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M/S Segovia To Segovia on the "Ships starting with S" page. Manager: Fred. Olsen & Co., Oslo Built by Wood, Skinner & Co. Ltd., Newcastle upon Tyne in 1922 (1921?). Captain: Carsten E. Christensen. Related item on this website:
According to Jürgen Rohwer, Segovia left the U.K. for Norway on Jan. 22-1940. He suggests she may have been torpedoed and sunk by U-55 (Heidel), though there's no report of the attack (U-55 was sunk on Jan. 30; ref. external links at the end of this page for more info). Book 1 of "Handelsflåten i krig" by Atle Thowsen states that one of the survivors from U-55, Oberbootsmaat Friedrich Jacobi indicated that the U-boat had sunk 4 ships in the days leading up to her own sinking on Jan. 30, the times and positions pointing to Segovia having been sunk in the morning of Jan. 21, and the Norwegian Telnes on Jan. 19. The other 2 ships were the Swedish D/S Foxen and D/S Andalusia. "Skip og menn" by Birger Dannevig says she was on a voyage from Portugal for Bergen, Norway with general cargo (oil, cork, wine and almonds). She passed Land's End on Jan. 20 and is believed to have been torpedoed and sunk the next day off the west coast of Scotland. 23 had been on board, including 1 passenger. "Dictionary of Disasters at Sea during the Age of Steam 1824-1962", by Charles Hocking, F.L.A. 1969, states: "The Norwegian motorship Segovia, with a crew of 22, left Lisbon on January 7th, 1940, and Oporto on the 17th for Bergen and Oslo. She was last seen in the latitude of Land's End on the 23rd and was considered to have been sunk by a German submarine". The Oslo newspaper, Aftenposten from Saturday, Febr. 17-1940 has big fat headlines saying "British cruiser boards German ship in Norwegian waters" then "The Norwegian government protests in London, demands compensation and the handing over of prisoners". Most of the front page deals with the Altmark affair, and Finland/Russia operations are briefly discussed, but then another headline says: Jan-Olof, Sweden has sent me a copy of another newspaper clipping saying that maritime hearings were held in Oslo on the day the article appeared, March 29-1940. The article agrees with Hocking's departure date from Oporto (Jan. 17), bound for Bergen, setting a course west of Ireland. Her cargo consisted of 140 tons oil, 45 tons cork, 530 tons wine and misc. other general, a total of 750 tons, as well as 80 tons bunkers. On Jan. 20, a report was received via Gothenburg Radio that Segovia had passed the southern point of England, and that was the last anyone heard from the ship. In the days around Jan. 27, drifting debris was observed, including cork. Also, the Danish steamer Harald reported that she on Jan. 28, in 57 57N 08 43W had seen a life ring and debris (cork). Additionally, Wilh. Wilhelmsen's Cubano had run across misc. debris on Febr. 10-11, in the area between 59 20N 15 14W and eastwards to 59 29N 13 10W. The article concludes with the suggestion that she might have struck a mine and had sunk so quickly that no one had time to save themselves.
Crew List - No survivors:
Keep in mind that these were found in an old newspaper - I cannot guarantee accuracy
*According to "Våre falne", a series of 4 books naming Norwegian WW II casualties, Able Seaman Ole M. G. Olsen had been on Ørnefjell when he became ill and paid off in Lisbon. He was later sent home as passenger on Segovia. Back to Segovia on the "Ships starting with S" page. The text on this page was compiled with the help of: Sources mentioned within text. (More details on these books in My sources).
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