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M/T Charles Racine To Charles Racine on the "Ships starting with C" page. Owner: Skibs-A/S Snefonn Launched on June 4-1937 by Odense Staalskibsværft (A. P. Møller) Odense, Denmark (Yard No. 68) as Charles Racine for Sig. Bergesen d. y., Stavanger. Completed Aug. 6 and registered in the ownership of Skibsaktieselskapet Snefonn (Sig. Bergesen d. y. & Co.), Stavanger. Captain: Arthur Svendsen
Charles Racine, cargo of crude oil for Liverpool, can be found in the Bermuda portion of the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 44 in May/June-1940, together with Polarsol and Europe (departure Bermuda May 19; Halifax portion left on May 20 - arrival Liverpool June 3). She subsequently joined Convoy OB 168, which left Liverpool on June 15, joined up with OA 168 from Southend 2 days later, the combined convoy forming the Gibraltar bound Convoy OG 34F, which arrived there on June 24. Her destination is given as Caripito, station 102. (See external links at the end of this text). Note that all the OG convoys will also be added to my own site, but for now the ships sailing in them are named on this page listing ships in all OG convoys. At the beginning of Aug.-1940 we find her in the Bermuda portion of the Advance Sailing Telegram for Convoy HX 63 (but she's not included in the convoy form for BHX 63). However, it looks like she did not sail to the U.K. on this occasion, because there's a note in the document saying "To proceed to Halifax to await orders", and she does not show up again until Convoy HX 86 in Nov. that year (fuel oil for Clyde, station 42), though was sent into St. John's due to an outbreak of diphtheria on board, and eventually joined HX 89 instead. At the end of the following month she shows up, with no voyage information, in Convoy OB 267, leaving Liverpool on Dec. 30, dispersed Jan. 2-1941 - again, see external links below.
The external site already mentioned has her in Convoy HX 110, which left Halifax on Febr. 19-1941 and arrived Liverpool on March 11. As will be seen, she's not included on my own page about this convoy, but my information is incomplete (Bermuda portion only is available). The site also lists her as bound for Curacao in Convoy OB 310, which left Liverpool on Apr. 13, dispersed on the 18th. She subsequently returned to the U.K. in Convoy HX 128, leaving Halifax on May 20-1941, arriving Liverpool on June 6 (it looks like she stopped by Belfast Lough, because she appears in Convoy BB 30 from there on June 6, with arrival Milford Haven the next day - ref. links below). Charles Racine had joined HX 128 from Bermuda, and it will be noticed that she's not included on my page for this convoy yet, but the Advance Sailing Telegram is now available, and the page will be updated to show the Bermuda portion etc. She joined Convoy OB 335 later that month in order to head to New York. This convoy left Liverpool on June 16-1941 and dispersed on July 2. Charles Racine now went back to the U.K. again in Aug. with Convoy HX 145 along with the Norwegian Annavore (station 122), Maridal (station 83), Høyanger (station 95, 3 bombers on deck), Leikanger (station 64, lumber), Vav (station 114), Kaia Knudsen (station 73), Slemdal, all listed on this website - ref. alphabet index at the end of this page. This convoy arrived Liverpool on Aug. 31, but again, it looks like Charles Racine stopped by Belfast Lough, because she shows up in Convoy BB 70 from there on Aug. 31, with arrival Milford Haven on Sept. 2. She subsequently headed back across the Atlantic in the middle of that same month with the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 17. At the beginning of Nov.-1941 we find her in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 158. My information for this convoy is incomplete; there are several un-named ships, but a complete list is available at the external site below. Later that month Charles Racine joined the westbound Convoy ON 40*, which left Liverpool on Nov. 25, dispersed Dec. 4, but she was involved in a collision on Nov. 26 with the British Laplace in the same convoy, and returned to port. She subsequently joined Convoy ON 46*, leaving Liverpool on Dec. 13, but again returned to port (reason not given), then eventually got away with Convoy ON 50* on Christmas Eve (dispersed Jan. 3-1942), bound for New Orleans.
She headed back to the U.K. with Convoy HX 173 at the beginning of Febr.-1942 along with several other Norwegian ships, and this turned out to be her last Atlantic crossing. Related external links: See also this chronological list of
The above mentioned Convoy HX 173 arrived Liverpool on Febr. 14-1942. On the 22nd Charles Racine joined Convoy OS 20, voyaging from Clyde to Baytown, Texas in ballast in station 76. The first external website that I've linked to at the end of this page has more convoy details; again, several Norwegian ships took part. Charles Racine left the convoy on March 1 on orders from the Commodore and continued alone, following Admiralty routings. She was torpedoed northeast of Anguilla (23 10N 60 28W) on March 9 at 23:10 ship's time by the Italian submarine Giuseppe Finzi (Giudice). The torpedo hit on the port side, forward of the engine room; water gushed in and the engines stopped. Shortly thereafter another torpedo struck, also on the port side. The radio operator sent out an SOS with their position. After the crew had gotten safely away in 4 lifeboats they observed 2 more torpedoes hitting the ship, this time on the starboard side, and later in the night they heard another 2 explosions followed by flames. 3 of the boats holding 34 men stayed together but the 4th could not be seen in the dark. They remained in the vicinity until daylight, but when the captain rowed back to the ship that morning to look for the 4th boat it was nowhere to be seen, so sail was set for Puerto Rico. They were picked up in the morning of March 12 by USS Moffet which searched for the other lifeboat all day, before heading for San Juan, Puerto Rico where the survivors were landed on the 13th. They travelled to New York on March 22, with arrival on the 27th. The following day they received the news that the 7 in the missing lifeboat (incl. the 1st mate) had been picked up by an Argentinian steamer en route to Trinidad and landed there. The hearings were held in New York on Apr. 13-1942 with the captain, the 3rd mate (on duty on the bridge), the 2nd engineer, and Able Seaman Eriksen (helmsman) appearing. According to the captain's report presented at the hearings the attack took place in 23 33N 60 10W. Rohwer gives the position as 23 10N 60 28W, and date as March 10 at 01:24, German time.
Related external links: Giuseppe Finzi Back to Charles Racine on the "Ships starting with C" 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), Sig. Bergesen d. y. fleet list, and misc. others as named within the text above for cross checking info. - ref My sources.
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