D/S Skrim
Updated March 4-2009

To Skrim on the "Ships starting with S" page.


This was received from John McCreadie, who has also posted this message to my Guestbook, naming other Norwegian seamen (the gravestones are at Cardonald Cemetery in Glasgow, Scotland).
Checking with "Våre falne", a series of 4 books listing Norwegian WW II fatalities, I find that Engineeer Johan Hermann Selvik died at a hospital in Glasgow on the date given. He's said to have been on board Skrim previously (but must have left the ship before she was sunk), and is also commemorated at the Stavern Memorial - ref. link at the end of this page.
For information on Karl Kristiansen, please see Idefjord.

Her voyages are listed on this original image received from the National Archives of Norway.

Some Convoy Voyages:

(More will be added).

A French visitor to my website has told me that Skrim sailed from Casablanca on Febr. 26-1940 in convoy 70-KS under French escort. At Le Verdon March 3. Sailed from Le Verdon on Apr. 15-1940 (6 days after the German invasion of Norway) in convoy 49-XS under French escort. At Casablanca Apr. 21 (however, according to the archive document, she arrived Dunkirk on Apr. 20, leaving again for Dakar Apr. 23, from Dakar to Bathurst, then back to Dakar and on to Casablanca, with arrival there May 19). Sailed from Casablanca on May 21-1940 in convoy 99-KS under French escort. At Le Verdon May 27. All these convoys are available via the external links below.

In July-1940, she's listed, with destination Southend, in Convoy OB 178, which left Liverpool on July 3. Going back to the archive document, we learn that she arrived Southampton on July 7, having started out from Garston on July 3. At the end of that month, she made a voyage to Sydney, C.B., where she arrived Aug. 12 - I have no convoy information for this voyage. She headed back to the U.K. again on Aug. 25 in the slow Convoy SC 2, in which the Norwegian Gro was sunk. Skrim had a cargo of lumber for Ipswich.

Related external links:
Convoy 70 KS - Based on Arnold Hague's database. The site also has 49 XS, 99 KS and OB 178, all mentioned above.

Final Fate - 1940:

Skrim departed Aberdeen on Nov. 25, Oban on Dec. 1-1940, bound for Sydney, C.B. On Dec. 4 the convoy (OB-252*) was split up in bad weather and Skrim was never heard from again. The captain on board Elg reported having heard an explosion during the night, and also saw a light, but the bad weather prevented him from observing anything further. Later findings have indicated that Skrim was torpedoed by U-43 (Lüth) and sunk on Dec. 6-1940, in about 53N 21W.

Crew List - No survivors:

Casualties
† Captain Max Emil Gran	† 1st Mate? Thorleif Jervell Pettersen	† ? Michal Michalsen	† ? Lars Andreas Bakke	† ? Sigurd W. Olsen	† ? Karl Hansen
† ? Peder Martin Lunde	† ? Hans Korneliussen	† ? Henry Kaare Eriksen	† ? Trygve Hansen	† ? Aage Henry Larsen (Danish)	† ? Kjell Halvorsen
† ? Bernhard Berg Nilsen	† ? Johan Sildnæs	† ? Gøsta Harald Andersson (Swedish)	† ? Ingvald Pedersen	† ? Ivar Stangeland	† ? Ansgar Flaatelien
† ? Sigvald Hansen	† ? Alf O. M. Danielsen	† ? Arne Gabrielsen

Related external links:
Convoy OB 252

Stavern Memorial commemorations - 21 Norwegians are commemorated at this memorial for seamen in Stavern, Norway. There's a Fritz Larsen and a Johan Herman Selvik in addition to those listed above (see gravestone picture further up on this page). According to "Våre falne", Mess Boy Fritz Larsen had served on Skrim until he drowned during the blackout on Oct. 18-1940 (Albert Dock, Leith) - Ingvald Johan P. Braksæt might be idential to Ingvald Pedersen in my list(?)

Operations information for U-43

U-43 | Wolfgang Lüth

Back to Skrim on the "Ships starting with S" 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).