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A long-legged reddish-orange sea spider stands on dark rock crusted with pink coralline algae, beside a white hydroid polyp — Gulen & the Sognefjord

Gulen & the Sognefjord · Norway · Wreck

KNM Uller

Mines and a cannon still pointing at the surface beside the hull

Area photo: Bernard Picton · CC BY-SA 4.0

KNM Uller is a Norwegian naval gunboat from 1876, rebuilt as a minelayer, that was attacked by Norwegian seaplanes while mining the Sognefjord entrance for the Germans in 1940. Newly discovered at 55 m, it lies with its mines and a cannon scattered on the bottom beside it.

Also known as Uller, HNoMS Uller, minelayer Uller.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of KNM Uller: typical dive to 55 m (to 180 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit55 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 70 m (230 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

No published position for this site — the map shows Gulen & the Sognefjord and its other sites; operators know the mooring.

The dive

The minelayer lies at 55 m. Scattered on the bottom beside the 27 m vessel are ominous-looking mines and a cannon still elevated towards the surface, as if the ship were still trying to fend off the aircraft that attacked her.

The wreck

Vessel
KNM Uller
Type
Vale-class gunboat, later minelayer
Length
27 m (89 ft)
Built
1876
Cause
Attacked by Norwegian seaplanes while laying mines at the Sognefjord entrance
Lies
On the bottom at 55 m, with mines and a cannon scattered beside the hull

Uller was a Vale-class Rendel gunboat built for the Royal Norwegian Navy at the Karljohansverns Verft naval yard in Horten in 1874-1876, later rebuilt as a minelayer. After the German invasion she was pressed into Kriegsmarine service, and on 1 May 1940 she was mining the entrance to the Sognefjord when Norwegian M.F.11 aircraft bombed her without success; a Heinkel He 115 of the same unit attacked her later that day.

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for KNM Uller
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
PrimeGoodGoodGoodGoodPrimePrimeGoodGoodGoodGoodGood

Season follows Gulen & the Sognefjord: Diving runs all year: winter brings the clearest water and the helmet jellyfish, spring and summer the best conditions.

Dive videos

Diving at Uller May 2015 · Kjell-Ronnie Grytten on YouTube

Sources

  1. Gulen Dive Resort, Norway — X-Ray Mag
  2. HNoMS Uller (1876) — Wikipedia

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