Bergen

During May, June and July, Bergen becomes our base for diving the fjords of Western Norway. This region contains numerous wreck sites almost all in sheltered locations suitable for both novice and experienced divers.

Divers are picked up from the ferry terminal in Bergen, with diving starting on the day of arrival.  The wrecks in this locality include many large WW2 Freighters sunk while at anchor, close under the cliffs in the fjords.

The SS Afrika, a German cargo freighter, was sailing fom Narvik to Germany when the war broke out in Scandinavia. The vessel sailed to Bergen, by then under German control, until ordered to sail to Germany. The ship sailed under a false Dutch flag using the pseudonym 'Frik'. However, the vessel was boarded by the Norwegian torpedo boat Stegg in Korsfjorden and the crew and ship were interned in Ulvik. The Norwegians, suspecting that it wouldn't take long before the Germans arrived in Ulvik, decided to scuttle the vessel in the fjord on the 17th of April 1940. The wreck rests upright in a depth ranging from 7 to 30 metres.

The German freighter Bärenfels suffered the misfortune of sinking 3 times. Originally intended as  a supply ship for the German forces based in Narvik, the freighter was sunk for the first time by a British bombing raid during a stopover in Bergen in April 1940. The vessel was successfully refloated and resumed service with the German forces. On the 14th of April 1944, Bärenfels was back in Bergen to load cargo, when a big explosion hit the ship and the pier at Laksevåg. Earlier in the morning the British minisub X24 had dropped two time delayed mines on the seabed under what they believed was the great floating dock in the harbour. However, the Australian skipper had mistaken the Bärenfels for the floating dock. In the afternoon the mines exploded and the Bärenfels sank quickly, killing 11 and wounding 7. After the war the bow was salvaged and towed to Stavanger for scrap. The stern was later floated and went under tow to Hauglandsosen. Unfortunately, the vessel sank for the third and final time and was abandoned. The partial remains of the Bärenfels lie outside Berland på Askøy, Hauglandsosen, located on the north side of Askøy in the Herdlefjorden. The wreck lies in a depth of twenty to thirty five metres.
 

The steamship Elisabeth Bornhofen sank on October 4th 1944 after an attack by British bombers right outside Bergen harbour. The Royal Air Force were making an attack on the German submarine pens in Bergen. During the attack the British pilots spotted the cargo freighter Elisabeth Bornhofen. The vessel was hit with bombs and was soon on fire. The wreck of Elisabeth Bornhofen is in a depth of sixty five to eighty meters right outside the harbour, standing on her keel in a relatively good condition. The impressive ships wheel is in place at the stern.
 

Outside Bergen harbour the  Elsesro is an interesting site for wreck divers. The site contained seven wrecks of different sizes. All the wrecks lay close to each other. One of the wrecks in Elsesro is often marked with a buoy, and if you start here you can find another three wrecks which all lie next to each other. One of these wrecks is wooden, and two of them are steel, standing upright on the seabed in good condition. This was also the site were the German cruiser Königsberg turned over and sank after several bomb attacks in April 1940. She was later salvaged, however some ammunition still remains.
 

No.50 was a tram used in the city of Bergen. Over 160 trams were in service between 1893 and 1965. After the shut down of this service, the city discarded the remaining wagons. Some were sold, others were scrapped, while a few were dumped in the sea. At Knektholmen on Askøy outside Bergen, two of these are on the seabed in thirty metres, intact and in good condition.
 

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