Posted by Axel van Eesbeeck gemyala@netcologne.de on April 09, 2001 - transferred from old Forum.

The following norwegian ships sunk on mines
Who knows what ship or aircraft laid the mine
Bravore 22.04.40
Burgos 28.03.40
Diana 10.1940
Einar Jarl 17.03.41
Elna E 15.03.41
Frode 11.04.43
Hundvaag 01.11.40
Corcette Toensberg Castle (ex. britisch Shrewsbury Castle)12.12.44
Motorlaunch ML-210 15.02.44
Draugen (Tug) 15.07.40
Ureed (P-41) (submarine) 24.02.43

Thank you in advance

RESPONSES:

Posted by Roger W Jordan rogwj@aol.com on April 10, 2001:
These are quite tough questions, and I have been able to find answers to only two of them.
BRAVORE struck a mine that had been laid by aircraft of the 9th Fliegerdivision. It was one of three vessels (the others were British) sunk on mines laid by the 9th FD.
HUNDVAAG sank after it struck a mine that had been laid by one of the torpedo boats ILTIS or JAGUAR in Operation 'Alfred' during the night on 29-30 October 1940.

Roger W Jordan

Posted by Axel van Eesbeeck on April 10, 2001:
Thank you for your answer. Do you have the name of the two british ships ?
Which source did you use ?
minefields laid by destroyer and submarine are well described but not the ones by aircraft, torpedoboats, minelayer, cruiser (Admiral Hipper).
I have a private database with araound 600 ships sunk on mines and i can always ask the same question. The only statement in my books is "mined". I know that most of the mines are laid by aircrafts but not all.

Again thank you
Best regards
Axel

Posted by Roger W Jordan on April 11, 2001:
The minefield on which BRAVORE sank consisted of a total 26 mines. The position of sinking was 51 18 38N 01 30 54E. I do not have the identity of all three ships that sank on these mines, but one of the two British ships was RYDAL FORCE, which struck about 370 metres south of Gull Buoy. This would be about 0.75 miles north of the position in which BRAVORE struck.
With regard to other vessels on your list, BURGOS was believed to have struck a mine laid by a destroyer of the 4th Destroyer Flotilla. This happened in the North Sea, off the coast of Norfolk. There were several sinkings due to mines in this area in February and March 1940, and each was on a mine believed to have been laid by a German destroyer flotilla. Another flotilla laid a barrage to the north of that laid by the 4th.
The corvette TUNSBERG CASTLE (usual British spelling) struck a mine on the German flanking barrage near Makkaur. These mines had been laid much earlier during the war, and I believe by surface minelaying vessels.
My source of information in each of these cases is the Ministry of Defence archive in London.
Regards
Roger W Jordan

Posted by Axel van Eesbeeck on April 11, 2001:
Thank you very much
Best regards
Axel