D/S Gunny

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

Crew List


Source: From Kenn Dunn.
Picture originated from SHIPSEARCH(Marine), Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and Kenn says it did not come with copyright restrictions.

Final Fate - 1942:

Departed Takoradi (West Africa) on Jan. 30-1942 for New York via Trinidad for orders, with a cargo of 3100 tons manganese ore and 367 tons mahogany logs, arriving Port of Spain on Febr. 16. According to "Nortraships flåte", while Gunny was at Port of Spain, U-161 torpedoed 2 ships nearby on Febr. 19 (this must have been the American Mokihana and the British British Consul, both damaged). Therefore, when she departed Port of Spain for New York in the morning of Febr. 23 she was provided with escorting aircraft until she was 50 n miles out (2 other ships were with her on departure Port of Spain, but I don't know their identity).

On March 2-1942, while heading northeast at a speed of 9 knots (course 321° true, not zig-zagging) she was hit on the starboard side near No. 4 Hatch at the poop deck by a torpedo from U-126 (Bauer), position 27 09N 66 33W*, the explosion blowing off the whole stern of the ship (the boiler and ore cargo exploded), and she sank in about 30 seconds.

* This position is according to Rohwer. Survivors' statements say she had been in 26 56N 66 22W at noon that day, the explosion occurred at 14:10 [ship's time?]. Charles Hocking simply gives the position as "about 400 miles south of the Bermudas".

3rd Mate Sigurd Nedberg was on watch on the bridge at the time and went down with the ship. 3rd Engineer Olav Brattaule, who was on duty in the engine room immediately ran up on deck, at which time he noticed that the entire after deck was under water (the engines were stopped from the deck control). He was pulled under when the ship sank, but survived. Able Seaman Håkon Hansen was at the helm, the captain was asleep in his office, and by the time he reached the boatdeck the vessel was already half under water. He ran back to his cabin to fetch the ship's papers and when he came out again she sank and he was pulled under. Some men had manned the starboard and port lifeboats, but as Gunny sank they too were pulled under.

When the captain surfaced he managed to grab a hold of a broken hatch, then he and 12 others were able to climb onto 2 rafts. They had no food nor water, and were cold, wet and miserable in the ensuing stormy weather. The injured Chief Engineer Birger Jørgensen died on the 4th day and was buried in the sea; he had badly injured his leg and was in great pain the whole time. The assumption was that gangrene had set in. The remaining 12 survivors were rescued by the Swedish M/S Temnaren (voyage Gothenburg-Progresso) early in the morning of March 9 and landed in Progresso on March 13, where the Norwegian Vice Consul (Felix Lejeune) came on board and took them to Merida, as there were no hotels in Progresso. 4 men were admitted to hospital, while the rest were treated by a doctor who came to the hotel.

The survivors later stated they never saw a U-boat, but none of them doubted that it had been a torpedo that had caused the sudden explosion. "Nortraships flåte" states that 10 Norwegians and 4 of other nationalities were lost with Gunny. Maritime hearings were held in New York on Apr. 8-1942, with Captain Henrichsen, 3rd Engineer Olav Brattaule and Ordinary Seaman Henry Moe appearing (the latter had just come off duty at the helm 10 minutes before the torpedo hit, and was on the after deck when the explosion occurred).

Crew List:
This list was sent to me by Ken Dunn, who in turn received it from the Maritime Museum in Oslo, along with the Maritime Declaration.

Survivors
Captain Otto Henrichsen	2nd Mate Otto Evensen	Boatswain Berent Berentsen	Able Seaman Håkon Hansen	Able Seaman Erling Abrahamsen	Ordinary Seaman Henry Moe
2nd Engineer Ragnvald Ottesen	3rd Engineer Olav Brattaule	Stoker Rudolf Karlsen	Stoker Erling Berglund	Steward Oddmund Pettersen	Cook Victor Jensen
Casualties
† 1st Mate Ole Gaarden	† 3rd Mate Sigurd Nedberg	† Able Seaman Asbjørn Langsaas	† Able Seaman Arne Karlsen	† Ordinary Seaman Emil Lundquist (Finnish)	† Ordinary Seaman Kurt Fredrickson
† 1st Engineer Birger Jørgensen (died on raft, 4th day)	† Donkeyman Arne Karlsen	† Stoker Hans Ødegård	† Stoker Leif A. Pettersen	† Stoker Sergei Leppvik (Estonian)	† Stoker Asbjørn Stubberud
† Stoker Bror Ekendahl (Swedish)	† Messboy Reidar Robertsen

Related external link:
More on the Norwegians who died - The full names and birthdates of 10 Norwegians are listed here, Kurt Fredrickson is not included, maybe he was Swedish? (11 Norwegians and 3 of other nationalities are listed above). This would also fit in with the "Nortraships flåte" statement that 10 Norwegians and 4 of other nationalities lost their lives.

Back to Gunny on the "Ships starting with G" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, (statements at the maritime hearings received from Ken Dunn, who in turn got them from the Maritime Museum in Oslo), and misc. others as named within the above text (ref. My sources).