Krigsseilerne
We congratulate Nils Severin Økland on his 108th birthday today, February 16th!
Økland escaped from Norway to Shetland in 1941, and was trained as a gunner. He served as a gunner on merchant ships throughout the rest of the war.
Økland sailed many times across the Atlantic, and experienced submarine attacks and torpedoing in 1943.
In 1944 he was part of the ship D/S Roald Amundsen, which participated in the Allied invasion of France. For this effort, he was appointed a Knight of the French Legion of Honor in 2021. Økland continued to sail even after the war.
From the Warsailor Register:
From his 107th Birth last year: