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D/S Bur To Bur on the "Ships starting with B" page. Manager: O. Grolle Olsen & I. Hysing Olsen, Bergen Built by Ropner & Sons Ltd., Stockton-on-Tees in 1917. Previous name: Sedbergh until 1920. Captain: Reidar Nielsen
Bur shows up briefly in Convoy OB 96 towards the end of Febr.-1940, but was only bound for Barry (in ballast from Liverpool Febr. 21). Early in March-1940 she's said to have been in the Gibraltar convoy OG 21F, a combination of Convoys OB 103 and OA 103, which joined up on March 5-1940, both having departed the U.K. on March 3. Bur's destination is given as Tunis, station 66. (The Norwegian Bruse Jarl, Einar Jarl and Temeraire are also listed). However, I wonder if she may have cancelled or returned to port(?), because she also shows up among the ships in Convoy OG 21 some days later. OG 21 was a combination of Convoys OA 105 from Southend (in which the Norwegian Nea took part) and OB 105 from Liverpool, forming OG 21 at sea on March 11, the OA convoy having left the U.K. on March 7, the OB convoy on March 9 (this is strange, usually the OA and OB portions left England on the same date). It looks like Bur must have started out in the OB convoy, because she's not mentioned in the OA portion - her destination is again given as Tunis. (See also the external links provided below - note that the OG convoys will also be added to my own site in due course - in the meantime, please see the section listing ships in all OG convoys). Towards the end of the following month we find her in station 44 of Convoy HGF 28 from Gibraltar to the U.K. She was 1 of 5 Norwegian ships in that convoy, the others being Sevilla, Kosmos II, Stalheim and Einar Jarl. On May 28 she joined Convoy OB 157, voyage Liverpool-Mirimichi in ballast. Mike Holdoway, the webmaster of the website about the OB convoys, has sent me the following from the Commodore's notes: In June/July-1940 she was in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 52 (pit props for Portland, station 82), along with several other Norwegian ships. She's also listed as sailing in Convoy HX 72 in which Simla, among several others, was sunk in Sept.-1940, then at the end of the following month she appears in station 35 of Convoy OB 237, which left Liverpool on Oct. 31-1940, dispersed on Nov. 2. No destination is provided for her on this occasion (again, see the external link below for more on this convoy), but it looks like she must have headed to the U.S. or Canada, because already on Nov. 17 she's listed as bound for Birkenhead in station 82 of the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 89. (It might be worth remembering that there was also a Swedish Bur). Towards the end of the following month she's listed, with destination Pepel, in Convoy OB 262, leaving Liverpool on Dec. 20, dispersed on the 23rd. - again, see the external link below for names of other ships in this convoy, some of which were Norwegian. Bur sailed in Convoy SL 63 for a while (left Freetown Jan. 20-1941). Mike Holdoway has sent me the following snippet from the Commodore's notes with regard to Bur in this convoy: She must have returned to Freetown, because she is said to have departed Freetown on Jan. 30-1941, bound for Ardrossan with a cargo of groundnuts, and was in Convoy SLS 64 which encountered Admiral Hipper on Febr. 12-1941; see more details under M/S Borgestad. "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland states that Bur and Varangberg had ended up so far behind by Febr. 12 they barely had contact with the convoy, and that Bur arrived safely at San Miguel on Febr. 18. A visitor to my site says she was attacked by a raider* on Febr. 12 and that she arrived Ponto Delgado on Febr. 15 for repairs to machinery, then departed again on the 23rd and joined convoy SL 65 off the Azores that same day but was sent back to join the slow convoy SLS 65** from Bathurst instead. He adds that she departed Bathurst on March 6-1941 escorted by HMS Philante to join convoy SLS 65. Bombed and damaged in position 52 12N 05 52W on March 10. Beached on Goodwick sands, Fishwood. Left Fleetwood on March 20-1941 after being salvaged.
In July-1941 we find her in Convoy HX 139, bound for London with a cargo of steel and lumber in station 15, having joined with the Sydney (C.B.) portion on July 19. She lost touch with the convoy in fog already the next day. In Sept. that year she's listed as bound for Montreal with the westbound Convoy ON 14. There's also a ship by this name in the westbound Convoy ON 37, which left Liverpool on Nov. 15-1941, but I believe this might have been the Swedish Bur (joined from Aultbea), since the Norwegian one is mentioned already on Dec. 13 in OS 14 (I doubt she would have had time to return to the U.K. to join this convoy, had she sailed in ON 37, though I guess it's possible). As mentioned, she's listed in station 96 of convoy OS 14 on Dec. 13-1941, on a voyage from Oban to Neuvitas, Cuba in ballast. However, I believe she must have returned to port, because she also shows up in the westbound Convoy ON 49*, which left Liverpool on Dec. 21 and dispersed Jan. 5-1942. (Norwegian ships taking part in OS 14 were Chr. Th. Boe, Spinanger, Thorsholm and L. A. Christensen. Estrella and Sveve are also mentioned, but did not sail. Again, the external website below has more information on the OS convoys). In Febr./March-1942 she can be found in the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 70, bound for Liverpool with sugar, returning across the ocean in Apr. with the westbound Convoy ON 86*, bound for San Pedro de Macoris. At the end of the following month she joined Convoy SC 85, cargo of lumber and steel for London. Towards the end of July-1942 she joined the westbound Convoy ON 116* and was bound for New York. This was to be her last westbound North Atlantic voyage, as will be seen below.
External websites related to the above text: See also this
Bur had departed New Haven (Connecticut) in the morning of Aug. 28-1942 with a cargo of steel and lumber for Immingham (via Halifax, scheduled for Convoy SC 98). She had a coastal pilot on board (E. J. Hazard) and sailed according to his instructions, but her compasses proved to be unreliable with great deviations. About an hour and a half after having passed Cornfield Lightship, at about 16:00, she received orders from the Coast Guard to not coninue east of Cape Race due to gun fire(?), and had to turn around to await further orders, having been told it would only be about 45 minutes before the passage would be ready. They were told by the pilot to "go the usual way around the buoy on starboard side", and he assured them there was plenty of water (about 300') except at the rock where the buoy itself was located, and that the large whirls of current they could see ahead were not caused by shallow water, so they maneuvered according to his instructions, with Ordinary Seaman Ragnar Grotle at the wheel. At about 16:25, when around half a nautical mile from the buoy, she struck an underwater rock. The current was very strong and she listed to port. Attempts at getting off failed and the engine was stopped. At this time the tide was falling so there was a danger of the ship capsizing or sliding off. No. 1 and No. 4 tanks started filling immediately, while No. 2 tank and hold as well as the forepeak filled a little more slowly. The pilot asked that the motorboat be launched, wanting to disembark as the situation was quite critical. The lifeboats were lowered and held ready, and the Coast Guard was also on stand-by with a motorboat. The crew was told to pack their most essential belongings and be ready to leave the ship, and at about 18:45, 20 men disembarked into one of the Coast Guard's motorboats. The 1st mate, 3rd mate, all 3 engineers, the donkeyman, Able Seamen Johansen and Lindkvist, Ordinary Seamen Hansen and Jacobsen and Steward Assersen volunteered to remain on board to keep the pumps going. The pilot also disembarked, as did the captain in order to notify Nortraship, New York of the situation. Meanwhile, pumping was done continuously from No. 2 tank and the engine room, and at 20:30 the ship straightened somewhat. The water kept rising in No. 2 and 4 holds, so all watertight doors to the engine room and boiler room were closed. At about 21:00, when the tide turned, Bur swung herself around and ended up with her bow pointing eastwards, while listing to starboard with her foredeck under water. About an hour later they noticed she was about to slide off the ground. The 1st mate immediately gave orders to get the engine ready and keep the steam up. The Coast Guard asked if they should not abandon her as she was now obviously sinking, but they all chose to stay on board. Shortly thereafter the captain and the radio operator returned to the ship, her engine was restarted and the Coast Guard was asked to lead the way to the nearest beach. By that time her foreship was under water above the main deck and her poop was high, so she was very difficult to maneuver, made even more difficult by the unreliable compasses. The captain sent a message by telegraph for a tug to be summoned from New London, and this was received by the Coast Guard station. Those on board worked feverishly to keep her going; while the water continued to rise in the engine room and boiler room, but the 1st mate, 3rd engineer and donkeyman fired her up with the help of buckets and with coal from the tweendeck, while the radio operator and able seamen helped supply the coal and the 1st and 2nd engineers were in the engine room. Eventually, at 23:40 the water had risen so high that her engine stopped. They had been in continuous contact with the Coast Guard who was now requested to assist with towing the ship, but they couldn't. Bur sank deeper and deeper, though it appeared as if her deck cargo helped keep her afloat. At 00:30 on Aug. 29 a tug arrived as well as one of the Navy's boats and towing was commenced. Shortly afterwards one of Merrit Chapman & B. Scott's tugs came to an relieved the others. An hour later the starboard lifeboat left the ship with 8 men, because the water had now risen above the deck amidships. The captain, 1st mate, and 2 seamen remained on board. At 02:00 she hit the ground and was stuck in the mud, sinking by the stern. By 11:00 all efforts to save her were given up and the remaining men left the ship in 2 lifeboats, after having rescued some of the ship's instruments and the guns. Position at that time was about 1 n. mile from Seaflower Reef. The lifeboats and equipment were left with New London Coast Guard.
The maritime hearings were held in New York on Sept. 4-1942 with the captain, 1st mate and 2nd engineer appearing. When questioned, they all blamed the pilot for Bur's fate.
Crew List - No Casualties:
Back to Bur 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), E-mails from Tony Cooper, England, and misc. others for cross checking info. - ref My sources.
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