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D/S Lotos To Lotos on the "Ships starting with L" page. Manager: Stener S. Müller, Bergen Built by H. te Veldhuis, Papendrecht, Netherlands in 1920. Previous names: Erholm, Svartisen until 1935. Captain: Karl Hjellestad Her voyages are listed on this original image received from the National Archives of Norway. Please compare the above voyages with Arnold Hague's Voyage Record below.
(Received from Don Kindell - His source: The late Arnold Hague's database). Follow the convoy links provided for more information on each.
When war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9-1940, Lotos was in France - see the archive document and A. Hague's Voyage Record above. She was in France again that summer, and managed to get out of Rouen, without a pilot and under constant bombardment from 11 aircraft, in the morning of June 10, just as the Germans were taking control of the city. In Le Havre that same evening she experienced the intense air attacks there, witnessing D/S Ellavore being hit, but Lotos escaped harm. She transported some of the crew from Ellavore to the U.K. (more details can be found on my page about Ellavore). According to the archive document, she arrived Swansea on June 20; A. Hague has her in Convoy OA 170 at this time, having joined from Downs. San Andres and Sevilla are also named (link in Voyage Record). Lotos subsequently remained in Swansea for a month. She's now listed as bound for Sydney, C.B. in Convoy OB 188, which originated in Liverpool on July 23 and dispersed on the 27th, Lotos arriving Sydney, C.B. on Aug. 10. Borgholm, Gaston Micard, Glarona, Inger, Loke (returned with rescued survivors from British Accra) and Reiaas are also included - see link in the table above. 3 days later, Lotos proceeded to Buctouche, where she arrived Aug. 15. More information on the other Norwegian ships mentioned here is available via the alphabet index at the end of this page, or go to the Master Ship Index.
At 02:41 hrs Central European Time on Sept. 16-1940 she was torpedoed abaft of Hatch 2 on the starboard side by U-99 (Kretschmer) and sunk 15 n. miles northwest of Rockall, when on a voyage from Dalhousie to Belfast and River Tyne with 500 standards of timber. She had originally been in Convoy SC 3 which had left Sydney, C. B. on Sept. 2, but couldn't keep up with the speed and had lost the convoy shortly after departure (A. Hague suggests she became a straggler on the 14th - "Nortraships flåte" gives the time of attack as 23:38, Sept. 15). The bridge was smashed in the explosion and the wheelhouse collapsed, but the helmsman (possibly Ordinary Seaman Underwood or Jr. Ordinary Seaman Mori) was not injured. 2 lifeboats were lowered; they also tried to get the motorboat out, but this proved impossible as the deck cargo had been thrown over the winch by the explosion. Once they were in the boats they were hailed by the U-boat. The ship sank about 20 minutes after the attack. 8 survivors in the captain's lifeboat reached land at Castlebay, the Hebrides after almost 5 days. 9 survivors in the other boat had already made it to shore by then. The inquiry was held in Newcastle on Tyne on Oct. 4-1940 with the captain, the 1st mate, the 2nd engineer and the steward appearing. Voyage and cargo information in the first paragraph above is from "Lloyd's War Losses", Vol I. According to the captain's statements Lotos was on a voyage from Buctouche to Belfast for orders when the incident occurred. This agrees with what is found on the archive document, which says she had arrived Buctouche on Aug. 15, but departure from there to Sydney, C.B. is not given. The Advance Sailing Telegram for Convoy SC 3 says she had a cargo of pit props. J. Rohwer says Lotos was built in 1919. He also says she was sunk 15 n. miles northeast of Rockall. He does not mention her in connection with convoy SC 3, but the ship above her in his listing, the Canadian Kenordoc was a straggler from that convoy, sunk by the same U-boat on Sept. 15. As will be seen when going to my page about SC 3, this convoy had a large number of Norwegian ships - see also Fido, Vigsnes, Granli and Granfoss, which picked up survivors from torpedoed ships. For info, U-99 was also responsible for the attacks on Strinda, Snefjeld, Samnanger, Beduin and Ferm - follow the links for dates and more details.
Related external links: Back to Lotos on the "Ships starting with L" page. Other ships by this name: Stener S. Müller later had another ship by this name in 1946, originally delivered in Dec.-1929 as I. W. Winck to Carl W. Winck, Helsingborg, 1515 gt. Collided on the Thames on Dec. 8-1939 with a British steamer when on a voyage Sweden-London with a cargo of lumber. Condemned, then sold in 1940. Repaired in Apr.-1942 and re-entered service as Isobel (Panamanian flag). From 1946 she sailed as Lotos for Stener S. Müller, Bergen. Sold in Nov.-1948 to D/S A/S Alf Lindøs Rederi and renamed Lindborg, in seasonal lumber trade. Sold in Jan.-1969 to Østfold Skipsopphugning (breakers), Greåker. In 1965 a tanker named Lotos was delivered for the management of A/S Rederiet Odfjell, Bergen, 2999 gt. Sold to Singapore in 1974 and renamed Onestar, sailed as Witsupply from 1987(Georgetown), later converted to barge. The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Norwegian Maritime Museum, Volume II, and misc. (ref. My sources).
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