Rombaken
History
Along the inner part of the fjord, there used to be a city—Rombaksbotn —with 700 inhabitants. It had its time of greatness during the construction of the Ofotbanen between 1898-1903.
World War II
Rombaken was the site of several naval battles during the Battle of Narvik in World War II. Ten German destroyers, half the destroyer force of the Kriegsmarine, and one U-boat were sunk during the battle. It is also where ORP Grom, one of the two most heavily armed and fastest destroyers of World War II, was sunk by a Heinkel He 11 from Luftwaffe's Kampfgeschwader 100.
After World War II
Parts of the bow of the German destroyer Georg Thiele remain visible above the water in Rombaksbotn to this day. The wrecks at Narvik remain popular diving spots, although some are off-limits because they still contain unexploded ordnance. The destroyers Anton Schmitt, Diether von Roeder and Wilhelm Heidkamp rest in 12 m (39 ft) of water there and were opened for diving. Several other wrecks are accessible, too, but most have been preserved as historic sites, and it is forbidden to dive into them.
Media gallery
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Part of Rombaken
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The Rombak Bridge is a suspension bridge over the fjord.
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The German destroyer Z11 Bernd von Arnim, beached and scuttled at Rombaken during the Second Naval Battle of Narvik during World War II
See also
References
- ^ "Informasjon om stadnamn". Norgeskart (in Norwegian). Kartverket. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
- ^ Henriksen, Petter (ed.). "Rombaken". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
- ^ Hadde både bordell og bowlingbane - så forsvant byen [Had brothel and bowling lane - then the city disappeared]
- ^ George Thiele (Z-2) (+1940) wrecksite.eu, accessed: 20 November 2010
- ^ Wrecks of Narvik - wreck diving in the Narvik area accessed: 21 November 2010