SS Kristianiafjord
Ocean Liner · Norway · Lost 1917 · Newfoundland
A 10,699-ton Norwegian America Line liner ran aground near Cape Race in 1917 and was destroyed by a storm before rescue efforts could save her - but not a single life was lost.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Kristianiafjord was the flagship of the Norwegian America Line, launched at Birkenhead in 1912 for the Kristiania-New York run. On 15 July 1917 she ran aground near Cape Race, Newfoundland, in a navigational error. All 1,144 people aboard were safely evacuated. Before salvage could be completed, a storm on 28 July broke the grounded hull apart, ending any chance of recovering the ship.
Vessel
- 1912
- Cammell Laird & Co.
- Birkenhead, England
- Steel
- 512.1 ft
- 61.2 ft
- 10699
- Quadruple expansion steam engines, twin screw
- Norwegian America Line
Loss
- July 15, 1917
- Navigational error
- Near Cape Race, Newfoundland
- Atlantic Ocean off the Avalon Peninsula
- Kristiania (Oslo), Norway, via Kristiansand, Stavanger and Bergen → New York
- Not established
- 1144
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Broken up by a storm shortly after grounding; no substantial hull is believed to remain intact.
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- 46.66° N 53.07° W
- Approximate position
- Cape Race, Newfoundland
Coordinates mark Cape Race; the exact grounding point is not established in the sources reviewed.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (75/100)
The precise position of the wreck and its present condition are not established in the sources reviewed.
Norway Heritage: Hands Across the Sea
Build details, ownership, grounding date, and casualty outcome.
Wikipedia (cross-checked against primary shipping records)
Dimensions, tonnage, propulsion, and loss narrative.
