137 people were on board the KNM “Helge Ingstad” when the frigate collided in the Hjeltefjorden in 2018. Most of these were young adults. The warden who was in command on the bridge is the only defendant in the case. He could get five years in prison for negligent navigation. He denies criminal guilt. The prosecution believes that it has not been made clear enough how close it was that several people died in the accident. – As no human life was lost, you can quickly forget the seriousness and the drama they experienced. I feel that was well explained when we get to hear this, says State Attorney Benedikte Høgseth to news. On Tuesday, the prosecution had called in four of the crew on the frigate – system commander Anna Bak (23 years old at the time of the collision), a male logistics officer, an apprentice electrician and an apprentice cook. Each and every one of them told dramatic eyewitness accounts of the accident. Several of them were sure they were going to die. PROSECUTOR: Public prosecutor Benedikte Høgseth believes that one can quickly forget the seriousness of the case since no lives were lost. Photo: Jon Bolstad / news Anna Bak was 23 when the accident happened. The system commander was responsible for liaison and communication systems, and had gone off duty at 2am. She was lying in bed listening to a podcast when she suddenly felt the ship tip to one side. – I was thrown into the wall. What are they doing on the bridge, I thought. Then I heard a rumbling sound. I see the whole cabin being packed towards me, as if I am inside a soda can that is being crushed, she said. – I see everything in slow motion. I think: “Now I’m going to die.” In the cabin was another woman. She managed to wake her up. In the chaos, both were disoriented. The cabin was end-facing, the doors were closed. It was impossible to get out. They started shouting that they were trapped. Others on the same deck arrived, and got hold of an ax to chop open the musty door. – The cables snap. It smells of burning, burnt cables and burnt metal. – Has this bothered you? asked the prosecutor. – Not any more. Immediately afterwards, perhaps in the first months, these types of smells or loud noises could trigger a bit. Behind his heart rate monitor showed 180 beats per minute. A video filmed by the Rescue Company shows the dramatic rescue operation in Øygarden. The frigate KNM Helge Ingstad collided with the tanker Sola TS in Øygarden. 137 people on board the frigate were evacuated. Photo: The rescue company One of those who came with an ax to save Anna was a 29-year-old officer at the time. He was responsible for logistics on board. In the event of an accident, he also had another central role: to get control of everyone on board. Before he started his explanation, he pointed out that he is the best friend of the now accused warden. On the night of the accident, he woke up to a cutting sound, like a car scraping against a guardrail. Water sprayed from a water pipe from the roof, sparks flew from the power lines. From the hallway he heard howling. – I was pretty sure I was going to die when I opened the door, he said in court. After the questioning by the prosecutor, the man himself wanted to make a statement in court. – I find it very difficult to sit here and answer these things, knowing that it goes against my best friend, he said. – I think it is very unfair that he is the only one sitting there. If there were to be an indictment in the first place, it seems that it should have been broader. There are many people who have a role on our ship, there are many people who have a role on another ship and there is a central one that is involved. There is also a system in the Navy that has been built up over a long period of time, where everything went well until it didn’t go well. Then you sit here, where he alone on the bridge suddenly has to be responsible. A 21-year-old apprentice electrician. He woke up to a bang, and water started pouring in. He felt the bed snap. The roof of the bed pressed down on him, as he breathed in water. – I thought I was going to die. I was looking for my dog tag (identity badge soldiers wear around the neck, journ. note) in the bed, so someone could identify my body. It itched, so I took it off when I slept, he said in court. Then he felt he could move. He crept out the foot of the bed. There was a lot of water on the floor. – It looked like pure New Year’s Eve, with sparks and arcs and whatnot. I was supposed to find the emergency exit, but it wasn’t there. I wanted to get to the port side of the ship, but was only in the boxer, and decided not to climb over the sharp steel, he said. MENIGLUGAR: The picture shows a menigloo taken from KNM “Thor Heyerdahl”, one of the sister ships of KNM “Helge Ingstad”. Photo: Marit Hommedal / NTB Together with the others in the cabin, they saw that parts of the roof were gone. They climbed out and further to get away from where the injuries were. – I had to get out. It was the easiest pull-up I’ve ever done in my life, he said, showing that the adrenaline was pumping. His mind still goes back to the accident when he smells diesel. – I get glimpses of lying in bed and thinking I’m going to die. It’s not something that particularly affects me anymore, but I get some small “flashbacks”, he said. A 21-year-old man who was an apprentice cook on the frigate was asleep in his cabin. The cabin was aft on the starboard side. – The apprentice chef was sleeping, and was supposed to be on morning duty the next day. I wake up with an extreme bang. The whole boat shakes. I thought we had hit ground or a minefield, he said. His entire cabin was pushed on. He was covered in salt water, insulation, helicopter fuel. THE WITNESS BOX: The four from the crew sat one by one in the witness box and answered questions about their experiences. Photo: Jon Bolstad / news Water gushed into the cabin, and he tried to get out. He could see straight out to sea. He was blinded by the light on the boat next to him. – I saw a chimney, and it was so bright, so I thought it was a cruise ship. What the hell is a cruise ship doing in a minefield, I thought. He stood with water up to his ankles and saw a sparkling power cable sliding down towards the water-covered floor. In the chaos, he tries to get his legs up to avoid electrocution. At last he got away by following the back of a person in front of him. They climbed up through an opening in the steel. – Strong to listen to, but knocking on open doors The defense attorney for the accused guard officer, Christian Lundin, did not want to follow up with questions about the dramatic stories. – It makes an impression to hear all these detailed explanations about what they experienced on board “Helge Ingstad”. At the same time, we think that it is knocking on open doors, because it has never been disputed that this was a danger to human life. The captain of the watch is being prosecuted for negligently causing marine damage which could result in the loss of human life. The prosecution therefore wants to provide evidence that it was close to a loss of life. – It is a condition of guilt that the act could have resulted in the loss of human life. But that has never been contested. The important question is whether it was his negligence that caused the accident, says Lundin.
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Several in the crew thought they were going to die – news Vestland
