The Whales of Valley Forge

Hvalfjordur 

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In late 1942, my father's convoy arrived in Iceland and headed for the safety of Hvalfjordur (Whale Bay), a long, deep fjord surrounded by 1,000 foot cliffs. The inlet provided visual cover for the convoy's ships and some protection from the driving Icelandic wind and North Atlantic storms. By laying submarine nets in the bay, the Navy was able to keep U-boats from entering. Sadly, the nets and ships also effectively 
evicted the bay's resident namesakes, the whales. 

Sailors stationed onboard ships anchored in the fjord took liberty ferries to Reykjavik when granted leave. Navy men like my father, who would be based in Iceland, eventually moved from the ships to a Quonset hut community situated near the base air strip. The men dubbed their new home, Camp Kwitcherbelliakin. 

In 2005, I took my first trip to Iceland. While there, I met with an Icelandic historian, Ragnar, who drove me from Reykjavik to Whale Bay. Walking to the shore, Ragnar guided me past hidden pots of bubbling earth that smelled of sulfur. Along the way, he pointed out turquoise green thermal swimming holes where locals went skinny dipping year round. Atop a mound of earth, covered in long grass, we found the remains of an Allied munitions bunker. Steps away, tart wild berries and deep blue Icelandic wild flowers grew in the rocky soil.

In silence, we stood there for several minutes, looking out into the windswept bay. I tried to imagine the tranquil fjord full of steel ships and war-weary young men. 

"They called it Valley Forge when your father was here,” said Ragnar. "They could not pronounce the Icelandic name."

I smiled, thinking it a fitting name for the place that once harbored so many Americans. 

“Over there," he continued, pointing to a small cove, "that is where your father's ship was moored while it was here." 

A lump rose in my throat as I brushed away an unexpected tear. Thanked Ragnar for bringing me there. 
                                                                                                                
Politely, he nodded. "You know, they say the whales have started to return."