SS Sanct Svithun SS " Sanct Svithun " was a 1 , 376 ton steel - hulled steamship built by the German shipyard Danziger Werft and delivered to the Norwegian Stavanger - based shipping company Det Stavangerske Dampskibsselskab on 1 July 1927 . She sailed the Hurtigruten route along the coast of Norway until she was lost in an air attack on 30 September 1943 during the Second World War . Construction . " Sanct Svithun " was built for the Norwegian shipping company Det Stavangerske Dampskibsselskab by Danziger Werft in the Free City of Danzig in 1927 , with yard number 46 . She was launched in March , and delivered on 1 July 1927 . She displaced 1 , 376 tons , measured in length , had a beam of and a draught of . Her 1 , 650 hp 4 cylinder Lentz - type double compound engine could propel the ship at . She was certified to take 100 First Class and 82 Third Class passengers . " Sanct Svithun " was named after Saint Swithun – the patron saint of Stavanger . Pre - Second World War . After her delivery from the Free City of Danzig " Sanct Svithun " was employed on the passenger / freight line between Bergen in Western Norway and various ports in Northern Norway . In 1931 she was rebuilt with a refrigerated cargo hold to enable her to transport fresh fish from the fisheries in Northern Norway . During the rebuild she was also fitted with wireless telegraphy . She was a popular ship amongst her passengers , with a large superstructure and a spacious promenade deck with a look - out salon in the bow area . " Sanct Svithun " was also known as a superbly seaworthy vessel . Second World War . When Nazi Germany invaded Norway on 9 April 1940 " Sanct Svithun " was at the Klaseskjær shipyard in Stavanger for her annual maintenance work . By the summer of 1940 she was back in regular service along the coast of occupied Norway . Sinking . On Thursday 30 September 1943 " Sanct Svithun " was on her way southwards off the Stad peninsula in Western Norway , from Ålesund to Måløy . As was the case with all Norwegian ships operating in German - occupied Norway she had her name and NORGE ( ) painted on both her sides . Large Norwegian flags were also painted both on her sides and on her roof . Her complement of passengers consisted of both Norwegian civilians and German military personnel . Although a civilian ship on a regular cargo and passenger route she had German anti - aircraft artillery on board and these guns were always manned by German soldiers . At 1900hrs , when " Sanct Svithun " was in a position between the islets of Vossa and Buholmen , she was attacked by six Bristol Beaufighter s from the Canadian 404 Squadron armed with " 60 lb " 3 - inch rockets . " Sanct Svithun " was sailing alone without escort , and her anti - aircraft armament was ineffective , allowing the Beaufighters to press through their attack with great precision . The attack , which included machine gun and 20 mm auto - cannon fire , left the Norwegian steamer burning in strong gale - force weather . Many people jumped into the ocean to escape the flames , soon perishing in the stormy seas before the pilot managed to beach the ship between Buholmen islet and a rocky outcrop on land . " Sanct Svithun " lay burning on the islet for hours while the burning stern was sinking beneath the waves . During the evening and night many of the people on board managed to make their way ashore , greatly aided by local people from the nearby village of Ervik , twenty of whom went to sea in half a dozen rowing boats to try and rescue the survivors . Between 41 and 46 Norwegians died in the incident , while 75 or 76 were saved ; only two of the Germans on board survived . Many people were able to make their way ashore after sailor Olav Iversen Kvalvågnes managed to swim to land with a rope . The captain , Samuel Alshager , was the last to abandon ship . Two to three days after the attack " Sanct Svithun " slipped off the islet and sank in deeper waters . Today most of the wreck has been broken up by the weather . The remains are located off Buholmen at a depth of between five and thirty metres . Reactions to the sinking of SS " Sanct Svithun " . The Allied sinking of " Sanct Svithun " – an unescorted Norwegian passenger ship – led to strong reactions in Norway , with the leadership of the Norwegian resistance movement sending a letter of protest to the press office of the Norwegian government in exile in London on 20 October 1943 . In the letter the resistance stated that " We have received message from a trusted source in Western Norway who has been gathering reliable intelligence from eye witnesses and survivors about the sinking of " Sanct Svithun " . He declares that the German reports in the media are by and large correct . When the negative impacts have not been greater , the reason is that everyone back home refuse to believe that the English could have behaved in such a manner . This is in conflict with the experiences that people back home have made over almost three years . If anything like this was to happen again , it would be highly damaging . " The letter was presented to Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Trygve Lie and debated in a government conference . The sinking was featured heavily in the Nazi - controlled Norwegian newspapers , with the Norwegian national socialist party Nasjonal Samling ' s official publication " Fritt Folk " used the incident in its anti - Allied propaganda , calling the attack " a horrifying British enemy deed " . On 20 May 1944 the Norwegian Postal Service released three postage stamps with designs commemorating war - related shipwrecks , the 15 Øre stamp featuring the sinking of SS " Sanct Svithun " . Each stamp cost an extra 10 Øre meant to go to the benefit of injured shipwreck survivors and the relatives of those killed . The shipwreck stamps were designed by German - born Norwegian pro - Nazi propaganda artist Harald Damsleth and the other two ships portrayed on the stamps where SS " Barøy " and SS " Irma " , sunk in 1941 and 1944 respectively . Post - war memorial . In gratitude to the villagers of Ervik ' s rescue efforts the shipping company , Det Stavangerske Dampskibsselskab , donated in 1970 the ship ' s bell from " Sanct Svithun " to a memorial chapel built in Ervik that year , where it has since remained . The idea to build a memorial chapel had originally been proposed by Vidkun Quisling ' s collaborationist Nasjonal Samling administration . Although many Norwegians opposed the chapel plans Captain Alshager of " Sanct Svithun " supported the building of a memorial , stating that honouring the dead of the shipwreck had to be seen separately of the war in general . Alshager had captained " Sanct Svithun " from 1928 until her 1943 sinking . The first foundation stone for the chapel was laid down in 1944 , but the project was put aside after the end of the war . The new foundation stone for the chapel , moved a distance from the original location , was laid down in 1968 . When the chapel was inaugurated in 1970 close to 1 , 000 people were present and the building was handed over to Selje municipality . In addition to the ship ' s bell , the chapel contains a small exhibition relating to the shipwreck , and " Sanct Svithun " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s anchor is displayed outside the building . The chapel was designed by architects Arnstein Arneberg and Olav Platou . Most of the church art and liturgical items relate to " Sanct Svithun " . On 1 January 1997 Ervik Chapel was re - designated as a church and renamed Ervik Church .