D/S Hai Tung
Updated Oct. 1-2011

To Hai Tung on the "Ships starting with H" page.

Final Fate 1941:

Disappeared without a trace with 5 (6?) Norwegian officers and 44 Chinese crew, en route from Bangkok with a cargo of rice and general for Singapore, where she was expected on Dec. 9-1941. Assumed sunk on Dec. 7* by a Japanese submarine off Khota Bharu, the southernmost planned landing point of the Japanese invaders, who likely had no interest in being seen and reported on by shipping in the area and therefore kept a close lookout for Singapore bound ships to make sure they wouldn't get past. In this critical phase of the operations there was probably no time to spare for (or interest in) taking prisoners.

In addition to Captain Jensen, the following are commemorated at the Memorial for Seamen in Stavern, Norway:
Mate Arnold Brox-Larsen, 3rd Engineer Aasmund Flatøy, Mate Ingbortius Johansen, Chief Engineer Lauritz Bernhard Larsen, and 2nd Engineer Halfdan Sigurd Osnes. (One of these may have died in an earlier incident?).

* According to Jürgen Rohwer, Hai Tung was shelled and sunk by the Japanese submarine I-156 (Ohashi) on Dec. 11-1941 in 05 08N 104 32E.

Related external links:
Stavern Memorial commemorations - In addition to Captain Sverre Jensen from Stavanger, there's also a Captain Martin Emil Hansen commemorated here, as well as a Captain Mathias Hansen. Checking with "Våre falne", a series of 4 books naming Norwegian WW II casualties, I find that Martin Emil Hansen had served on Hai Tung until he died on March 14-1941 and is buried in Singapore - from Page 1 of the archive documents, we learn that Hai Tung had arrived Singapore that same day. I can't find Mathias Hansen in these books. (The Norwegian text says that 5 Norwegians died when the ship disappeared).

Japanese submarines

Back to Hai Tung on the "Ships starting with H" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland - and misc.