Bamse is said to have saved at least two lives, and according to the reports, all the schools in the area were given the day off when Bamse was to be buried. Around 800 people followed the Norwegian ship’s dog to the grave, and the mascot was buried with its head facing Norway.
On 30 September 1984, Bamse was honored with the Norwegian Order of the Dog and in July 2006 with the PDSA Gold Medal (which corresponds to the George Cross (GC) for humans). A bronze statue of Bamse was erected in his honor in Montrose and unveiled by Prince Andrew on 17 June 2006. A statue of the ship’s dog Bamse was unveiled in Honningsvåg on 19 June 2009 by Mayor of Nordkapp Kristina Hansen.