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{{Short description | Norwegian naval officer, businessman, and politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = Ole Siem
| image         =
| alt           =
| caption       =
| birth_name    =
| birth_date    = {{Birth date |1882|1|11|df=y}}
| birth_place   = [[Trondheim]], Norway
| death_date    = {{Death date and age |1979|||1882|1|11|df=y}}
| death_place   =
| nationality   =
| spouse        =
| children      = [[Martin Siem]]
| relatives     = [[Thore Boye]] (son-in-law)
| alma_mater    =
| occupation    = naval officer, businessman, and politician
| years_active  =
| known_for     =
| notable_works =
| awards        = [[Order of St. Olav]] (1946) <br/> [[Legion of Honour]] <br/> [[Virtuti Militari]] <br/> [[Liakat Medal]]
}}
'''Ole Siem''' (11 January 1882 &ndash; 1979) was a Norwegian naval officer, businessman, and politician.
He was director of [[Troms Fylkes Dampskibsselskap]] from 1929 to 1934, and of [[Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab]] from 1936 to 1950. He was head of the sea transport during the [[Battles of Narvik]] in 1940, and among the resistance pioneers in Northern Norway during the [[German occupation of Norway|German occupation]].
==Personal life==
Siem was born in [[Trondheim (city)|Trondheim]] to Martin Olsen Siem and Gjertrud Christlock. He married Marie Augusta Ursin Holm in 1912,<ref name=heh-73>{{cite encyclopedia|year=1973|title=''Siem, Ole'' |encyclopedia=[[Hvem er hvem?]]|editor=Steenstrup, Bjørn|publisher=Aschehoug|location=Oslo|url=https://runeberg.org/hvemerhvem/1973/0501.html|page=501 |language=Norwegian|access-date=13 September 2015}}</ref> and was the father of [[Martin Siem]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Martin Siem |encyclopedia=[[Norsk biografisk leksikon]]|first=Ole M |last=Hoemsnes |authorlink= |editor=Helle, Knut |editor-link=Knut Helle |publisher=Kunnskapsforlaget |location=Oslo |url=https://nbl.snl.no/Martin_Siem |language=Norwegian |accessdate=13 September 2015}}</ref>
His daughter Augusta Sofie was married to diplomat and civil servant [[Thore Boye]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Thore Boye |encyclopedia=[[Norsk biografisk leksikon]]|first=Kåre |last=Dæhlen |authorlink= |editor=Helle, Knut |editor-link=Knut Helle |publisher=Kunnskapsforlaget |location=Oslo |url=https://nbl.snl.no/Thore_Boye |language=Norwegian |accessdate=26 September 2024}}</ref>
==Career==
Siem graduated as [[naval officer]] in 1904, and studied [[electrical engineering]] and [[diesel engine]] at the [[TH Charlottenburg]] from 1911 to 1912. An officer in the [[Norwegian Navy]], he held the rank of captain from 1919, and [[commander-captain]] from 1937.<ref name=heh-73/>
He took actively part in local politics, and was elected to the [[municipal council (Norway)|municipal council]] in [[Horten Municipality|Horten]] (1925&ndash;1928), [[Tromsø Municipality|Tromsø]] (1931&ndash;1934) and [[Hadsel Municipality|Hadsel]] (1937&ndash;1940). He was director of [[Troms Fylkes Dampskibsselskap]] from 1929 to 1934, and of [[Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab]] from 1936 to 1950.<ref name=heh-73/>
During the [[Battles of Narvik]] in 1940 he served with the [[6th Division (Norway)|6th Division]], as head of the sea transport.<ref name=heh-73/><ref name=hovland>{{cite book | title=General Carl Gustav Fleischer; Storhet og fall |first=Torkel |last=Hovland |author-link=Torkel Hovland |pages=170&ndash;172 |year=2000 |language=Norwegian |publisher=Forum &ndash; Aschehoug |location=Oslo |isbn=82-03-29097-3 }}</ref> During the [[German occupation of Norway]] he was among the [[Norwegian resistance movement|resistance]] pioneers in Northern Norway.<ref name=ulstein-v1>{{cite book | title=Etterretningstjenesten i Norge 1940-1945 |first=Ragnar |last=Ulstein |author-link=Ragnar Ulstein |pages=58, 248&ndash;249 |volume=1 |year=1989 |language=Norwegian |publisher=Cappelen |isbn=82-02-12401-8 }}</ref> He was incarcerated at [[Ånebyleiren]] and then [[Grini detention camp|Grini]] from April to July 1941, as a "Svolvær hostage".<ref name=gf>{{cite encyclopedia |title=121. Siem, Ole |encyclopedia=[[Norsk fangeleksikon. Grinifangene]] |editor=Børre R. Giertsen | page=5 |year=1946 |language=Norwegian|publisher=Cappelen |location=Oslo}}</ref> He was later arrested by the [[Gestapo]] in December 1942, but was transferred to the [[Wehrmacht]] as prisoner-of-war in 1943 when about 1,100 Norwegian military officers were sent to prisoner-of-war camps in Poland and Germany for the rest of the war.<ref name=ulstein-v2>{{cite book | title=Etterretningstjenesten i Norge 1940-1945 |first=Ragnar |last=Ulstein |author-link=Ragnar Ulstein |pages=183, 360 |volume=2 |year=1990 |language=Norwegian |publisher=Cappelen |isbn=82-02-12421-2 }}</ref><ref name=nf>{{cite book|editor=Ottosen, Kristian|editor-link=Kristian Ottosen|title=Nordmenn i fangenskap 1940–1945|edition=2nd|year=2004|publisher=Universitetsforlaget|location=Oslo|language=Norwegian|isbn=82-15-00288-9|page=612}}</ref>
He was decorated Knight, First Class of the [[Order of St. Olav]] in 1946.<ref name=heh-73/> He was Officer of the French [[Legion of Honour]], recipient of the Polish [[Virtuti Militari]], 4th Class, and of the Turkish [[Liakat Medal]].<ref name=stoo>{{cite book|title=Den kongelige norske Sankt Olavs Orden 1847-1947|first=O. Delphin|last=Amundsen|author-link=Otto Delphin Amundsen|page=499 |year=1947|publisher=Grøndahl|location=Oslo|language=Norwegian}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Siem, Ole}}
[[Category:1882 births]]
[[Category:1979 deaths]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Trondheim]]
[[Category:Royal Norwegian Navy personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Norwegian resistance members]]
[[Category:Norwegian businesspeople in shipping]]
[[Category:Grini concentration camp survivors]]
[[Category:Norwegian prisoners of war in World War II]]
[[Category:World War II prisoners of war held by Germany]]
[[Category:Vestfold politicians]]
[[Category:Politicians from Tromsø]]
[[Category:Nordland politicians]]
[[Category:Officers of the Legion of Honour]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Virtuti Militari]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Liakat Medal]]