M/S Titanian

To Titanian on the "Ships starting with T" page.


Source: Roger W. Jordan collection (sent to me for inclusion on this website).

This one was received from (and painted by) Jan Goedhart, Holland.

Owner: A/S Rederiet Titanian
Manager: Hilmar Reksten, Bergen
Tonnage: 4880 gt.
Dimensions: 400.6' x 53.5' x 25.7'.

Delivered in May-1924 as Iossifoglu from Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd., Newcastle (1217) to S.H., London. Sold in 1925 to Ionian Marine & Land Investment Co., London. Sold in 1927 to Moorgate Investment & Agency Co., Ltd., Newcastle. Renamed Titanian in 1929 - Moorgate Investment & Agency Co. Ltd. (W.A. Souter & Co.), Newcastle. Sold in 1936 to Swan Hunter & W. Richardson (W.A. Souter & Co.), Newcastle. Sold in Dec.-1936 to A/S Rederiet Titanian (Hilmar Reksten), Bergen, no name change.

Related pages on this website:
Odd's ships
Odd's letters - Letter No. 4 refers to the loss of Titanian.
Message in my Guestbook from someone whose father served on this ship. He also mentions a near miss with an iceberg on Apr. 23-1935.

Some War Voyages:

(More will be added).

Titanian is listed in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 36 in Apr./May-1940, bound for Liverpool with a cargo of cotton and lumber in station 33. She subsequently joined Convoy OB 151, departing Liverpool on May 19-1940. Her voyage information is given as Liverpool-Botwood, and she had station 22 of the convoy. Alaska, Stigstad, and Fana are also listed. (The external websites that I've linked to at the end of this page have more information on the OB convoys). In Sept.-1940 she shows up in the Bermuda portion of Convoy HX 71, general cargo for Avonmouth.

In Dec. that same year she's listed in Convoy OB 257, leaving Liverpool on Dec. 10-1940. Her destination is given as Bermuda - again, see the first external link at the end of this page for the names of other ships in this convoy, some of which were Norwegian.

In Apr.-1941 Titanian, with a cargo of lead, zinc and lumber for London, was scheduled for the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 28 but cancelled and instead joined the next convoy, SC 29.

In Jan./Febr.-1942 we find her, with a cargo of grain for Leith, in station 22 of Convoy SC 67 from Halifax to the U.K., in which the Norwegian Heina was sunk. In Apr. that year she sailed in Convoy SC 79 (having cancelled from the previous convoy, SC 78), cargo of grain for Manchester, returning across the ocean the following month with the westbound Convoy ON 92. As will be seen by following the link, this convoy lost several ships, but none of them were Norwegian. Titanian subsequently went back to the U.K. in June with the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 87, bound for Barry Docks, cargo of grain and trucks. At the end of Aug.-1942, she's listed in Convoy SC 98

I found 2 pictures of Titanian at the section for Ordering Pictures of Ships on The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich website. They have an extensive collection of ships' photographs and I found several of my father's ships here by running a search under the ship's name. They're quite expensive and I only mention this because of the info provided in the text for each picture. The text for the first picture of Titanian says: 1942-1943, lying at quayside on the River Tyne. Negative dated 24 Feb. 1943." The text for the second one says: "1942-1943, lying at quayside on the River Tyne. Negative dated 14 Apr. 1943. NB: The Titanian arrived on the Tyne, from Hull, on 22 Jan. 1943 and sailed on 4 Jun. 1943 for Halifax N S." It would be interesting to know why she was there for such a long time. (The westbound convoys closest to this date are ON 187, which left Liverpool for New York on June 1-1943, arrival June 15, and ONS 10, departing Liverpool for Halifax on June 8, arrived on the 27th).

In July-1943, she can be found in Convoy SC 136 from Halifax, then in Sept. she's listed in Convoy SC 141. A couple of months later, in Nov.-1943, she shows up in the Sydney, C.B. portion of Convoy SC 146, cargo of steel and lumber for London.

The following spring she sailed in Convoy SC 155, leaving Halifax on March 14-1944. In Aug. that same year, Titanian, with a cargo of iron and lumber for Methil and London, shows up in the Halifax portion of Convoy HX 303. This convoy had 16 other Norwegian ships, namely Romulus, Dalfonn, Noravind, Atlantic, Sommerstad, Skotaas, Geisha, Thorhild, Petter, Stirlingville, Rena, Para, Tanafjord, Mui Hock, Fjordaas and Norse Lady, all listed on this website. (More details on them can be found with the help of the alphabet index at the end of this page). In the middle of Nov.-1944 we find Titanian in the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 161, carrying steel and lumber, destination Barry Dock.

POST WAR:

On March 30-1947, when on a voyage from Antwerp to Oslo in ballast, she struck a mine in 53 35N 04 35E (40 miles west of Texel Island) and was badly damaged. According to a contemporary newspaper article, 13 men from Titanian were picked up by the fishing vessel Katwijk 5, after the tug Volharding had heard the SOS, presumably sent by my dad, who was the radio operator on board when this happened. The rest of her crew must have remained on board. Titanian was later assisted by these 2 vessels as well as Blankenburg and Maas. She was listing heavily and was towed into port, arriving Nieuwe Waterweg on Apr.-1, then Rotterdam on Apr. 3. Found to be beyond economical repair. Declared a constructive total loss on Nov. 6-1947, and sold to Stavanger Skipsopphugning (breakers) in Apr.-1948 where demolition began in June-1948. For insurance purposes the loss was settled as a war loss.

My father talks about this incident in his Letter No. 4 (ref. link further up on this page) in which he says "For the seamen the war was not over on the 8th of May, 1945. On the M/S Titanian, which I signed on in the fall of 1946 I got proof of just that. We went straight into a magnetic mine field. The ship broke almost in two, but after 3 days we managed to get ashore, after having been picked up by a Dutch trawler. This happened on Palm Sunday, 1947".

Picture received from Jan Goedhart, Holland, who in turn obtained it from Nationaal Sleepvaart Museum, Maassluis
(used here with permission from the museum).

In my father's papers I've found a recommendation written by Captain Bernt Breivik, dated Rotterdam, May 3-1947. I'm wondering if he's identical to the captain who served on Hadrian which was interned in Dakar during the war, and who took part in the incredible escape of Lidvard? Follow links to more details. If anyone could confirm this, I would appreciate it.

Lillesand Sjømannsforening also has a picture of a ship which is said to be Titanian, presumably after she hit the mine.

To Titanian on the "Ships starting with T" page.

Hilmar Reksten later had another ship named Titanian. This ship sailed as Morgenen during the war (see the Post War details for that ship).

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, E-mails from Roger W. Jordan (author of "The World's Merchant Fleets", a Dutch newspaper article received from Jan Goedhart, Holland, "Tramp" by Dag Bakka Jr. via Jan Goedhart, and misc. - ref. My sources).

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