D/S Fagersten
Updated Sept. 9-2008

To Fagersten on the "Ships starting with F" page.

Crew List


Received from Thorbjørn Andersen, Norway.

Some Convoy Voyages:

(More convoy information will be added).

Follow the convoy links provided for more deatils on them; they also included a number of other Norwegian ships.

Together with Akabahra, Astra, Audun, Balduin, Blink, Carrier (returned), Einvik (sunk - click on link for details), Evviva, Fagersten, Fanefjeld, Grado, Gudrun, Heien, Hestmanden, Hildur I, Ledaal, Leka, Lom, Marga, Nesttun, Orania (returned), Reiaas, Siak, and Spes, Fagersten is listed in the slow eastbound North Atlantic Convoy SC 41, departing Sydney, C.B. for the U.K. on Aug. 24-1941 (available at external website below). Going to Page 2 of the documents received from the National Archives of Norway, we see that she had just been to Quebec, and arrived Loch Ewe on Sept. 11.

According to the external website that I've linked to below, she sailed in Convoy OS 9 in Oct.-1941. She was in station 15 on a voyage from Oban to Lisbon with coal and arrived Lisbon on Nov. 1, having left Oban on Oct. 14. Other Norwegian ships said to have been in this convoy were Annavore, Fjord, and Varanger. Follow the link for more information. On Dec. 14, Annavore and Fagersten joined Convoy HG 76 from Gibraltar in order to return to the U.K. (Annavore was sunk).

In Jan.-1942, Fagersten joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 58* which originated in Liverpool on Jan. 20, but returned to port the next day due to bad weather, so she later joined Convoy ON 60, originating in Liverpool on Jan. 26 (Fagersten joined from Clyde on both occasions). Both convoys had several Norwegian ships, namely Bronxville, Lisbeth, Maud, Rena and Suderøy in ON 58 (Acanthus and Monbretia are named among the escorts), and Aust, Henrik Ibsen, Inger Elisabeth, Ledaal, Lisbeth, Rena (the latter 2 returned), Selbo and Suderøy in ON 60. Fagersten was bound for Tampa, where she arrived on Febr. 23. She headed back to the U.K. on March 18 with Convoy SC 75 from Halfiax, cargo of phosphates for Aberdeen, with arrival Apr. 5.

In May that same year she joined the westbound Convoy ON 96*, together with Berto, Bollsta, Carmelfjell, Granfoss, Ingerfem, Norelg, Norfalk and Rolf Jarl. Fagersten arrived Sydney, C.B. on June 4 (having left Loch Ewe May 19), later proceeding to Quebec and Rimouski, with arrival the latter on July 5. On July 24, we find her in Convoy SC 93 from Sydney, C.B. (where she had arrived from Rimouski on the 18th), cargo of lumber for London. She also sailed in the westbound Convoy ON 128, which originated in Liverpool on Sept. 5-1942. The Commodore's narrative is also available for this convoy. Fagersten is said to have joined from Halifax(?), but it looks like she had joined from Loch Ewe - see Page 3 of the archive documents. She arrived New York on Sept. 24, proceeding the next day to Boston and Providence, R.I.

As will be seen below, Fagersten was sunk on her return voyage to the U.K.

Related external link:
OS and OS/KMS Convoys - As can be seen, Fagersten is listed in Convoy OS 9. The same site also has information on Convoy SC 41.

Final Fate - 1942:

Fagersten was in Convoy SC 104 (station 112), escorted by the British destroyers Viscount and Fame and the Norwegian corvettes Potentilla, Acanthus, Monbretia and Eglantine (group B 6 of Liverpool Escort Force). SC 104 is availbale via the first external link provided at the end of this page, and as will be seen it also included Bernhard, Bonde (returned), Boreas, Garnes, Gudvor, Inger Lise, Ingerfem, Lido, Nea, Senta (sunk) Suderøy and Vinga. The convoy had departed New York on Oct. 3-1942 and Fagersten's voyage had originated in Providence on Oct. 1. She had a cargo of 651 tons steel and 944 standards lumber for the UK.

She was torpedoed in the starboard side, forward hold, by U-221 (Trojer) at 02:30 on Oct. 13-1942, position 52 54N 43 55W*, resulting in a heavy starboard list. With great difficulty in the heavy weather 8 men managed to launch and get away in the port lifeboat, but were unable to go alongside again to reach their 6 ship mates whom they saw still on board. 2 of them, Ordinary Seaman R. N. Hareide and Trimmer R. Glen jumped overboard and were picked up by this boat, while the rest were believed to have gone aft to launch a raft, because a raft was seen later on, but the lifeboat was unable to row up against the wind to get to it.

The 10 in the boat bailed all night, and as day dawned most of Fagersten was under water; no more survivors were seen. They were rescued at 13:30 that afternoon by Potentilla, which by the end of the battle on Oct. 17 had 90 rescued people on board. An empty raft from Fagersten was also found. The captain, 17 other Norwegians and 1 from Britain died.

8 merchant ships had been sunk, 2 U-boats had gone down and several damaged. The British D/S Ashworth went down with all 49 hands in this battle, as well as the Norwegian D/S Senta and her 35 men. Other ships sunk were the British Empire Mersey 16 died, and Southern Empress 48 died, the Greek Nellie 32 died, the Yugoslavian Nikolina Matkovic 14 died, and the American Susana 38 died. Note that my page about Potentilla has an eye witness account of this battle. See also the various websites that I've linked to at the end of this page for further information.

* Jürgen Rohwer gives the position for Fagersten's attack as 53 05N 44 06W (that's also the position for Ashworth's attack by the same U-boat about 20 minutes later, followed by Senta 1 minute after that). He gives the time as 05:56, German time for Fagersten, 06:22 for Ashworth. Charles Hocking simply gives the position as about 500 miles east of Belles Isles Strait.

Crew List:

Survivors:
1st Mate/Radio Op. Jonas Anton Berg Arvesen*	Able Seaman Alfred Bernhoft (Berntsen?)	Ordinary Seaman Reidar Nesset Hareide**	3rd Engineer Olav Wilhelm Hauge	Stoker Edmund Evensen	Stoker Asbjørn Johannesen
Trimmer Robert Glen (British)	Trimmer Henry Cyril Collier (British)	Galley Boy Sigurd Bastelid	Boy Arne Hobber	* Guestbook message from grandson ** Guestbook message from grandson
Casualties:
† Captain Sverre Langfeldt	† 2nd Mate Alf M. Olafsen	† 3rd Mate Brynjolv Løkke	† Boatswain Sigurd Engebretsen	† Able Seaman Nils Høidal	† Able Seaman Trygve Steinsjø
† Able Seaman Olaf Olsen	† Able Seaman Henry Pedersen Borge	† Able Seaman Ivar Sund	† 1st Engineer Kristian Nielsen	† 2nd Engineer Hans Johansen	† Donkeyman John Johnsen
† Stoker Kåre Hansen	† Stoker Henry Johansen	† Stoker Ingvard Jørgensen	† Stoker Peder Andreas Langva	† Steward Hjalmar Johannesen	† Cook Hans Sahlsten
† Mess Boy Richard J. Stainer * (British)

* Billy McGee, England has told me that Fagersten's 18 year old Mess Boy Richard John Stainer from Mitcham, Surrey is commemorated at Tower Hill, Panel 48; further details on him can be found on this page.

There had also been a Norwegian able seaman and a gunner on board before departure New York, but they had gone ashore without leave and had not returned in time for departure.

Back to Fagersten on the "Ships starting with F" page.

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