D/S Frisco

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

Crew List

Final Fate - 1942:

Frisco was the first Norwegian ship to be torpedoed in Operation Paukenschlag. She was on a voyage from Savannah to Argentia, N. F., having left Savannah on Jan. 5-1942 with a cargo of lumber, and was attacked off Long Island by U-130 (Kals) on January 12-1942, position 44 50N 60 20W. 1 torpedo hit on the port side, the explosion causing a large hole below the water line and killing the lookout, Herman Urheim. The crew was ordered aft, while the captain and 1st Mate Bernt Arnold Berntsen went to the bridge, and 2nd Mate/Radio Operator Erling Elefsen went to send an SOS. 5 minutes later another torpedo hit amidships, also on the port side, killing the 3 officers, setting the ship on fire and causing her to list heavily to port. The port boat was successfully launched with 9 people, and soon afterwards a starboard boat was lowered with 6 crew members who watched Frisco burn for about half an hour before losing sight of her (the 2 boats had parted company shortly after clearing the ship). The 6 were rescued by the Danish Mjoanes in the afternoon of the 14th (approx. 46 24N 57 20W) and landed at North Sydney on the 16th where they were taken care of by the Navy League. The other boat was never seen again, which meant that 10 Norwegian, 2 British and 1 Swedish seaman had died.

Non Norwegian sources place this sinking on Jan. 13, but this is probably a matter of different time zones used. Rohwer does not mention a second torpedo.

Crew List:
* Here's a Guestbook message from the daughter of Kristian Trandal.

Survivors
Able Seaman* Kristian Trandal	Deck Boy John Menezes (Br. Guiana)	Chief Engineer Alfref J. Andersen	Stoker Erling Hansen	Steward Herman Rollefsen	Mess Boy Charles De Silva (Br. Guiana)
Casualties (Norwegian, unless otherwise noted):
† Captain Thor Thorsen	† 1st Mate/R.O. Bernt Arnold Berntsen	† 2nd Mate Erling Ellefsen	† Able Seaman Søren Vingereid	† Ordinary Seaman Herman Urheim	† Ordinary Seaman Eric Welsh * (England)
† Jr. Ordinary Seaman Carl Costello (Carl den Casrilho?) (Br. Guiana)	† 2nd Engineer Anders Johan Eriksen	† 3rd Engineer Isak Sverre Nilsen	† Donkeyman Olaf Kraus	† Stoker Folke Sandberg (Swedish)	† Stoker Anders Martinius Hægland
† Cook Thorleif Røe Petersen

Related external links:
More on those who died - Only Norwegians are commemorated at this Memorial for Seamen in Stavern, Norway.

U-130 | Ernst Kals
Operation Paukenschlag

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

This company had previously had another ship by the name Frisco, also built in Porsgrunn (1928).

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, pre war history is from T. Eriksen, Norway (his sources: Article about Chr. J. Reim by Kjell Malmgren and Dag Bakka Jr. in "Skipet" 4.88), official sinking report based on survivors' statements received from a visitor to my site (from British archives), "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume I (Norwegian Maritime Museum) and misc. other - (ref. My Sources).