Ofotfjorden is the fjord that Narvik is built around. At 78 kilometres it is Norway's 12th longest, with depths exceeding 500 metres. It is essentially the continuation of Vestfjorden pushing inland, branching into Herjangsfjorden towards Bjerkvik in the north, Rombaken in the east, and Beisfjorden and Skjomen in the south. The inner tip of Rombaken lies only 8.5 kilometres from the Swedish border.
In April 1940, two naval battles were fought here. In the first, on April 10, five British destroyers attacked ten German destroyers hiding in the fjord after the capture of Narvik. Both sides lost two ships. Three days later, the British returned with the battleship HMS Warspite and nine destroyers, sinking or forcing aground all eight remaining German ships. Several wrecks still lie in the fjord. The German destroyer Georg Thiele, deliberately run aground in Rombaken, is still visible from the Ofotbanen railway and is popular with divers, though some wrecks are declared war graves and diving is forbidden.
In winter, large shoals of herring move into the fjord, attracting orca. It is one of the more reliable spots in northern Norway for whale sightings between November and January.
In April 1940, two naval battles were fought here. In the first, on April 10, five British destroyers attacked ten German destroyers hiding in the fjord after the capture of Narvik. Both sides lost two ships. Three days later, the British returned with the battleship HMS Warspite and nine destroyers, sinking or forcing aground all eight remaining German ships. Several wrecks still lie in the fjord. The German destroyer Georg Thiele, deliberately run aground in Rombaken, is still visible from the Ofotbanen railway and is popular with divers, though some wrecks are declared war graves and diving is forbidden.
In winter, large shoals of herring move into the fjord, attracting orca. It is one of the more reliable spots in northern Norway for whale sightings between November and January.