D/S Thode Fagelund

To Thode Fagelund on the "Ships starting with T" page.

Crew List


From Gunnar Skiold's photo archive


Received from, and painted by, Jan Goedhart, Holland.

Final Fate - 1941:

Torpedoed starboard side and sunk on Nov. 17-1941 by the Vichy French submarine Le Héros (Lemaire), 60 n. miles east (another source says 35 m southeast) of East London (South Africa), on a voyage from Chittagong and Madras to Table Bay and the UK with a cargo of scrap iron, jute and tea (she had departed Chittagong for Madras on Oct. 24, then left Madras on Oct. 28 for Cape Town). All 35 survived, 4 lifeboats were launched, and by the time they had left the ship the entire after part was under water. One of the boats with 8 men reached Kidds Beach near East London the same evening, while those in the 2nd mate's boat were found by a vessel that had been sent out from East London. The men in the other 2 boats were picked up by D/S Nahoon and subsequently landed in Port Elizabeth.

There seems to have been a geat mystery and some suspicion surrounding this event, in that the authorities wouldn't believe at first that there could have been enemy boats in that area, nor were there any mine fields or enemy aircraft. Therefore, the explosion must have come from inside the ship, possibly as a result of sabotage (due to the British 2nd radio operator's statements, the 1st mate was initially suspected of this act). Thode Fagelund's officers were interrogated, the captain said a torpedo had hit in the stern of the ship, and after it had sunk, he had spotted (from the lifeboat) a conning tower and periscope about 500 meters to the port side of the ship's course. Others also claimed to have seen the sub.

The hearings were held in Cape Town on Dec. 5-1941 with the captain, the 1st mate (the officer on watch), Radio Operator Brochmann Johannessen and Ordinary Seaman Fredriksen (lookout) appearing.

Eventually, based on information at hand, the interrogation staff at Cape Town reported to the Admiralty that Thode Fagelund had been torpedoed by a Vichy French submarine. This conclusion was drawn from several facts. A French convoy from Madagaskar with supplies for France had been intercepted by the British on Nov. 3, and the merchant ships and their cargoes seized. Radio communications between the French authorities and the escorting d'Iberville, which was allowed to return to Madagaskar, were intercepted. Previously, on Oct. 28, the subs Le Glorieux and Le Héros had departed Dakar for Madagaskar with another convoy, but did not return when the convoy did on Nov. 10. Additionally, on Nov. 22, aircraft had observed what was believed to have been one or more subs off Durban Bluff, and dropped some bombs, then on Dec. 7 private telegrams to Le Héros in Diego Suarez were intercepted. It was believed that Thode Fagelund was torpedoed as a reprisal for the earlier interception by the British of the French convoy. Glorieux had also attacked an allied ship on Nov. 15, but the attack was unsuccessful.

NOTE: An article found in "Krigsseileren", Issue No. 4 for 1995 states that the 3000 tons iron had been taken on board in Calcutta (for ballast, since the 36 000 cases of tea they were to get in Chittagong didn't weigh much). She had previously been to New York (from Birkenhead) and had sailed alone to Cape Town where she got some supplies before continuing east, also stopping by Dar es Salaam. While at Calcutta there was a fire in the engine, caused by reckless smoking. Fire services were called and while extinguishing the fire the ship filled with water and sank in the harbour, causing a delay of 6 weeks before she could proceed to Chittagong to take on board the tea. The article says she was en route to Cape Town for bunkers when the torpedo hit in No. 5 hatch very early in the morning. She immediately started to list and all lights went out before she sank straight down in a few minutes, with the suction causing a "great hole" in the sea, so the lifeboats had to row for life to get away from it.

1st Mate Gundersen had previously served as 2nd Mate on Wilh. Wilhelmsen's Touraine when that ship was torpedoed in Oct.-1940.

Crew List - No casualties:
*Alfred Donald Webb also appears in the crew list for Tønsbergfjord

Captain This Jørgensen	1st Mate John Bjørn Gundersen	2nd Mate Henrik Smith Hansen	3rd Mate Marcus Anker Gjersøe	Radio Operator Eilert Brochman Johannessen	2nd Radio Operator Alfred Donald Webb* (British)
Carpenter Even Pedersen	Boatswain Viggo Larsen	Able Seaman Astor Bertheussen	Able Seaman Sigurd Rasmussen	Able Seaman Arne Andersen	Able Seaman Karl Jørgensen
Able Seaman William Hagen	Able Seaman Ole Frantzen	Ordinary Seaman Ove Celander Fredriksen	Ordinary Seaman Elias Røsseland	Ordinary Seaman Karl Kolbeisen	Ordinary Seaman Johannes Nesse
Ordinary Seaman Lyder A. Karlsen	1st Engineer Simon Johansen	2nd Engineer Emil Gjertsen	3rd Engineer Erling Gjessing	Donkeyman Hans Mydske	Donkeyman Anker Gustavsen
Stoker Garald Gravdal	Stoker Louis Anton Larsen	Stoker Johan Johansen	Stoker Karsten Lundberg	Stoker Christian Christoffersen	Oiler Olaf Karlsen
Steward Aage Ch. W. Berg	1st Cook Armann Grude Otterbeck	2nd Cook Harald Vilner Kolberg	Mess Boy Storm Ringen	Saloon Boy Sverre Hietanen (Finnish)

Related external links:
SL Convoys - Mike Holdoway's new section on the SL and SLF convoys. He also has a section on the OS and OS/KMS convoys. As will be seen, Thode Fagelund is listed in Convoy SL 47 and SL 76.

1 who died on board - 3rd Mate Martin Stensland is listed as having died at sea on March 2-1941 due to illness.

Back to Thode Fagelund on the "Ships starting with T" page.

Wilh. Wilhelmsen had previously lost another steamship by this name, built 1904, 4352 gt - torpedoed and sunk off Ostend on March 12-1917 by the German UB 27, 51 40N 02 58E, on a voyage Shanghai-Rotterdam with cargo of sesame seed.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: Wilh. Wilhelmsen fleet list, "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Krigsseileren", Issue No. 4 for 1995, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume I (Norwegian Maritime Museum) - (ref. My sources).