On 7 June 1940 "Nordkapp" arrived at Svolvær and received the order that had been given by the Norwegian High Command to evacuate all operational naval vessels to allied ports. While most of the thirteen navy ships that escaped the capitulation of mainland Norway started their journeys that day, "Nordkapp" remained until the early hours of the next day in order to give refugees and volunteers more time to gather for the voyage to the United Kingdom. According to Lieutenant Commander Seip's orders, his ship's first destination abroad was to be the Faroe Islands.