Explorer. He was a member of Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl's 1947 "Kon-Tiki" expedition which travelled from Peru to Polynesia. As the exploration team's radio operator, Raaby frequently exchanged messages with radio enthusiasts in the United States, Chile, and Norway, with only a 6-watt transmitter. Raaby also served in World War II as an undercover radio operator for the RAF. He hid in the villages of Alta and Kaa Fjord, Norway, and sent detailed messages and reports on German warships and installations to England, most notably helping the RAF to disable the Tirpitz Battleship. He was also a radio operator in Bear Island, Norway, and controller of a radio station on Jan Mayen Arctic Island from 1959 to 1961. In 1964 he set out on an expedition to reach the North Pole on skis.
*Prior to their expedition to the North Pole, Raaby and the other expedition team members had arrived at the American Base in East Greenland. Unexpectedly, security clearance was required for them to stay on the base, but Raaby was the only one who had this clearance. He however opted to stay with the team in a camp on the outside of the base and died while trying to restart a generator. The time of year when Raaby died, the temperatures were commonly down to -50 deg Celcius.
His close friend flew to Greenland to pick up Raaby's body and transported him back to Norway. Torstein Raaby is buried at Dveberg Church, Andøya on the west coast. There is plenty of Norwegian documentation that will substantiate this. http://www.vesteraalen.info/torstein_raaby.htm .
bio partially contributed by contributor 46537737
*Prior to their expedition to the North Pole, Raaby and the other expedition team members had arrived at the American Base in East Greenland. Unexpectedly, security clearance was required for them to stay on the base, but Raaby was the only one who had this clearance. He however opted to stay with the team in a camp on the outside of the base and died while trying to restart a generator. The time of year when Raaby died, the temperatures were commonly down to -50 deg Celcius.
His close friend flew to Greenland to pick up Raaby's body and transported him back to Norway. Torstein Raaby is buried at Dveberg Church, Andøya on the west coast. There is plenty of Norwegian documentation that will substantiate this. http://www.vesteraalen.info/torstein_raaby.htm .
bio partially contributed by contributor 46537737
Explorer. He was a member of Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl's 1947 "Kon-Tiki" expedition which travelled from Peru to Polynesia. As the exploration team's radio operator, Raaby frequently exchanged messages with radio enthusiasts in the United States, Chile, and Norway, with only a 6-watt transmitter. Raaby also served in World War II as an undercover radio operator for the RAF. He hid in the villages of Alta and Kaa Fjord, Norway, and sent detailed messages and reports on German warships and installations to England, most notably helping the RAF to disable the Tirpitz Battleship. He was also a radio operator in Bear Island, Norway, and controller of a radio station on Jan Mayen Arctic Island from 1959 to 1961. In 1964 he set out on an expedition to reach the North Pole on skis.
*Prior to their expedition to the North Pole, Raaby and the other expedition team members had arrived at the American Base in East Greenland. Unexpectedly, security clearance was required for them to stay on the base, but Raaby was the only one who had this clearance. He however opted to stay with the team in a camp on the outside of the base and died while trying to restart a generator. The time of year when Raaby died, the temperatures were commonly down to -50 deg Celcius.
His close friend flew to Greenland to pick up Raaby's body and transported him back to Norway. Torstein Raaby is buried at Dveberg Church, Andøya on the west coast. There is plenty of Norwegian documentation that will substantiate this. http://www.vesteraalen.info/torstein_raaby.htm .
bio partially contributed by contributor 46537737
*Prior to their expedition to the North Pole, Raaby and the other expedition team members had arrived at the American Base in East Greenland. Unexpectedly, security clearance was required for them to stay on the base, but Raaby was the only one who had this clearance. He however opted to stay with the team in a camp on the outside of the base and died while trying to restart a generator. The time of year when Raaby died, the temperatures were commonly down to -50 deg Celcius.
His close friend flew to Greenland to pick up Raaby's body and transported him back to Norway. Torstein Raaby is buried at Dveberg Church, Andøya on the west coast. There is plenty of Norwegian documentation that will substantiate this. http://www.vesteraalen.info/torstein_raaby.htm .
bio partially contributed by contributor 46537737
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