Ferries from Tjøtta hurtigbåtkai

The quiet quay at Tjøtta stands beside the largest war cemetery in Norway. More than 7,500 graves are here, most of them Soviet prisoners of war — and many of them from a single afternoon in 1944.

Where the boats go

• Mindland — about 9 minutes, 2 sailings.
• Bærøyvågen — about 30 minutes, 1 sailing.
• Forvik — about 43 minutes, 1 sailing.

11 active sailings across the quay, operated by Nordland fylkeskommune.

The Rigel

On 27 November 1944 the transport Rigel was heading south along the Nordland coast with more than 2,800 people aboard — Soviet, Polish and Serbian prisoners of war, Norwegian prisoners, German deserters, German troops and a Norwegian crew.

British aircraft from the carrier HMS Implacable attacked, believing the ship carried only German soldiers. She caught fire, and the German captain ran her aground at Sør-Rosøya — which is why just over 250 people survived. Around 2,500 died. It remains the deadliest maritime disaster in Norwegian waters.

The cemetery

The international war cemetery at Tjøtta was established in 1970, gathering remains from across northern Norway. The Rigel's dead were moved here. A separate memorial marks the sinking.

It is a short walk from the quay and it is why most non-local visitors come.

⚠ One sailing on two of three routes

Bærøyvågen and Forvik have a single scheduled departure each. On a coast where the boat is the road, that means the return leg has to be worked out before you set off — there is no second chance the same day.

Where this is

Alstahaug municipality on the Helgeland coast, south of Sandnessjøen. Tjøtta was a chieftain's seat in the saga age and remains a farming settlement rather than a village.