The October Mystery Ship was the Swedish preserved steam tug Styrbjørn. She was originally a steam-powered tug built in 1910 for Swedish mine and railway company Trafikaktiebolaget Grängesberg. During the battle of Narvik in 1940 she was sunk by German forces, but was raised and repaired. For the rest of the war she served under German command. At the end of the war Styrbjørn was transferred back to her original owners.
In 1950 she underwent major alterations and was then used in Narvik until 1963. In October 1963 she changed hands and was renamed Atlet. After a few years working in Sandnessjøen, she was laid up and was to be scrapped.
However, in 1979 she was taken on by Norsk Veteranskibsklub in Oslo, where the photograph was taken, and has been restored by its members on a voluntary basis with funding from Riksantikvaren. The historic tug has her original coal-fired boiler and steam engine.
Johnny Magne Holmen
Olsvik, Norway
