, and some skippers also mention "Vårglimt" and "Ringsel".

Skipper Johannes M Brandal and the student half follow the host who keeps talking about new ships, while they talk about other things. At 23 pm Johannes M Brandal mentions that it might be time for bed.

"There must be something wrong here!" they hear Karl Brandal say over the radio before he ends the call. The two of them gasp and feel the uneasiness pricking their chests.

"Nothing has happened to "Buskø", you understand. Not to mention!" Says Johannes M Brandal.

Karl Brandal is not persuaded, and he starts calling all five ships. "Hello "Pels", hello "Buskø", hello "Brattind", hello "Vårglimt", hello "Ringsel"... "Flemsøy" calls. Then a short pause and another call.

He added, "I'm worried about you, Doc, please answer me on the radio, if you can. If the antenna has blown away, use the telegraph key and turn the radio on full power, and I'll listen for three long repeats at quarter-minute intervals... Over."

Karl Brandal turned off the transmitter and connected the antenna to the receiver. There was no sound coming from the speaker, it was as if the airwaves were dead and gone forever.

In the cockpits of all the other ships, the skippers sat listening. A quarter of an hour passed, and then two quarters of an hour passed. The five ships were equally silent.

The two visitors return to the "Brandal" at half past one. The student notices that the skipper does not go to the cabin but up to the deck. When he takes a walk on the bridge a while later, he sees the skipper sitting on the leather sofa in the deck, bent forward with his head bowed and his hands clasped. It is completely silent.

Suddenly the silence is broken by Karl Brandal on "Flemsøy": "Hello "Pels", hello "Buskø", hello "Brattind", hello "Vårglimt", hello "Ringsel".... "Flemsøy" calls. Then a short break and a new calling. But nothing but hissing comes from the ether.

Skipper Johannes M Brandal remained seated in the cutlery until the bright morning….

8. April

The next day, April 8, the weather was clear and conditions were good. The ships caught up, but the skippers watched and thought about the missing ships or sat in the cockpit and followed the radio. Karl Brandal was on the radio all day. At 20 pm, Siglufjord radio came to Iceland and asked if there was anything wrong, they had been listening to the heavy radio traffic. Karl Brandal then confirmed that five ships were missing. Siglufjord suggested that they contact the American air base at Keflavik and ask that planes be sent out to search for the missing ships. During the night, Karl Brandal managed to provide updated information to Iceland via contact with other ships about the whereabouts of the ships that were not missing. Instructions were also given that the search should mostly be south of the ships that were not missing, both in the ice and in the sea.

That day, April 8, "Ungsel" , "Selfisk" and "Arild" arrived in Iceland.

Late at night, Tromsø radio also came in asking if something was wrong, they had picked up a lot of radio traffic, but hadn't quite figured out the cause. Karl Brandal was cautious in his answer.

The next day, April 9, two American, one Icelandic and one Danish aircraft were on the lookout. The American planes landed and reported that they did not see anything shot south because they did not miss the shots. The plane was ordered back into the air. The Arctic vessels "Polstraum" and "Furenak" "Furenak" reported that they withdrew from the catch and went in search of the missing vessels. Skipper Osvald Lillenes on "Polstraum" was the brother of skipper Olaf Lillenes on "Pels".

On Good Friday, April 11, eight planes – six American, one Icelandic airliner and one Danish Catalina – were on the wings over the Vesterisen and the Danish Strait. Officially, six ships were taken out of the hunt to search, in practice there were probably more ships that went west to take part in the search. The air was clear and visibility was good. Sometimes the aircrew saw footprints on the ice, then they had to go down low, each time they were disappointed, there were tracks of polar bears. Similarly, when they saw dark creatures on the ice, they had to go down far enough to determine that it was seal carcasses and not humans lying there. The planes searched over a large area, from the southern part of the Vesterisen down the Danish Strait and far out to sea. No findings that could be linked to the five missing ships were made.

It gradually dawned on everyone in Vesterisen that this was most likely an unimaginably great tragedy that had befallen their comrades and their industry.

Ivar Vartdal, born 02.06.1927, who was a trapper on the "Hvalrosen" in 1952, said that when skipper Bjørn Øvrelid came down from the barrel, perhaps on this very day, he stopped, looked out over the ice, before quietly saying "we'll never see them again!"

This was the case with many others, as nothing was found, they had to accept that the unthinkable had happened. Not a cry for help, no wreckage, in short, nothing that could provide answers.

The Arctic ship Arild:

The Arctic ship "Arild" , which was among the six ships that lay furthest west, arrived in Iceland on April 8.

I'll let trapper Kåre Nilsen (born 31.8.1928, died 2.12.2002) on "Arild" tell about the wild journey from Vesterisen to Iceland (from Odd Magnus Heide Hansen's archive).

"Arild" 1952 – L _PP 78,3 ft, W 20,3 ft, D 9,5 ft, with a Deutz diesel engine of 185 hp.

"The West Ice of 1952: Conditions were bad – with heavy polar ice. The skippers agreed to look for catch westwards; a whole group of ships went westwards. After going westwards for a day, the "Polstjerna" skipper Halvdan Jakobsen turned around. Many ships turned around then, but we on the "Arild" and four other ships, which sank, did not turn around. The ships probably turned around because they thought there was no catch. But we kept going.

Then we came into the ice. There we saw "Ringsel" lying in the ice and catching. We went in, and there we found a catch. We started catching and caught something like 700 animals the first day – only blueback, so this boded very well. Sunshine and fine weather. We agreed with the other ships that we would catch with catching boats the next day. We got the catching boats ready, but during the night the wind picked up to a northeast gale, snowdrifts and frost. The gale increased and soon there was a storm, and then a full storm. The crew had their full right to break the ice and keep the ships free of snow and ice. But they were in a state of rest and therefore could not complain. All the men on the six ships were busy keeping the ships clear of snow and ice. Since the ships were close to the Klappkusskatt, they did not want the ships further north and east to get their positions, so the radio was not used. They still have ice in the lee, and are thus well-positioned, even though the storm is now a strong storm, probably a hurricane.

When Kåre Nilsen comes on duty on the morning of April 3rd (compared to other information, this could be April 4th – YES), the second gunner has not made the ship seaworthy, but as soon as the first gunner comes on duty, the order is given to close the hatches and make the ship seaworthy. It was probably high time, because not long after the party is over, and they are out on the open wild sea.

The wind is now at a hurricane, the sky and the sea are one, the skipper still manages to keep the ship afloat, but they use almost full engine speed to do this. Many bad breaks wash over the ship, and both the skipper and the gunners fear that the ship will be broken down. Orders are given to fill oil in the breakwaters and hang these out the stern of the ship. (Using oil as a breakwater is a way to limit the sea current, less breaks and movement from the waves. The oil forms a thin film over the water, which reduces the surface tension, which prevents the waves from cresting and breaking.) The skipper sees that he is unlikely to be able to keep the ship afloat against the weather for very long, so he decides to turn the ship around to bilge her. But before they get that far, they get a bad break that sends the ship far down to the sea, and that is all the ship can do to lift itself up again. And if the ship comes sideways, it will probably only take a short time before the sea crushes the bridge and everything else that is above water. First they try to turn the ship around, to get her out of the wind, but she will only dig herself into the sea. At the last minute the skipper has to give the order to stop the engine; otherwise the ship would have gone down through the sea. Instead, they manage to give full speed astern to get the stern up against the weather, and in this way they manage to get the ship out of the wind.

The oil in the wave-dampers is blown out to sea, so they are of no use. Even though the sea anchor is 500 meters behind the ship and the engine is running at slow speed, it is a struggle to manage to steer the ship so that it does not dig into the sea. Sometimes when the breaking seas approach, full speed is given either forward or astern to be able to maneuver the ship to the best of our ability. Each man can only stand at the helm for about ten minutes, then you are completely done hauling the helm from side to side in one set.

Before “Arild” came over to the bilge, Kåre Nilsen saw “Vårglimt” in lee. “It’s running the engine so that there’s heavy black smoke coming out of the chimney, yet the ship is lying on the side of the weather. It’s a big ship, but this seems to be more than the engine and the ship can handle. The first gunner on board “Arild” Ibert Mathisen, who had been skipper on “Ringsel” for several years, is sure that this weather is more than the ship can tolerate. He himself had quit because he thought the ship was not suitable for being in the Vesterisen. They can also just see “Brattind” through the sea spray. The ship is thrown from side to side, and they see something dark fluttering through the air, probably a hatch. If that’s true, it’s probably only a short time before it fills with sea and disappears into the ocean. "We had enough of ourselves, and couldn't do anything," says Kåre Nilsen.

After a few hours of dredging, Kåre Nilsen and three other men are sent aft to fix the breakwaters, so that they can get more effect from them. It became quiet, and the two on the port side get in, but the two on the starboard side were taken out of the water. One man is caught in the dinghy cable and thrown back on board the ship, while the last one disappears in the rough sea. The one who disappears is the skipper's father-in-law. Everything on the boat deck has been washed out to sea; the newly built skipper's cabin is completely gone, and the engine room is half full of sea. All the bilges are running at full speed, and a three-inch hand pump is also being used. Everything looks dark; some of the crew give up, while others try to work their way through the whole crisis atmosphere.

The medicine chest that had been in the skipper's cabin had now fallen all the way down into the engine room, and they had to dive to get hold of the gauze and cotton that was on its way to the bilges and pumps.

And the mast breaks off, the upper part with the barrel comes crashing down onto the deck, so everyone thinks this is the nail in the coffin. The men are sent out on deck to lath the masthead and repair the deck, and they find that the deck is intact. The material in the deck was supposed to be bongossi (hard wood), and it has not been crushed by the mast, to the men's great surprise.

"A man had broken his femur and was lying forward, but he kept wanting to go aft, so we closed the cabin cloak door from the outside so he couldn't get out onto deck. We tied ropes around the cloak. He would never get aft alive."

After a few days, the wind dies down, and the sea becomes so calm that they begin to believe that there is a rescue.

"The ship looked battered, the food was gone or ruined, and no one knew where we were. Fortunately, we caught just enough of a glimpse of the sun that the skipper was able to grab his cutlery, and he calculated where we were: We were 150 nm south of Reykjanes, well down into the Atlantic Ocean. We sailed towards Iceland for a day and a half, then we were below Reykjanes in Iceland, another half a day before we reached Arnafjordur and on to a place called Bildudal. This was three days after we left the ice edge. We learned via radio and the Salvation Army that all six of us ships were missing. We went to Isafjord to repair the damage. Our first gunner was then picked up by plane and went out to search for the missing ships.

Where did all the wreckage go? There were days of searches with planes and ships, but nothing was ever found.

The ship “Arild” was originally German and was called “Sachsen”. It was a strongly built ship, and as I mentioned, the air intake was on top of the engine.

So far the Arctic ship "Arild".

In the book "Once upon a time, an ice village", Osvald Lillenes - skipper of "Polstraum" in 1952 and brother of skipper Olaf Lillenes of "Pels", has shared his thoughts about what he thought happened to "Pels". "Polstraum" was also heading west, but turned around. He believes "Pels" and the other five ships were at the far end of a large ice floe and were trapped. When the weather came, they went into the headland and had a good time. What Osvald Lillenes says is that he thought the headland had worn away from the fast ice at the root, and without the six ships being aware of it, they were on their way to sea together with the headland. As the storm and swell ate up the headland, the small ice disappeared and only large washed-off blue ice remained. His theory was that the ships had been trapped inside, and they were crushed by large floating ice floes.

"Polstraum" and "Furenak" were the first two ships to officially start searching. Osvald Lillenes says that they searched far west, and that "Polstraum" went out into the sea, where they thought they saw an ice floe. It was true, and the ice they encountered was large and heavy. Osvald Lillenes then thought that these were the remains of the headland the ships had entered. When these large ice floes collided, they could crush a ship into sticks. What was left were only large, washed-off, lifeless flakes. "Polstraum" turned and headed east again.

Unsuccessful search.

The search for Korkje by plane or ship yielded results. On Easter Sunday, April 13, the two corvettes KNM "Sørøy" and KNM "Nordkyn" will set off from Tromsø heading for the West Ice. They will search from the ice and further west. The air search continues.

On Easter Monday, one of the planes reported an oil tank and some wood in the area between 64 and 65 degrees N and 30-35 degrees W.

Neither the corvettes nor the aerial search make discoveries that can be linked to the missing ships.

The ships returning from Newfoundland go up the coast of Greenland, the ships from the north go north of Iceland to search, without success.

At home, of course, the relatives are in shock and despair. The search is still ongoing. In the churches, the missing are joined in prayers. While psychics say they see survivors walking on the ice.

In correspondence between the Icelandic and Norwegian governments, Norway received a report on April 20, which the Norwegian authorities did not immediately make public. In the report, the Icelanders refer, among other things, to mate Ibert Mathisen on the "Arild" who had been an acquaintance of the Icelandic authorities and had himself been on the flight for two days. Mathisen says, among other things, that he is convinced that everything in human power has been done, and believes that the missing boats have gone down in the storm without leaving any trace. The mate justifies this by the wrecks that his own boat had to contend with, they were the largest and most dangerous he had experienced during 40 years of sailing on the Arctic Ocean. He said that the reason his own boat survived was that it was unusually solidly built and had a brilliant diesel engine that did not fail for a moment, despite the fact that it was partly working underwater. If the engine had failed, one would not have been able to steer with the rudder, which would inevitably have resulted in the boat being broken down. Even with the maneuvering that was done, his own boat was still so deep that he and the captain were standing in the water for dear life on the bridge, without seeing anything of the ship above the water except the mastheads.

The sealing ships "Norland I" and "Polarsel" were chartered to sail the ice and coast along Greenland westward. Ottar M Brandal was the gunner and he has told how they went in and out of the bays and followed the ice edge right down to Cape Farewell and up to Jan Mayen.

One day they saw a mast-like object in the ice, and some dark spots around it. The ice was rough and difficult to get in with the ship, so Ottar, along with two others, got ready and went inland. It turned out to be a driftwood log from Siberia that had risen and become frozen solid in the ice. Surrounding it were seal carcasses from the animals that had been caught north of Jan Mayen before the hurricane. During the hurricane, these had drifted about 1000 km.

For five weeks, the two ships search. The only thing they find is a leader and a hatch that probably came from one of the missing ships from Troms.

As the Arctic ships returned home, questions arose about what had happened, and whether there was still hope of finding the missing. The answers were vague, it was a strong storm, with tough conditions, but of course the search must continue.

In conversation with Ivar Vartdal he told about the return of the "Hvalrossen" . When they arrived in Ålesund and were to clear customs, there were two men standing on the quay, they were Hans Sætre - former skipper of "Buskø" and Erling Nes - also a former Arctic sea captain. They both had sons on board "Buskø". Ivar was, as he said, only the youth and he was at the helm. Skipper Bjørn Øvrelid and gunner Norvald Liavåg were in the wheelhouse. They saw the two on the quay and recognized them. "What should we answer them then?" Bjørn said to himself, thinking a little. "These two know what this is, so here we just have to say what we mean", Norvald decided. Ivar went down from the wheelhouse when the two fathers came on board.

Gradually, it dawns on those affected, the entire industry, the entire coast, and indeed all of Norway that there has been a major disaster in the Vesterisen.

Five ships with 78 men are missing. From Sunnmøre it was "Buskø" from Vartdal with 20 men, and "Pels" from Tjørvåg with 14 men. From Troms it was the ships "Vårglimt" – 15 men, "Brattind" – 14 men and "Ringsel" – 14 men. In addition, the Arctic ship "Arild" lost one man in the storm on its way from Vesterisen to Iceland. Total 79 men

Among the men who died, many were family members.

On board "Buskø" was skipper Peter Liavåg with two brothers-in-law, these two were brothers.

Olaf Lillenes on "Pels" also had two brothers-in-law with him.

On board "Vårglimt", shipowner and skipper Alfred Hansen had two sons with him, a son-in-law and one who was engaged to another daughter.

In conversation with Petter Gudleik Liavåg, born July 13, 1939, son of Petter Liavåg, skipper of the Arctic ship "Buskø", he told a little about how he, as a 13-year-old, experienced the 1952 accident.

"The worst thing I remember was when my mother cried. It hit me that she cried like that. She lost her husband and two brothers. It was heartbreaking."

The family quickly learned that "Buskø" was one of the missing ships. We had hoped that there was icing on the antennas or something else, but as the days passed, our hopes waned.

Father was away during the entire war. At that time, mother's brother, his uncle Olav Solheim, was more like a father to us. Olav was newly engaged before he left for Vesterisen in 1952, and was to get married when he returned home.

When the ships started coming home that year, I remember it was painful to watch. At first I was asked at school if we had heard anything, my teacher, Ingolf Hareide asked if we had heard anything. Ingolf was strict with me at that time. He didn't care. We never saw the priest, Nilsen. Otto Holmås, who had been a priest here before, was now in Bergen. Then he got a position as dean of the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. On the way north he stopped in Ålesund, and came to Hareid and visited her mother. That sight we had was very well done.

When my mother died, we got permission from the Bishop to put my father's name on the tombstone. It had to be written in a way that made it clear that he was not buried here. It was a great wish of my mother that my father's name should be on the tombstone together with hers. If the Bishop had not accepted it, we would have done it anyway," adds Petter Gudleik.

On May 7, the names of those presumed dead were made public.

The following day, Aftenposten launched the fundraising campaign Sealangerhjelpen. It raised 2,4 million kroner. The money went to the survivors.

98 minor children lost their father and 46 wives had become widows.

Later in the summer, the ice-sea ship "Polaris" was on an expedition trip to Aust-Grønland. When they entered Angmagssalik, they heard about some Eskimos on Kapp Dan who had found some cargo hatches. "Polaris" went out to Kapp Dan and got the hatches. Then took them to Ålesund and delivered them to the customs warehouse. Osvald Lillenes came to look at them, but he couldn't tell if it was "Pels's" hatches.

We all understood the seriousness of the situation when "Arild" came to Iceland and reported

I have read a lot and had many conversations with people who were in the Vesterisen in 1952. Everyone tells about a very strong storm/hurricane, strong cold, snow flurries, big swells and challenging ice floes. Also about the special whistling in the air, the howling of the wind in the rigging and rails and about a strong pressure on the eardrums. Many have pointed out that this is the worst storm they have ever experienced.

Furthermore, I have wondered what those who were in the Vesterisen during the storm thought about the missing ships. Gradually, I have come to realize that many, especially the experienced ones, realized quite early on that a disaster had occurred here. Ivar Vartdal was adamant that skipper Bjørn Øvrelid and gunner Norvald Liavåg on the "Hvalrossen" early on thought they would never see the missing ships again.

Similarly, Idar Eklund has posted parts of his father, Magne Eklund – engineer on the “Myregga”, his personal diary from the trip in 52. He writes as follows on April 11: The storm is raging with renewed force, the barometer is on storm, so we don’t know what this will end up with. The planes have been searching for the missing ships, but nothing to see. They have probably closed their eyes for good and no one knows what those people have suffered, but it is true that no one can wonder about death. I hope they are doing well wherever they go.

Paul Stark, who was a trapper on the "Askelad I", said that he and a couple of other young people were sitting in the mess playing cards and there was some swearing. This happened a day or two after the storm had passed. Then the skipper, old Kristoffer Angelsen, came and looked at them: "As a docker, I know I'm not particularly religious, but today we're putting that language away." " The message was clear enough, he probably understood that many lives had been lost here," added Paul.

In connection with the work on the book "The Experience of the Arctic People", I interviewed Bernt J Brandal - skipper of the "Eskimo" in 1952. He said it very simply: "We all understood the seriousness when "Arild" came to Iceland and reported."

Sources:

"Alarm in the West" Nystrøm and Øynes. The structure of the article is taken from this book.

"Ishavsfolk's Experience" Alme https://www.ishavsmuseet.no/produkt/ishavsfolk-si-erfaring/

"When the Great Storm Rages" Ishavsmuseet https://www.ishavsmuseet.no/produkt/nar-stormen-rasar/

"The History of the Arctic Ships II" Odd Magnus Heide Hansen

"Once upon a time, an Arctic village" Richard Bergh

Conversation with Ivar Vartdal 05.02.2020

Conversation with Petter Gudleik Liavåg 13.01.2020

Conversation with Paul Stark 17.01.2007

Conversation Bernt J Brandal 10.11.2006

Conversation Arnljot Brandal 07.11.2006

Recording of Kåre Nilsen from Odd Magnus Heide Hansen's archive.

Correspondence with Idar Eklund 2021 and 2022

Correspondence and telephone conversation with Tor Arne Jakobsen 18.01.2022