M/T Grena
Updated June 30-2009

To Grena on the "Ships starting with G" page.

Crew List

Some Convoy Voyages – 1940-1944:

For information on voyages made in between those mentioned here, please see the documents received from the National Archives of Norway as well as Hague's Voyage Record above. Follow the convoy links provided for more details on them; several Norwegian ships took part.

As will be seen when going to Page 1 of the archive documents, Grena was on her way from Portland, Vic. to Fremantle when Norway was invaded by the Germans on Apr. 9-1940 (or, it's possible she proceeded to Fremantle at the news, it being the closest allied port? - see Nortraship).

In Oct.-1940, she's listed as sailing in the Freetown-U.K. Convoy SL 51. She arrived Avonmouth on Nov. 10, having departed Freetown Oct. 12. Towards the end of that year, we find her in Convoy OB 262, which originated in Liverpool on Dec. 20 and dispersed on the 23rd, Grena arriving Aruba on Jan. 5-1941 - see the external links within the table above for names of other ships in these convoys, some of which were Norwegian.

With benzine for Avonmouth, she headed back across the ocean on Jan. 21-1941 in Convoy BHX 104 from Bermuda, having been cancelled from the Bermuda portion of HX 103. She arrived Avonmouth on Febr. 14, and later that month, she joined Convoy OB 291, which originated in Liverpool on Febr. 27-1941 and dispersed on March 3 (see also Skaraas). Grena's destination is given as Port Arthur, and she arrived there, via Galveston and Beaumont, on March 31, according to Page 1 of the archive documents. She subsequently went back to the U.K. on Apr. 16 with Convoy HX 121 from Halifax, in which Caledonia was sunk. Cruising order/Commodore's notes are also available for this convoy. In the middle of May, she's listed in Convoy OB 323, departing Liverpool on May 17, dispersed May 25, Grena arriving Aruba on June 7. From Aruba, she later proceeded to Bermuda, and from there, she joined the Bermuda portion of Convoy HX 134 on June 18, bound for Mersey with kerosene. See also the Commodore's narrative of passage. Grena arrived Liverpool on July 9, Stanlow on July 11, according to Page 2.

Just a few days later, she joined Convoy OB 348, departing Liverpool on July 17, arriving Halifax on the 31st (Grena's arrival is given as Aug. 1), returning in Convoy HX 144 on Aug. 10 (station 73, sailing between Suderøy and Eidanger) along with the Norwegian Polartank (station 95), Orwell (station 54), Hallanger (station 53), Eidanger (station 83), Havprins (station 82), Suderøy (station 63), Evanger (station 84), Norse King (station 15), Vinland (station 66) and Sommerstad (in station 93). Grena arrived Stanlow on Aug. 31, Manchester on Sept. 7. She went back across the Atlantic the following month in the westbound Convoy ON 28*, and arrived New York on Nov. 6, the convoy having been dispersed Nov. 3. On Nov. 15, we find her in Convoy HX 160 from Halifax. Grena rounded off that year with a voyage to Curacao, where she arrived on Jan. 7-1942, having started out from Loch Ewe in Convoy ON 48* on Dec. 20 (the convoy had been dispersed on Dec. 31). Her subsequent voyages are listed on the archive document mentioned above; see also Page 3 and Hague's Voyage Record.

Skipping now to Nov.-1943, when she made a voyage from the U.S. to Oran with Convoy UGS 23, then at the end of that month she shows up in Convoy KMS 33*, voyage from Oran to Port Said. In Jan.-1944, she's listed in Convoy MKS 38*, voyage Port Said to Malta, and the following month, she made a voyage from Malta to Port Said with Convoy KMS 39* - see also Page 4.

* The ON convoys will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section in due course, with more details on each; in the meantime, the ships sailing in them are named in the section for ships in all ON convoys (with escorts). See also ships in MKS convoys and ships in KMS convoys, where Grena is listed in KMS 33, MKS 38 and KMS 39, as mentioned - these will also be added to individual pages.

Final Fate - 1944:

Grena left Aden alone on March 17-1944 for Abadan in ballast. At 13:04 ship's time on March 21 she was in position 20 48N 59 38E, about 30 n. miles off land(?) when struck on the port side by 3 torpedoes in the course of less than 10 seconds from the Japanese submarine I-26 (Kusaka). Time given on Page 4 of the archive documents is 09:09 GMT. The 1st torpedo hit in the after section of the engine room (in boiler room), resulting in the entire poop being lifted from the water, with flames, steam, smoke and oil rising high in the air. The 2nd struck in No. 1 port wing tank, causing the after section to break down and sink. The 3rd, which had struck in No. 2 port wing tank (numbering from aft) broke the ship off around No. 4 center tank. She listed heavily to port about 60° and was expected to capsize immediately. The captain, who had been in his cabin at the time ran to the bridge and ordered the radio operator to send an SOS but the transmitters had been rendered completely inoperative.

Lachlan Lang (head of the gunners), who was on deck on the aft port side when the 1st torpedo hit right next to him says in a report that the first explosion was followed immediately afterwards by a 2nd, and adds that another 2(?) torpedoes subsequently hit the ship. As the afterpart of the ship had sunk below the surface, all those who had been in that area, including Gunner Lang ended up in the water, then swam away. Both port lifeboats had been destroyed and with the heavy list it was impossible for the others to launch the starboard boats so they had to jump overboard. The entire afterpart of the ship now broke off, then the foreship leveled up slightly and the motor lifeboat fell into the water. Some of the survivors were able to get into this boat and started to pick up others from the oil covered, shark infested water as well as from rafts that had broken loose and were floating around among the debris. While this was taking place the sub surfaced and fired 2 shells towards the remainder of the ship, but the shells landed in the water among the survivors instead, though nobody appears to have been hurt. Later on the starboard stern lifeboat was found capsized and after the majority of the crew had been picked up they were able to right and bail this boat.

As the foreship levelled it had been their intention to go back on board in order to release the remaining forward starboard raft and also to get the lifeboat transmitter from the wheelhouse so that they could send out distress calls, but there was no time to do so. As they pulled away Grena's list to port increased until she capsized completely in about half an hour. The sub then submerged and they did not see it again.

3 men were found to be missing. The gun platform had collapsed in the first explosion and the British Gunner Donald Ball, as well as Cook Martinsen, who had both last been seen in hammocks underneath the after gun deck were believed to have been killed at that time. The British Oiler Geoffrey Lewis had been in the boiler room and was also believed to have been killed in the first explosion. 7 men were injured, some with serious burns, namely 3rd Engineer Peder Pedersen, Mechanic Anton Jørgensen, the Australian Francis Topham, the Canadian Saloon Boy Tom Daniels and Able Seaman Eilif Dahl, while Mechanic Paul Jensen and the Canadian Mess Boy Robert Haldane had cuts and lacerations.

At 17:00 the motorboat took the other lifeboat and the raft in tow, heading towards the Arabian Coast. However, after about half an hour the motor stopped working so it was decided to release the raft and set sail for land independently in order to obtain medical assistance for the injured men as quickly as possible. They had been divided between the 2 boats and were taken care of the best they could under the circumstances.

During the evening the loom of the Masira Island beacon was seen but as the wind increased from the south it was impossible to reach the island against the wind and seas. At dawn on March 22 they could vaguely discern the coast and they continued north along the coast in the hopes of reaching a populated area. That afternoon the lifeboat sighted an Arabian dhow lying at anchor. This was hailed and with the help of sign language the fisherman agreed to guide them to a settlement where medical assistance would be available. During the previous night the boats had drifted out of sight of each other but were reunited again that afternoon. When the wind died down at dusk they decided to anchor for the night, then at 3 in the morning, March 23, when the wind had freshened again they continued sailing north under the guidance of the fishing boat, though with 1 person less among them - Mechanic Jørgensen having passed away in the course of the night.

In the motorboat, continuous attempts had been made to get the motor started again, and at 08:00 that morning they finally got it to function whereupon the lifeboat was again taken in tow. At 16:00 that afternoon they arrived at the British RAF base near Ras el Hadj where the remaining injured men were immediately taken to the camp hospital for medical treatment. Mechanic Jørgensen was buried at the base after sunset with all his uninjured shipmates present. The 6 injured men, 3 of whom were in critical condition, were ordered by the camp doctor to be transferred to the British General Hospital at Karachi and were picked up by 2 aircraft the following morning, March 24, but the 3 could not be saved.

The remainder of the crew embarked HMIS Investigator which left for a convoy port in the inlet to the Persion Gulf that same afternoon, with arrival on the 26th. On the 29th they were transferred to the Dutch Noesaniwi which was carrying explosives according to Lachlan Lang. (A message in my Guestbook says Noesaniwi was the ex Wuppertal - Hamburg America Line, built 1936, seized in 1940 by Holland and renamed Noesaniwi, transferred to Rotterdam Lloyd in 1946). This ship landed them in Suez on Apr. 14, and the hearings were held there on Apr. 19 with the captain, the 1st and 2nd mates and the 1st engineer appearing. The seamen had been placed in the Merchant Navy Club, the officers in the Bel Air hotel, and the DEMS gunners stayed in a camp while waiting to join another Norwegian ship.

Grena was the last Norwegian ship to be lost in the Indian Ocean during WW II.

Crew List:
* Radio Operator Kenneth Perkins had also served on General Ruge, later joined Astrid.
Here's a Guestbook message from a relative (possibly his son?).

Survivors:
Captain Alfred H. Aardahl	1st Mate Johannes Eikeland	2nd Mate Kaare Helgesen	3rd Mate Malvin Indrevær	Radio Operator Kenneth Perkins (British)*	Boatswain Magnus Kjelstrup
Able Seaman Eilif Dahl	Able Seaman Johan Tollefsen	Able Seaman Marcus Dons (British)	Able Seaman Reidar Worren	Able Seaman Johan Skogland	Able Seaman/Gunner Julius Aarvik
Able Seaman/Gunner Georg Napstad	Able Seaman/Gunner Ivar Fjellbø	Able Seaman/Gunner Alfred Ødegård	Able Seaman/Gunner Jarle Johansen	Able Seaman/Gunner Haakon Hansen	Ordinary Seaman Stephen Gough (British)
Ordinary Seaman Ernest Arbery (Australian)	1st Engineer Alfred Toftevaag	2nd Engineer Sverre Farevaag	Assistant Kaare Mørch	Mechanic Mathias Folvik	Mechanic Paul Jensen
Mechanic Kjell Thorsen	Mechanic Jørgen Ellingsen	Mechanic Øistein Johannessen	Pump Man Oskar Måløy	Stoker Kåre Fredriksen	Steward Erling Andreassen
Cook Olav Klepsvik	Mess Boy Norman Perkins (Canadian)	Mess Boy Robert Haldane (Canadian)	Radio Op's Secretary Freedolph Petersen (Canadian)	Gunner Lachlan Lang (British)
Casualties:
† Ordinary Seaman (Deck Boy?) Francis Topham * (Australian - Age 17)	† 3rd Engineer Peder Pedersen	† Mechanic Anton Jørgensen	† Oiler Geoffrey Lewis * (British)	† Cook Gunnar O. Martinsen	† Saloon Boy Tom W. Daniels * (Canadian)
† Gunner Donald Ball * (British)

Related external links:
Stavern Memorial commemorations - The 3 Norwegians are commemorated at this memorial for seamen in Stavern, Norway.

Commemorative Roll Database - (Australian War Memorial, Canberra). By entering the last name of Francis James Topham mentioned in the text above, with Second World War in the Conflict field, he will appear in the search result. See also this page and scroll down to the third WW II plaque.

The Commonwealth War Graves Comm. - Francis Topham and Geoffrey Lewis can both be found here (as well as Donald Ball).

Japanese submarines

Back to Grena on the "Ships starting with G" 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) and misc. - (ref. My sources).