Oscarsborg Fortress (from 1640)

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This is my tribute to the men of the Oscarsborg Fortress who achieved what no other land based fortifications did, sinking a large modern warship. It was the KM Blucher that had the dubious honour of being that warship.

(Left) This is how the fortress would have appeared to Blucher as it steamed up the fjord. (Right) The ship in the circle indicates where the Blucher would have appeared from

KM Blucher on fire and sinking

From Wiki:
Assigned to Group 5 during the invasion of Norway in April 1940, Blücher served as Konteradmiral Oskar Kummetz's flagship. The ship led the flotilla of warships into the Oslofjord on the night of 8 April, to seize Oslo, the capital of Norway. Two old 28 cm (11 in) coastal guns in the Oscarsborg Fortress engaged the ship at very close range, scoring two hits. Two torpedoes fired by land-based torpedo batteries struck the ship, causing serious damage. A major fire broke out aboard Blücher, which could not be contained. After a magazine explosion, the ship slowly capsized and sank, with major loss of life. The wreck remains on the bottom of the Oslofjord.

I have read quite a few forums that say that the Blucher was an avoidable loss. I do agree with that conclusion. Kummetz had no reason to steam up the fjord at the slow speed the Task Force traveled. There was also no need for the Blucher to be in the lead. There were other minor vessels such as minesweepers and a torpedo boat that could have been put in the lead to trigger any defences and to take any fire for long enough to give the admiral a chance to make new decisions on the information before him.

The trorpedo tubes that did the mortal damage to Blucher would have been almost invisible to the ship.

The 11" guns were mounted on the main island, while the torpedo battery was mounted on the smaller island. The main channel Blucher had to pass through is to the right.

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