D/S Viva
Updated Febr. 1-2010
To Viva on the "Ships starting with V" page.
Crew List
 Source: Builder - From Roger W. Jordan.
The Australian War Memorial has another picture of this ship. It can be found by running a search through their collection search page (both links are external).
Owner: Skibs-A/S Viva
Manager: C. H. Sørensen & Sønner, Arendal
Tonnage: 3798 gt, 7260 tdwt
Signal Letters: LJWJ
Delivered on Apr. 19-1938 from Fredriksstad Mek. Verksted, Fredrikstad (287) as cargo vessel Viva to C. H. Sørensen & Sønner, Arendal, steel hull, 365.2’ x 57.3’ x 20.2’, 3798 gt, 7260 tdwt, 4cyl Compound steam engine (FMV) 353bhp, 11 knots. Transferred to Skibs-A/S Viva (C. H. Sørensen & Sønner, Arendal) on Apr. 21-1938.
Captain: Oscar Andersen
Related item on this website:
On my "Find Old Shipmates" Forum there's a message from the daughter of the stoker on board Viva; she's interested in getting in touch with someone who knew her father, Arne Kristian Kristiansen Nordaas (might be identical to the Arne Kristiansen who's listed as carpenter in the crew list below?).
Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives:
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3
Please compare the above voyages with Arnold Hague's Voyage Record below.
Voyage Record From Jan.-1941 to Febr.-1944:
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(Received from Don Kindell - His source: The late Arnold Hague's database).
Follow the convoy links provided for more information on each.
Errors may exist, and several voyages are missing.
| 1941 |
Jan. 31 |
Cristobal |
Trinidad |
Febr. 6 |
Independent |
Previously traded in Pacific
See Page 1 |
| |
Febr. 7 |
Trinidad |
Capetown |
March 5 |
Independent |
|
| |
March 5 |
Capetown |
Lourenço Marques |
March 11 |
Independent |
|
| |
March 22 |
Lourenço Marques |
Durban |
March 23 |
Independent |
|
| |
Apr. 5* |
Durban |
Calcutta |
Apr. 23 |
Independent |
Left Apr. 2? (See Page 1 above) |
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May 3 |
Calcutta |
Capetown |
May 30 |
Independent |
|
| |
June 1 |
Capetown |
Trinidad |
June 22 |
Independent |
|
| |
June 24 |
Trinidad |
Boston |
July 3 |
Independent |
|
| |
July 4 |
Boston |
New York City |
July 5 |
Independent |
|
| |
July 15 |
New York City |
Trinidad |
July 23 |
Independent |
|
| |
July 26 |
Trinidad |
Capetown |
Aug. 22 |
Independent |
|
| |
Aug. 23 |
Capetown |
Bombay |
Sept. 14 |
Independent |
|
| |
Sept. 23 |
Bombay |
Calcutta |
Oct. 2 |
Independent |
|
| |
Oct. 17 |
Calcutta |
Colombo |
Oct. 22 |
Independent |
|
| |
Oct. 26 |
Colombo |
Capetown |
Nov. 15 |
Independent |
|
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Nov. 16 |
Capetown |
Trinidad |
Dec. 9 |
Independent |
|
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Dec. 10 |
Trinidad |
St. John, N.B. |
Dec. 19 |
Independent |
|
| 1942 |
Jan. 1 |
St. John, N.B. |
New York City |
Jan. 4 |
Independent |
|
| |
Febr. 25 |
New York City |
Trinidad |
March 6 |
Independent |
|
| |
March 7 |
Trinidad |
Capetown |
Apr. 2 |
Independent |
|
| |
Apr. 3 |
Capetown |
Bahrein |
Apr. 23* |
Independent |
*Arr. Apr. 27? - See Page 2 |
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Apr. 28 |
Bahrein |
Basra |
Apr. 29 |
Independent |
|
| |
May 13 |
Basra |
Abadan |
May 13 |
Independent |
|
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May 14 |
Abadan |
Fremantle |
June 12 |
Independent |
|
| |
June 12 |
Fremantle |
Bunbury |
June 13 |
Independent |
|
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June 20 |
Bunbury |
Fremantle |
June 21 |
Independent |
|
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June 23 |
Fremantle |
Aden |
July 21 |
Independent |
|
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July 22 |
Aden |
Basra |
Aug. 5 |
Independent |
Again, see also Page 2 |
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Aug. 7 |
Basra |
Abadan |
Aug. 9 |
Independent |
|
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Aug. 31 |
Abadan |
Colombo |
Sept. 9 |
Independent |
|
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Sept. 23 |
Colombo |
Fremantle |
Oct. 13 |
Independent |
|
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Oct. 16* |
Fremantle |
Melbourne |
Oct. 23 |
Independent |
*Oct. 14? (Page 2) |
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Oct. 26 |
Melbourne |
Sydney, N.S.W. |
Oct. 29 |
Independent |
|
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Nov. 3 |
Sydney, N.S.W. |
Newcastle, N.S.W. |
Nov. 3 |
Independent |
|
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Nov. 5 |
Newcastle, N.S.W. |
Sydney, N.S.W. |
Nov. 5 |
Independent |
|
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Nov. 23 |
Sydney, N.S.W. |
Melbourne |
Nov. 27 |
Independent |
|
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Dec. 2 |
Melbourne |
Bunbury |
Dec. 9 |
Independent |
|
| |
Dec. 14 |
Bunbury |
Fremantle |
Dec. 15 |
Independent |
|
| |
Dec. 15 |
Fremantle |
Basra |
Jan. 10-1943 |
Independent |
|
| 1943 |
Jan. 30 |
Abadan |
Bandar Abbas |
|
Independent |
|
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Febr. 4 |
Bandar Abbas |
|
|
PA 23 |
For Capetown.
Detached Febr. 7.
Convoy available via this page
(external link) |
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Febr. 7 |
Detached from PA 23 |
Capetown |
Febr. 28 |
Independent |
|
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March 11* |
Capetown |
|
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CN 12 |
Dispersed March 13.
Convoy available at link above.
*Page 2 gives departure as March 7 |
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March 13 |
Detached from CN 12 |
Lagos |
March 22 |
Independent |
|
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Apr. 6 |
Lagos |
Walvis Bay |
Apr. 15 |
Independent |
|
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Apr. 16 |
Walvis Bay |
Capetown |
Apr. 20 |
Independent |
Compare w/Page 3 |
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Apr. 24 |
Capetown |
Durban |
Apr. 28 |
CD 15 |
Convoy available at link above.
Missing voyages, Page 3 above |
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June 10 |
Basra |
Bandar Abbas |
June 13 |
Independent |
Missing voyage, Page 3 |
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June 20* |
Karachi |
Cochin |
July 5 |
Independent |
|
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*Departure should be June 30 and voyage belongs below |
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June 21 |
Bombay |
Karachi |
June 23 |
Independent |
|
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June 30* |
Karachi |
Cochin |
July 5 |
Independent |
|
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*Voyage inserted from above and date corrected - See also Page 3 |
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July 23 |
Cochin |
Aden |
Aug. 3 |
Independent |
|
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Aug. 3 |
Aden |
Suez |
Aug. 9 |
Independent |
Missing voyage, Page 3 |
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Aug. 11 |
Port Said |
Alexandria |
Aug. 12 |
Independent |
|
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Aug. 15 |
Alexandria |
Gibraltar |
Aug. 24 |
MKS 22 |
Alexandria to U.K. |
| |
Aug. 25 |
Gibraltar |
|
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MKS 22G |
Link above.
Convoy rendezvoused w/SL 135, Aug. 26. |
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Aug. 26 |
SL 135 & MKS 22 joined up |
Loch Ewe |
Sept. 5 |
SL 135/MKS 22 |
Convoy available at SL 135/MKS 22
(external link) |
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Sept. 5 |
Loch Ewe |
Methil |
Sept. 7 |
WN 476 |
Convoy available at WN convoys
(external link) |
| |
Sept. 7 |
Methil |
Southend |
Sept. 9 |
FS 1214A |
Convoy available at FS convoys
(external link)
Again, see also Page 3 |
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Sept. 24 |
Southend |
Methil |
Sept. 25 |
FN 1134A |
Convoy available at FN convoys
(external link) |
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Sept. 26 |
Methil |
Loch Ewe |
Sept. 28 |
EN 286 |
Convoy available at EN convoys
(external link) |
| |
Sept. 28 |
Loch Ewe |
New York City |
Oct. 15 |
ON 204 |
For Baltimore. Convoy will be added.
See ships in ON convoys |
| |
Nov. 21 |
New York City |
Hampton Roads |
Nov. 22 |
Independent |
|
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Nov. 24 |
Hampton Roads |
Port Said |
Dec. 21 |
UGS 25 |
For Port Said.
Convoy available at UGS convoys
(external link)
Missing voyage, Page 3 |
| |
Dec. 23 |
Suez |
Aden |
Dec. 29 |
Independent |
|
| |
Dec. 29 |
Aden |
Karachi |
Jan. 4-1944 |
Independent |
|
| 1944 |
Jan. 11 |
Karachi |
Bombay |
Jan. 13 |
Independent |
|
| |
Jan. 23 |
Bombay |
Cochin |
Jan. 26 |
BM 83 |
Convoy available at BM convoys
(external link) |
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Febr. 5 |
Cochin |
|
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Independent |
Sunk - See "Final Fate" below |
For information on others, see Voyage Record.
Judging from the information found on Page 1 of the archive documents, it looks like Viva was in Calcutta when war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9-1940. She had arrived there from Shanghai on Apr. 4, departing for Singapore on Apr. 18. Her 1941 voyages also start on that document and continue on Page 2, which also shows her 1942 voyages and some early 1943 voyages. The rest are listed on Page 3. Convoy information for some of these can be found in the table above.
Viva is listed in Convoy SL 135/MKS 22, bound for London with Government stores. SL 135 had started out in Freetown on Aug. 14-1943, joined up with MKS 22 from Gibraltar on the 26th and arrived Liverpool on Sept. 6; Viva stopped at Loch Ewe on Sept. 5. She's listed in the MKS portion, which can be found at MKS 22. See also the second table on my page about this convoy, which shows us that Viva had been with the convoy from Alexandria. Other Norwegian ships taking part in the combined convoy, which is available via the external link provided in the Voyage Record, were Borgholm, Bosphorus, Nyhorn, Spurt and Thalatta, all listed on this website - ref. alphabet index at the bottom of this page.
Later that month, she made a voyage to New York, having joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 204, which originated in Liverpool on Sept. 28-1943 and arrived New York Oct. 15. Several Norwegian ships took part - see ships in all ON convoys. From the U.S., Viva headed to Port Said the following month - ref. Voyage Record above.
Viva left Cochin on Febr. 5-1944 with 6000 tons general cargo for the U. K. via Aden. Torpedoed twice and sunk on Febr. 9-1944 by U-188 (Lüdden), 12 30(40?)N 57 50E. The 1st torpedo hit in the deeptank on the starboard side, completely destroying the starboard motor lifeboat, but after the engine had been stopped the remaining 3 boats were lowered and quickly rowed away. Viva had a heavy list to starboard, and about 25 minutes later the 2nd torpedo hit in the aft port side resulting in an enormous explosion (it's possible the boilers exploded at the same time), and about 7 minutes later the ship was gone. Page 3 gives the time as 22:22.
All 37 survived and were picked up in 13 00N 55 20E by the British S/S Marwarri (Captain Armstrong) in the morning of Febr. 11 and landed in Aden on Febr. 14.
The maritime hearings were held in Suez on Febr. 29-1944 with the captain, the 1st engineer, Able Seaman Monsen and the 1st and 3rd mates appearing.
The captain was in his cabin when the attack occurred at 21:50 and was thrown bodily into the saloon by the force of the explosion, the ship listing 20-25° to starboard. There was an inrush of water, accompanied by fumes from the exploding torpedo. He got to his feet and went to the navigating bridge where he found the port midships lifeboat in the process of being lowered in charge of the 1st mate. After having assisted in launching the boat, the captain returned to the saloon with the intention of getting the ship's papers, but this was impossible due to the heavy fumes, so he proceeded aft where he joined the crew in No. 4 lifeboat which had been launched in the meantime.
All 3 boats had rowed about 1/2 a mile away from the ship before they at 22:15 observed the second torpedo hit, which appeared to break the ship in 2, the stern part going down first, followed by the forward part which rose out of the water and sank. At midnight, they stopped and divided the crew in equal numbers between the 3 boats.
The 1st engineer, who had been in the engine room, stated that a severe shock was felt when the torpedo struck, and water poured down the engine room skylight and ventilators. After having stopped the engines on orders from the bridge, he joined those in the port midships lifeboat.
The 1st mate was in his cabin and was thrown to the floor by the impact of the torpedo. In spite of the rush of water through the passageway, he suceeded in gaining the chartroom where he was requested by the radio operator to help start the main transmitter, but this could not be done.
The 3rd mate, who was on watch on the bridge, stated that he felt a heavy shock, accompanied by a spout of water which rose to a considerable height and he was thrown off his feet. After having rung down to the engine room to stop engines, and sounded the alarm bell, he proceeded aft to the port boat.
Able Seaman Monsen, who had been on lookout duty on the starboard side of the bridge, later proceeded aft to No. 2 lifeboat (starboard).
Jürgen Rohwer does not mention a 2nd torpedo.
U-188 was also responsible for the attack on Britannia the year before.
On my "Find Old Shipmates" Forum there's a message from the daughter of the stoker on board Viva; she's interested in getting in touch with someone who knew her father, Arne Kristian Kristiansen Nordaas (might be identical to the Arne Kristiansen who's listed as carpenter below?).
Crew List - No casualties:
* The Norwegian Scotia also had a Karl Hustvedt - same person?
Erviken had a Robert Dalstrøm
The name Ole Olsen shows up in several crew lists
(Augvald, Bolette, Bollsta, Hermod, Hill, Ingrid, Ole Wegger, Reiås, Rigmor, Trafalgar, Vinni and several others),
but is such a common name that it's impossible to determine which one, if any, is identical to the Ole Olsen below.
One of the able seamen on board had been torpedoed 3 times before this incident.
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Captain
Oscar Andersen
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1st Mate
Erling Ringdal
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2nd Mate
Rolf Jensen
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3rd Mate
Peder Pedersen
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Radio Operator
David Hunter
(British?)
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Radio Operator
Olav Helgesen
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Carpenter
Arne Kristiansen
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Boatswain
Abraham Ekeland
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Able Seaman
Ole Olsen
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Able Seaman
Guttorm Monsen
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Able Seaman
Erling Berntsen
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Able Seaman
Bjarne Bonå
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Able Seaman
Ivar Sjånes
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Able Seaman
Jørgen Kjeding
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Able Seaman/Gunner
Robert Dalstrøm
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Able Seaman/Gunner
Jarl Kristiansen
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Able Seaman/Gunner
Harald Kleppe
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Ordinary Seaman
Henry Murray
(British)
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Ordinary Seaman
Osvald Dyrøy
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1st Engineer
Carlsberg Andersen
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2nd Engineer
Rudolf Pedersen
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3rd Engineer
Leif Hansen
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Donkeyman
Johan Bjørklund
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Stoker
Sigurd Olaussen
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Stoker
Ove Corneliussen
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Stoker
Ingvald Thorsen
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Oiler
Maurice Meyers
(British)
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Oiler *
Karl Hustvedt
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Oiler
Erling Lund
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Steward
Trygve Ness
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Cook
Perry Paulsen
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Galley Boy
Henry Price
(British)
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Galley Boy
Ronald Tarten
(British)
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Mess Boy
Geroge Woodham
(British)
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Mess Boy
Eugen Ingebritsen
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Saloon Boy
Jarl Kristiansen
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Passenger?
Harald Brekke
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Buesten had a mate by the name Harald Brekke.
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Related external link:
U-188
Back to Viva on the "Ships starting with V" page.
The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume II (Norwegian Maritime Museum), and misc. (ref. My sources). Pre war history is from T. Eriksen, Norway - his source: Article by Toralf Nilsen about C. H. Sørensen in "Skipet" 1.90
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