D/S Elna E - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

D/S Elna E

To Elna on the "Ships starting with E" page.

Crew List

Owner: Dampsk. A/S Forto
Manager: Leif Erichsen, Bergen
Tonnage: 1174 gt, 659 net, 1900 tdwt
Call Sign: LDTH

Built in Bergen 1925.

Captain: Sigurd August Gabrielsen

Elna E is listed as sailing in Convoy HN 18 from Norway to the U.K. in March-1940, bound for Middlesbrough with general cargo. She was in Norway when the country was invaded on Apr. 9 (having arrived with Convoy ON 25), but managed to get to Kirkwall on May 5-1940.

Final Fate - 1941:

Elna E left Cardiff in the morning of March 15-1941 for Barry Roads in order to correct her compasses, then continued on her voyage to Plymouth just after noon, following courses given by the Admiralty, passing Scarweather lightship at 15:35. Lundy Island and Hartland Point were later passed without being seen as the visibility was not very good for the rest of the day. She had a cargo of coal. They had been instructed by the Admiralty to pass Lands End at a certain time of day on March 16, and as they were making good time her speed was reduced at 01:00 that morning. About 5 minutes later, when 10-12 n. miles off Crackington Haven, she struck a mine, the explosion occurring forward followed by a heavy spout of water gushing over the ship, and she started to sink by the bow. Her engine was stopped while the steam whistle was used to call the crew to the lifeboats.

The starboard and port boats were launched and manned, and when no more people could be seen in the dark they pushed off, as it looked as though the ship would sink any minute. Shortly afterwards they heard cries from the ship and found that 5 men were still on board. When asked to jump overboard so that the lifeboats could pick them up, only 4 did so right away, while the steward waited too long and went down with the suction as the ship sank. Subsequent efforts to find him failed, and the lifeboats headed for Crackington Haven where they arrived that same day. 2 gunners (presumably British) were sent to Falmouth, while the remaining survivors were sent to Cardiff, where the maritime hearings were held on March 25.

Crew List:

Survivors
Captain Sigurd A. Gabrielsen	1st Mate Severin Kipperberg	2nd Mate Ole Rasmussen	3rd Mate Bjarne Skaar	Able Seaman Reidar Olafsen	Able Seaman Ludvik Karlsen
Able Seaman Ragnar Leirvik	Able Seaman Knut Bjørkmann	Deck Boy Richard Alford (British)	1st Engineer Trygve Skjølberg	Donkeyman Thore Sæther	Stoker Arne Steingrimsen
Stoker Ragnar Hoff	Trimmer Nils Hansen	Cook Einar Utvik	Mess Boy Thomas Whitney (British)	+ 2 British Gunners?
Casualty:
		† Steward Johan Sudenius

Related external link:
Some data on the steward - Place and date of birth etc. - text is in Norwegian.

Back to Elna on the "Ships starting with E" 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) - ref. My sources.