M/T Slemdal

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

Crew List

Related item on this website:
A note on my Forum from someone whose father was on board at the time of sinking. See also the response to her note.

In Admiralty service from 1940 (Royal Fleet Auxiliary).

Some Convoy Voyages - 1941:

Slemdal was scheduled for Convoy HX 130 in June-1941 but instead joined the next convoy, HX 131, bound for Manchester with a cargo of gasoline in station 54 - several Norwegian ships took part. In Aug.-1941 she was in Convoy HX 145 along with the Norwegian Annavore (station 122), Maridal (station 83), Høyanger (station 95, 3 bombers on deck), Leikanger (station 64, lumber), Vav (station 114), Charles Racine, Kaia Knudsen (station 73), all listed on this website. Some of these ships, including Slemdal, subsequently returned across the Atlantic with the westbound Convoy ON 15, which left Liverpool on Sept. 11-1941.

Final Fate - 1942:

Slemdal departed Lisbon on June 11-1942 with a cargo of 6321 tons Admiralty fuel for Clyde and joined the northbound Convoy HG 84 which had departed Gibraltar the day before. Struck by a torpedo in the forward hold, starboard side in the early morning hours of June 15 (about an hour after midnight) from U-552 (Topp). On the bridge at the time were the captain, the 3rd mate, Ordinary Seaman H. Kristoffersen (helmsman), Able Seaman Gundersen (lookout) and Ordinary Seaman Jensen (lookout), while the Dutch Willem Snoeck was on duty by the aft gun. A radio signal about their situation was sent twice, while she sank deeper and deeper, until they at 01:45 decided to take to the lifeboats. As they abandoned ship in 3 boats Slemdal's foredeck was under water and the propeller above water.

The captain's boat and the 1st mate's boat remained nearby to see if she would stay afloat. The British corvette HMS Marigold came over to pick them up at 02:15, but captain Pedersen informed the commander that he preferred to wait until he knew for sure that she could not be saved. 15 minutes later the corvette announced that Slemdal had sunk and the crew in the 2 boats were quickly taken aboard as there was a U-boat nearby, giving them no time to bring the luggage from the lifeboat, so that the captain's bag containing all the ship's papers was lost. According to Captain Pedersen's report the corvette attacked the U-boat about 5 minutes after they had embarked.

The captain's report gives the position for the sinking of Slemdal as 43 28N 17 35W, while Rohwer gives position 43 18N 17 38W.

The captain and 6 crew were landed in Liverpool on June 20-1942, and that same day the 2nd mate and 29 crew were also landed.

Arnold Hague's "Convoy Rescue Ships 1940-1945", states that 17 of Slemdal's 37 survivors were picked up by the British rescue ship Copeland. This ship also rescued 27 survivors from Pelayo (crew of 46) and later 41 of the 43 survivors from City of Oxford which was sunk in U-552's 2nd attack (as was S/S Thurso). A. Hague says the 2 attacks came three and a half hours apart. Topp also torpedoed and sank the British S/S Etrib.

The maritime inquiry was held in Glasgow on June 25-1942 with the captain, the 3rd mate, the 2nd engineer, Able Seaman Gundersen and Ordinary Seaman Kristoffersen appearing. The 2nd engineer stated that the Polish 3rd engineer, who had been in the engine room at the time of attack, was interned by British authorities upon landing.

Crew List - No casualties:
The men denoted * were brothers.
** Ingolf Tvedt had previously escaped with 10 others from M/S Nyhorn in a selfmade boat in Dec.-1941.
He later became a radio operator and sailed on G. C. Brøvig).

Captain Johan Manfred Pedersen	1st Mate Trygve Torgrimsen	2nd Mate * Omar Kristoffersen	3rd Mate Birger Tveitevåg	Radio Operator Robert Strand	Carpenter Hans Thorsen
Boatswain Karl Klausen	Able Seaman * Nikolai Kristoffersen	Able Seaman Olaf Walvåg	Able Seaman Gustav Nedrebø	Able Seaman Egil Gundersen	Able Seaman Arnold Karlsen
Able Seaman Johan Johansen	Able Seaman Willem Snoeck (Dutch)	Able Seaman Paul Knapstad	Ordinary Seaman ** Ingolf Tvedt	Ordinary Seaman Harry Kristoffersen	Ordinary Seaman Erling Jensen
Ordinary Seaman Birger Sandstrand	1st Engineer Hans Hansen	2nd Engineer Kasmer (Kasper?) Gjendemsjø	3rd Engineer Zygmunt Juriewicz (Polish)	Assistant Martel Olsen	Electrician Olaf Olsen
Mechanic Arthur Olsen	Mechanic Ole Gulliksen	Mechanic Åge Olsen	Mechanic Peder Halhjem	Pumpman Wlademir Kawart (Estonian)	Oiler Albregt Stormark
Oiler Peder Andersen	Oiler Claus Nissen (Danish)	Oiler Josef Maillet (British)	Steward Asmund Pedersen	Cook Magnus Hagen	Galley Boy Halfdan Nielsen
Mess Boy Matthew Shaughnessy (British)

Related external links:
Operations information for U-552

U-552 | Erich Topp

Back to Slemdal 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. others as mentioned in above text - (ref. My sources).