D/T Madrono

To Madrono on the "Ships starting with M" page.


Received from, and painted by Jan Goedhart, Holland.

Other pages on this website with information related to this text:
Norwegian victims of T/S Thor - Details on the capture of Madrono, fate of the crew etc. Also has a link to a post war interview with Bedrich Scharf, one of her crew members
Merchant Marine Prisoners of War - Has a crew list for Madrono at the time of capture by Thor.
Life in Imprisonment - Describes what some of Madrono's men (and others) experienced in Japanese camps.
The sinking of Rhakotis (scroll down to "Life on Rhakotis").
Guestbook message - From the niece of Arne Emil Framnes, a crew member of Madrono.

Misc. War Voyages – 1940-1941:

Madrono was in drydock in Antwerp for repairs of the propeller on May 10-1940, when the German air attacks on the city and the harbour started. The Norwegian D/S Evanger was also in Antwerp at the time. That same evening the British destroyer HMS Brilliant (Lt. Cdr. F.C. Brodrick) arrived to organize the departure of the 26 merchant ships in the harbour. They all got out on the 12th, followed by 50 tugs, and though attacked 3 times by German aircraft, they escaped unharmed. Madrono was in a difficult situation, as the dock had to be filled with water before she could get out. She was the last ship to leave, carrying 50 refugees.

She went by the Downs but was damaged after colliding in fog (in the harbour?) with a Dutch vessel*. This ship sank but her crew of 8-10 people were picked up by Madrono, whose bow was damaged but she was able to continue to Southampton with the refugees from France (British Jews?). Madrono was temporarily repaired then headed for New Orleans where further repairs were undertaken.

* It's possible that this episode has been confused with another episode which took place early in 1941, because Visje, a Dutch visitor to my website has told me that the Dutch coaster Catharina (completed 1939, 391 gt), was rammed and sunk by Madrono in the Channel on Jan. 1-1941, 7 miles south of Lizard, and he can find no other mention of Madrono in connection with a Dutch vessel. Another possibility is, of course, that the nationality given for the ship in the May-1940 incident is incorrect (the mention of refugees from France would indicate it did happen in 1940). Note that the external site that I've linked to below has Madrono in Convoy OA 149, which left Southend on May 16-1940; her voyage information is given as "Portsmouth to Falmouth". About a month later she shows up in Convoy OA 166, which left Southend on June 11 and which joined up with Convoy OB 166 on June 13, forming the Gibraltar bound Convoy OG 33 (see also my section listing ships in all OG convoys). However, since Madrono appears in HX 57 in July (see below), she may have left this convoy at some point in order to proceed across the North Atlantic, perhaps to New Orleans for repairs, as mentioned in the above paragraph(?).

Visje has also come across another tidbit about Madrono, saying she was shelled north of Lombok, NEI by the Japanese submarine I-55 (Cdr. Nakajima, probably), but managed to escape. He gives no date for this incident, but I found mention of it in an article in the Norwegian magazine "Krigsseileren" No. 4, 1996, saying the Japanese sub was equipped with a "false" sail to lure them into thinking they were dealing with a lifeboat and shipwrecked sailors. The 2n mate on Madrono Ragnar Jonassen, didn't fall for the trick, altered course, returned the fire and was subsequently able to get away. It appears they were en route to Batavia at the time, and after the incident were escorted by 2 Dutch destroyers the rest of the way.

Madrono is listed as bound for Belfast with fuel oil in the Bermuda portion of Convoy HX 57 in July-1940, and the following month we find her in Convoy OB 194, leaving Liverpool on Aug. 6, dispersed on the 10th. In Dec.-1940 she's listed as sailing in Convoy HX 96, again joining from Bermuda, bound for Barry Roads and Southampton.

In Jan.-1941 she shows up in Convoy OB 279, which left Liverpool on Jan. 28-1941, dispersed on Febr. 2. Madrono was bound for Bermuda - again, see the external links below for more on the OB convoys.

Madrono was in Convoy HX 124 in Apr./May-1941, destination Ardrossan (she had originally been scheduled for HX 123, but did not sail). Towards the end of May she joined Convoy OB 327, leaving Liverpool on May 28, dispersed on June 1. In July that same year she sailed in Convoy HX 140, bound for Barry Roads with a cargo of crude oil in station 112 of the convoy, having cancelled from the previous convoy, HX 139. Other Norwegian ships in HX 140 were Skiensfjord (97), Boreas (16), Velox (56), Velma (96), Alaska (106), Stiklestad (95), Vardefjell (84), Evita (114), Olaf Bergh (124), Thorshov (83), Ferncastle (113), Bonneville (82), Thorshavet (43) and Helgøy (77). Beth and Petter were also initially in this convoy but left due to engine problems. In Sept.-1941, we find Madrono in in station 15 of the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 15, but she was unable to maintain convoy speed and returned to Clyde the day after departure, subsequently joining the next convoy, ON 16.

More details on all the Norwegian ships mentioned here can be found with the help of the alphabet index at the end of this page.

Related external link:
OB convoys - Convoy OB 279 is included. Note that by going to this section of the same site and clicking on "Ship Search", using "Madrono" as keyword, some convoys that are not mentioned in my own text will come up. Here are OA 149 and OA 166, and here are OB 194 and OB 327, all mentioned in my text above.

Encounter with German Thor - 1942:

Madrono was captured by the German auxiliary cruiser Thor on July 4-1942, while on a voyage in ballast from Melbourne to Abadan, 29 50S 70 00E. My page Norwegian victims of T/S Thor picks up the story from here. There's also information about the fate of her crew, as well as an account of an attempt at escape and a link to a post war interview with Bedrich Scharf, one of her crew members. Merchant Marine Prisoners of War has a crew list, also listing the Norwegians in Japanese imprisonment, but there's a slight discrepancy here in that the source for the list ("Ingen Nåde" by Kristian Ottosen) also includes a Gunner John Jacobsen, not mentioned at all in the crew list from the Norwegian archives, whereas 3rd Engineer Edvard Edvardsen mentioned in the latter list has not been included in "Ingen Nåde". He was placed on the Rhakotis after Madrono's capture, and was among the ones who were rescued by a Spanish trawler after the sinking of Rhakotis. See also my page Life in Imprisonment which describes what some of Madrono's men (and others) experienced in Japanese camps.

Final Fate:

As will be seen on my page about "Norwegian Victims of Thor", Madrono was renamed Rossbach after capture, and according to Wilh. Wilhelmsen's fleet list Madrono/Rossbach was torpedoed and sunk in the Kii Channel, Japan by the American submarine USS Burrfish on May 7-1944, position 33 14N 134 40E. I checked on this in the book "U.S. Submarine Attacks during World War II" by John D. Alden, which gives the same date, but position 33 13N 134 14E, S Murotosaki, claiming she was hit by 3 torpedoes. The fleet list adds that Rossbach was allocated to Waried Tankschiff Rhederei G.m.b.H.

Related external link:
SS 312 - Burrfish - This page gives the nationality of the ship sunk by this submarine as Japanese, the tonnage given is the same as Madrono's tonnage.

Back to Madrono on the "Ships starting with M" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, Wilh. Wilhelmsen's fleet list, and misc. as named within text above - (ref. My sources).