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Rigel (vessel)

*** Shopping-Tip: Rigel (vessel)
The '''Rigel''' was a Norway Norwegian and Germany German vessel named after the Rigel brightest star in the Orion constellation, built in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1924. The vessel was sunk by the United Kingdom British Royal Navy off Norway on 27 November 1944 during World War II. The ''Rigel'' and ''Korsnes'' had been requisitioned by the German occupation authorities in Norway to transport Allies of World War II Allied prisoners of war, German deserters and Norwegians arrested by the German police. The two vessels, escorted by two German naval vessels, were bombed by Fairey Barracuda planes from the aircraft carrier HMS Implacable (R86) HMS ''Implacable''. The location of the attack was between the islands Rosøya and Tjøtta south of Sandnessjøen in Nordland county. After the bombing raid the German captain onboard ''Rigel'' grounded her on the island Rosøya, which probably saved some 267 lives. A total of 2,571 were killed, mostly Russian, Poland Polish and Serbia and Montenegro Serbian prisoners of war; 7 Norwegians also perished. The wreck remained half-sunk until 1970, when it was demolished and the remains of the dead buried in the war cemetery on the island of Tjøtta. The British Government said at the time that they had mistakenly believed the vessels to be carrying German troops.

Reference
[http://www.warsailors.com/homefleetsingles/rigel.html Norwegian Homefleet - Rigle] no:Rigel-katastrofen Category:World War II merchant ships of Norway Category:Shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean