This year’s theme was “Deterrence & Reassurance in the High North” and reflects the longstanding relationship between Norway and the U.S., based on common values and mutual interests.
The seminar is named in honor of the S.S. Henry Bacon, a U.S. Liberty Ship, and the crew onboard, who are remembered for their bravery and self-sacrifice.
In 1945, the convoy ship received news of a German attack against Norwegian patriots living on the island of Sørøya in Northern Norway, and subsequently evacuated 19 Norwegian refugees. Nazi planes sank the ship off the Norwegian coast, and many crew members lost their lives, but they managed to save all 19 refugees in a selfless act of courage. Crown Prince Olav and the Norwegian High Command in London noted their heroism, and in 1946, Captain Alfred Carini was posthumously awarded Norway's most prestigious military award for gallantry, the Norwegian War Cross with Sword.
Seventy-eight years after the ship sank in the cold northern sea, the Henry Bacon Seminar serves as a reminder of Norway's longstanding relationship with the U.S. and strengthens our bilateral relationship by facilitating discussions about common interests and challenges.