M/S Tudor

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

Crew List


Picture received from Sverre Johansen, Norway (postcard collection).

Final Fate - 1940:

Tudor departed Melbourne on March 15-1940 with about 3800 tons steel and about 600 tons general for Marseilles, Lisbon and Liverpool. Departed Lisbon on June 11-1940 for Gibraltar, with arrival June 12, then left Gibraltar in Convoy HGF 34 on June 13. Torpedoed (port side between hatch No. 1 and 2) on June 19-1940 by U-48 (Rösing) northwest of Cape Finisterre, position 45 10N 11 50W. The torpedo had been seen beforehand and evasive maneuvers attempted but it was too late. She started to go down by the head, and 4 lifeboats were launched and manned. By the time the captain went in the last boat the ship's propeller was out of the water. 1 of the lifeboats got caught in it and 3rd Mate Nils Pettersen was injured; he was taken aboard the captain's boat. The 2nd engineer was also in that boat and was never seen again after it had been destroyed by the propeller. The others in this boat were later picked up from the water by their shipmates.

The boats remained near the ship until 07:00, at which time she went down, a little over 4 hours after the torpedo had struck, then set sail with a course for Spain which was about 180 miles in a southeasterly direction. At about 11:00, the 15 survivors in the captain's boat were picked up by HMS Arabis while the remaining 23 were rescued by HMS Calendula and landed in Plymouth on June 21 and 22 respectively. Maritime hearings were held there on June 25 with the captain, the 2nd mate, the 3rd engineer, the carpenter, Able Seaman Wangberg (helmsman), and Ordinary Seaman Rasmussen (lookout) appearing.

Kollskegg, Nina Borthen, John P. Pedersen and Svein Jarl were also in this convoy. (According to a personal story found in "Krigsseileren" No. 1, 1974 Norma also took part, but she's not listed in the convoy document).

Other ships sunk were Baron Loudon, British Monarch and Otterpool.

Crew List:
* Margit Johnsen later experienced the "suicide convoys" to Malta on board Talabot, and the sinking of that ship.

Survivors:
Captain Hans Bjønnes	1st Mate Hjalmar Opstad	2nd Mate Odd Lea	3rd Mate Nils E. Pettersen	4th Mate Gunnar Piltingsrud	Radio Operator Gunnar Aas
Carpenter Olaf Marensius Tallaksen	Boatswain Asbjørn Bollerud	Able Seaman Kåre Wangberg	Able Seaman Ingemann Skjolde	Able Seaman Jens P. Rasmussen	Able Seaman Willy Hansen
Able Seaman Hans Kryvovias (Danish)	Able Seaman Inge H. Storheill	Able Seaman Odd R. Hagen	Able Seaman Thorleif Gullerud	Ordinary Seaman Finn Rasmussen	1st Engineer Per M. Isaksen
3rd Engineer Edward Christopher Gasman	4th engineer Georg Chr. Løwø	Electrician Meidell Iversen	Mechanic William Madsen	Mechanic Knut Johannessen	Mechanic Knut Berge
Mechanic Ole P. Nilsen	Mechanic Gunolv O. Røed	Mechanic Hans O. Tønnesen	Oiler Paulus A. Rasmussen	Oiler Eigil L. Nilsen	Oiler Paul A. Monsen
Engine Boy Thomas Gulbrandsen	Steward Einar L. Larsen	Cook Karl Nilsen	2nd Cook Ragnar Johannessen	Stewardess Margit L. Johnsen *	Stewardess Hjørdis E. Olsen
Mess Boy Gunnar Kristiansen	Saloon Boy Ingolf Syversen
Casualty:
		† 2nd Engineer Karl Thomas Hansen

Related external links:
More on the 2nd engineer - Commemorated at the Memorial for Seamen in Stavern, Norway.

Operations information for U-48 - As can be seen this U-bot was also responsible for the loss of other Norwegian ships.

U-48 | Hans-Rudolf Rösing

Back to Tudor on the "Ships starting with T" page.

Wilh. Wilhelmsen later had another ship by this name, 1949-1969, 5418 gt. Later named Sol Tulla for Johannes Solstad, Skudesneshavn (Aug.-1969), and Sea Glory for Harper Shipping Ltd., Panama (Nov.-1975). Broken up 1978.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, Wilh. Wilhelmsen's fleet list, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume II (Norwegian Maritime Museum) and misc. - (ref. My sources).