D/S Askild
Updated July 12-2008

To Askild on the "Ships starting with A" page.

Crew List


From Bjørn Milde's postcard collection.

Notes:

As mentioned, Askild sailed in the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 60 in Dec.-1941, bound for Reykjavik, cargo of lumber and 2 passengers. The Norwegian Snar is also listed.

She's also mentioned among the ships leaving Halifax to form Convoy SC 73 on March 6-1942. She's not included in the Advance Sailing Telegram for this convoy, nor is this voyage mentioned in her Voyage Record, but as mentioned, several voyages are missing from the record. Note, however, that Page 2 of the documents received from the National Archives of Norway does have her leaving Halifax on that date, with destination St. John's, where she arrived on March 9.

Final Fate - 1942:

Askild departed St. John's on December 2-1942, bound for St. Lawrence in ballast, and joined Convoy CL 61 that afternoon.

At 04:20 the following morning, Dec. 3, she ran aground by Chance Cove (near Cape Race) due to worsening weather. The entire crew was called to the boatdeck, distress calls were sent out as well as flashes. They all stayed on board until she at 06:30 broke up. The seas were continuously washing in over the boatdeck where the crew was still assembled, so they were sent to the port side, which was still fairly undamaged, to try to get ashore. At that time two men were found to be missing, assumed knocked overboard by the seas. The rest managed to get the port boat out and by 07:30 they were all ashore, but had to climb straight up a cliff in order to get clear of the breakers.

As day dawned, they managed to get further up with the help of lines from the lifeboat. While 1st Mate Nils Jespersen remained with 16 crew, the captain and 3 others went to look for help. En route Ordinary Seaman William Nilsen had to be left behind due to exhaustion, while the captain, together with Gunner Einar Rognerud and Ordinary Seaman Gunnar Pedersen reached the light house at Cape Race several hours later. A report was immediately sent to St. John's, and people from the lighthouse went out to look for those who had remained behind. They soon returned carrying William Nilsen, while others, with the help of dogs, kept searching for the others, but came back early the next morning without having found them.

A fresh search team was then sent out, from Cape Race as well as from Trepassey, and later that day the men from Trepassey returned with Able Seaman Hans Jeppesen and the Canadian Galley Boy Walter Sheeby. Medications, food and dry clothes were sent from St. John's. On Dec. 5 the remaining 14 were finally found. They were taken to private families in Portugal Cove and Cape Race, then transported to St. John's on the 6th.

The maritime hearings were held at St. John's on Dec. 10-1942 with Captain Bilet (on board for 3 years), 1st Mate Jespersen (on board since Oct.-1942), 2nd Engineer Hansen (who had been on board for 7 weeks), Boatswain Bentsen (since Apr.-1939), and Ordinary Seaman Pedersen (on board for 5 months) appearing.

Crew List:

Survivors
Captain Olav Bilet	1st Mate/Radio Operator Nils Jespersen	Boatswain Harry Bentsen	Able Seaman Hans Jeppesen (Danish)	Able Seaman Henry Olsen	Ordinary Seaman Gunnar Pedersen
Ordinary Seaman Thorbjørn Valun	Ordinary Seaman William Nilsen	1st Engineer Rasmus Pedersen	2nd Engineer Henry Krogh Hansen	3rd Engineer Rasmus Gabrielsen	Donkeyman Jakob Wormsen
Stoker Harald Hansen	Stoker Ole Renli	Stoker Elias Helland	Trimmer Einat Virtanen (Finnish)	Steward Frithjof Johannesen	Galley Boy Walter Sheeby (Canadian)
Gunner Einar Rognerud	Gunner Olaf Sollund
Casualties:
† 2nd Mate Odd Storm Pettersen	† Trimmer Lauri Haapanen (Finnish)

Related external link:
Stavern Memorial - Mate Odd Storm Pettersen is commemorated at this memorial. There's also a Stoker Erling Halvorsen commemorated; he must have died at an earlier time, being as the 2nd casualty was Finnish, and Norwegians only are commemorated at this memorial. Checking with "Våre falne", a series of 4 books listing Norwegian WW II casualites, I find that his last ship was Askild, and that he was found drifting in the sea, but no date is given. He's buried in Halifax.

Back to Askild on the "Ships starting with A" page.

Norway had also had a ship by this name in WW I, built 1892, 2540 gt - torpedoed and sunk by the German UB-20 off Ushant on May 19-1917.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Norwegian Maritime Museum, Volume I - ref My sources.