D/S Belize - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

D/S Belize
Updated July 20-12008

To Belize on the "Ships starting with B" page.

Owner: Rederi-A/S Nidaros.
Manager: Krogstad Shipping Agencies Ltd. A/S (Geo. Hansen, Oslo)
Tonnage: 2153 gt, 3350 tdwt.
Call Sign: LCKF.

Built by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Corp, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, U.S.A. in 1919.
Previous names: Cornucopia until 1929, Cornore until 1936.

Captain: Olav Georgsen

Her war voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives:
Page 1 | Page 2

Final Fate - 1942:

Torpedoed on January 21-1942 by U-754 (Oestermann) in 47 21N 52 08W while on her way from New York to St. John's, New Foundland, having left New York on Jan. 15 (note that according to Page 2 above, she was en route to St. John, N.B. at the time).

17 Norwegians, 5 Swedish, 1 Danish and a mess boy from British Honduras were lost, no survivors.

A lifeboat from Belize with 4 dead seamen was found by the Canadian corvette Spikenard 25 naut. miles east of St. John's on Jan. 24.

10 ships went down Jan. 21 / 22 in the area, 4 of them were Norwegian. Just a couple of hours after Belize was torpedoed, Norway lost D/S William Hansen to the same U-boat. M/T Alexandra Høegh was sunk the same day (U-130), and the next day M/T Innerøy became the victim of U-553.

Casualties - No survivors These men were Norwegian unless otherwise noted.
† Captain Olav Georgsen	† 1st Mate Thorvald Kvilhaug	† 2nd Mate Ivar Haukås	† Boatswain John Person (Swedish)	† Able Seaman Arthur Hansen	† Able Seaman Arnfinn Skaug
† Able Seaman Tore Carlson (Swedish)	† Able Seaman Arne Wiig	† Able Seaman Enok Leland	† Able Seaman Helge Petersen (Danish)	† Able Seaman Erling Olaussen	† 1st Engineer Ole Urke
† 2nd Engineer Erling Hoff-Nilsen	† 3rd Engineer Oskar Haugen	† Donkeyman Allan Prim (Swedish)	† Stoker Kristian Rossehaug	† Stoker Georg Torstensen (Swedish)	† Stoker Ludvig Olsen
† Stoker Nils Oftenes	† Stoker Harry Todal	† Steward Guttorm Jacobsen	† Cook Fritz Halvar Gran (Swedish)	† Mess Boy Theodor E. Bromfield (British)	+ 1 more Norwegian?

Related external links:
Stavern Memorial commemorations - 18 Norwegians are commemorated here. Stoker Georg Torstensen, who is listed as Swedish above, is included as Norwegian at the memorial. Also, there's a Seaman Georg Andersen, and Able Seaman Arthur Vasdal commemorated, one (or both) of whom may have died at an earlier time(?).

U-754
Operation Paukenschlag

Back to Belize on the "Ships starting with B" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume I (Norwegian Maritime Museum), and misc. others for cross checking info. - ref My sources.