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D/T Marit To Marit on the "Ships starting with M" page. Owner: A/S Jensens Rederi Built in West Hartlepool in 1918 as War Subadar for the Shipping Controller (Hunting & Son) until 1921, then owned by Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Co., renamed Crenatula in 1921. Mananged by Anglo-Colonial Shipping Co, London from 1927. Sold in 1930 to Jørgen P. Jensen, Arendal and renamed Marit. Captain: Sverre Caspersen In Admiralty service (Royal Fleet Auxiliary) from 1940. The book "Våre falne" lists a stoker named Arnulf Forsberg who served on D/T Marit (since 1939) when he became ill, and died in New York on March 28-1941. Buried at Evergreen Cemetery in New York. See also my Memorials page, which has a section naming some other Norwegians buried in New York.
In Dec.-1940/Jan-1941 Marit sailed in the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 17, bound for Purfleet with fuel oil (she had been cancelled from the previous convoy, SC 16). In March/Apr. we find her with a cargo of fuel oil in station 52 of Convoy SC 27, which left Halifax on March 30 and arrived Liverpool on Apr. 18. In June that year she shows up in Convoy HX 130. All these convoys had several other Norwegian ships, follow the links for more. In March/Apr.-1942 she's listed among the ships in Convoy OS 23, voyaging from Milford to Aruba in ballast in station 45 of the convoy. This convoy is not available in my own Convoys section, but the first external website that I've linked to at the end of this text has more information. Other Norwegian ships also took part.
Marit departed Alexandria on Oct. 1-1943 for Tripoli* with a cargo of fuel oil in Convoy XT 4. Torpedoed on Oct. 4, probably by U-596 (Nonn), position 32 57N 21 11E, not far from land. The explosion occurred between No. 2 and 3 tank, ripping the ship's side away as well as the deck above the tanks, while the midships section and cabins were damaged and sprayed with oil. Marit had 7 Norwegian officers, 5 British gunners and 42 of other nationalities. Lascar Mohamed Abass, who was working on deck was killed in the explosion, while one of the British gunners, Herbert Keene, who was in the gunbox on the port side bridge wing was injured, as were the captain, the 3rd mate and one of the other lascars. Marit developed a heavy list to starboard when the oil in the destroyed tanks on the port side ran out into the sea. Trimming the ship by letting out water from tank No. 1 on the starboard side proved to be of no use, instead the foreship started to sink. Upon examination the forward hold was found to be flooding as was the engine room amidships, so orders to abandon ship were given. 1 of the lifeboats had been destroyed but 3 others were successfully launched, with the captain and 1st mate the last to leave the ship around 16:30 (40 minutes after the torpedo had struck), the former on a raft from the foredeck, the latter by jumping overboard and swimming to one of the lifeboats. Half an hour later the ship went down.
The survivors were rescued by an escorting corvette and taken to Benghazi, where the 4 injured men were admitted to a hospital. Gunner Keene died from internal injuries at the RAF hospital in Benghazi on Oct. 6. When the explosion occurred he had been thrown over the pillbox and landed on deck on his back, with his foot jammed between the keel of a lifeboat and the deck. The 2nd mate, who was the officer on watch had cut his shoe off him to get him loose, and the gunner had walked to the lifeboat himself. The rest of the crew, as well as the injured lascar were sent to Alexandria by Sea Transport in Benghazi on Oct. 8, arriving on Oct. 12. After having been transferred to General Hospital Cairo, Captain Caspersen arrived Alexandria on Oct. 15-1943, where the maritime inquiry was held on Oct. 19. At that time 3rd Mate Odland was still in hospital in Benghazi. Those who gave statements at the inquiry were the captain, the 1st and 2nd mates, as well as the 1st and 3rd engineers. Captain Caspersen later served on D/S Askeladden. Crew List:
Related external links: Back to Marit on the "Ships starting with M" page. Other ships by this name: Norway had previously had a small steamship named Marit. This ship was delivered in Nov.-1915 as Stolt for R. Christensen & Olaf Konsmo, Farsund, 497 gt, built Hardinxveld, Holland. Purchased in 1918 from owners in Sandefjord by D/S A/S Marit (Øistein Torgersen), Haugesund, renamed Marit. Later that year she sailed as Audax of Skien, then in the period 1927-1935 she belonged to The South Georgia Co., Cape Town. Lost as Ancap Segundo after having run aground near Montevideo on July 15-1966. ("Våre gamle skip"). This company also had a Marit after the war, built in 1943 as W. B. Ayer (Liberty Ship), 7176 gt. Became Norwegian Marit in Aug.-1947. Manager became Marlow Wangen, Arendal in 1951. Came under the Liberian flag in 1955 as Andros (N. J. Goulandris Ltd., London mangers). Renamed Maria in 1962, still Liberian flag (Kronos Maritime Agency, Piraeus & Trans-Ocean S.S. Agency, New York). Rebuilt in Maizuru, Japan in 1962 and became 8426 gt. Renamed Panagiotis K in 1967 (Palmco Shipping Inc., New York). Scrapped in 1971, Spain, having arrived Gandia on Oct. 6-1971. 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) and misc. (ref. My sources).
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