M/T Pan Norway

To Pan Norway on the "Ships starting with P" page.

Crew List

Final Fate - 1942:

Shelled and sunk by U-123 (Hardegen) on Jan. 26-1942 at about 20:30, approximate position 36 00N 50 40W*, on a voyage alone in ballast from Halifax to Aruba to load aviation fuel for the U.K. (I believe the voyage had started out in the U.K.). This took place east of Cape Hatteras, Hardegen was on his way home and had no torpedoes left, but plenty of ammunition for his guns. (The British ship S/S Culebra had also been shelled and sunk by him). Able Seaman/Gunner Einar K. Karlsen was hit by shrapnel and fell from the gun platform to the deck, but the remaining 3, Able Seaman/Gunner Arne G. Berntsen, Able Seaman William Jensen and Galley Boy Leif Wanstrøm continued their efforts to defend the ship, only to find that the gun was jammed after a hit from the U-boat.

* The above position is from Captain Bach's report. Rohwer gives position as 35 56N 50 27W. The captain's report also indicates there were 2 U-boats, one on each side, but suspecting that Hardegen may have gone around to both sides, thereby making it look like there was more than one to those on board Pan Norway, I posted a query to the ubootwaffe.net forum (see external link at the end of this text), and a reply confirms that U-123 was alone.

Pan Norway was already on fire and the men were ordered to the lifeboats. The port aft lifeboat had been lost during a storm on the 19th. The starboard boat was hit by a shell which cut the forward tackle causing the boat to end up hanging from one tackle, which then had to be cut. Those who had been in it had to jump into the water. Others had already jumped overboard from the ship. All the rafts were also launched. The radio operator sent out SOS (for 20 minutes), while those who had assembled amidships were trying to take care of the injured 1st mate and 2nd engineer, whereupon both lifeboats were launched and rowed away from the firing line, with 16 in the captain's boat, and 12 in the 2nd mate's boat. Please see a Guestbook message received from the son of 2nd Mate Øistein Vollebekk (who later settled in Canada and died in 1982).

Half an hour had now passed since the attack started. While looking around for the others, a ship was spotted, and at 23:00 those in the captain's motorboat were picked up by the Greek D/S Mount Aetna (Captain Stavros Sotirchos - on charter to Switzerland and sailing under the Swiss flag) which had seen the fire and heard the shooting*. By 11:40 the 12 in the other lifeboat were also rescued, but 12 were still missing. The U-boat now came alongside and informed them that there were more survivors in the water ahead of them, then took off, but 10 minutes later it returned and signalled for Mount Aetna to stop, then asked for a line as it had picked up a man from the water. After he had been transferred to the Greek vessel, the U-boat commander told them he had no time to assist further, then disappeared in a northwesterly direction. About 5 minutes later, thanks to the red lights on their lifesaving suits, the remaining 11 men were found on a raft, 2 of whom were injured (both able seamen).

* The above is according to Norwegian sources. Roland Berr has sent me Hardegen's report on this episode, and if I understand the German text correctly it appears it was the U-boat who stopped and directed the Swiss ship to the lifeboats, before returning to the sinking position and picking up the injured man from the water. Hardegen seems rather disgusted with the way this man had been treated, saying that when questioned he said that panick had occurred and when fighting for room in the lifeboat, one of his "friends" had slapped him in the face so that he had fallen overboard and had simply been left there. Hardegen also states that after the people in the 2 lifeboats had been picked up (29 men according to him) they had told Mount Aetna's captain there were no more survivors - Hardegen assumes this was from fear that this ship would also be sunk if it did not leave the scene immediately. Hardegen, however, informed the captain of Mount Aetna that more survivors had been seen near the sinking position, and asked him to search further.

Jan-Olof Hendig, Sweden has also sent me some details from Hardegen's KTB which states that Pan Norway was sighted at 00:30 on Jan. 27 (this is Berlin time) in CC 8667, approached, then opened fire at 02:03 (CC 8691), with the third salvo aiming for the engine room and funnel. He adds that the vessel returned fire, whereupon the U-boat aimed at the bridge, setting it on fire at which time the Norwegian ship stopped and launched lifeboats. (Pan Norway sank at 03:58 German time).

The 5 injured men were: 1st Mate Robertsen who had been hit by shrapnel in his ancle, 2nd Engineer Severinsen, hit by several pieces of shrapnel in his stomach and hip, Able Seaman Karlsen, shrapnel in his back and hip, Able Seaman Lunde, shrapnel in his side (picked up by the U-boat) and Cook Aasmundsen, hit in the hip.

Mount Aetna was on a voyage from New York to Lisbon with a cargo of wheat, and she landed Pan Norway's men there on Febr. 6. The inquiry was held in Lisbon on Febr. 12-1942 with the captain, the 1st engineer, the 3rd mate (officer on watch), Able Seaman Karlsen (on gun duty), and the radio operator appearing. The captain and crew of Mount Aetna were highly praised for the treatment the survivors received on board.

Crew List:

Captain Johan Arnt Bach	1st Mate Eberhard Robertsen	2nd Mate Øistein Vollebekk	3rd Mate Bjarne Isaksen	Radio Operator Ole Magnus Dreng	Carpenter Peter Georg Caune (Latvian)
Boatswain Thorstein Johannessen	? Nils Nordberg (Swedish)	Able Seaman Alfred Haarberg	Able Seaman Roger Reppestad	Able Seaman Leif Jaasund	Able Seaman William Jensen
Able Seaman Einar Karlsen	Able Seaman Arne Georg Berntsen	Able Seaman Harry Borge	Able Seaman Arne Bjørn Hauge	Able Seaman Jacob de la Motte (Swedish?)	Able Seaman Erik Lunde (Swedish?)
Deck Boy Albert Croft (British)	Deck Boy Albert Ball (British)	1st Engineer Karl Martin Andersen	2nd Engineer Harald Severinsen	3rd Engineer Bredo A. Lehmann	4th Engineer Georg Gulbransen
Mechanic Arne Rudjord	Mechanic Wilfred Larsen	Mechanic Helge Fonneland	Mechanic Erik Samuelsen (Swedish?)	Mechanic Otto Jensen	Mechanic Magnar Stiansen
Mechanic John Stiansen	Pumpman Magnus Thim	Stoker Ingemann T. Hovland	Oiler Thorbjørn Kristiansen	Oiler Peter Kaneps (Latvian)	Steward Petter Nilsen
Cook Arne Aasmundsen	Galley Boy Leif Warnstrøm	Mess Boy John Hedge (British)	Saloon Boy Carmen Greencorn (Canadian)

Related external links:
My query to ubootwaffe.net forum - This site also has Operations information for U-123.

U-123 | Reinhard Hardegen
Operation Paukenschlag

Reinhard Hardegen - The 'Drumbeater' and U-123.

Back to Pan Norway on the "Ships starting with P" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Norwegian Maritime Museum, Volume II, and misc. (ref. My sources).