Site Map | Search Warsailors.com |Merchant Fleet Main Page | Warsailors.com Home 

M/S Cometa

To Cometa on the "Ships starting with C" page.


Buenos Aires 1923.


Source for both pictures: Bjørn Milde's postcard collection.

Another picture is available at Uboat.net (external link).

Manager: Det Bergenske Dampskibsselskab, Bergen
Tonnage:
3794 gt

Delivered in Sept.-1921 from Burmeister & Wains Maskin- og Skibsbyggeri, Copenhagen (312) - purchased by Bergenske D/S from Rederi-AB Nordstjärnan (Johnson Line), Stockholm while building. 3794 gt, 6585 tdwt, 367.3' x 51.5' x 23.4', 2 x 6 cyl. B & W diesel 2600 bhp, 10 knots. Operated on Den norske Syd-Amerika Linje service, which was owned by Det Bergenske Dampkibsselskab, A/S J. Ludwig Mowinckels Rederi, and Fred. Olsen & Co.
NOTE: Another Cometa was built in 1941, seized by the Germans, listed here in the Homefleet section.

 Final Fate - 1940 (Norway still neutral): 

Torpedoed by U-38 (Liebe) at 02:20 German time on March 26-1940 and sunk in 60 06N 04 36W (outside Kirkwall) when on a voyage from Oslo to Buenos Aires with 3250 tons of general cargo.

According to a newspaper article of Apr. 4 (received from Jan-Olof Hendig, Sweden) she had been stopped by a British patrolboat which had placed a prize crew on board in order to take her to a British port, but she was stopped by the U-boat en route to Kirkwall. The 1st mate was sent over to the boat where he was questioned about destination, cargo etc. before she was sunk.

A visitor to my site has told me that according to Admiralty records she was on a voyage from Brevik (this is not far from Fredrikstad, Norway) for Santos and Buenos Aires with paper and general. Torpedoed (amidships) 65 miles northwest of Noup Head at 23:30 (BST) on March 25-1940. However, the torpedo fired that night had missed.

She had a crew of 31 and 6 Swedish passengers. The ship was abandoned in 1 motorboat and 2 lifeboats. No casualties.

Related external links:
U-38 | Heinrich Liebe

Back to Cometa on the "Ships starting with C" page.

Other ships by this name: This company had previously lost another Cometa, originally delivered in 1913 as Florentine for owners in Manchester, 1762 gt, renamed Cometa for Bergenske D/S in 1914. Ran aground on Oct. 2-1920. Also, Bergenske D/S had a Cometa in the 1970's, originally delivered in 1952 as Swedish Arawak, 4430 gt. Renamed Carib in 1964 (still Swedish), then sailed as Belgrano for Fred. Olsen & Co. from 1969. Purchased by Sameiet Cometa (Bergenske D/S) in 1976 and renamed Cometa. Sold to Greece in 1977, renamed Demetrios C. Broken up in 1980. The company also had another Cometa later on (Ro-Ro/Container) built 1981, 1996 gt, sold to Haugesund in 1991, later back to previous owners 1996 and reg. in Trondheim.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "The World's Merchant Fleets", R. W. Jordan, "Bergenske, byen og selskapet", Dag Bakka Jr., Lloyd's War Losses, Vo. 1 - and misc. other as named within the above text.

   Be   
C
   D   
E
F
G
   He   
I
J
   K   
L
M
N
O
   PQ   
R
   So   
   To   
U
V
W
   Ø   

 Site Map | Search Warsailors.com |Merchant Fleet Main Page | Warsailors.com Home