M/T Stigstad - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

Misc. Convoy Voyages – 1940-1942:

Stigstad, bound for Manchester, is listed among the ships in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 38 in Apr./May-1940. She subsequently joined Convoy OB 151, departing Liverpool on May 19-1940. Her voyage information is given as Liverpool-New York, and she had station 12 of the convoy. (Alaska, Fana, and Titanian are also listed). She returned to the U.K. the following month with Convoy HX 51, bound for Liverpool with a cargo of lub. oil, station 32, and in July she's listed in Convoy OB 182, again bound for New York (see external links below). In Sept. we find her in station 72 of Convoy HX 70, her destination Manchester, then in Oct. she's listed in Convoy OB 229. She was scheduled for the Bermuda portion of Convoy HX 91 in Nov., but instead joined the next convoy, HX 92, lub. oil for Birkenhead, station 71.

In Jan.-1941 she shows up in Convoy OB 274, and in March that year she's listed as bound for New York in Convoy OB 302, leaving Liverpool on March 24-1941, dispersed 6 days later (also available at the external links below). In May that year she sailed in Convoy HX 127, bound for Liverpool in station 93 of the convoy, in which quite a few Norwegian ships took part. The following month she appears in Convoy OB 334, leaving Liverpool on June 11-1941, arriving Halfiax on June 25. Stigstad was again bound for New York.

She was scheduled to return with Convoy HX 137 in July-1941, but instead joined the next convoy, HX 138, bound for Manchester, returning across the ocean the following month with the westbound Convoy ON 5, which left Liverpool on Aug. 6-1941. Stigstad then went back to the U.K. in Sept.-1941 with Convoy HX 148, along with the Norwegian Ørnefjell (55), James Hawson (83), Grey County (93), Herbrand (52), Idefjord (35), Egda (54), Vivi (76), and Mirlo (23), as well as the Panamanian Norvinn (Norwegian managers, therefore listed on this website, station 53, between Herbrand and Egda). Some of these ships, including Stigstad, subsequently returned to the U.S. with the westbound Convoy ON 20 on Sept. 25. Stigstad was bound for Galveston and had station 22. In Nov.-1941 she sailed in Convoy HX 161, together with the Norwegian Solfonn, Havprins, Havkong, Vav, Nueva Andalucia, an unnamed freighter, and 3 unnamed tankers. 1941 was rounded off by going in the other direction with the westbound Convoy ON 52*.

Stigstad is mentioned among the ships leaving Halifax in Convoy HX 177 on Febr. 25-1942, then towards the end of the following month we find her listed as bound for New York in the westbound Convoy ON 79*. She subsequently returned to the U.K. in Apr./May with Convoy HX 187, joining the westbound Convoy ON 95* in the middle of May in order to sail to Baytown. In July that same year she's listed in Convoy HX 199, and the following month we find her in station 43 of the westbound Convoy ON 123, which left Liverpool for the U.S. on Aug. 21. She also sailed in Convoy HX 215, which departed New York City on Nov. 11-1942 and arrived Liverpool on the 25th. Stigstad had a cargo of lub. oil and was bound for Mersey. At the beginning of Dec. she joined the westbound Convoy ON 151*, bound for New York, and may have been scheduled to head back to the U.K. with Convoy HX 221 on Dec. 29 that year, but did not sail. The name is very difficult to decipher, and I'm not entirely sure this was Stigstad.

* All the ON convoys mentioned here are available and will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section in due course, with more details on each. In the meantime, please go to the section listing ships in all ON convoys. As will be seen, several Norwegian ships took part in them.

Related external links:
OB convoys - OB 151 and OB 302 are included. See also Convoy OB 151, OB 182, OB 229, OB 274, OB 302, OB 334.

See also this chronological
list of OA and OB convoys 1940

Final Fate - 1943:

Stigstad departed Liverpool in Convoy ON 166 on Febr. 11-1943, bound for New York (from Manchester) in ballast. In a heavy storm she fell further and further behind until she lost sight of the convoy altogether, and was sailing alone when she was torpedoed on Febr. 21-1943, first by U-332 (Hüttemann), and a few minutes later by U-603 (Bertelsmann), 49 26N 29 08W.

According to a report presented at the subsequent maritime hearings, the ship was hit by 3 torpedoes, all on the starboard side. The steward had seen the first one coming at about 15:00* and ran up to the bridge to notify the officer on watch, 2nd Mate Alvenes, but the torpedo exploded near tank No. 16 before evasive maneuvers could be made. The 4" gun aft was immediately manned. About 2 minutes later a 2nd torpedo struck below midships then a 3rd exploded in the engine room.

* Rohwer gives German time as 16:59 for the first attack, and 17:05 for the second, adding in a footnote "The Stigstad was hit by one torpedo from U 332 and then by two from U 603, and sank in 15 min.". Rohwer does not list Stigstad as a straggler.

Both starboard boats had been destroyed by the explosion, and due to the heavy starboard list it was impossible to get the aft port boat launched, but the forward port boat was succefully put on the water before Stigstad sank in 4-5 minutes, and the 2 aft rafts also floated free. 34 had survived, some of whom had jumped overboard and were picked up by the lifeboat. 3 were found floating on their lifevests face down in the water, all were dead. The U-boat came up and asked the usual questions, then left, only to come back half an hour later to hand them several cans of bread, 12 tins of Norwegian herring in tomatoes, 7 tins of blood pudding, 12-15 lbs of prunes and 7 lbs of Danish butter, before it took off.

After having taken on board the 14 men as well as supplies from the rafts the survivors set sail for Ireland (about 700 miles away), taking care of the injured the best they could in the overcrowded lifeboat. 2 weeks later, on March 7, when about 60 miles northwest of Valentia Island, Ireland (position 52 30N 12 08W) they were located by the British trawler Thomas Boot (from the Welsh port Milford Haven, skipper A. Howie), which interrupted its fishing and landed them at Valentia the next day. Keeping in mind that this was in the middle of winter, it's hard to even imagine what those 2 weeks must have been like. Captain Pettersen says the men on the trawler gave them their own beds, and the steward stayed up all night to cook and bake for them.

On arrival Valentia they were met by representatives from Red Cross and The Shipwrecked Mariners' Society. 6 were admitted to a hospital, while the rest were distributed in various hotels. On March 16, 16 travelled to Liverpool, another 11 were able to leave on the 19th and the remaining 7 on the 23rd. Maritime hearings were held in Liverpool on Apr. 7-1943 with the 2nd mate, the 1st engineer, the 3rd engineer, the steward, Able Seaman Edland (helmsman), and Able Seaman Taraldsen (gun duty) appearing.

Worth mentioning (found in "Handelsflåten i krig", book 4 by Guri Hjeltnes. She lists her source as an Interview with 2nd Mate Peder Alvenes, Nov. 1987 by Harris Gregersen, Rohwer 1983):
Peder Alvenes says they were very sceptical when the U-boat came up, thinking at first that Hüttemann was up to no good, but instead he asked them in English if they had any food in the lifeboat. When the reply was negative he said he would go over to the other U-boat that had also attacked their ship, and might come back with supplies for them. Alvenes says, "but you know, we didn't trust him. While we were waiting we picked up all those who were still in the water, the rest were on a raft". But after 30 minutes Hüttemann returned with a box on deck. He helped get the food transferred to the lifeboat himself, then said, "I hope you keep going", then took off. (2 of the survivors, Einar Abrahamsen and Arne Mathisen, were reunited 44 years later).

Other Norwegian ships sunk from Convoy ON 166 were M/S Ingria, N. T. Nielsen-Alonso and M/T Glittre. Follow the convoy link provided above for the names of other ships sunk (other Norwegian ships sailing in this convoy were Molda, Skandinavia, Tai Shan, Tropic Star and Brasil).

A. F. Klaveness & Co. A/S, Oslo also had a Stigstad post war, delivered in Jan.-1961, 13 074 gt. Later names: Ronabay from 1963 for Einar Saanum, Mandal, Panamanian Lugano from 1973, An Foo 1975, Fu Kang 1976, Julius Helm 1979, Yannis K 1980, sold for breaking up in 1982, having had an engine room fire the previous year when en route to Boston from Rotterdam.