As we head even farther north, we are sailing the Barents Sea, the gateway to the Arctic from the northernmost shores of Europe. The Barents Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean and is located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia. I learned today that a marginal sea is a sea partially enclosed by islands, archipelagos, or peninsulas.
The Barents Sea is known for its rich marine biodiversity and its importance to the fishing industry. In fact, the sea harbors the largest cod population in the world.
The Barents Sea is also known for a battle that occurred there during World War II. The Battle of the Barents Sea occurred just north of North Cape when the German Navy opened fire on British ships escorting a convoy carrying supplies to the Soviet Union.
Although the battle is not well known, it was the German Navy’s failure to inflict significant losses on the convoy here that enraged Hitler and led to his order to scrap the entire battle fleet and focus only on U-boats.
This was the same battle that was the subject of the plaque that I saw yesterday in the North Cape Hall.
It was a very pleasant sea day, with amazingly calm seas that seemed to change colors as the day progressed.
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| Beautiful, Calm Seas |
Everyone was excited at dinner when someone spotted land again. We are now sailing alongside the snow-covered mountains on the western edge of the Svalbard archipelago as we make our way towards Longyearbyen, where we will be docked for the next two days.
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| The Snow-Covered Mountains of the Svalbard Archipelago |
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