Sleipner and a local militia capture German ships

Sleipner's commander nominally controlled torpedo boats and a small reconnaissance air group that included a captured German Arado Ar 196 and a Norwegian M.F.11 floatplane. On 12 April, the destroyer encountered a German merchant vessel escorted by a naval trawler. Its commander coordinated the capture with a local police officer who had assembled roughly 100 armed civilians ashore. Faced with Norwegian warships and the prospect of a boarding by the militia, the German crews abandoned their vessels. Inspection revealed bombs placed in machinery spaces to sink at least one of the prizes. Norwegian crews disarmed the charges and attempted to use the captured ships, but their poor condition limited that effort and both later became targets for German aircraft. Local authority, improvised land forces, and naval coercion worked together while the national command structure was under attack.