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D/S Vestfoss To Vestfoss on the "Ships starting with V" page. Manager: S/A Thor Thoresens Linje Built in Oslo 1909. As can be seen from the above picture, the name of the ship is spelt with just one s. I'm not sure whether this means my spelling is incorrect, or whether her name had been Vestfos at one time. In a posting to my Guestbook a visitor to my website says that this ship called at Silloth on several occasions during the late 1930s, to load coke (coal) for Norway. Vestfoss is listed among the ships in Convoy HN 9A from Norway to the U.K. in Jan.-1940. As will be seen by clicking on the link, several other Norwegian ships also took part.
Jan-Olof, Sweden has told me that according to "Lloyd's War Losses, Vol. 1" this ship was sunk by aircraft while on a voyage from Partington to Oslo with a cargo of coal on March 1-1940 (Norway was still neutral at that time). Attacked 12 miles E. by S. of Copinsay. Wreck lies in 58 54N 02 23W. Part of the crew arrived in Oslo on March 6. He has also sent me a copy of an old newspaper clipping, dated London, March 5, saying the crew of 19 was saved from their lifeboats by the trawler Star of Liberty, which landed them in a Scottish port that same day. The captain of the trawler had seen a big flame come out of the ship. Vestfos was taken in tow, but after about 2 hours she had taken in so much water that towing had to be given up and she sank shortly afterwards. It appears the pilot of the German aircraft had given the crew a warning to get in the boats, because as it came over the first time the pilot signalled with his arms to them, took off, then returned and dropped a bomb in front of her bow. The aircraft then made a wide circle and when it returned it dropped a bomb between hatch 1 and 2 - the men had gone in the lifeboats by then. The article says the plane took its time, made another round at slow speed, then came back and dropped another bomb, this time with much more serious results than the former 2, which had not caused much damage. She was now set on fire, and no more bombs were dropped. The article adds that Vestfos had been in service Norway-Manchester for 32 years, ever since she was built at Nylands mek. Verksted, Oslo. Another visitor to my site has told me that “Dive North East Scotland” says "Sank 9 miles E of Copinsay Light". A Norwegian source, "Norges, Sveriges og Danmarks handelsflåter, tilgang og avgang i 1940-1945" gives the position as 6 n. miles off Out Skerries Light. Back to Vestfoss on the "Ships starting with V" page.
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