Capt. Magne Risdal

Capt. Risdal came to this country in 1926 from Norway.  He was a World War II Army veteran and took part in the invasions of North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. Magne lived in Brooklyn and New Bedford before moving to Fairhaven in 1942.

Capt. Risdal's wife, Karry, lost her first husband, Bjorne Olsen, aboard the fishing vessel Ariel, which went down in a September 21, 1938, hurricane.

The Risdals had a daughter, Linda, 16, and a son, Bernard Olsen, from Karry's first marriage.  Mr. Risdal's father, Nikolai, lived in Karmoy, Norway.  The captain had three brothers, Kjell, Nils, and Olaf, all of Fairhaven, and two sisters Mrs.Martha Andersen of Florida and Mrs. Ragnhild Kallestein of Norway.

The Midnight Sun left New Bedford on November 10, 1962, and disappeared in a storm on November 14 as she headed home to New Bedford from the fishing grounds. Late Wednesday and Thursday a storm packing  winds of more than 90 miles an hour whipped seas into 50-foot waves as it ripped across Georges Bank. Local fishermen considered the storm to have been one of the worst of the century. Last radio contact was reported between 2 and 3 p.m. on Wednesday.  The Midnight Sun was reported overdue when she failed to return to port along with the other vessels she had been fishing with. The Coast Guard conducted a seven-day, 63,000-square-mile search for the vessel but found no wreckage.