Wrecks of Narvik

The port of Narvik in north Norway was established around the export of iron-ore from Sweden. This was due to the very good harbour and its ice-free conditions. At the outbreak of World War II, Narvik was a strategically important harbour, and during the first few days of the war a very intense battle was fought out here between German, Norwegian and British naval forces. During this fighting several ships were sunk, both warships and civil merchant ships. Narvik harbour was transformed into a great ship cemetery, with wrecks sticking up out of the water everywhere. Several of the ships were later salvaged, but many wrecks still remained. With its high density of wrecks, Narvik is an eldorado for wreck divers.