Two massive stone blocks stand at the edge of the sea here at Røeggen, one of the oldest fishing villages on outer Averøy. They face the stretch of Hustadvika where one of Norway's most painful wartime tragedies unfolded.
On the night of February 13, 1944, two Norwegian resistance torpedo boats lay hidden near the coast, ordered to intercept an expected German convoy. When two ships appeared heading north through the darkness, the torpedo crews attacked. But the targets were not German. They were the northbound Hurtigruten steamer DS Irma and the cargo vessel DS Henry, both carrying Norwegian civilians. 61 passengers on Irma and 4 crew on Henry perished in the freezing waters.
The memorial, called Stille Rom (Silent Room), was created by sculptor Geir Stormoen and unveiled by King Harald V on September 16, 2002. The two blocks are carved from 1.65-billion-year-old gneiss, cut and lifted from the bedrock on site. Between the polished walls, a bronze plate bears the names of those who died. As the information board at the site says: this tragedy is especially painful because it was Norwegians who took Norwegian lives.
On the night of February 13, 1944, two Norwegian resistance torpedo boats lay hidden near the coast, ordered to intercept an expected German convoy. When two ships appeared heading north through the darkness, the torpedo crews attacked. But the targets were not German. They were the northbound Hurtigruten steamer DS Irma and the cargo vessel DS Henry, both carrying Norwegian civilians. 61 passengers on Irma and 4 crew on Henry perished in the freezing waters.
The memorial, called Stille Rom (Silent Room), was created by sculptor Geir Stormoen and unveiled by King Harald V on September 16, 2002. The two blocks are carved from 1.65-billion-year-old gneiss, cut and lifted from the bedrock on site. Between the polished walls, a bronze plate bears the names of those who died. As the information board at the site says: this tragedy is especially painful because it was Norwegians who took Norwegian lives.
