M/T John Knudsen

To John Knudsen on the "Ships starting with J" page.

Related item on this website:
Interned Ships - A list of the 26 Norwegian ships interned in North and West Africa during the war.

Misc. War Details:

John Knudsen is listed among the ships in Convoy HX 31 in March/Apr.-1940, bound for Le Havre with cargo of crude oil.

At Toulon unloading cargo in the summer of 1940 but was ordered to pump the petrol back on board and proceed to North Africa, via Marseilles to pick up refugees, before heading to Mers-el-Kebir near Oran. A French visitor to my website has told me that she sailed from Marseilles, loaded with 14,000 tons of oil fuel on behalf of the French government, on June 23-1940 in convoy under French escort. The convoy was unnumbered, ships were emergency evacuated. At Oran June 26. Interned in Oran by the Vichy authorities on June 27-1940.

Requisitioned on June 27-1941 and renamed Rourgue. The Norwegian crew left that same day and was replaced by a French crew. Handed over to the Kriegsmarine probably on Jan. 19-1942* and placed in service as supply ship Toni I. I've received a document from Theodor Dorgeist, Germany which confirms that John Knudsen / Rouerque had the name Toni 1 while under German control. The same document gives Toni 2 for President Herrenschmidt, Toni 3 for Langanger and Toni 4 for Regina - these 3 ships had also been interned.

*R. W. Jordan's "The World's Merchant Fleets" says she came under Kriegsmarine control in 1940 as Rouerque.

According to Guri Hjeltnes' "Sjømann - Lang vakt" John Knudsen had a crew of 37, 23 of whom were Norwegian. 1 died (named below), 5 escaped, 9 went home. Under D/S Favør there's a description of a successful escape from Oran in a lifeboat on July 27-1941. From John Knudsen the following came along: 2nd Mate Ole M. Blikshavn, 3rd Engineer Georg Fosen, Electrician Andersen, and Able Seaman Ole Mikkelsen (later joined O. A. Knudsen, which was torpedoed and sunk in March-1942). Follow the link to Favør for some details on the escape.

In March that same year a less successful escape attempt had taken place when 5 men had tried to get away in a boat, but where caught and sent to jail. Among them was Gunnar Johnsen, who after his stay in jail was sent on board Patria, another interned ship, and in July he again tried to escape together with another 12 from John Knudsen. The boat capsized in the heavy seas they encountered, and for more than 24 hrs they clung to the bottom of it, before being picked up by a French ship, which took them back to "square one". This time the punishment was 4 and 1/2 months in jail, under horrendous conditions. In Dec., 25 Norwegian seamen were sent home to Norway, Gunnar Johnsen among them. Once there he joined the resistance movement, but was arrested in Oct.-1942 and sent to concentration camps, first to the well known Norwegian Grini where he was interrogated under torture, later (Sept.-1943) to Rensburg, then Dreibergen, Germany. He was saved by the socalled "White Buses" in Apr.-1945.

Some more crew members:
1st Mate Erling Styve, Ordinary Seaman Finn Gulbrandsen, 1st Engineer Torleif Skipeli, 2nd Engineer Karl Høie*, Assistant Eyvind L. Larsen, Cook Trygve Klebo, Mess Boy Olav Jensen.

* B. P. Newton had a 2nd Engineer by this name when she was torpedoed in 1943, same person?

Some details from extract of deck log ("Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig"):
Able Seaman Johan Kristiansen died after a fall on March 17-1941 (Mers-el-Kebir).
On Apr. 11-1941 the French M/S Monica drifted down on John Knudsen, causing some damages.

Final Fate:

Said to have been torpedoed by a British submarine on Sept 12-1943 near Lacroma, taken ashore and repaired in Cattaro. However, this may be incorrect? See this thread on my Ship Forum. Scuttled by the Germans on Oct. 9-1944 in Piræus (as blockship Salamis).

Related external link:
Some info about Grini

Back to John Knudsen on the "Ships starting with J" page.

Other ships by this name: Haugesund had previously had 2 other ships by this name. John Knudsen (1) was delivered in Jan.-1911, 526 gt, sold in Jan.-1915 to Det Bergenske Dampskibsselskab, Bergen and renmed Canis - torpedoed and sunk by U-60 on July 30-1917 on voyage Newcastle-Bergen with coal, loss of 2 men. Another John Knudsen was delivered in Jan.-1917, 1601 gt. Torpedoed and sunk by UB-50 on Sept. 22-1917, 20 n. miles northwest of Falcon light on voyage Cardiff-Oran with coal, loss of 1 man. Both these ships belonged to John Aug. Knudsen. (Våre gamle skip", Leif M. Bjørkelund & E. H. Kongshavn). Much later the second motor tanker John Knudsen was built in 1967, 41 442 gt - became the Chinese Bao Hu in 1975, Ta Ching 252 in 1977 and Bao Hu again in Febr. 1978. Sold for breaking up to Pakistan and beached in July-1982. ("Våre motorskip", same authors as above).

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Våre motorskip" by Leif M. Bjørkelund & E. H. Kongshavn, "Sjøfolk i krig", Leif M. Bjørkelund, and misc. as named within above text - (ref. My sources).