D/S Belize - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

D/S Belize
Updated March 19-2011

To Belize on the "Ships starting with B" page.

Casualty list

Historical Collections of the Great Lakes has a picture of this ship (external links). Type Belize (or Cornucopia) in the field for vessel, then click on the item number that comes up. The page also names her various owners.

Owner: Rederi-A/S Nidaros.
Manager: Krogstad Shipping Agencies Ltd. A/S (Geo. Hansen, Oslo)
Tonnage: 2153 gt, 3350 tdwt.
Call Sign: LCKF.

Built by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Corp, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, U.S.A. in 1919.
Previous names: Cornucopia until 1929, Cornore until 1936 (Ore Steamship Corp. New York). Again, see the external link above for information on her previous owners.

Captain: Olav Georgsen

Her war voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives:
Page 1 | Page 2

Notes:

As will be seen when going to Page 1 above, Belize was on her way from Tampico to Baltimore when war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9-1940. Her 1941 voyages also start on this document.

Final Fate - 1942:

Torpedoed on January 21-1942 by U-754 (Oestermann) in 47 21N 52 08W while on her way from New York to St. John's, New Foundland(?), having left New York on Jan. 15 (note, however, that Page 2 of the archive documents gives her destination as St. John, N.B.).

17 Norwegians, 5 Swedish, 1 Danish and a mess boy from British Honduras were lost, no survivors.

A lifeboat from Belize with 4 dead seamen was found by the Canadian corvette Spikenard 25 naut. miles east of St. John's on Jan. 24.

10 ships went down Jan. 21 / 22 in the area, 4 of them were Norwegian. Just a couple of hours after Belize was torpedoed, Norway lost D/S William Hansen to the same U-boat. M/T Alexandra Høegh was sunk the same day (U-130), and the next day M/T Innerøy became the victim of U-553.

For info, U-754 was also responsible for the attack on Kollskegg later that year - follow the link for details.

Casualties - No survivors These men were Norwegian unless otherwise noted.
† Captain Olav Georgsen	† 1st Mate Thorvald Kvilhaug	† 2nd Mate Ivar Haukås	† Boatswain John Person (Swedish)	† Able Seaman* Arthur Hansen	† Able Seaman Arnfinn Skaug
† Able Seaman Tore Carlson (Swedish)	† Able Seaman Arne Wiig	† Able Seaman Enok Leland	† Able Seaman Helge Petersen (Danish)	† Able Seaman Erling Olaussen	† 1st Engineer Ole Urke
† 2nd Engineer Erling Hoff-Nilsen	† 3rd Engineer Oskar Haugen	† Donkeyman Allan Prim (Swedish)	† Stoker Kristian Rossehaug	† Stoker Georg Torstensen (Swedish*)	† Stoker Ludvig Olsen
† Stoker Nils Oftenes	† Stoker Harry Todal	† Steward Guttorm Jacobsen	† Cook Fritz Halvar Gran (Swedish)	† Mess Boy Theodor E. Bromfield (British)	+ 1 more Norwegian?

Related external links:
Stavern Memorial commemorations - 18 Norwegians are commemorated here. Stoker Georg Torstensen*, who is listed as Swedish above, is included as Norwegian at the memorial. Also, there's a Seaman Georg Andersen and Able Seaman Arthur Vasdal commemorated. According to "Våre falne", a series of 4 books naming Norwegian WW II casualties, Georg Andersen had served as donkeyman on Belize, but had later joined the Swedish Atland, and died between March 25-March 27-1943 after this ship had collided east of Scotland when on a voyage US-London. His body was found ashore and he was cremated in Aberdeen. In fact, the memorial has also listed him with the ship Atland. *Arthur Vasdal is said to have died when Belize was sunk; He is, in fact, identical to the Arthur Hansen in my list (because his father's name was Hans). His brother Arne died when Bennestvet was sunk - follow link for details.

U-754
Operation Paukenschlag

Back to Belize on the "Ships starting with B" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume I (Norwegian Maritime Museum), and misc. others for cross checking info. - ref My sources.