As to the final position of the Rutlandshire and in all probability, acting on advice from the pilot, Mr Yngvar Ottesen, the Rutlandshire was turned to starboard towards shallow water (the bow was grounded approximately 100 metres from the shore with most of the crew swimming for the beach) on the northern shoreline of the fjord. From his newspaper article he stated “Three or four of the crew set out across the mountains for the farmhouse we had spotted” which subsequently turned out to be the farmhouse marked by ‘D’ in the above map. This could only have been spotted from the Rutlandshire once she had gone beyond the Andsneset headland, suggesting that when damaged she had to be turnaround and steered back towards Andsneset.

On the southeastern side of the island of Otterøya is a large foreshore flat, approximately 1km from the fjord mid-stream, some 250m wide and extending, at its deepest point, some 250m from the shoreline. Upon sustaining damage to the stern of the Rutlandshire, the Rutlandshire wass steered for this area and grounded the trawler at 64° 28' 12'' north, 11° 24' 2'' east at approximately 1015hrs on the morning of the 20th April 1940.
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Probable location of the grounded Rutlandshire at Andsnes

On the 22nd August 2005, Artur and I were taken by NRK to the very spot where the Rutlandshire was grounded. Here we discussed the events surrounding the morning of the 20th April 1940. I was truly amazed at Artur’s detailed recollection of the events and in particular his memories of the attack on the Rutlandshire. When asked if he believed he thought it was his attack and bomb that damaged the trawler, he was in no doubt that it was. He recalled that after releasing his bomb, the gunner on the underside of his HE111 (6N+NH) shouted over the intercom that the bomb had exploded some 25 metres of the stern, that the trawler was now turning to starboard and, towards Andsnes. He also recalled witnessing the crew abandoning the stricken Rutlandshire and confirmed the account provided by my grandfather that the gun crews remained at their stations, returning fire.

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