| .... OSLO, Norway .... 2nd Fleet Replenishment Ships AO-147 made port here in 1958 per current records on hand.... Oslo
is an interesting Scandinavian capital located on the
Oslo Fjord. The city is heavily forested and full of museums, parks,
and
a 700-year old fortress. An excursion to the Bygdøy Peninsula
gives a visitor a close look at Viking and Norwegian explorers from
ancient times and from the 20th century. If your Baltic or fjord cruise
includes Oslo as a port of call, you are in for an interesting day
ashore. Click on the links below to see and learn more about Oslo.
As
we cruise up the Oslo Fjord, the small islands become more populated as
we get closer to Oslo. The small cottage is used for art courses and other cultural
activities. Can you imagine how cold it would be in the winter on this
windswept isle? Earl, an American currently living in Oslo, sent me a
photo of the cottage in winter after seeing this picture. The
hills surrounding Oslo are much like the one
in this photo. If you are looking for high mountains and deeply cragged
fjords, you will need to travel to western Norway near Bergen. Leaving Oslo, looking down the Fjord. M314
Alta at her museum berth in Oslo. She is beneath the
Akershus Fortress. This building was started in the year 1299 as the
King's residence.
 |
 Oslo Harbor  Wasp CV-18 in 1970's; in Oslo harbor  <..Left The
Sauda class minesweepers were financed by the
U.S.
Government as part of the rearming of its European allies under the
Military Assistance Program. M314 Alta served for a year in the
U.S. Navy as AMS-104 and for 12 years thereafter in the Belgian Navy as
BNS Arlon (M 915). She was taken over by the Royal
Norwegian
Navy in May 1966. Upon decommissioning in May 1996, after 30 years of
service, she was turned over to the Alta Society (Fartoylaget
KNM Alta).
|
| The
vessel is owned by the Armed Forces Museum in
Oslo. The Alta Society is responsible for her
maintenance and
operation. The minesweeper is the only one of her kind left in Norway. All minesweepers are named after Norwegian rivers. The Alta is one of the largest in northern Norway, well known after civil disobedience demonstrations a few years ago against plans for building an electric power station on the river. Their slogan, "Let Alta live" has become the Society's. M314
Alta is fully operational. Her regularly
scheduled
sailings, up to ten per year, include hospitality visits and training.
Every third year she is drydocked at the Norwegian Naval Base
Haakonsvern near Bergen, a 360 nautical mile voyage. A jubiliee program
is being planned for 2003 to celebrate M314 Alta's
50th
birthday.
|
|
| Blucher: German battleship sunk
by Norwegian coastal defence in
April 1940 in the Oslo fjord. Two shells from the 19th century guns
Moses and Aron damaged the ship's steering. Then she was sunk by
torpedoes. The sinking gave the Norwegian government precious time to
prepare before the invasion. The 210 m long ship carried 1600 crewmen
and 800 soldiers. |
 |
| The
majority survived. The wreck lies upside down,
depth is about 90 m and trimix is needed for diving. The
narrows were protected by a system of defenses dominated by the
Oscarsborg Fortress. In addition to the fortress the Within half an
hour the Blucher had capsized (see photo at right)
and sunk
with heavy loss of life, and the remainder of the German column was
forced to
withdraw. The Weserubung timetable had been upset: Before the naval
column
could proceed north, the fortress system had to be taken by ground
assault.
This delay enabled the Norwegian government to escape north, taking
|
|
