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D/S Rimfakse To Rimfakse on the "Ships starting with R" page. Owner: D/S A/S Ringhorn Built by Kockums mek. Verkstads A/B, Malmö, Sweden, delivered in March-1921 as Rimfakse to D/S A/S Ringhorn (Albert Schjelderup), Bergen. 235.5' x 37.7' x 16.5', Triple exp. (Kockum), 160 nhp. Captain: Ivar Lønne
In Sept.-1940 we find her in the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 4, which had a large number of Norwegian ships. Rimfakse was bound for Sharpness with a cargo of lumber. The following month she's listed as bound for Sydney, C.B. in ballast in station 24 of Convoy OB 232, leaving Liverpool on Oct. 21-1940, dispersed on the 26th (see external links below for more on this convoy, which also had several Norwegian ships). She returned to the U.K. at the end of Nov. with Convoy SC 13, cargo of pit props for Sunderland. In March-1941, she shows up in the Gibraltar-U.K. Convoy HG 56, together with Fanefjeld. Rimfakse had a cargo of iron ore for Middlesbrough, station 14. Related external links: See also this
Rimfakse left Blyth on Apr. 20-1941 with a cargo of 1900 tons coal for Patricksfjord, Iceland, sailing in convoy to Loch Ewe, then departed alone on Apr. 25-1941. At 01:50 on the 27th she was struck in the after part of No. 2 hatch, port side, by a torpedo from U-147 (Eberhard Wetjen had just taken over the command that month, previously commanded by Reinhard Hardegen), position 60 10N 08 54W (about 130 n. miles northwest of Scotland). 2nd mate Rolseth, who was on watch at the time saw that No. 2 hatch had burst open, and pieces of hatches flying around. The ship immediately started to sink by the bow, listing heavily to port, and was gone within 2 minutes, leaving no time to launch lifeboats. The 2nd mate was thrown overboard after having cut the lashings and attempting to lower the port boat together with Able Seaman Kiika, who had been at the wheel when the torpedo struck. The latter then jumped onto the port raft while it was still on board, and after it had floated free he assisted the 2nd mate in getting onto it. 8 men in all eventually managed to get on the raft. They heard others crying for help in the dark, but they had no means of maneuvering the raft and go to their shipmates' aid, and the cries stopped after a couple of hours. At dawn they tore loose a couple of planks, and after having struggled for two hours they managed to paddle over to another raft. They distributed themselves on these and lashed them together; no other survivors were to be seen. At 12:45 they were picked up by S/S Hengist of Leith and landed in Crabster the next day, Apr. 28. The captain, who had injured his leg, was left behind at Durham Hospital, Thurso, while the others travelled to Newcastle and London. 10 Norwegian seamen and 1 Estonian had died. For a long time they nurtured the hope that the U-boat had picked up the others from the sea, as it had been seen in the direction of the shouts for help, but it later turned out not to be so. A visitor to my site has told me that "Shipwreck Index of the British Isles" gives the position as east of the Shetlands, 60 10N 00 54W. An inquiry was held in London on May 3-1941 with the 2nd mate appearing. Statements from the radio operator, the 1st engineer, and Able Seaman Kiika were taken on May 6. (Captain Lønne was still in hospital at that time).
Related external links: S/S Rimfakse - Technical data (Darren Dypevåg) Back to Rimfakse on the "Ships starting with R" page. Norway had also lost a steamship by this name to WW I, built 1909 for Johan Giertsen, Bergen, 1119 gt - torpedoed and sunk by a German U-60 off Hartland Point on Apr. 28-1918, voyage Bilbao-Cardiff with iron ore (managed by Albert Schjelderup, Bergen at the time of loss). 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).
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