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D/S Dokka To Dokka on the "Ships starting with D" page. Owner: D/S A/S Songa Built at Bergens Mekaniske Verksted A/S, Bergen, Norway in 1925. Captain: Arthur Jacob Pedersen Her voyages are listed on this original document from the National Archives of Norway.
Dokka is listed in Convoy HN 6 from Norway to the U.K. in Dec.-1939/Jan.-1940. She's said to have arrived Methil Roads on Jan. 4, Shields on Jan. 7, for Rouen (arrival Rouen not given). As will be seen when clicking on the link, several Norwegian ships took part. From the archive document above, we learn that she was at Villa Real when war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9-1940, having arrived there from Nantes that same day. She later proceeded to Brest and Dunkirk. It'll also be noticed that she headed across the North Atlantic in July that year; I have no convoy information for this voyage. At the beginning of Sept.-1940 we find her in the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 3, from which the Norwegian Lotos was sunk, among others - follow the links for more details. Dokka had a cargo of lumber for Bristol on that occasion, and arrived her destination on Sept. 20.
Dokka, with a crew of 17, departed Barry Docks in ballast on Oct. 10-1940 for Quebec via Milford Haven for convoy, arriving the latter on Oct. 11, leaving again the following afternoon for Mount Louis, Gaspe, joining Convoy OB 228, which had originated in Liverpool on Oct. 13 and dispersed on the 17th. This link goes to 2 brief reports and some info on ships sunk - for names of other ships in the convoy, see the external link at the end of this page; the Norwegian Astra, Brask, Chr. Knudsen, Gudrun, Noreg, Polyana and Topdalsfjord are also listed. Dokka's armament consisted of 1 Hotchkiss, 1 stripped Lewis and 2 rifles, and she was on a course 270° true, wind W 4, sailing at a speed of 7 knots, when she was torpedoed at 02:45* BST on Oct. 17-1940 by U-93 (Korth) in position 60 46N 16 30W. The attack happened before the convoy was dispersed on the 17th; a report states that 32 other ships were in sight, well in station, as well as the escorting HMS Folkestone. 2 men had been on lookout; 1 on the bridge, the other on the Monkey Island, but the U-boat and the track of the torpedo had not been seen beforehand. It struck aft near No. 4 hatch on the starboard side, blowing the after end of the ship to pieces, and she sank vertically in less than a minute.
The 2nd mate and the helmsman ran to the port boat and cut it loose, but it was taken by the seas. They later saved themselves on a raft, which had been on the poop and was partly destroyed by the explosion. The captain, who was in his cabin on the lower bridge jumped overboard, as did the lookout from the upper bridge. The captain managed to get hold of the raft that had been on the boat deck and with the help of some planks he was able to paddle towards the 1st mate and 2 able seamen who were in the water. Cries for help were heard a little further away, and they found Ordinary Seaman Azzopardi drifting on a hatch, completely naked and with an injured leg. The 2 rafts were about 100 meters away from each other, when the U-boat suddenly came up near the 2nd mate's raft to ask the name of the ship etc., but when unsatisfied with the replies, the boat approached the captain, who gave a false name and tonnage of the ship. Just then HMS Folkstone was seen approaching and the U-boat took off, last seen at 02:53 BST, heading approx. southeast. Captain Pedersen was able to inform the escort of the direction the U-boat had taken, and as Folkstone went in pursuit the survivors tied the rafts together, while what little clothes they had were shared between them. At first light they kept a lookout for more survivors but none were seen. Later in the morning Folkstone broke off her pursuit of the U-boat, which due to its surface speed quickly got away from the danger area. It was last seen by aircraft as it submerged and disappeared. The escort vessel then returned to the rafts and picked up the 7 survivors, who were landed in Sydney, Cape Breton on Oct. 23 and taken care of by the Norwegian Consul. The maritime enquiry was held there on Oct. 25-1940 with the captain, the 1st mate, and Able Seaman Hansen (lookout) appearing. 10 had died, the entire engine crew among them.
Related external links: Stavern Memorial commemorations - 10 Norwegians are commemorated at this memorial for seamen in Stavern, Norway. In addition to the 9 named above, there's a Carpenter Selmer Theodor Skjæveland commemorated. According to "Våre falne", which lists all Norwegian casualties of WW II, he died in America on Oct. 14-1943, adding that he had been on board Dokka when she was sunk in 1940 - but as can be seen, he's not mentioned among the survivors in the crew list. Back to Dokka on the "Ships starting with D" 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) - ref. My sources, sinking report from the Chief of Naval Staff, Ottawa to the Admiralty, London (from Canadian archives) and misc.
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