M/T Finnanger
Updated Sept. 17-2008

To Finnanger on the "Ships starting with F" page.

Casualty List

Some Convoy Voyages:

(More convoy information will be added).

Finnanger is listed in station 52 of Convoy HG 29 from Gibraltar to the U.K. (having previously been cancelled from Convoy HGF 29). This convoy left Gibraltar on May 7-1940 and arrived Liverpool on the 17th. Finnanger, however, was bound for Avonmouth and left the convoy for her destination on May 15. The Norwegian Katy and Buesten are also listed.

The external site that I've linked to below has her, with destination Trinidad, in Convoy OB 168 a month later, leaving Liverpool on June 15-1940, joined up with OA 168 from Southend 2 days later, forming the Gibraltar bound Convoy OG 34F, which arrived there on June 24. However, in another section of the same site she does not appear in this convoy, but in OB 170, which left Liverpool on June 18, dispersed on the 23rd. She headed back to the U.K. in July with the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 59, bound for Clyde with Admiralty fuel, station 36 (having joined from Bermuda) - follow link for more convoy details, several Norwegian ships took part.

In Jan.-1941 she's listed in Convoy OB 275, which left Liverpool on Jan. 18. She joined from Glasgow, her destination is given as Bermuda and she had station 45. Other Norwegian ships in this convoy were Hidlefjord, Maridal and Mosli. (Note that she had originally joined an earlier convoy, OB 273, but returned to port - ref. external link below). In March-1941 she was scheduled for the eastbound North Atlantic Convoy HX 114 to the U.K. (Bermuda section), but did not sail. She also cancelled from the next convoy, HX 115, but joined the slow Convoy SC 27 on March 30. At the end of May we find her, with destination Halifax, in Convoy OB 329, which left Liverpool on May 31, dispersed June 5.

Later that year, in Oct./Nov.-1941, she's listed, with destination Clyde, in the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 51. A few weeks after her arrival in the U.K. with this convoy, she made a voyage to Curacao. This can be determined from the first external website that I've linked to below, which has her in Convoy OS 13, leaving Liverpool on Nov. 30-1941. Other Norwegian ships listed are K. G. Meldahl, Siljestad and Velox (the latter had also been in Convoy SC 51). Finnanger was in station 67, voyage Clyde-Curacao. (Note that she had initially joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 40*, departing Liverpool on Nov. 25, but she returned to port).

She subsequently returned to Clyde with Convoy SC 65, which departed Halifax Jan. 17-1942 (originally scheduled for the faster Convoy HX 169), and the following month we find her in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 67*, which left Liverpool on Febr. 14 and arrived Halifax on March 1. This was to be her last voyage, as will be seen from the next paragraph.

* Both the ON convoys mentioned here are available and will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section in due course, along with further details on each. In the meantime, please go to these convoys in the section listing ships in all ON convoys.

Related external links:
OS and OS/KMS Convoys - As can be seen, Finnanger is listed in Convoy OS 13 and is also mentioned in OS 19. The site also has the OB (& OA) convoys, and OB 168 is included. As mentioned, another section of the same site does not include Finnanger in OB 168, but in OB 170. Here are OB 273 and OB 329, mentioned above.

See also this chronological list of
OA & OB convoys

Final Fate - 1942:

Convoy SC 65, mentioned above, arrived Liverpool on Febr. 4-1942. Finnanger was scheduled for Convoy OS 19 a week later, but did not sail (again, see the external link to the the OS convoys above). This may very well have sealed her fate, because she was torpedoed, later shelled and sunk (after 4 hrs. 45 mins. according to Rohwer) by U-158 (Rostin) on March 1-1942 while in the westbound convoy ON 67 (see link to ships in all ON convoys above), position 38 40N 58 38W, with a loss of 39 men, no survivors*. See also my text for M/T Eidanger, as well as the external links about this convoy battle provided at the end of this page.

* Charles Hocking states that Finnanger left the Clyde on Febr. 14-1942 in convoy for Halifax and Curaçao. The convoy became dispersed and Finnanger was last seen by the Norwegian tanker Belinda on the 26th, about 300 miles south of Cape Race.

CONFLICTS: "Nortraships flåte" credits the sinking of Finnanger to U-558 and indicates she was missing for a long time along with the British M/T Anadara and D/S White Crest untl they were all officially listed as sunk by U-boats (this source also indicates U-558 sank both British vessels - while Rohwer lists U-587 for Anadara and U-162 for White Crest). Rohwer says Finnanger was British, possibly because she was in Admiralty service. Arnold Hague agrees with U-158, but lists the date as Febr. 24 (the date being an error). Roger Jordan says she was torpedoed on Febr. 24 by U-558 and sunk in 43 45N 42 15W, and has probably based his information on Rohwer's 1st edition, which is incorrect. All agree on the convoy number, though Rohwer and Jordan calls it ONS 67, while Hague calls it ON 67, because the true ONS series was not established until 1943, starting with ONS 1, but the slower ON convoys were often referred to as ONS in signals and contemporary documents even before that year. The correct term is ON 67. (The ONS convoys will be added to this site - in the meantime, see this page listing ships in all ONS convoys).

Casualty List - No Survivors:

The following died:
† Captain Bernt Thorbjørnsen	† 1st Mate Ingjald Hatletvedt	† 2nd Mate Einar Skar	† 3rd Mate Ingvar Thom	† Radio Operator Edvin Kristoffersen	† Carpenter Michael Ulleland
† Boatswain Sigmund Hasund	† Able Seaman Harald Wold	† Able Seaman Sverre Terjesen	† Able Seaman Sverre Emil Johansen	† Able Seaman Gustav Murberg	† Able Seaman Otto Johansen
† Able Seaman Anton Jacobsen Leite	† Able Seaman Fredrik Daniel Pettersen	† Able Seaman Johan Adrian Johansen	† Ordinary Seaman Bernhard Andreas Klingan	† Ordinary Seaman Reidar Olsen	† Ordinary Seaman Birger Olsen
† 1st Engineer Ottar Magnusen	† 2nd Engineer Kaare Orseth	† 3rd Engineer Annar Herstad	† Assistant Kristian Ween	† Mechanic Roy Wiig	† Mechanic Arne Tonning
† Mechanic Edvin Oskar Larsen	† Mechanic Odd Jonassen	† Mechanic Peder Andersen	† Mechanic Alf Lejom	† Pump Man Frank Torgersen	† Stoker Harald Jahnsen
† Stoker Erling Iversen	† Stoker Finn Knatten	† Oiler James Clifford * (Canadian)	† Steward Harald Amundsen	† Cook Alexander Olsen	† Galley Boy Bernard Stephens * (British)
† Mess Boy Thormod Jacobsen	† Saloon Boy Francis Sheridan (British)	† Gunner * William Whitmore (British)	* My Guestbook has a message from the son of Gunner Whitmore

* James Clifford can be found in the Canadian Merchant Navy War Dead Database - the date for his death is given as Febr. 26 - perhaps because this was the date the ship was last seen. Also, Billy McGee, England has told me that Finnanger's 19 year old Galley Boy Bernard Stephens from Hanwell, Middlesex is commemorated at Tower Hill, Panel 49 - his death date is given as Febr. 24-1942. Further details on him can be found on this page on The Commonwealth War Graves Comm. website. I also found James Clifford and W. Whitmore mentioned there, but not the saloon boy. (All these links are external).

External websites related to the text on this page:
Stavern Memorial commemorations - Norwegians only are commemorated at this memorial in Stavern, Norway. This agrees on the whole with what I've listed above, though some of the names are spelt a little differently (Frank Torgersen is listed twice).

ON 67 is discussed in detail at the end of
Chapter 3 of the the book "Joining the war at Sea" which is available on the Internet.

Convoy ON(S) 67 - More on the convoy battle and a list of ships sunk.
U-558 | Günther Krech

Back to Finnanger on the "Ships starting with F" page.

Other ships by this name: Another Finnanger was delivered to Westfal-Larsen from Kockums, Malmö in July-1954, 10 600 gt. Sold in Dec.-1966 to Agenor Shipping Co. Ltd., Famagusta, Cyprus, renamed Master Papalios. Broken up in China in 1969. In March-1977 another Finnanger was delivered from Kaldnes Mek. Verksted, Tønsberg, 21 267 gt. Both were tankers. (Info from Westfal-Larsen fleet list).

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume I (Norwegian Maritime Museum) and misc. others as named within the text above - ref. My sources.