Warsailors Forums

Hello,
the finnish steamer RAINER with 2609 BRT was on voyage from Emden to Stockholm via Cuxhaven.
She was sunk on the 14th March 1941northeast Norderney.
Did she sail in a convoy and what was its name ?

thanks once more

Kurt

Hi,

Wirma and Rainer are the same vessel

Hello, Kurt

The Finnish steamer Rainer (ex Wirma) had loaded 3144 tonnes of coke at Emden, of which 590 tonnes had been placed on deck. The ship was enroute to Stockholm. The ship set out on Wed 12.3.1941 at 2 pm, with Kustaa Jens Laine as the master and 22 men on board. The ship arrived off Borkum the same day at 5:45 pm and stayed overnight at anchor.

The following day the voyage continued at 6 pm in a convoy. The first ship was the Swedish Vinga, followed by Rainer, then the Swedish Aretea and another merchant ship.

It was a clear night the moon was almost full. At about midnight, a bomber attacked Aretea and dropped two bombs, but they missed. At 00:20 the bomber attacked again, and a bomb fell to the left of Rainer at the bow post. Rainer sank N53.52 E6.57 in 10 minutes. Aretea had stopped its engines, and Rainer´s crew roved to Aretea in two lifeboats. Only one man was wounded by the bomb. The Aretea took Rainer´s crew to Cuxhaven during the same day.

With all probability the convoy had no name.

This info is from a Finnish book by Helge Heikkinen, called “Vaarallisilla vesillä – Suomen kauppalaivaston vaiheita toisen maailmansodan aikana”, printed in 1960. Translated roughly: Sailing the hazardous waters – The Finnish merchant navy during the Second World war.

Many thanks

Kurt