D/S Oria
Updated Apr. 19-2012

To Oria on the "Ships starting with N" page.

Crew List

Picture of Oria - External link (from the website about Dutch submarines that I've linked to at the end of this page).
See also this external page, which has a crew list (click in it to enlarge).
This external page has more information on her loss, while this page has the names of all who were on board at the time (also external).

Related item on this website:
Norwegian Guestbook message - From the grandson of 2nd Engineer Johan B. K. Hoel, who died while interned.

Some of her voyages are listed on this original document received from the National Archives of Norway.

(Received from Don Kindell - His source: The late Arnold Hague's database).

In March-1940 she's listed, together with the Norwegian Granli, in Convoy 74 KS, departing Casablanca on March 9, arriving Brest on the 15th, and the following month, she appears, together with South America, in Convoy OB 125, which originated in Liverpool on Apr. 8 and joined up with Convoy OA 125 on Apr. 10, the combined convoy forming the Gibraltar bound Convoy OG 25, which arrived there on Apr. 16 (see my page naming ships in all OG convoys). Oria's destination is given as Casablanca, where she arrived Apr. 18, having started out from Milford Haven on the 9th. From Casablanca, she later headed to Dakar and Rufisque, then back to Dakar and on to Bordeaux, with arrival the latter on May 31 (according to the archive document), leaving again on June 10, arriving Casablanca June 19. For this voyage she's listed in Convoy 64 X, which left Verdon on June 12. The Norwegian Europe, Inger Lise and Vigør are also included - ref. external links provided within the Voyage Record.

More info 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.

Interned - 1940:

Oria was one of the 26 Norwegian ships interned in North and West Africa 1940-1942 - my page Interned Ships has the names of all 26.

Not all sources agree on the facts, though they all agree she was renamed Ste Julienne after having been requisitioned by the Vichy French.

Here is what my various books say about Oria:

"Sjømann - Lang Vakt" by Guri Hjeltnes says she was interned in Port Lyautey. Note that the archive document states she had arrived Port Lyautey from Casablanca on Sept. 11-1940.

"Nortraships flåte" says she was interned June 22-1940, requisitioned June 24-1941, sunk in the Aegean Sea Febr. 13-1944. (The archive document also states she was seized on June 24-1941).

Roger W. Jordan's "The World's Merchant Fleets 1939" states she was seized in Casablanca June 24-1941, later in German service (from Nov. 22-1942) under the name Oria, wrecked outside Cape Sunion, Aegean, Febr. 12 or 13-1944, while trying to escape a submarine attack.

"Skip og menn", Birger Dannevig says she sailed under the French flag until Dec. 29-1942, when she was transferred to the Germans. Sunk in the Aegean Sea on Febr. 12-1944.

A French visitor to my website has told me that (presumably according to French records) Oria was seized in Port Lyautey in July-1940. Under French flag at Port Lyautey June 24-1941 (as Ste Julienne). She sailed from Port Lyautey to Casablanca in June or July-1941. Sailed from Casablanca in convoy on July 24-1941. At Oran July 27.

There's a thread on my Ship Forum about Oria, starting with this query. One of the replies, which is in German, says she departed Bordeaux for Casablanca on June 10-1940 (agreeing with the details found on the archive document) and was still there when France fell later that month. The poster says she was managed by Soc. Nationale d’Affrétements when she had the name Ste Julienne but was taken over by the Germans in Marseilles on Nov. 24.-1942 and given the name Norda IV, Mittelmeerreederei GmbH., Hamburg, departing Marseilles for Italy on Nov. 25 and was again given back her old name of Oria, same German managers. See also the thread starting with this query, as well as this thread.

As mentioned, some sources say she was sunk while trying to escape a submarine attack. There seems to be some disagreement on this as well. Theodor Dorgeist, who posted one of the messages, says that Oria on Febr. 11-1944 at 17:40 departed Rhodes for Piræus with 4200 Italian prisoners, 30 guards and 60 German soldiers, but stranded in a storm on Febr. 12, broken down on the Gaidaroneos Reefs (? German is not my strongest language, I also believe she had different managers by then), afterpart capsized and sank, forepart under water to the foremast (?). By Febr. 14, 49 prisoners, 6 soldiers(?) and 5 crew (including the captain and 1st Engineer) had been rescued. So according to this post the "trying to escape a submarine attack" theory is incorrect.

Another response to one of the Oria queries on my Forum refers to a website on Dutch submarines (ref. external link at the end of this page) which indicates the Dutch Dolfijn may have attacked Oria on Jan. 31-1944 at 8:18 hrs. "3 torpedoes were fired but they missed the target and exploded at the end of their runs. Position: West of Stampalia." The poster says Stampalia is 10-20 miles from Rhodes.

This external page has more information on her loss, while this page has the names of all who were on board at the time (also external).

Crew List:
"Sjømann - Lang Vakt" says she had a crew of 23, all Norwegian, 1 died, 4 escaped, 1 went home.
*This list was received from Svein Edvardsen, Norway, whose father Sverre was among the crew (original source: National Archives). See also this external page, which says he had been on board since Dec. 2-1939 and paid off in the U.K. on May 31-1941. He had escaped to Gibraltar on Apr. 3-1941, later arriving the U.K. on May 31, joining Gaston Micard later that year. Also served on Lynghaug and Bjerka.

Remaining in Africa at the time of the Allied Invasion
Captain Bjarne Rasmussen	1st Mate Ole Eikrem	2nd Mate Arne Johansen	Boatswain Peder Myklebust	Carpenter Ivar Johannessen	Able Seaman Sverre Hamnes
Able Seaman Trygve Frøiland	Ordinary Seaman Hauge Hansen	Ordinary Seaman Leif Erik Selstrøm	Jr. Ordinary Seaman Erling J. Hansen	Deckboy Egil Myhre	Steward Sverre Edvardsen*
Cook Ovald Arntsen	Mess Boy Thorbjørn Thorsen	1st Engineer Gotfred Osufsen	3rd Engineer Olaf Hjelmaas	Donkeyman Willy Evensen	Stoker Arthur Hegg
Stoker Oskar Edvardsen	Stoker Olaf Martin Olsen	Trimmer Edvard Nerland	Trimmer Bjørn Bjørnstad
Casualty
† 2nd Engineer Johan Bernhard Knudsen Hoel (died Nov. 16-1941)

Oria's 2nd engineer died in Nov.-1941 while interned (here's a Guestbook message from his grandson). According to the captain, the crew was sent to a camp in Morocco at first. The captains of the various ships were later allowed to move freely in Marrakesh for a brief period of time, but were subsequently sent to camps in the Sahara along with their crews.

I found all of the above crew members in Kristian Ottosen's "Nordmenn i fangenskap" (Norwegians in imprisonment) which states the following (please be aware that these dates are not necessarily correct, in fact - some of them make no sense):

Captain Rasmussen - "arrested" (interned) on Sept. 11-1940, transferred to Mecheria Aug. 29-1941, released Nov. 16-1942. Details for Able Seaman Hamnes are exactly the same as those given for the captain, as are those for Able Seaman Frøiland, except he was transferred to Qued Zem (where my father was - follow link to Mecheria). It adds he was there till the war was over, but surely, that can't be right(?).

1st Mate Eikrem - arrested Sept. 11-1941(?), transferred to Sidi-el-Ayachi Aug. 29-1941, released Jan. 20-1942.

2nd Mate Johansen - arrested Sept. 11-1941(?), transferred to Qued Zem Aug. 29-1941, escaped Aug. 27-1942.

Boatswain Myklebust - arrested Sept. 11-1940, transferred to Sidi-el-Ayachi Aug. 29-1941, later to Qued Zem, released Nov. 16-1942.

Carpenter Johannessen, Ordinary Seaman Selstrøm, 3rd Engineer Hjelmaas, Stoker Hegg, and Erling Jentoft Hansen - arrested Sept. 11-1940, transferred Aug. 29-1941, several camps, released Nov. 16-1942.

Ordinary Seaman Hansen and Steward Edvardsen - arrested Sept. 11-1940, transferred Port Lyautey*, escaped Apr. 3-1941. Steward Edvardsen's son has told me that according to his father, he escaped with 2 others, but only Ordinary Seaman Hansen has been given the same escape date in "Nordmen i fangenskap". Note however, that according to a letter written by 3rd Engineer Amund Torp (ex Kari), he had escaped in a small boat on Apr. 3-1941 together with some crew from Oria - follow this link to D/S Kari.

1st Engineer Osufsen - arrested Sept. 11-1940, transferred to camp June 24-1941, released June 17-1942.

Deckboy Myhre - arrested Sept. 11-1940, transferred Port Lyautey, released Jan. 9-1941.

Cook Arntsen (first names given as Ovall Ludvik) - arrested Sept. 11-1940, several camps, released Sept. 21-1942.

Stoker Olsen - arrested Sept. 11-1940, transferred Port Lyautey, released Nov. 16-1943(? I believe the year here must be an error; Operation Torch took place on Nov. 8 - 1942).

Donkeyman Evensen - arrested Sept. 11-1940, transferred Port Lyautey, released Nov. 16-1942. Same details are given for Stoker Edvardsen, Trimmer Nerland, Trimmer Bjørnstad and Mess Boy Thorsen - several camps.

* I believe this simply refers to Oria sailing to Port Lyautey - personally, I suspect she was in Casablanca when France fell, then was moved to Port Lyautey like so many other Norwegian ships (again, see also the archive document). I also suspect that all of the above were at Mecheria when they were released, as this was a collection camp - again follow the link above.

Related external links:
Dutch submarines - Go down to 1944. There's also a picture of Oria here.

See also:
This page where the loss of Oria is described (text is in German).

Astrup Fearnley - the Fearnley company today

Back to Oria on the "Ships starting with N" page.

Fearnley & Eger also lost a ship by this name during WW I, built 1913, 1845 gt - sank in 1917. This forum message has some details on this.

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