D/S Snefjeld
Updated March 21-2010

To Snefjeld on the "Ships starting with S" page.

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

At 01:15 on the 19th she had stopped, having heard shouts from people in the water. 3 boats were launched to look for survivors, finding 4 from the torpedoed Greek ship Thalia, and they were just about to raise 2 of the boats back on board at about 02:00 when Snefjeld was hit by a torpedo from U-99* (Kretschmer), near Hatch No. 2, starboard side (according to Uboat.net, a torpedo had missed about 20 minutes earlier, and another about 5 minutes earlier). The 2nd mate, the steward and the mess boy were injured in the explosion. The 1st mate, who had been in one of the boats, was flung towards aft and came to the surface again abreast of No. 4 hatch, then managed to reboard. He attempted to open the door to the chart room, but it was completely ablaze. The ship listed to starboard causing the deck cargo on the foredeck to go overboard. Both starboard lifeboats (used in the rescue) were destroyed, but the motorboat, which had also been taking part in the search for the Greek seamen was still on the water about 2 ship's lengths away and was able to pick up some of the crew, while the rest left the ship in a dinghy.

*"Nortraships flåte" says U-123 was the attacker of Snefjeld.

After an hour Snefjeld broke in two, then eventually sank, still on fire, at about 08:00 according to a report presented at the subsequent maritime hearings (57 28N 11 10W). The 21 survivors (no casualties) remained in the area until around noon in the hope of being rescued, or possibly being spotted by aircraft, but when this did not happen they started to row towards land, having found the motor inoperable. When the weather worsened that afternoon they had to use a sea anchor, and that evening the line between the 2 boats broke so that they got separated, but they stayed in touch through the night with the help of light signals and at dawn the following morning they got together again. That afternoon they found an empty raft from Thalia and helped themselves to some supplies. Shortly thereafter they found an empty, fully equipped lifeboat from S/S Empire Brigade (also from Convoy SC 7), and some of the men in the dinghy transferred to it. An hour later a lone man was seen standing on some debris and they took him on board; he had belonged to the British S/S Fiscus from the same convoy (see report below). On Oct. 21 they met a lifeboat with 29 from S/S Port Gisborne, but lost contact overnight (these men had spent over a week in the boat - torpedoed Oct. 11, Convoy HX 77 - will be added, see Ships in all HX convoys).

They all transferred to the lifeboat the following day as the motorboat kept taking in water, then continued rowing east for one more day and night, until they on the 23rd were picked up by HMS Clematis which landed them all in Methil on Oct. 26 (including the 5 who had been picked up from the other ships), where the 2nd mate, the steward and the messboy were admitted to a hospital, while the rest of them were sent to Newcastle that same day. The inquiry was held there on Nov. 1-1940 with Captain Finn Skage, 1st Mate Hjalmar Kornelius Hægland, 1st Engineer Nils Særvold, Boatswain John Theodor Berget and Radio Operator Johan Arne Rørvik appearing. The latter had taken part in the rescue of the Greek survivors, but had reboarded and was on the boat deck when the explosion occurred. I get the impression he subsequently sent out an SOS about Snefjeld's situation. One of the survivors, Able Seaman Peder Jorang Aga, later died when Nortind was lost in Jan.-1943.

For info, U-99 was also responsible for the attacks on the Norwegian Strinda, Lotos and Samnanger, all in 1940, as well as on Beduin and Ferm in 1941 - follow the links for more details.

Survivor Report - Fiscus
Deposition of Ordinary Seaman Edward Sidney King - Sworn at Cardiff, Nov. 19-1940
(received from Roger Griffiths - His source: Public Records Office, Kew).

"This vessel had reached a point about 350 miles West of Eire. Position in Convoy, third ship in column three from port. Other columns having from three to six ships in each. Deponent was lying dozing in his bunk when a violent explosion occurred and ship took a heavy list to starboard. One packing case was lying alongside No. 2 hatch. It was not lashed to the deck. Deponent got on to the packing case, when the sea washed him into No. 2 hold, the hatches of which had been blown off by the explosion. Evidently, the torpedo had struck No. 2 hold, starboard side, blowing off beams and hatch covers. The hold was full of water. Deponent sank and rose to the surface when he grabbed the rope lashing around the packing case. The case floated away, the fore deck of the ship being by this time under water. The packing case swept clear of the ship and when deponent looked around the ship had disappeared, and the sea was a mass of wreckage. In deponent's opinion vessel sank within a minute of the explosion.

After about two hours on the packing case deponent sighted three Indian firemen clinging to the ice box about 20 yards away. He called to them and helped them on to the packing case. They died from exposure the next morning. Deponent did not see any other members of the crew. He remained on the packing case until picked up on 21/10/40 by a lifeboat full of survivors from Norwegian ship Thalia (incorrect - he may have thought the lifeboat was from the Greek Thalia, as there were 4 survivors from that ship on board). This vessel had been in deponent's convoy and had been sunk about an hour and a half after the Fiscus. The lifeboat was sighted by a flying boat on 24/10/40 and the occupants picked up on the same day by one of H.M.S. (this was HMS Clematis, as mentioned. Date discrepancies here are probably simply due to different time zones used in reports). The boats of the Fiscus were swung out ready for launching. One raft was in the starboard fore rigging and two others aft in main rigging, one on each side. Master had given strict orders on 17/10/40 that every man was to wear his life-saving waistcoat continuously and deponent knows that all deck personnel wore them accordingly."

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Mike Holdoway, England (the webmaster of this external website, which includes SL convoys, as well as OA and OB convoys, among several other series), has sent me the following related information, part of a narrative by HMS Clematis, which had been escorting the combined convoys OA 230 / OB 230 until dispersed and then met the homeward bound Convoy SL 50 (all these links are external):

Oct. 23:
12:20 - Clematis ran off to Northward to report by W/T.
14:30 - Aerial escort seen. Report made by V/S.
14:55 - Sighted boat and picked up 26 survivors - 21 from Norwegian Snefjeld, 4 from Greek Athelia [Thalia], 1 from British Fiscus. 55.39N 11.42W
16:10 - Rejoined Convoy.

Oct. 26:
09:30 - Convoy arrived Methil Roads ". (That was the A portion of Convoy SL 50).

Narrative by Captain Finn Skage of Snefjeld:
"On Friday Oct. 18th, my noon position was 57.55N, 12.39W, convoy was in 9 columns. First ship was torpedoed (rear of outside Port column) at about 1930. Convoy made emergency turn to Starboard when a ship in one of the Starboard Columns was torpedoed. At approximately 1945 an emergency turn to Port was made and immediately afterwards a third ship was attacked. After this, formation of convoy became ragged and "U" Boats appeared on surface using flares and gunfire. I think there were at least four "U" Boats. The Rear Commodore reported by W/T he was chasing a "U" Boat on the surface, at about 0015, 19th. Oct., I stopped my ship to pick up survivors from Greek Athelia (Thalia). Before the boats returned I saw a "U" Boat near us, as the boats came alongside we were torpedoed at about 0110. While in the boat several aircraft which were obviously looking for survivors passed close overhead but did not see us."

(Captain Skage "appeared to be a fine type of Sailor").
Handwritten note: "Picked up by Clematis 1455 23/10/40".
The name Athelia in relation to the Greek ship is used in both documents rather than Thalia.

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According to Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System", Convoy SC 7 had 34 ships. He gives the following details on the ships that were lost (stragglers are not included in this source - again, please see my page about Convoy SC 7 as well as the external link below for a complete list of ships attacked):
British Assyrian, general cargo - 17 dead, British Beatus, steel and wood - no casualties, Dutch Boekelo, timber - no casualties, Swedish Convallaria, pulpwood - no casualties, British Creekirk, iron ore - 36 dead, British Empire Brigade, copper and steel - 6 dead, British Empire Miniver, iron and steel - 3 dead, Swedish Gunborg, pulp wood - no casualties, British Languedoc, fuel oil - no casualties, Greek Niritos, sulphur - 1 dead, British Scoresby, pitprops - no casualties, British Sedgepool, wheat - 3 dead, Dutch Soesterberg, pitprops - 6 dead, Greek Thalia, steel, lead and spelter - 22 dead.

Related external links:
Convoy SC 7

U-99 | Otto Kretschmer

Back to Snefjeld on the "Ships starting with S" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Vol. II (Norwegian Maritime Museum), and misc. as named within text above (ref. My sources).