Tjøtta International War Cemetery

Over 2,500 prisoners of war and soldiers perished when the MS Rigel was sunk on November 27, 1944. Tjøtta International War Cemetery is both the burial site for the deceased and a memorial to one of the largest, yet somewhat unknown, tragedies in Norway’s war history.

Norway’s largest shipwreck

During World War II, the cargo ship MS Rigel was requisitioned by the German occupying forces, who used the ship to transport troops and prisoners of war. On November 27, 1944, Rigel was heading south in a convoy along the coast of Nordland, on its way to Oslo with over 2,800 prisoners of war and German soldiers. Just south of Sandnessjøen, the ship was spotted by British fighter and bomber planes from the aircraft carrier HMS Implacable, who believed the ship was carrying only German soldiers. The planes opened fire and dropped bombs on Rigel and the other ships in the convoy. Rigel quickly caught fire, and the German captain Heinrich Rhode ran the ship aground at Sør-Rosøya. This may have been the salvation for the slightly over 250 who survived the catastrophe.

Of the more than 2,500 who died as a result of the attack, most were prisoners of war from Russia, Serbia, and Poland, along with 7 Norwegian prisoners and 95 German deserters. The war cemetery is their final resting place and an important memorial for reflection on the suffering and losses that war, then and now, brings.

Outside the war cemetery, there is a nice rest area with toilets and benches for visitors. It is a good place to take a break from driving. However, please respect those who have this as their final resting place and their bereaved. Let it be a place for peace and contemplation.

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