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Paper short abstract

During the world wars, the Norwegian seafaring community suffered great casualties at the hands of German submarines. These war machines represented a new peril for seafarers, already no strangers to risk and danger. The paper investigates early narratives of fateful encounters at sea.

Paper long abstract

During the world wars, the Norwegian maritime community (a shorthand for companies, ships and seafarers of all classes, including their families) suffered severe losses caused by first imperial, then Nazi German submarine warfare. It is estimated that half of Norway’s considerable merchant fleet was lost during the First World War. Many of the ships were 19th century sailing vessels. In part, such ships were also carriers of traditional systems of man-nature relations, where certain behaviors and procedures were believed to influence the powers of the natural world. They are generally referred to as mariners’ superstition; deliberate strategies for mastering the hardships and vagaries of the seas. At the same time, risk and danger were also framed in capitalistic narratives of insurance and certificates. How did divergent approaches to the dangers of the seas manifest themselves when a stealthy set of weapons – the submarine with its torpedoes – was let loose in the high seas?

The paper is triggered by curiosity about early perceptions of German submarine warfare in Norwegian culture. Musicologist Linda Maria Koldau’s concept of the “Submarine Myth” (“Mythos U-Boot”) is an instructive counterpoint. The submarine evolved into a vibrant cultural symbol during the 20th century, partly due to blockbuster movies depicting the adventures and the plight of submerged crews in conventional and nuclear submarines. Visually striking and providing the setting for intense psychological and social drama, the submarine myth is however fraught with paradoxes.