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D/S Bur To Bur on the "Ships starting with B" page. Owner: O. Grolle Olsen & I. Hysing Olsens Rederi A/S Built by Ropner & Sons Ltd., Stockton-on-Tees in 1917. Previous name: Sedbergh until 1920. Captain: Reidar Nielsen. A visitor to my website, George Monk, has told me that the following men received ungazetted awards for unknown services, approved in 1941, possibly for the recovery of survivors (his source: Seedies List of awards to the British Merchant Navy, which also includes awards to Allied merchant seamen): Captain Hans Angell Olsen - Commendation (this may mean that Captain Reidar Nielsen had joined the ship later?).
(Received from Don Kindell - His source: The late Arnold Hague's database).
Bur shows up briefly in Convoy OB 96 towards the end of Febr.-1940, but was only bound for Barry (in ballast from Liverpool Febr. 21). Early in March-1940 she's said to have been in the Gibraltar convoy OG 21F, a combination of Convoys OB 103 (in which Bur is said to have started out, together with Bruse Jarl, Einar Jarl, and Temeraire) and OA 103, which joined up to form the OG convoy on March 5-1940, both having departed the U.K. on March 3. Bur's destination is given as Tunis, station 66 - ref. external link further down on this page. However, she must have cancelled or returned to port, because she also shows up among the ships in Convoy OG 21 some days later. This was a combination of Convoys OA 105 from Southend (in which the Norwegian Nea took part) and OB 105 from Liverpool, which formed OG 21 at sea on March 11, both having left the U.K. on March 7. Bur had started out in the OB convoy, and her destination is again given as Tunis. According to her Voyage Record she arrived La Goulette independently on March 20, Istanbul on Apr. 4. (OG21F will be added to my Convoys section in due course; in the meantime, the ships sailing in it are named in the section listing ships in all OG convoys). She returned to the U.K. again with Convoy HGF 28, departing Gibraltar on Apr. 26, arriving Liverpool on May 5. She was 1 of 5 Norwegian ships in that convoy, the others being Sevilla, Kosmos II, Stalheim and Einar Jarl. On May 28 she joined Convoy OB 157, voyage Liverpool-Mirimichi in ballast. Mike Holdoway, the webmaster of the website about the OB convoys, has sent me the following from the Commodore's notes: She subsequently headed back to the U.K., along with several other Norwegian ships, in Convoy HX 52, which left Halifax on June 21-1940. She had a cargo of pit props, sailing in station 82, and according to the original convoy document she was bound for Portland on this occasion, while A. Hague says she arrived Liverpool on July 8. It's possible she travelled to Portland later on, as there's a big gap in the record for this time period. At the end of Aug.-1940 we find her in Convoy OB 202, together with Alaska, Brask, Einvik, Mosli and Veni. This convoy departed Liverpool on Aug. 22 and dispersed on the 26th, Bur arriving Wabana independently on Sept. 3. About a week later she joined Convoy HX 72 in which Simla and several others were sunk. The convoy, which had originated in Halifax on Sept. 9, was dispersed on Sept. 21, and Bur arrived Clyde independently on Sept. 25 (having joined from Sydney, C.B.), continuing to Newport the next day, with arrival Sept. 28. At the end of the following month she appears in station 35 of Convoy OB 237, which left Liverpool on Oct. 31-1940 and dispersed on Nov. 2, Bur arriving Wabana independently on Nov. 11. Hardanger, Sama and Senta are also listed in this convoy. Already on Nov. 18 Bur is listed as bound for Birkenhead (Liverpool) in station 82 of the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 89; according to A. Hague she again joined from Sydney, C.B., and arrived her destination on Dec. 2. Towards the end of that month she's listed, with destination Pepel, in Convoy OB 262, which left Liverpool on Dec. 20 and also included the Norwegian Evanger, Grena, and Nea. Fido and Leikanger were also scheduled, but did not sail. There's no mention of Pepel in Bur's Voyage Record, but she arrived Freetown independently on Jan. 11-1941, the convoy having dispersed on Dec. 23-1940 (Pepel is a suburb of Freetown). Bur now joined Convoy SL 63 (left Freetown Jan. 20-1941). Mike Holdoway has sent me the following snippet from the Commodore's notes with regard to Bur in this convoy: She did return to Freetown, then left again on Jan. 30-1941, bound for Ardrossan with a cargo of groundnuts in Convoy SLS 64, which encountered Admiral Hipper on Febr. 12-1941; follow the link for more details - see also M/S Borgestad. "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland states that Bur and Varangberg had ended up so far behind by Febr. 12 they barely had contact with the convoy, and that Bur arrived safely at San Miguel on Febr. 18. A visitor to my site says she was attacked by a raider* on Febr. 12 and that she arrived Ponta Delgado on Febr. 15 for repairs to machinery, then departed again on the 23rd and joined Convoy SL 65 off the Azores that same day, but was sent back to join the slow convoy SLS 65 from Bathurst instead. He adds that she departed Bathurst on March 6-1941 escorted by HMS Philante to join Convoy SLS 65. Bombed and damaged in position 52 12N 05 52W on March 10. Beached at Goodwick Sands, Fishwood. Left Fleetwood on March 20-1941 after being salvaged. Ref. external links provided within the above table for more on these convoys; as will be seen, the Norwegian Belinda, Belita, Fernlane, Morgenen, Ørnefjell and Polartank are also included in SL 65, which had originated in Freetown on Febr. 10-1941. SLS 65, in which Senta is also listed, had left Freetown on Febr. 9.
In June-1941, Bur is listed, together with Chr. Th. Boe, Morgenen, Nova, Petter, President de Vogue, Stigstad, and Vardefjell, in Convoy OB 334, which originated Liverpool on June 11 and arrived Halifax on the 25th. Bur, however, was bound for Sydney, C.B., where she arrived that same day. The following month we find her in Convoy HX 139, bound for London with a cargo of steel and lumber in station 15, having joined with the Sydney (C.B.) portion on July 19. She lost touch with the convoy in fog already the next day. According to A. Hague she stopped at Reykjavik on July 28, later proceeding to the U.K. from there with Convoy HX 140, which had started out in Halifax on July 22. In Sept. that year she's listed as bound for Montreal in the westbound Convoy ON 14, which originated in Liverpool on Sept. 7-1941. Bur arrived Sydney, C.B. independently on Sept. 23, the convoy having been dispersed, and she continued to Quebec the next day, then on to Montreal, arriving the latter on Oct. 1. She later returned to the U.K. in the slow Convoy SC 50, which departed Sydney, C.B. on Oct. 17-1941 and also included the Norwegian Atlantic, Fjordaas, Geisha, Lysaker V, Marianne, and Rio Novo. Bur had a cargo of steel and lumber, sailing in station 24. This convoy is not available among the SC convoys listed on my own site, but I've linked directly to it in the table above. In Dec.-1941 she joined Convoy OS 14, voyage from Oban to Nuevitas, Cuba in ballast, but she returned to port, subsequently joining the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 49*, which originated in Liverpool on Dec. 21-1941 and dispered on Jan. 5-1942, Bur arriving Nuevitas independently on Jan. 15. Blink, Ravnefjell, Titanian and Veni are also listed in ON 49 (Norwegian ships taking part in OS 14 were Chr. Th. Boe, Spinanger, Thorsholm and L. A. Christensen. Estrella and Sveve are also mentioned, but did not sail - ref. external link provided in the above table for more convoy info). Having also made a voyage to Santiago, Bur headed to Halifax in order to join the slow Convoy SC 70 in Febr.-1942, bound for Liverpool with sugar, arriving Liverpool on March 7, returning across the ocean the following month with the westbound Convoy ON 86*. Her destination is given as San Pedro de Macoris, but there's no mention in her Voyage Record of her arriving there. This convoy left Liverpool on Apr. 14-1942, with Bonde, Drammensfjord, Harpefjell, Maud, Norhauk, Sneland I, and Trolla within its ranks, while the Norwegian corvettes Acanthus, Eglantine, Potentilla and Rose are named among the escorts. At the end of May she joined Convoy SC 85 from Sydney, C.B., cargo of lumber and steel for London, and towards the end of July we find her in station 23 of the westbound Convoy ON 116*, which originated in Liverpool on July 25-1942 and dispersed on Aug. 12. Bollsta, Cetus, Ledaal, Snar and Vanja are also listed, as is the Panamanian Norvik, which is included under the N's of this website because she had Norwegian managers. This was to be Bur's last westbound North Atlantic voyage, as will be seen below.
Related external link:
Bur had departed New Haven (Connecticut) in the morning of Aug. 28-1942 with a cargo of steel and lumber for Immingham (via Halifax, scheduled for Convoy SC 98). She had a coastal pilot on board (E. J. Hazard) and sailed according to his instructions, but her compasses proved to be unreliable with great deviations. About an hour and a half after having passed Cornfield Lightship, at about 16:00, she received orders from the Coast Guard to not coninue east of Cape Race due to gun fire(?), and had to turn around to await further orders, having been told it would only be about 45 minutes before the passage would be ready. They were told by the pilot to "go the usual way around the buoy on starboard side", and he assured them there was plenty of water (about 300') except at the rock where the buoy itself was located, and that the large whirls of current they could see ahead were not caused by shallow water, so they maneuvered according to his instructions, with Ordinary Seaman Ragnar Grotle at the wheel. At about 16:25, when around half a nautical mile from the buoy, she struck an underwater rock. The current was very strong and she listed to port. Attempts at getting off failed and the engine was stopped. At this time the tide was falling so there was a danger of the ship capsizing or sliding off. No. 1 and No. 4 tanks started filling immediately, while No. 2 tank and hold as well as the forepeak filled a little more slowly. The pilot asked that the motorboat be launched, wanting to disembark as the situation was quite critical. The lifeboats were lowered and held ready, and the Coast Guard was also on stand-by with a motorboat. The crew was told to pack their most essential belongings and be ready to leave the ship, and at about 18:45, 20 men disembarked into one of the Coast Guard's motorboats. The 1st mate, 3rd mate, all 3 engineers, the donkeyman, Able Seamen Johansen and Lindkvist, Ordinary Seamen Hansen and Jacobsen and Steward Assersen volunteered to remain on board to keep the pumps going. The pilot also disembarked, as did the captain in order to notify Nortraship, New York of the situation. Meanwhile, pumping was done continuously from No. 2 tank and the engine room, and at 20:30 the ship straightened somewhat. The water kept rising in No. 2 and 4 holds, so all watertight doors to the engine room and boiler room were closed. At about 21:00, when the tide turned, Bur swung herself around and ended up with her bow pointing eastwards, while listing to starboard with her foredeck under water. About an hour later they noticed she was about to slide off the ground. The 1st mate immediately gave orders to get the engine ready and keep the steam up. The Coast Guard asked if they should not abandon her as she was now obviously sinking, but they all chose to stay on board. Shortly thereafter the captain and the radio operator returned to the ship, her engine was restarted and the Coast Guard was asked to lead the way to the nearest beach. By that time her foreship was under water above the main deck and her poop was high, so she was very difficult to maneuver, made even more difficult by the unreliable compasses. The captain sent a message by telegraph for a tug to be summoned from New London, and this was received by the Coast Guard station. Those on board worked feverishly to keep her going; while the water continued to rise in the engine room and boiler room, but the 1st mate, 3rd engineer and donkeyman fired her up with the help of buckets and with coal from the tweendeck, while the radio operator and able seamen helped supply the coal and the 1st and 2nd engineers were in the engine room. Eventually, at 23:40 the water had risen so high that her engine stopped. They had been in continuous contact with the Coast Guard who was now requested to assist with towing the ship, but they couldn't. Bur sank deeper and deeper, though it appeared as if her deck cargo helped keep her afloat. At 00:30 on Aug. 29 a tug arrived as well as one of the Navy's boats and towing was commenced. Shortly afterwards one of Merrit Chapman & B. Scott's tugs came to and relieved the others. An hour later the starboard lifeboat left the ship with 8 men, because the water had now risen above the deck amidships. The captain, 1st mate, and 2 seamen remained on board. At 02:00 she hit the ground and was stuck in the mud, sinking by the stern. By 11:00 all efforts to save her were given up and the remaining men left the ship in 2 lifeboats, after having rescued some of the ship's instruments and the guns. Position at that time was about 1 n. mile from Seaflower Reef. The lifeboats and equipment were left with New London Coast Guard.
The maritime hearings were held in New York on Sept. 4-1942 with the captain, 1st mate and 2nd engineer appearing. When questioned, they all blamed the pilot for Bur's fate.
Crew List - No Casualties:
Back to Bur 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), E-mails from Tony Cooper, England, and misc. others for cross checking info. - ref My sources.
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