Gulen & the Sognefjord · Norway · Wreck
Ferndale
Intact hull and stern of a WWII freighter beside its deep twin, Parat
Area photo: Bernard Picton · CC BY-SA 4.0
Ferndale is a 116 m German-run freighter sunk by British Mosquito aircraft in the Krakhelle sound in December 1944. Half of the ship was salvaged after the war, so the wreck begins in shallow water and runs down to an intact hull and stern, which makes it a wreck that suits a wide range of divers.
Also known as MV Ferndale, SS Ferndale, M/V Ferndale.
Where it is and how deep
61.1164° N, 4.8991° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The remains of the Ferndale start in only 6 m (20 ft) of water, where the front half of the ship was salvaged after the war. From 18 m (60 ft) onward the giant hull is intact, and the dive follows it down to the stern at 30 m (100 ft). The rescue steamer Parat stands upright in deeper water below and behind the freighter.
The wreck
- Vessel
- MV Ferndale
- Type
- Freighter
- Length
- 116 m (381 ft)
- Built
- 1925
- Sunk
- 1944
- Cause
- Ran aground on Sail Rock, then was attacked and sunk by British Mosquito aircraft
- Lies
- Upright, from 6 m (20 ft) down to the stern at 30 m (100 ft)
MV Ferndale was built by Deutsche Werft A.G. in Hamburg in 1925. In October 1944 she was taken as a prize of war by the Reichskommissar für die Seeschiffart in Oslo, because her owners could not muster a crew. On 16 December 1944, heading north in darkness, she ran aground on Sail Rock, and that morning British Mosquitos attacked her and the rescue steamer Parat and sank both in the Krakhelle sound.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Gulen & the Sognefjord: Diving runs all year: winter brings the clearest water and the helmet jellyfish, spring and summer the best conditions.
Know before you go
- Strong currents run in the narrow Krakhelle sound; they carried the Ferndale into it earlier than anticipated in December 1944.
Dive videos
A dive on the wreck of the Ferndale, Norway · Dory Video on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Is the Ferndale wreck suitable for newly certified divers?+
Partly. The wreck starts at 6 m (20 ft), so the shallow salvaged section suits less experienced divers, but the intact hull begins at 18 m and the stern lies at 30 m, which calls for Advanced Open Water.
Sources
- Norway's iconic twin wrecks — Dykking.no
- Gulen Dive Resort, Norway — X-Ray Mag
- OpenStreetMap — OpenStreetMap
More dive sites in Gulen & the Sognefjord
Muck & macro
More than 50 nudibranch species found in two years
Wreck
Mines and a cannon still pointing at the surface beside the hull
Wreck
A 1905 rescue steamer standing upright below the Ferndale
Wreck
Anemone-covered superstructure on an upright 122 m freighter
Wall
Granite face that rises out of the fjord and plunges past 45 m
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