and better-armed, altogether better suited to the changed circumstances. The commanders of these three vessels were required to be commissioned officers and Larsen became the captain of the HNoMS Vigra. Honours and awards With eleven orders, Larsen became one of the most highly decorated naval officers of the Second World War. No other man, British or foreign, received the same British military honours. In addition to the array of British decorations, he was awarded Norway's highest decoration for military gallantry, Krigskorset med Sverd or the War Cross with sword twice, in 1942 and 1943. He was one of only two people to receive this honour "The War Cross with Two Swords. In 1995 a statue of him was erected by the sea in the centre of Bergen near the UNESCO site of Bryggen. In 2000 the Bergen newspaper Bergens Tidende named Larsen Vestlandet's man of the century. His medals are on display in The North Sea Traffic Museum in Telavåg. Post-war After the war Larsen had a major role in organising the naval branch of the Norwegian Home Guard. In 1947, the Norwegian author Frithjof Sælen published the book Shetlands-Larsen about Leif Larsen. The book was published in the United Kingdom under the title None but the Brave, and in France under the title Mission Suicide. In 1954 Leif Larsen played himself in the movie Shetlandsgjengen (released as Suicide Mission in the United States). The film was based on Frithjof Sælen's book and historian David Howarth's book The Shetland Bus. Larsen died from a stroke at the age of 84 in Bergen, Norway, on 12 October 1990. He was survived by his wife and three daughters. References External links A page on mini subs during World War II 1906 births 1990 deaths Norwegian Army personnel of World War II Norwegian Special Operations Executive personnel Royal Norwegian Navy personnel of World War II People associated with Shetland Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal with Oak Branch Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United Kingdom) Recipients of the War Cross with Sword (Norway) Recipients of the Medal of Freedom Volunteers in the Winter War Military history of Scotland Norwegian expatriates in Finland