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D/S Risøy To Risøy on the "Ships starting with R" page. Manager: O. Nordahl Sånum, Mandal Built at Selby in 1918. Previous names: Horsia, Heljo, Kenrhos, Kilfinny (according to "Shipwreck Index of the British Isles"). Captain: Kristian Eldor Nordhus Related items on this website: Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives:
A. Hague has included Risøy in the Norway-U.K. Convoy HN 7 in Jan.-1940. The following month he has her in the U.K.-Norway Convoy ON 11, and at the end of March she's mentioned in the Advance Sailing Telegram for Convoy HN 22 from Norway, in ballast for Newcastle (I'm not entirely convinced she sailed in this convoy). A. Hague has also listed her in Convoy HN 25, which left Bergen on Apr. 7-1940, shortly before the German invasion (Apr. 9). This fits in with the information found on Page 1 of the archive documents, which says she arrived Methil Roads on Apr. 12, later proceeding to Middlesbrough. Follow the links for more details; several Norwegian ships took part in all these convoys. Apart from a couple of voyages to France, she was mostly in service around the U.K., as will be seen when going to the above archive documents. Her 1941 voyages are shown on Pages 1 through 5. Her 1942 voyages also start on the latter document and continue on Page 6 (it'll be noticed, that she occasionally had long stays in port).
Risøy was attacked by aircraft on March 20-1942 when on a voyage from Southampton to Swansea with a cargo of 450 tons scrap iron, having left Southampton the day before. She was in a coastal convoy escorted by a destroyer and 3 armed trawlers (Convoy PW 128 - external link, incomplete listing. Atle Jarl, Jan, Marit II and Trolla are included). The first attack had taken place off Portland and a tanker had been hit and damaged (Dutch Antonia?). The captain's report says the convoy was north of Trevose Head that evening when another 3 planes came in low, and were met by fire from all the ships. 1 aircraft was hit and landed in the sea near one of the escorts, while the other two took off, only to come back twice during the next half hour. A visitor to my website has told me that "Shipwreck Index of the British Isles" gives the position as 10 miles west (not north) of Trevose Head, Cornwall for the attack on Risøy, the 4th and last attack on the convoy (Page 6 of the archive documents gives the time as 20:14). She was hit by a bomb in No. 3 hold, blowing the hatches off. After having searched in vain for the missing 1st Engineer Sigurd Wathne, the crew went in the port lifeboat and rowed over to the escorting trawler HMS Ruby (T 24) which picked them up. The trawler intended to attempt saving her, but she sank, stern first, before they could do so. It later turned out that the engineer had been blown overboard, picked up by the British S/S Dunrange(?) and taken to a hospital in Swansea, where he died on March 26. He was buried in Swansea on March 31. Having been transferred to another vessel, the survivors were landed in Swansea on March 21, where an inquiry was held on Apr. 1-1942 with the captain, the 1st and 2nd mates, the 2nd engineer, Able Seaman Gård (helmsman) and Ordinary Seaman Devold (lookout) appearing. HMS Brocklesby also escorted Convoy PW 128 - scroll down on this external page to the list of convoys she escorted. It'll be noticed (higher up on the page) that the aircraft attack off Trevose Head on March 20-1942 is also mentioned. A. Hague also adds Drumheller among the escorts (ref. link to Convoy PW 128 above).
Related external link: Back to Risøy on the "Ships starting with R" page. Other ships by this name: Norway had 2 steamers by the name Risøy in the 1920's. One had originally been the German Burgermeister Massman (built 1895, 383 gt), which became the Norwegian Børvastind of Bodø, before she was purchased by D/S A/S Risøy (M. Clausen), Haugesund in 1924 and renamed Risøy. Sprang a leak and sank on Jan. 23-1926 on a voyage Ålesund-Ostende, Belgium with a cargo of herring during stormy weather. The crew was saved by D/S Kongshavn. Another D/S Risøy had previously been the English London Queen (built 1910, 599 gt). Purchased by D/S A/S Risøy (M. Clausen) in 1926 and renamed Risøy. Sold that same year to Chile and renamed Pilar. Also, Haugesund lost a D/S Risøy to WW I, delivered in Nov.-1909 to Sigvart Rasmussen, Haugesund, 1129 gt. Sunk by UB-40 on Oct. 22-1916, 12 n. miles north of Quessant on a voyage Barry Dock-Brest with 1524 tons coal. The crew was ordered to the lifeboats before the ship was sunk by explosives. One lifeboat reached St. Anne, Alderney after 2 days, the other disappeared without a trace. ("Våre gamle skip" by Leif M. Bjørkelund and E. H. Kongshavn). 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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