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M/S Brandanger To Brandanger on the "Ships starting with B" page. Manager: Westfal-Larsen & Co. A/S, Bergen Delivered in June-1926 from Burmeister & Wain, Copenhagen, 4624 gt, 8600 tdwt, 380' x 53.6' x 28.3'. Captain: Elling J. Andresen
The following month she was one of several Norwegian ships in Convoy OA 175, which departed Southend on June 27-1940 and dispersed on July 1. Her destination is given as Panama, station 22. Ref. external links below, as well as my own page related to this convoy (Vice Commodore's report). Related external links:
Brandanger took on board about 8000 tons general cargo (including lumber and metals) in San Pedro (presumably San Pedro, California) for Liverpool, then departed on Sept. 4-1940. Arrivad Balboa on Sept. 17 for bunkers with departure the following day, anchoring in Cristobal that same evening, with departure the next day, Sept. 19. She arrived Bermuda in the afternoon of Sept. 26 in order to continue from there in convoy. Departed Bermuda on Sept. 28 - my guess is she may have been in BHX 77 at that time, because she was in Convoy HX 77 when torpedoed on October 11-1940. The BHX convoy from Bermuda would have rendezvoused with the Halifax HX convoy by the same number which according to Arnold Hague departed Halifax on Sept. 30-1940 with 39 ships. The torpedo, which came from U-48 (Bleichrodt) struck in the engine room port side, position 57 02N 17 42W *. The engine stopped and the lights went out, the entire midships section was destroyed and the lifeboats on the port side were blown away. The crew ran to the starboard boats, but while launching the starboard motorboat it was crushed against the side of the ship and the 5 who were in it fell in the water. They were 1st Engineer Olaf Andreas Larsen, 3rd Mate Erling Skålvik, Electrician Obert Bjelland, Mess Boy Øistein Jørgensen and Ordinary Seaman Nikolai Kaursland, only the latter survived. (Brandanger's other 2 casualties, Assistant Osvald Torgersen and Mechanic Wilhelm Hagen were on duty in the engine room and were believed to have been killed in the explosion). Another boat manned by the 2nd mate and 13 men was successfully launched, as was a 3rd boat manned by the 1st mate and 6 men. Captain Andresen and Carpenter Sigurd Svendsen had assisted in lowering this boat, and as the line was cut the boat rowed away, leaving the 2 men behind on the sinking ship. The captain and carpenter drifted clear on a raft as Brandanger sank about 20 minutes later. They were picked up early the next morning by the corvette HMS Clarkia, as were the 14 in the 2nd mate's boat, and landed in Liverpool on Oct. 15. Meanwhile, the 1st mate's boat kept rowing and sailing in the heavy seas with course for Ireland, until they were finally found on the afternoon of the 16th by S/S Clan MacDonald (Captain A. Mackinley) in 54 09N 13 28W, and landed in Liverpool on the 19th. This boat had picked up Ordinary Seaman Kaursland about half an hour after he had fallen out of the ruined motorboat. (According to a report presented at the subsequent maritime hearings, the 1st mate's boat had encountered 2 other lifeboats with people in it in the afternoon of Oct. 12 - no further details on which ship they may have come from). Bleichrodt sank the company's M/T Davanger in the same convoy. Arnold Hague lists 6 ships lost in HX 77, namely Pacific Ranger (no casualties), Port Gisborne (26 dead), St. Malo (28 dead) and Stangrant (9 dead) in addition to the 2 Norwegian ships and says the convoy arrived Liverpool Oct. 15.
The maritime hearings were held in Liverpool on Oct. 25-1940 with the captain, the 1st mate, the 2nd mate (on duty on the bridge), the 2nd engineer, the carpenter, Able Seaman Garmann, Ordinary Seaman Kaursland (at the wheel), and Able Seaman Vebenstad appearing.
Related external links: Lillesand Sjømannsforening's website (Lillesand Seamen's Association) also has a picture of this ship, along with pictures of several other Norwegian ships. Back to Brandanger on the "Ships starting with B" page. Westfal-Larsen later had another ship by this name, delivered in March-1949, built in Sunderland. Sold in June-1965 to Lichtenstein and renamed Alkaid (registered in Bulgaria). Sold in 1971 and renamed Peter Beron (of Bourgas). The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "The Allied Convoy System", Arnold Hague, "Axis Submarine Successes of World War Two", Jürgen Rohwer, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume I (Norwegian Maritime Museum), and misc. others for cross checking info. - ref My sources. The Voyage Record was received from Tony Cooper, England - His source: Public Records Office, Kew.
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