MS Rigel 1944
Marker: recorded wreck position (Second World War).
Key facts
| Name | MS Rigel | Wikidata label |
|---|---|---|
| Year lost | 1944 | Wikidata P793 significant event, point-in-time qualifier |
| Era | Second World War | derived from year |
| Ship type | cargo ship | Wikidata P31 instance of |
| Cause of loss | War action | Keyword match in English Wikipedia lead sentence |
| Nationality / flag | Nazi Germany, Norway | Wikidata P8047 country of registry |
| Operator | Bergen Steamship Company | Wikidata P137 operator |
| Sea / ocean | Norwegian Sea | Natural Earth marine areas (public domain), point-in-polygon |
| Nearest coast | Norway | Natural Earth (public domain); approx. 10 km from land |
| Position | 65.8211, 12.3361 | Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0) |
About the wreck
MS Rigel was a Norwegian vessel built in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1924. The ship was used as a German prisoner of war (POW) transport during World War II, and was sunk by British Fleet Air Arm aircraft off Norway on 27 November 1944 with more than 2,500 dead, mostly POWs.
Diving & visiting
The wreck remained half-sunk until 1969, when it was demolished and the remains of the dead buried in the Tjøtta International War Cemetery on the island of Tjøtta. The cemetery was consecrated in 1970, in memory of those killed on the Rigel. All the graves are anonymous, but a memorial stone in the form of a cross has been erected on the site.
Also in 1970, a song ("Riegal") based on the story of the Rigel was released by the American psychedelic folk group Pearls Before Swine on their album The Use of Ashes.
Location
- Recorded position: 65.8211, 12.3361 (Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0); may be approximate)
- Sea / ocean: Norwegian Sea
- Nearest coast: Norway
Wreck positions on this site are for interest only and are not for navigation. Many wrecks are war graves or legally protected: never disturb human remains or remove artefacts, and check local law before diving.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article MS Rigel (revision 1320751251), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section and section(s) “Memorial”; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations and formatting removed. No text added. This excerpt is available under the same licence.
Wreck facts from Wikidata (CC0).
Nearby wrecks
- HNoMS Uredd 1943 · 150 km
- HMS Bittern 156 km
- HMS Sceptre 164 km
- HMS Effingham 179 km
Browse more: Europe wrecks · wrecks off Norway · Norwegian Sea · Second World War