M/B Arnefjord
Transport Boat
M/B Arnefjord
M/B Arnefjord was built in 1917 at Torsnes in Jondal by Ole Storesletten for Markus Nese in Arnafjord, Vik in Sogn. It was originally equipped with a 20HP Wickmann engine at Rubberstadnes in 1917. While travelling from Bømlo northwards, they were stopped in Krossfjorden and asked to transport three pilots to Bergen. These pilots had just guided a convoy through 'The Great Blockade' between Norway and England during World War I.
Arnefjord has always served as a transport boat. In 1930, it was refitted as an ‘Agent Boat’ with fine leather and mahogany interiors. Over twenty trading houses utilised the boat for their travelling salesmen, sometimes for short trips, other times for extended periods. Markus provided the crew and the boat was frequently used for transporting doctors, midwives and priests, as well as local youth groups, football teams, municipal councils, and housewife associations. It also served in the postal routes for mid and outer Sogn.
The Boat during the war
On 10 May 1940, during mobilisation in Arnafjord, the boat transported soldiers from Infantry Regiment 10 (IR10) to Gudvangen, from where they continued to Voss and Valdres. There, they participated in the battles at Bagn, pushing back German forces. After the capitulation, the boat returned the soldiers home from Gudvangen. The Germans then commanded all vessels in Sogn to Lærdal and Arnefjord was forced to transport German soldiers across the Sognefjord.
In August and September 1941, the boat was prepared for escape voyages to England. The 'Stein' organisation, a resistance group originating from the Post Office in Bergen, needed a boat. The vessel, now named Arnafjord 1 (after the fjord changed its name in the 1920s), was fitted with a larger fuel tank at Løland in Hyllestad in August 1941 and installed at Nese in Arnafjord during late evenings. A suspicious local, who rowed back and forth, observed the modifications.
The boat sailed to Hernar for refuelling at Furneset. Ole Olsen, a fisherman from Hernar, had signed a contract with Markus to lease the boat for fishing under the German occupation. Many fishing boats had already disappeared. On the evening of Saturday, 27 September 1941, twenty refugees from the Stein organisation and other groups - fifteen men and five women - set out for Shetland. Initially, the weather was good but they soon encountered a raging storm. Everyone onboard was seasick, and some discussed turning back. A massive wave broke the wheelhouse loose from the cabin but it remained attached thanks to an exhaust pipe and an anchor chain tied down by a foresighted fisherman from Hernar.
That weekend, six boats made the crossing but only four arrived. Arnafjord reached Shetland on 29 September and by the next day, 30 September, it had been enlisted in the Royal Navy. It was assigned to transport duties between Lerwick and Lunna for the Shetland Bus operation and was later moved to Scalloway, where it was occasionally dry-docked by Jack Moore between missions.
The vessel earned the nickname "The Brigadier's Yacht" when Brigadier William Fraser used it for transport between the Shetland Islands. It was crewed by uniformed personnel from Whalsay.
Meanwhile, Markus, nicknamed "Besten", was interrogated by the Gestapo in Bergen after the suspicious local had reported him. He was detained at Gestapo headquarters in Veiten and offered the choice of deportation to Germany. He denied involvement, citing his fishing contract as evidence. After repeated interrogations and special treatment by 'experts' in Veiten, he was sent to Kretsfengselet prison and then Ulven. Eventually, he was tried at the courthouse, where he was given the choice between deportation to Germany or a fine of 10,000 kroner. He chose the latter.
Post-War History
After the war, Markus reclaimed the boat, and it resumed service as an agent vessel, post and milk route boat, and transport vessel. His son, Uncle Johannes, took over after the war, restoring its original name, Arnefjord. It remained in school transport service until 1971, after which Sigurd Vollevik and Ing Målsnes converted it into a leisure boat. The vessel was reacquired by the Nese family in 1990.
Between 2002 and 2006, Arnefjord underwent restoration at Erfjord by Henning Nese. The engine was overhauled at Wickmann in Rubberstadnes, with new engine parts modelled, cast, machined, and adapted to ensure the boat could continue operating along the fjords and coastline.
In 2016, Arnefjord made a commemorative journey to Shetland, marking 75 years since its original wartime escape. The vessel remains largely unchanged from 1947, with the only significant modification being a slightly enlarged wheelhouse to accommodate a stretcher in the cabin. Otherwise, it retains its original design and engine. It continues to be based at the historic trading post of Nese in Arnafjord and is a member of the Norwegian Heritage Ship Association (NFF) and the Forbundet Kysten maritime heritage organisation.
Arnefjord participated in the 2014 Oslo convoy to the national maritime heritage event and, most recently, in the summer of 2023, in the Bodø national gathering. It stands as a living piece of history.
M/B Arnefjord carries an official postal stamp with a crowned posthorn and proudly flies the Norwegian Postal Service’s split flag.
