World War IIDS Selis

The DS Selis was a ship in the Nortraship registry, dispatched on a mission for the Norwegian Navy. Selis departed from Greenock in May 1942 with Svalbard as its destination, carrying a group of 82 men tasked with re-establishing Norwegian control over the archipelago. On 13 May 1942, the vessel entered Isfjord but was stopped by ice in Grønfjord. The ship was spotted by a German aircraft. The next day, on 14 May, Selis was attacked by four German planes. The ship was hit and caught fire. Twelve men were killed, and 15 were wounded during the airstrike. The survivors made their way to Barentsburg, where they were found by a British force on 2 July.