Polaris

"Polaris" was built for Bergen's Seal Catching Company, but was purchased by Brandal after only one year.

In 1920, the "Polaris" was caught in a severe storm on Easter Sunday in the West Ice and lost its mizzenmast. The Arctic ship "Jopeter" fared worse, being completely battered in the storm. "Polaris" found them drifting and towed them back to Brandal. Read more about the drama with "Jopeter" here: https://www.ishavsmuseet.no/blogger/faarlegt-hav/

Johan Brandal, (Runne Johan) was the skipper of the old Polaris in Kvitsjøen. It was at that time that they had a shoaling machine and sails. They naturally had a jib boom for the sail. Then one day they had to go out into the swell. It was a big swell, said Johan, who himself stood in the barrel throughout. Suddenly he saw that the jib boom was sticking out into a swell and crouching under a large ice floe that was coming sailing on the swell. Johan saw, and understood what was about to happen, so he jumped out of the barrel and ran down the rigging at a serious speed. Fortunately, he had gotten down under the loose rigging before the cable from the jib boom tightened and caused the mast to break up there with the cargo somewhere.

In 1938, the Storting set up a state guarantee of 50.000,- for the ships "Polarbjørn" and "Polaris" for a trial trip to seal off Newfoundland. The guarantee was forfeited if they had a catch value of more than NOK 90.000,- The two ships did very well and came home with a catch value of NOK 160.000,- This attracted more ships, and in 1939 there were 8 ships that set out. There was a storm in the North Atlantic and the three ships "Isfjell", "Nyken" and "Saltdaling" went down. Read more about the drama in 25-meter high waves here: https://www.ishavsmuseet.no/fortellingar/dramaet-i-nord-atlanteren-1939/

"Polaris" was also on a seal hunt off Newfoundland in 1940 when war broke out. It delivered the catch and then stationed in St. John's and gradually received many different missions for the Allies.

Loaded with aviation fuel, the ship exploded between Cape Chidley and Resolution Island in the outer Hudson Strait on October 16, 1942. The cause of the explosion is unknown. The crew bailed out on the Labrador coast.