From Norway to Canada 1939

 

ANNE, ALBERT, BJORN OSWALD, AND BABY PHYLLIS

TRIP ON THE OSLOFJORD FROM OSLO, NORWAY TO

NEW YORK CITY IN AUGUST 1939: 

The “Oslofjord,” flagship of the Norwegian-America line, was completed in Bremen in Northwest Germany in 1938 and operated in the New York-Norway trade and the West Indies cruise service. The vessel was equipped to carry 800 passengers and was noted for her Finnish baths and decorating by leading Norwegian artists. According to the Oslofjord manifest, my mom Phyllis, (4 months old); her brother Bjorn Oswald, (8 years old); mother Anne and father Albert, (surnames Gjerdalen); set out from Oslo, Norway on August 8, 1939, and headed for New York City. From there, the family took a train up to Canada and there settled in North Vancouver, B.C.

Anne Brenden and Albert Gjerdalen were married in 1929 in Birch Hills Saskatchewan where they homesteaded. Bjorn Oswald, (Uncle Ozzie), was born on August 1, 1931, two years after Anne and Albert were married. Times were tough during the Great Depression; they longed for home! With Uncle Ozzie in tow, they sailed back to Norway and settled in Torpa, Norway. Baby Phyllis was born on April 3, 1939. When the war broke out and the Nazis invaded Norway, Anne, Albert, Uncle Ozzie, and baby Phyllis boarded the Oslofjord bound for New York City. The ship was laid up in New York City on January 2, 1940, and was headed to Bayonne, New Jersey in October 1940. It was decided to put the ship into service as a troopship and departed New Jersey on October 26, 1940. It arrived in Halifax, Nfld on October 28, 1940, armed with guns, machine guns, etc. On November 21, 1940, she left Halifax, for the United Kingdom where she would be outfitted further for troop transport and sailed across alone. Arriving in Gourock Bay, the troops disembarked. On November 29, she was ordered by the Admiralty to go to Newcastle-on -Tyne, escorted by the destroyer Vimy. She departed that afternoon. The Oslofjord followed about two ship lengths behind the destroyer, when she struck a mine about two miles east of the entrance to the River Tyne approximately 08:20 on December 1^st. The vessel was so irreparably damaged that the captain and crew decided to beach it south of Tynemouth South Pier. The Oslofjord finally broke apart and capsized in harsh weather on January 21/22- 1941. After an in-depth inquiry, it was discovered that the Oslofjord was only supposed to go to Glasgow, Scotland. Despite rumours going around, including the Germans in Norway who took full advantage of the situation convincing Norwegian sailors how silly and useless it was to sail for Great Britain, the captain of the Oslofjord defended his decisions since they were at a very difficult stage of WW2.

In 1956, Anne and Phyllis decided to take a trip to New York City aboard the Oslofjord 2.Albert passed away in 1975. Anne passed away in 1983. Uncle Ozzie passed away in 2009. Sadly, we lost our mom, Phyllis in 2023.

It’s a sobering thought to look back and be extremely grateful that Grandma Anne and Grandpa Albert decided to come to Canada and give their children a better life when the Nazis invaded Norway.  - submitted by Leslie Eriksson