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M/S Maloja To Maloja on the "Ships starting with M" page. Owner: Skibs-A/S Avanti. Built by Fredriksstad Mekaniske Verksted A/S, Fredrikstad, Norway in 1930. Previous name: Danwood until 1936. Captain: Fritz Blomseth.
According to the external website that I've linked to below, Maloja was scheduled for Convoy SL 107 in Apr.-1942, but instead joined the next convoy, SL 108/SLF 108, which departed Freetown on Apr. 26-1942 and arrived Liverpool on May 19, voyage Bombay-Freetown-Mersey, station 51. It looks like she stopped at Belfast Lough, because she's listed, together with the Norwegian Galatea, Kul, Leka, and Tres, in Convoy BB 176 from there on May 19, with arrival Milford Haven the next day. Mike Holdoway (the webmaster) has told me that her cargo (8,038 Tons) consisted of: Linseed 2,224 Tons, Manganese ore 2,000 Tons, Oilcake 1,522 Tons, Cotton waste 500 Tons, Myrabolam 450 Tons (a dried fruit containing tannin), Cotton Duck 432 Tons, Peas 300 Tons, Castorseed 200 Tons, Soapstone Powder 130 Tons, Hemp 68 Tons, Bone meal 50 Tons, Sundries 162 Tons. She can also be found among the ships in the Freetown convoy OS 33 in July-1942 (station 33), Please go to Mike's website for a lot more information on these convoys, especially OS 33. He has told me Maloja joined from Clyde on July 2, and was bound for Takoradi with a cargo of RAF and Government stores, arriving her destination without incident. She was armed with a 4" (or 4.7") gun, 8 machine guns and kites. Other Norwegian ships named are Sophocles, Jenny and Ingria. Maloja later returned to the U.K. with Convoy SL 119, which left Freetown on Aug. 14-1942 and arrived Liverpool on Sept. 4. She had station 23, cargo of iron ore, and was bound for Clyde (the Norwegian Petter is also listed). Related external links:
Maloja departed Liverpool on Oct. 11-1942 with a cargo of 1020 tons coal and 87 aircraft, sailing in a convoy until Oct. 29, at which time she left the convoy to continue alone to Takoradi (Ghana). In fact, she's listed with that destination, carrying coal and aircraft, in Convoy ON 138, which left Liverpool on Oct. 11-1942. This convoy will be added to an individual page in my Convoys section in due course, in the meantime, see the section naming ships in all ON convoys. As will be seen, the Norwegian Evanger, Ferncliff, Harpefjell, Henrik Ibsen, Lista, Norheim, and Petter II are also included. She was in position 11 58N 27 08W on Nov. 8 when U-128 (Heyse) sent a torpedo into her (Jürgen Rohwer gives the position as 11 25N 27 00 W). It detonated in the engine room, port quarter. Maloja's gun was destroyed in the explosion, as was the radio equipment so that no SOS could be sent. The 2nd engineer, who was on duty, was killed in the blast and several injured, the electrician so severely that he was left on board when the lifeboats were launched, as it was very obvious he could not be saved. His only words to the 1st Mate when he spoke to him were "I'm going to die". To another he said "could you not get a sheet and cover me up". He had been standing on the starboard poop deck when the torpedo struck (an iron construction had fallen on him), talking to Able Seaman Reksten, who was also injured but not as severely. The British A. Dobbie, who had been in the galley, was badly burnt. All the lifeboats were launched, though one of them was damaged and leaking so had to be bailed continuously. The survivors were in the boats when the second torpedo hit, severing the after part of the ship. Maloja didn't sink (it has been indicated that the holds may have contained airtight barrels to keep the ship afloat long enough to make the removal of cargo possible) so the U-boat came up and shelled her, until she was an inferno of flames and finally sank. A report based on statements from the survivors says that she was under attack for 4 hours, and some of them thought there was more than 1 U-boat taking part as it seemed as though the shells were coming from several directions. One of the lifeboats had a radio trasmitter which was used the next morning to send out SOS, repeated 3 hours later. The motorboat towed the other boats. They had very little water, because 2 of the water kegs had been destroyed, so only the injured received water rations that morning. The 39 survivors, 9 of whom were British gunners, were rescued shortly after noon that day (Nov. 9) by Egyptian Prince (Captain E. J. Roberts) en route to Freetown. This ship had a naval doctor as a passenger, Ian Martin Scott, who immediately gave medical care to the injured men. The survivors were landed in Freetown. The maritime hearings were held in Glasgow on Dec. 11-1942 with Captain Blomseth, 1st Mate Wichstrøm, and Able Seaman Trosby (lookout) appearing. Crew List: Related external links: Back to Maloja on the "Ships starting with M" page. There was also a Swiss ship named Maloja (steam), built 1906, 1788 gt - According to Charles Hocking she was bombed by German aircraft, then torpedoed and sunk by U-boat on Sept. 7-1943 near Ajaccio, Corsica, but Markus Berger (his and Peter Bichel's website is at Swiss Ships) has told me that Maloja, named after a village and pass in Canton Graubünden, Switzerland, was sunk by British aircraft, adding the following: "Attacked mistakenly on 7th September 1943 at 16:15h off Cap Revellata, Corsica by 10 British aircraft of the Coastal Command, with machine-guns and torpedoes. Maloja sank after being hit by a torpedo, on fire within 13 minutes in a position 42 50 N 8 11 E, about 30 nautical miles Northeast of Calvi. The wreck lies in 2800 meter below water level. Three sailors from Portugal died, the Dutch First officer and the Swiss cook were seriously wounded." The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume II (Norwegian Maritime Museum) - ref My sources.
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