D/S Skrim
Updated March 20-2010

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.

(Received from Don Kindell - His source: The late Arnold Hague's database).

Some Convoy Voyages:

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 (6 days after the German invasion of Norway) in convoy 49 XS under French escort (Norwegian Brott is also listed). At Casablanca Apr. 21 (note that according to the archive document, she arrived Dunkirk on Apr. 20, leaving again for Dakar Apr. 23, with arrival Apr. 29, from Dakar to Bathurst Apr. 29/30, then back to Dakar and on to Casablanca, arriving there May 19). Sailed from Casablanca on May 21-1940 in convoy 99 KS under French escort, arrived Le Verdon May 27 (Dagfred is also included). All these convoys are available via the external links provided in the Voyage Record. From Verdon, Skrim proceeded to Bordeaux and from there to Liverpool on June 6, arriving Liverpool on the 9th, continuing to Garston, where she arrived June 10.

Together with the Norwegian Austvard, Benjamin Franklin, Hellen, Ingerfem, Margrethe Bakke and Senta she's listed, with destination Southend, in Convoy OB 178, which left Liverpool on July 3-1940. However, 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 from Methil Roads to Sydney, C.B., where she arrived Aug. 12 - I have no convoy information for this voyage. Having made voyages to Newcastle, N.B. and Nelson, N.B., she returned to Sydney, C.B., heading back to the U.K. again on Aug. 25 in the slow Convoy SC 2, in which the Norwegian Gro and others were sunk; follow the links for more info. Skrim had a cargo of lumber for Ipswich - she arrived Belfast Lough on Sept. 10; her arrival Ipswich is not given on the archive document.

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, in about 53N 21W. Another torpedo had been fired a few minutes earlier, but missed.

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:
The attack on Farmsum
The attack on Empire Jaguar

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, at Albert Dock, Leith. I'm not sure if this date is correct (unless he had paid off?); according to the archive document, Skrim had left Leith for Grangemouth on Oct. 7 - 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).