M/S Ronda

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


Received from Harald Ness, who says he found it in "Bergen og Sjøfarten IV 1914-1939".
(Original source appears to be Bergen Sjøfartsmuseum).

Received from, and painted by, Jan Goedhart, Holland.

Final Fate - 1939:

Ronda was the first Norwegian ship sunk in WW II. Norway was still neutral at that time. She struck a mine on Sept. 13-1939, and sank in position 54 10N 04 34E (off Terschelling, Holland), on a voyage from Antwerp to New York, via Kristiansand, in order to pick up some new crew and more rescue equipment. She sank so quickly that there was no time to launch lifeboats, and most of the 20 survivors had to jump overboard. They kept themselves afloat with the help of the workboat which floated up, and on a raft made of parts of a hatch, and drifted towards the Dutch coast for 58 hours before they were picked up by the Italian Provvidenza, which landed them in Vlissingen. 17 had died incl. the captain and his wife and 3 passengers.

According to "The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II" (Robert Cressman) 2 Americans were among the dead, and 4 Americans among those rescued.

The Memorial for Seamen in Stavern, Norway, which I've linked to below, names the following Norwegians:
Steward Karl Waldemar Aalmen, Able Seaman Lars Bakkebø, Engineer Odd Fjelstad Pettersen, Oiler Johan Friis, Oiler Sigurd Severin Hansen, Cook Trygve Milian Hansen, Mechanic Tønnes Helvik, Mess Boy Johannes Severin Iden, Engine Boy Inge Asbjørn Kvamme, Boatswain Christian Gerhard Lyhaug, Chief Engineer Sverre Vidar Normann, Oiler Ingolf Johannes Olsen, as well as Captain Solberg.

Related external link:
Stavern commemorations - 13 are commemorated, Norwegians only. The captain's wife is not included. This website says Ronda had 39 people on board, incl. 7 passengers, and that 16 crew and 2 passengers died.

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

This company used the name Ronda again for a motor vessel delivered to them in 1948, built in Gothenburg, 4608 gt. Collided with the American Lucile Bloomfield off Le Havre on Oct. 1-1963, towed to port, but capsized and sank alongside the quay the following day, later sold for breaking up.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Skip og menn", Birger Dannevg - and misc.