D/T Ranella

To Ranella on the "Ships starting with R" page.

Crew List

Some War Voyages:

Ranella is listed among the ships in Convoy HX 104 in Jan.-1941, bound for Holyhead and Southampton. That spring, in May-1941 we find her in the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 31, bound for Clyde. Follow the links for more convoy details, several Norwegian ships took part.

Final Fate - 1941:

Convoy SC 31, mentioned above, had arrived the U.K. at the end of May-1941. Ranella left Glasgow already on June 4-1941 for New York in ballast and sailed in convoy OG 64* until the morning of June 10, at which time she left the convoy and continued alone.

Torpedoed on June 12 by U-553 (Thurmann), position 43 39N 28W. The torpedo detonated in No. 4 tank on the port side, leaving a hole in each side of the ship and causing her to heel over. After the crew had gotten away from the ship in the 2 starboard lifeboats (the port motorboat had been destroyed) another torpedo was fired, about half an hour after the first, hitting behind the mast and breaking her in 2, but when she still refused to sink the U-boat proceeded to shell her. She was hit in the foremost bunker tank which exploded in a column of fire, and she finally went down.

The 2 lifeboats got separated on the 2nd day. The captain's boat with 15 men reached Terceira, Azores on June 22, while the 1st mate's boat with 14 men sailed for 12 days, 300 n. miles before reaching Figueira da Foz, Portugal in the early morning hours of June 24. The latter group was later sent to Lisbon, arriving in the morning of June 25. Those in the captain's boat left Terceira on June 28 and arrived Lisbon on July 4. An inquiry was held there on July 11-1941 with the captain, the 1st mate, and the steward appearing.

* OG convoys were Gibraltar bound, but ships bound for North America sailed in them for protection for a while, then detached after a few days. Jürgen Rohwer and Roger W. Jordan both say Ranella was in the convoy when sunk.

There's an amusing story attached to the sinking of Ranella, whether true or not I don't know. After she had been torpedoed and he had taken care of the ship's confidential papers, the captain calmly asked Steward Bjørlow to "get me a coat would you, it might get a bit chilly in the lifeboat", whereupon the steward looked in the captain's wardrobe, carefully selected a coat and said "what do you think captain, is this one perhaps a bit too nice to wear in a lifeboat?".

Crew List - No Casualties:

Captain Conrad Martinius Mørland	1st Mate Edvin Anker Olsen	2nd Mate Hjalmar Brekke	3rd Mate Torstein Thorkildsen	Radio Operator Norman Gabrielsen	Carpenter Ivar Pommer (Danish)
Boatswain Carl Pedersen (Danish)	Able Seaman Jesper Robbestad	Able Seaman Thorleif Tobiassen	Able Seaman Magnud Gulbrandsen	Able Seaman Ragnar Ryden (Swedish)	Able Seaman Norman Christoffersen
Able Seaman Olai Guttormsen	Able Seaman Johan Jonassen	Able Seaman Robert Hirsch	1st Engineer Lars Skau	2nd Engineer Nils Larsen	3rd Engineer Karl Rise
Donkeyman Arne Fokke	Pumpman Harald Olsen	Stoker Olav Kaser	Stoker Harry Hansen	Stoker Frithjof Larsen	Oiler Alf Nordahl
Oiler Edward Lillehei	Oiler Kars Leije (Swedish)	Steward Karl G. Bjørløw	Cook Frank Thorsen	Galley Boy Richard Scott (British)

Related external links:
Operations information for U-553

U-553 | Karl Thurmann

Back to Ranella on the "Ships starting with R" page.

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).