D/S Svint
Updated Aug. 4-2012

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

Crew List


Picture received from Jackie and Peter Allen, Cardiff.
"Våre falne" (a series of 4 books naming Norwegians who died in WW II) gives his full name as Svein Andreas Theodor Aanonsen. He served on the whale factory Strombus for several years until she struck a mine in Oct.-1940, then joined Svint. Died when she was bombed - see "Final Fate" and crew list below. Buried in Cardiff. Here's a Guestbook message from his granddaughter (see also this external page).

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

Some Convoy Voyages:

For information on voyages made in between those mentioned here, please see the documents received from the National Archives of Norway and A. Hague's Voyage Record above.

According to Page 1 of the archive documents, Svint had arrived Tyne on Apr. 8-1940, the day before war broke out in Norway. She had sailed from Rouen on Apr. 4. Apart from a few more voyages to France, she was mostly in service around the U.K. (it'll be noticed that she occasionally had long stays in port).

She was scheduled for Convoy OA 167, which left Southend on June 13-1940, but she did not sail - her destination is given as Rouen (ref. external link below - other Norwegian ships included in this convoy are Heina, Lysaker IV, Troja and Tungsha). She shows up again a couple of days later, along with Avance I, Benwood, Fernbank, Ledaal, Nea and Topdalsfjord, in Convoy OA 168GF, which left Southend on June 15 and joined up with Convoy OB 168GF from Liverpool 2 days later, the combined convoy forming the Gibraltar bound Convoy OG 34F. Her destination is now given as Bordeaux, but going back to Page 1 (which gives her destination as Rouen), we learn that she was diverted to Belfast; she stopped at Falmouth on June 19, continuing to Belfast on June 24 (arrival is not given). OG 34F will be added to an individual page in my Convoys section - see ships in all OG convoys, but note that Svint did not sail in this or any other OG convoy.

In Aug.-1940 we find her, together with Heire, Lom and Solitaire, in Convoy OA 204, which left Methil on Aug. 25 and dispersed on the 29th (ref. link in Voyage Record above - see also the external link below; several ships were sunk). Her destination is not given, but according to Page 1, she arrived Carleton, N.B. on Sept. 12. With a cargo of lumber for Fraserburgh, she headed back to the U.K. again on Sept. 27 with the slow Convoy SC 6 from Sydney, C.B. Follow the link for more convoy info, several Norwegian ships took part.

The Dutch D/S Karanan was the victim of a German aircraft attack on Febr. 19-1941, and Svint took her in tow to Falmouth. Svint herself survived 3 air attacks in one day, March 28, while travelling around Longships Light, Lands End. The first 2 did no damage, but during the last attack one of her crew was injured by machine gun fire, and Svint had to go to Penzance to put the injured man ashore. Her voyages in this period are shown on Page 2.

Related external links:
Convoy OA 167

Ships hit from convoy OA 204

Final Fate - 1941:

Svint was on a voyage from Workington to Plymouth with a cargo of coal, in a convoy(?) between Falmouth and Milford Haven, when she was attacked by aircraft 7 n. miles off Kellan Head, Trevose, just after midnight on July 10-1941. According to Page 3, she had sailed from Milford Haven on July 9 (from Workington July 2). One of the bombs went through the starboard side of the bridge and detonated in the sea, while 2 others detonated off the port side of the engine room, causing the floor plates to be blown out of position and water to gush in, while it filled with steam due to broken steam pipes. Within 3 minutes there was about 2' of water in the engine room, quickly increasing until the engine room and stokehold were flooded. The 1st mate was found killed on the foredeck.

All on board were in the port lifeboat* when the aircraft returned and dropped 3 more bombs, all hitting the sea close to the lifeboat, filling it with water. The ship was still afloat so they stayed nearby until a rescue vessel from Padstow came out in the morning and picked them up. The captain and 3 men returned that same day to find Svint in tow by two naval vessels, but she had taken in so much water that she sank that afternoon.

An inquiry was held on July 22-1941 (in Padstow, where they were landed?) with the captain, the 2nd mate, the 1st engineer and Able Seaman Holm (helmsman) attending.

*Some of the details above were found in "Nortraships flåte", but I get the understanding from the 1st engineer's statements at the inquiry that they remained on the ship until taken off by the rescue vessel from Padstow at daylight. Able Seaman Holm stated that he "helped recover the port lifeboat which had become adrift". He added that he had seen the 1st mate, who appears to have been the officer on watch, going to the starboard gun. The 2nd mate said he had seen a hole in the starboard side of the bridge close to the gun, and there was a large amount of debris on the bridge. Only one attack is mentioned in these statements, which refer to the captain's report as well, but I don't have a copy of this report.

A visitor to my site says that according to "Shipwreck Index of the British Isles" Svint lies at 50 38 26N 04 57 12W.

Crew List:

Survivors
Captain Olaf Thorvald Olsen	2nd Mate Hans Kristian Nilsen	Able Seaman Håkon Pedersen	Able Seaman Sverre Jensen	Able Seaman Knut Bjarne Holm	Able Seaman Victor Ottenson (Estonian)
Able Seaman Albert Hammond (British)	Ordinary Seaman Rolf Halvorsen	1st Engineer Magne Hansen	2nd Engineer Aanon Aanonsen	Donkeyman Erling Hovland	Stoker Ole Kristian Renli
Stoker George Jones (British?)	Trimmer John McCarthy (British?)	Steward Hjalmar Tønnesen	Cook Leif Ludvigsen	+ 4 British gunners names unknown
Casualty
† 1st Mate Svein Aanonsen Taken ashore and buried in Cardiff (see pic of headstone above). Here's a Guestbook message from his granddaughter.

Related external link:
Stavern Memorial commemoration (1st mate)

Back to Svint 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).