D/S Einar Jarl - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

Follow the convoy links provided for more information on each (some of the listings are incomplete).

Einar Jarl is listed among the ships in the Gibraltar convoy OGF 21 in March-1940, a combination of Convoys OB 103 and OA 103, which joined up on March 5, both having departed the U.K. on March 3. Einar Jarl's destination is given as Chalkis, station 55; she had started out in the OB convoy, together with Bruse Jarl and Temeraire - ref. external link provided within the Voyage Record above. The OG convoy will be added to an individual page in my Convoys section in due course, in the meantime, the ships sailing in it (and escorts) are named on the page listing ships in all OG convoys. Her arrival Chalkis is not known, but according to the archive document, she left Chalkis for Gibraltar on March 23, arriving Apr. 11, and on the 26th of that month we find her in station 65 of Convoy HGF 28 from Gibraltar to the U.K. She was 1 of 5 Norwegian ships in that convoy, the others being Sevilla, Kosmos II, Stalheim and Bur. Einar Jarl arrived Falmouth Bay on May 4.

According to Arnold Hague, she made an independent voyage from Reykjavik to Sydney, C.B. in Aug.-1940. As can be seen when going back to the archive document, she arrived Sydney, C.B. on Aug. 16, having left Reykjavik on the 7th. She was scheduled to return to the U.K. with Convoy HX 73 from Halifax on Sept. 13, but instead joined the next convoy on Sept. 17, HX 74, cargo of pulp for London, station 23. At the beginning of the following month, A. Hague has included her in Convoy OB 239, together with Hada County, Henrik Ibsen and Velox (originated in Liverpool Nov. 4), but the convoy returned to Oban on Nov. 8, and A. Hague now has Einar Jarl in Convoy OB 241 from there a couple of days later. Beduin, Belray, Carmelfjell, Maridal and Sveve are also listed in this convoy, which had originated in Liverpool on Nov. 9 and dispersed on the 14th, Einar Jarl arriving Sydney, C.B. independently on Dec. 3 (according to Hague). Again, see the links provided in the table above (another section of the same site also has Emma Bakke in OB 241, but not Belray and Einar Jarl).

From Sydney, C.B., she proceeded to Halifax on Dec. 6, and later that month to St. John, N.B., before heading back to Halifax on Jan. 7-1941 (again, see the archive document). She was scheduled for Convoy HX 102 from there on Jan. 11, but instead joined the slow Convoy SC 20 on Jan. 22, cargo of pit props for Hull, where she arrived, via Clyde and Methil Roads, on Febr. 22.

Final Fate - 1941:

Einar Jarl departed Hull Roads in the morning of March 13-1941; A. Hague has her in Convoy FN 429 (external link, incomplete listing - Ask and Måkefjell are also included. There's a note attached to Einar Jarl saying "possibly FN 430" - also external page, also incomplete). She was bound for Halifax via Methil and Loch Ewe in order to join an Atlantic convoy. This would probably have been Convoy OB 299, which originated in Liverpool on March 19, and for which she's listed as scheduled at the external website that I've linked to at the end of this page. The crew consisted of 22 men and 2 English Army soldiers who were to accompany them on the coastal voyage. She arrived Methil in the afternoon of March 14, then left again in Convoy EN 86A (also external) in the afternoon of the 17th (see also my page about D/S Leo; Garonne is also listed in this convoy). She was just passing Firth of Forth when an explosion occurred in the forward part of the ship at 20:50 that evening and she started to sink, listing to starboard (in other words, she never made it to the OB convoy mentioned).

The men went to the starboard lifeboat and by the time the boat was on the water the rail of the ship was level with the surface of the sea, so they had to push off immediately. Einar Jarl sank by the bow in about 5 minutes. A Greek stoker was missing; they remained in the area for about half an hour, but could not find him. He had last been seen on his way to his cabin by Trimmer Øien, presumably to fetch something there.

The survivors were rescued by the British Medway Coast at 21:45. This ship, which had been in the same convoy, was bound for Aberdeen and the survivors were landed there the next day, March 18 and were accommodated at the Seamen's Home and a hotel before continuing to Glasgow, where the maritime hearings were held on March 25-1941 with the captain, the 2nd mate, the 1st engineer, Able Seaman Gjærde (helmsman) and Trimmer Øien appearing.

At first it was thought an air attack was to blame (torpedo), but neither the British destroyer Westminster (escort) nor other ships in the convoy agreed with this theory. It was assumed the cause of the explosion was a drifting mine.

A visitor to my website says she was 9.5 miles off Fife Ness. A message to my Ship Forum says: "Detonated a mine and was lost 9.75-miles east of Fife Ness, position N56 17 30 W02 18 off Firth of Forth (Shipwreck Index of the British Isles, Richard Larn). The captain's report agrees with position 56 17N 02 18W.

Crew List:

Survivors
Captain Johan Herfjord	1st Mate G. Gaasvik	2nd Mate Arnt Arntsen	Boatswain W. Hagh (Nationality?)	Able Seaman Ole Gjærde	Ordinary Seaman T. Torgersen
Ordinary Seaman M. Borg	Ordinary Seaman J. Dees (Nationality?)	Ordinary Seaman Robert Lyon (Nationality?)	Deck Boy D. Rymer (Nationality?)	1st Engineer Jacob Jacobsen	2nd Engineer H. Henriksen
3rd Engineer N. Nilsen	Donkeyman E. Lydersen	Stoker P. Halaas	Stoker A. Jakobsen	Trimmer Harry Øien	Trimmer A. Barnbyg
Steward R. Thomassen	Cook A. Alstad	Mess Boy N. Lightowler (Nationality?)
Casualty:
		† Stoker Anastasios Nicoladakis (Creek)

Related external links:
OB convoys - As can be seen, Einar Jarl is mentioned in connection with OB 299, but was sunk before she could join.

Stavern Memorial commemoration - Cause for the demise of Seaman Gustav Emil Pettersen is not given, nor is the date, however, "Våre falne", which lists Norwegian WW II casualties states he worked as stevedore at the London Docks during the war and died there on July 12-1944 when Empire Tristram was bombed. I'm not entirely sure this is correct, this Empire ship survived the war until scrapped in 1967, but it's possible, of course, she was just damaged on that date. He's buried in London. Perhaps he had served on Einar Jarl at some point? (or this listing might be an error).

Back to Einar Jarl on the "Ships starting with E" page.

Nordenfjeldske's other ships by this name (info from "Nordenfjeldske - 1857-1985", by Finn R. Hansen):
The company's first Einar Jarl was built at Fevig, delivered on Jan. 18-1915, 1849 gt. Shelled and sunk by UC 66 on March 12-1917, east of Start Point when on a voyage from London to Fowey in ballast. The crew was saved by a British vessel and taken to Torquay. A 3rd Einar Jarl was launched on July 29-1950. Sold in 1951 and renamed Botne. Had 2 more owners between 1955 and 1968 and the names Pohjannmaa and Fidelity. Towed to Aberdeen on Sept. 27-1970 for breaking up.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Nordenfjeldske - 1857-1985", by Finn R. Hansen, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume I (Norwegian Maritime Museum), and misc. - ref. My sources.