D/S Rimac
Updated May 15-2012

To Rimac on the "Ships starting with R" page.

Rimac in London ca. 1937/1938.
Received from Øistein Eriksen, Norway (see this Norwegian Guestbook message), whose father, Erlioth Johan Kristian Eriksen, served on board.

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

Final Fate - 1941:

Rimac is said to have been on a voyage from Blyth to Loch Ewe with a cargo of coal when she in the early morning hours of Apr. 27-1941 was run into by the British Lord Plender, but in view of the location of her loss it appears this voyage information is incorrect. A couple of Norwegian sources state that this took place half a mile off Long Hope, north of Great Yarmouth, but I've been told that there is no such place near Great Yarmouth, and that it happened west of Sheringham, North Norfolk. David Tranter has told me that according to "Shipwreck Index of the British Isles" by Richard & Bridget Larn, she was on a voyage from Blyth to Woolwich, and position is given as 52 56 45N 01 14E in this source (0.5M west of Sheringham). Page 3 says she was bound for London, having departed Blyth on Apr. 25.

Rimac sank; 5 are said to have died, but it looks like 3 lost their lives - ref. my text at the external link below. Lord Plender lost 3(?). The 14 surviors from Rimac were taken aboard Lord Plender and landed at Grimsby. A lifeboat is said to have drifted ashore at Weybourne and another at East Runton.

This was Anders Smith's only ship.

Crew List:

Survivors
Captain Aksel Åberg	1st Mate John Milton	2nd Mate Karl Pettersen Ulla	Able Seaman* Edmund Sigurd Lund	Able Seaman Reidar Badski	Ordinary Seaman Sverre Pedersen
Ordinary Seaman Ragnvald Langaker	Donkeyman Peder Wåge	Stoker Åke Manner (Finnish)	Stoker Oscar Frøseth	Steward Jørgen Karluf Løknæs	Cook Thure Waldemar Lundsten
Mess Boy Oswald Shreave (British)	+ 1 more?
Casualties
† Able Seaman Halvor Sætre	† 1st Engineer Fritz Klem	† 2nd Engineer** John Helgesen

Related external link:
Stavern Memorial commemorations - This website says that 5 died. In addition to the 3 listed above, Engineer Johan H. Havnerås and Able Seaman Edmund Lund are commemorated at this memorial for seamen in Stavern, Norway. The latter is included among the survivors in "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig". *According to "Våre falne", which names Norwegians who lost their lives during the war, he became ill after his rescue and died on June 27-1941, buried in Newcastle. This book lists Engineer Havnerås as **John Helgesen Havnerås (his father's name was Helge, hence the Helgesen), adding that he died when Rimac sank on Apr. 27-1941 - It'll be noticed, when clicking on the last 2 names at the memorial, that the birthdates are the same; in other words, John Helgesen in my crew list and Johan H. Havnerås are one and the same, and is listed twice at the memorial. This leaves us with 3 casualties at the time of the collision.

Back to Rimac on the "Ships starting with R" page.

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). The prewar history was received from T. Eriksen, Norway - His source: Article about Chr. J. Reim by Kjell Malmgren and Dag Bakka Jr. in "Skipet" 4.88.