M/T Storaas

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

Crew List

Some War Voyages:

Storaas was in the Bermuda portion of the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 56 in July-1940. She had a cargo of fuel oil and had station 57 of the convoy.

In Dec.-1940 she shows up, with destination Cape Town and Abadan, in Convoy OB 254, leaving Liverpool on Dec. 4. However, she's said to have returned to Clyde, subsequently joining Convoy OB 257, leaving Liverpool on Dec. 10. The external website that I've linked to below has the names of the other ships in these convoys.

She returned to the U.K. in Jan.-1941 in Convoy HX 104, again joining from Bermuda, and bound for Clyde with fuel oil. She was in Convoy OB 291 in March-1941 (destination Trinidad), and was 85 n. miles west of Achill Head when she was attacked by aircraft. The gunners defended her, which avoided direct hits but two bombs detonated so close that the engine stopped from the impact. The British corvette HMS Tulip stayed nearby for protection until her engine could be started again and she could continue. OB 291 had left Liverpool on Febr. 27 and was dispersed on March 3.

In June-1941 she was in Convoy SL 77, which departed Freetown on June 8 and arrived Liverpool on July 3 - Again, see the first external website below. At the end of the following month Storaas, with a cargo of fuel oil, joined the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 42, which lost so many ships. The Norwegian Askeladden, Måkefjell, Knoll, Lancing, Regin, Inger Elisabeth, Arosa, Vestland, Bestum and Stargard are also listed in this convoy; the latter was sunk - my page about Stargard has details.

The external site already mentioned will fill in some of the gaps in my voyage information for this ship.

In Oct.-1941 we find Storaas, with destination Curacao, in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 25. This convoy will also be added to my Convoys section, along with more details on it, but in the meantime, please go to ON 25 in the section listing ships in all ON Convoys.

Final Fate - 1943:

Storaas departed Simonstown in ballast for Abadan on May 28-1943 in Convoy CD 20 (external link), escorted by 4 armed trawlers. Struck by a torpedo in the engine room from U-177 (Gysae) that same evening, 34 57S 19 33E. A ship a little in front of her on the starboard side had just been hit (American Agwimonte) and as no orders from the Commodore were forthcoming, Captain Jensen, fearing a torpedo from the starboard side had decided to order hard port wheel. Just as Storaas had turned about 30° a ripping sound was heard and immediately afterwards the wake of a torpedo was seen heading their way from starboard, resulting in a horrific explosion. The main engines stopped immediately, all the lights went out, and the after part started to sink very quickly, then seemed to stop.

Without orders the crew took to the aft lifeboats which were launched without problems. The starboard boat with the 2nd mate on board came alongside for the captain, the 1st and 3rd mates and the radio operator, as the port boat had already left the ship's side. (An attempt had been made by those remaining on board to launch the amidships, starboard motor boat, but the after tackle got caught and the boat flooded, though remained afloat).

The boats were ordered to stay nearby, the captain intending to reboard as soon as it was light. However, Storaas received another torpedo, and shortly afterwards an escorting trawler came up and ordered them all on board as quickly as possible (the trawler, named as HMSAS Vereeniging at Uboat.net, also picked up surviors from the rafts and a lifeboat from Agwimonte). The captain's request to stay near the ship until daylight was denied, as the escort had to remain with the convoy. They were landed in Port Elizabeth on May 30-1943, then travelled by train to Cape Town. 4 men were missing, all of whom, except the steward, were in the engine room when the explosion occurred.

Meanwhile, in the pitch black engine room, with oil and water gushing in from above, Mechanic Halaas was trapped, but eventually managed to free himself and get to the surface. He then swam around in the dark until he found an opening through which he could get out on deck, about an hour after the ship had been torpedoed. He went to his cabin and got some clothes and also found a flash light. Being unable to get the port dinghy out by himself, he stayed on board, near the dinghy in case the ship should capsize. He saw lights on the water quite a ways off and signalled for help with his flash light - someone signalled back, this was believed to have been survivors on a raft from the other torpedoed ship. Two hours passed, then another torpedo hit on the starboard side, abaft amidships, and about 10 minutes later an explosion occurred on the port side, causing Storaas to list heavily to port. He entered the dinghy, waited till the water reached it, then simply rowed away.

The ship remained afloat for as long as he could see it. He rowed all night in order to keep warm, but had no idea in which direction land was until daylight, at which time he started to row in that direction until a trawler picked him up late in the afternoon of May 29. He was landed in Cape Town, where he stayed at a nursing home for 2 weeks while being treated for various wounds.

The maritime inquiry was held in Cape Town on June 18-1943 with the captain, the 2nd mate, the 1st engineer, Mechanic Halaas, Able Seaman Olsen, and Able Seaman Brandt attending. The captain stated that the escorting trawler had the marking T-62, however, HMSAS Vereeniging had T-72. None of the witnesses had seen the steward prior to the attack.

Crew List:
2nd Mate Syvertsen was the officer on watch on the bridge.
Mechanic Halaas had just joined the ship in Simonstown.
Able Seaman Olsen, who was at the helm when the explosion occurred had also joined the ship just 10 days before.
Able Seaman Brandt, who was on lookout on the wheel house roof, had been on board for 4 months.

Survivors
Captain Arnold Morits Jensen	1st Mate Ragnar Martinsen	2nd Mate Karsten Harry Lie Syvertsen	3rd Mate Leif Tellefsen	Radio Operator Nils A. Thorstensen	Carpenter Olaf Olsen
Boatswain Karl Karlsen	Able Seaman Olaf Kristiansen	Able Seaman Peder Abrahamsen	Able Seaman Fritz Halvorsen	Able Seaman Konrad Andersen	Able Seaman Arne Abrahamsen
Able Seaman Gustav Kristenson (Swedish?)	Able Seaman Anton Andersen	Able Seaman Sven Rasin Olsen	Able Seaman Ludvik Larsen	Able Seaman Olaf Seldal	Able Seaman Eugen Kristian Brandt
1st Engineer Lars Eriksen	2nd Engineer Finn Christoffersen	3rd Engineer Frank Gulbrandsen	Mechanic Paul Olsen Halaas	Mechanic Hans Høst	Mechanic Leif Johnsen
Mechanic Erling Jacobsen	Mechanic Nils Henning Nilsson (Swedish)	Mechanic Olav Sørhus	Mechanic Alexander Scott (British)	Pumpman Olaf Olsen	Cook Eric Carlson (Swedish)
Galley Boy Sydney Adams (South African)	Mess Boy José Vaz (Portuguese)	Saloon Boy Henry Pitcher (South African)	Gunner Raymond Sydney Reveritt(?) (British)	Gunner Francis Cook (British)	Gunner Kenneth Durham (British)
Casualties
† 4th engineer Gunnar Mathisen	† Mechanic Haakon Olaisen	† Steward Ole Kraasgåt

Related external links:
Those who died - This site says that 5 died in the sinking. In addition to the 3 above, Mate Aksel M. Bjønnes and Carpenter Nils O. Andreassen are commemorated. However, checking with "Våre falne", which lists Norwegian WW II casualties, I find that Aksel Monrad Bjønnes had died on board of heart failure on Aug. 3-1942, when en route from Abadan to Australia, and was buried at sea. Carpenter Nils Ove Andreassen had died on Febr. 18-1941, also of heart failure, and is buried in Leith, Scotland (he had 6 children).

My query to the ubootwaffe.net forum regarding the attack on Storaas. As will be seen Roland Berr has replied with an excerpt from U-177's KTB, confirming there were 3 attacks (Rowher mentions only one attack on Storaas).

Operations information (& crew list) for U-177

U-177 | Robert Gysae

See also
Uboat.net's account on the attack

Back to Storaas 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", Volume II, Norwegian Maritime Museum, and misc. (ref. My sources).