Hitler’s plan for conquering Norway was simple. The heavy cruiser Blücher would sail into the Oslo harbor, turn its cannons against the royal palace, and Norway would surrender. The occupation forces would then take care of the rest. But things would not go fully as planned... As a result of the Blücher sinking, Oslo was not captured for several hours after the planned invasion of the capital, allowing the Norwegian royal family, parliament and cabinet to escape. In addition Norway’s gold reserves were moved out of reach of the invaders and ultimately shipped to the Allies for Norway’s use during the war.

The Blucher lies in 92m depth in the Oslo-fjord and is due to prevailing conditions a very demanding dive. In addition to the depth the vessel is turned upside-down, and strong tides make diving possible only at specific times. The heavy traffic in the straight is another danger. The whole of Oslo’s sea-traffic goes through, both freight ships and passenger ship to England. VHF-radio and a skilled and experienced surface-crew is a must. Due to this the Blücher is only dived a few times a year. Previously dived by Norwegian, Swedish and Danish teams, we had the honor of being the first Finns on the wreck... (read more at: www.advanceddivermagazine.com)