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M/S Tudor To Tudor on the "Ships starting with T" page. Manager: Wilh. Wilhelmsen, Tønsberg Launched on Jan. 18-1930 by Kockums Mekaniska Verkstads A/B, Malmö (Yard No. 163). Completed Apr. 9-1930. Captain: Hans Bjønnes Her voyages are listed on this original document received from the National Archives of Norway.
Tudor had departed Melbourne on March 15-1940 with about 3800 tons steel and about 600 tons general for Marseilles, Lisbon and Liverpool. According to the archive document she was in Port Said when war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9. Via Malta, she arrived Marseilles on Apr. 17, proceeding to Gibraltar on May 31 and from there to Lisbon, with arrival June 4. She left Lisbon again on June 11, arriving Gibraltar the next day, then departed in Convoy HGF 34 for the U.K. on June 13. Follow the link for more convoy details. On June 19, when northwest of Cape Finisterre, position 45 10N 11 50W, she was struck in the port side between hatch No. 1 and 2 by a torpedo from U-48 (Rösing). The torpedo had been seen beforehand and evasive maneuvers attempted but it was too late. She started to go down by the head, so 4 lifeboats were launched and manned. By the time the captain went in the last boat the ship's propeller was out of the water. 1 of the lifeboats got caught in it and 3rd Mate Nils Pettersen was injured; he was taken aboard the captain's boat. The 2nd engineer was also in that boat and was never seen again after it had been destroyed by the propeller. The others in this boat were later picked up from the water by their shipmates. The boats remained near the ship until 07:00, at which time she went down, a little over 4 hours after the torpedo had struck, then set sail with a course for Spain which was about 180 miles in a southeasterly direction. At about 11:00, the 15 survivors in the captain's boat were picked up by HMS Arabis while the remaining 23 were rescued by HMS Calendula and landed in Plymouth on June 21 and 22 respectively. Maritime hearings were held there on June 25 with the captain, the 2nd mate, the 3rd engineer, the carpenter, Able Seaman Wangberg (helmsman), and Ordinary Seaman Rasmussen (lookout) appearing. Other ships sunk in this convoy were Baron Loudon, British Monarch and Otterpool. Kollskegg, Nina Borthen, John P. Pedersen and Svein Jarl were also in this convoy. (According to a personal story found in "Krigsseileren" No. 1, 1974 Norma also took part, but she's not included in the original convoy document. Also, from her Voyage Record for this period, we learn that she was in Hull when HGF 34 sailed from Gibraltar). For info, U-48 was also responsible for the attacks on Brandanger and Davanger later that year - follow the links for more info.
Related external links: Back to Tudor on the "Ships starting with T" page. Wilh. Wilhelmsen later had another ship by this name, 1949-1969, 5418 gt. Later named Sol Tulla for Johannes Solstad, Skudesneshavn (Aug.-1969), and Sea Glory for Harper Shipping Ltd., Panama (Nov.-1975). Broken up 1978. The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, Wilh. Wilhelmsen's fleet list, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume II (Norwegian Maritime Museum) and misc. - (ref. My sources).
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