The British submarine Tigris thought they were attacking a German merchant ship when they sank the Coastal express ship DS Richard With off Rolvsfjorden on 13 September 1941 about 11 nautical miles northeast of Hammerfest. The torpedo hit the ship at the stern of the engine room on the starboard side and DS Richard With disappeared into the depths in less than a minute. It is somewhat unclear exactly how many people were on board, but the death toll after the sinking is said to be around a hundred people. The Hurtigruten had ten Germans on board, seven of whom perished in the sinking, but the ship was in ordinary civilian traffic along the coast with post, goods and passengers.
The fishing boat Skolpen from Vardø arrived and rescued the survivors from the icy water. The skipper on board was Alfred Johan Lind Karlsen.
Postal clerk Elias Aune was among those who were rescued from the sea. He had survived the sinking by clinging to a milk pail. Erling Henriksen on board Skolpen was the one who pulled him over the railing and to safety. Henriksen fought to get the cold and wet mail clerk, who was heavy with seawater over the grouse. In the struggle to save the man’s life, he tore a button off his postal uniform.
Henriksen was allowed to keep the button as a memento of the dramatic event. Today, the button is part of the collection of the Hurtigruten Museum, and can be seen in our permanent exhibition