Posted by Visje visje@tref.nl on August 28, 2001.

I have been told there was a Norwegian trawler-minesweeper by the name of "Bergen". Can anyone provide specs such as tonnage, dates of service, armanent, fate ? TIA

RESPONSE:

Posted by Roger W Jordan rogwj@aol.com on September 19.

The Netherlands trawler BERGEN, 236 gross tons, was taken over by the Royal Navy in 1940 and converted for service as a minesweeper. She became a gate vessel in 1943, and was returned to her Netherlands owners in 1945.
She was owned by NV Visscherij Maatschappij Petten, of Ymuiden, and was completed in November 1907 by Smith's Dock Co Ltd, North Shields, as Beatrice.
In "Ships of the Royal Navy", by JJ Colledge, published in 1989, the entry for this vessel indicates that she had "Norwegian crew", but I think that this is an error and Mr Colledge had assumed that with the name Bergen the vessel must have been Norwegian. It probably should have read "Netherlands crew".
Roger W Jordan