D/S Varangberg
Updated Jan. 10-2010

To Varangberg on the "Ships starting with V" page.

Survivors & Casualties


When named Jotunfjell - Source: Bjørn Milde's postcard collection.
Historical Collections of the Great Lakes (external link) has a picture of the ship when Morris Adler (while building). Type "Varangberg" in the field for 'vessel', then on the page that comes up, click in the little box with the item number. The next page has technical details on the ship and a picture thumbnail - clicking on the thumbnail will bring up the photo. It also lists all her owners until lost, and has info on her fate. Typing 'Norway" in the search field for 'Registry' will bring up other Norwegian ships listed on the site.

Owner: A/S Malmfart.
Manager: Reinh. Mithassel, Oslo.
Tonnage: 2842 gt, 1509 net, 4700 tdwt.
Call Sign: LCPJ

Varangberg narrowly escaped Admiral Hipper's attack on Convoy SLS 64, which had left Freetown on Jan. 30-1941. (Hipper had been notified of Convoy HG 53 and had been given orders to attack it, so that when SLS 64 appeared it was assumed this was the reported convoy). Please follow the link to SLS 64 for details of the ensuing battle - see also Borgestad (sunk). Varangberg eventually reached Gibraltar unharmed on Febr. 17, then proceeded to the U.K. on Febr. 20 with Convoy HG 54, arriving Oban on March 11 - she had a cargo of iron ore, and her destination is given as Middlesbrough, where she later arrived on March 19. Several of the other ships from Convoy SLS 64 had also taken part in HG 54. The escort's report on passage is also available for this convoy. The following month, we find her in Convoy OG 60*, which sailed from Liverpool on Apr. 26 and arrived Gibraltar May 10; Varangberg, however, started out from Oban on Apr. 27 and arrived Huelva May 11 - see Page 2.

She headed back to the U.K. in Convoy HG 63 from Gibraltar on May 25. Her destination on that occasion is given as Ardrossan, cargo of pyrites, station 32 (right next to the Norwegian Fanefjeld). Varangberg arrived Ardrossan on June 10, departing again on June 21 for Clyde, and from there she joined Convoy OG 66*, which had originated in Liverpool on June 24 and arrived Gibraltar July 8; Varangberg proceeded to Huelva, where she arrived July 9. With a cargo of iron pyrites, she joined Convoy HG 69 from Gibraltar on July 28. She arrived Liverpool on Aug. 12, Garston on the 13th. This convoy is not available among the HG convoys included in my Convoys section, but see link in the Voyage Record. At the end of that month, she's listed in Convoy OG 73*, departing Liverpool on Aug. 29, arriving Gibraltar Sept. 13, and from the archive document mentioned above, it looks like she headed to Melilla the next day, but arrival there is not given. She arrived Gibraltar again on Sept. 17, and that same day, she embarked on what proved to be her last voyage.

* The OG convoys are available and will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section in due course, with more information on each, but for now, the ships sailing in them (and escorts) are named on the page listing ships in all OG convoys.

For more information on all the other Norwegian ships named on this page, please see the alphabet index below, or use the Master Ship Index.

Final Fate - 1941:

Varangberg, with a cargo of 4100 tons iron ore, bound for Belfast and Cardiff, was in Convoy HG 73 which suffered great losses at the end of Sept.-1941. This convoy departed Gibraltar on Sept. 17, estimated to arrive Liverpool on Oct. 1. It was initially shadowed by Italian submarines, though without causing any harm, but was later located by German aircraft, which then notified the U-boats nearby.

Varangberg was torpedoed and sunk at about 11:20 pm on Sept. 25 by U-203 (Mützelburg), position 47 50N 24 50W. One torpedo hit on the port side near No. 1 hatch, then half a minute later another hit forward of the bridge on the same side, and she went straight down, leaving no time to launch lifeboats.

The 3rd mate, who had been pulled under by the suction, was in the water for an hour before getting onto a raft with the help of Ordinary Seaman Jonassen who was already on the raft. The chief engineer was also pulled under, and when he came to the surface he heard the captain crying out from pain, floating alongside a chart house top. The chief engineer swam over to him and helped him get onto it, but the chart house top could not hold them both so the chief engineer managed to get on a raft, exhausted and bleeding from his mouth. When he was found by a British corvette he was so exhausted he was barely able to move, so they had to come down to him and carry him up. The 3rd engineer was asleep when the torpedo hit and like the others he had to jump overboard, then was able to get on a raft with Steward Bordvik and Stoker Jensen.

The attacks kept coming, keeping the escorts too busy to come to the aid of the survivors, and the 6 on the rafts from Varangberg were not picked up until early the next morning. The ordinary seaman was admitted to a hospital on arrival Milford Haven.

The maritime hearings were held in Cardiff on Oct. 7-1941 with 3rd Mate Johan Parelius, Chief Engineer Hans O. Hansen, 3rd Engineer Birger J. Hansen and Ordinary Seaman John A. Jonassen appearing (the latter had been at the helm).

The convoy lost a total of 10 ships, among them the Norwegian Siremalm. Details on the other ships sunk can be found on my page about HG 73. See also the external links at the end of this page.

Crew List:

21 casualties and 6 survivors are listed below, but I'm wondering if there's a name missing because according to the 3rd mate's report, she had a crew(?) of 28 upon departure Gibraltar. When adding the passenger from Spind, the numbers still don't add up.

Survivors
3rd Mate Emil Johan Parelius	1st Engineer Hans Olav Hansen	3rd Engineer Birger Johan Hansen	Ordinary Seaman John Aksel Jonassen	Stoker Sverre Ekenes Jensen	Steward Rangvald Berner Bordvik
Casualties:
† Captain Edward Steen Stenersen	† 1st Mate Gunnar Håkon Gåsvik	† 2nd Mate Hans Jensen	† Boatswain Trygve Skarpsno	† Able Seaman Arne Halvorsen	† Able Seaman Charles E. Jonassen
† Able Seaman Alf Paulsen	† Able Seaman Kåre Jakobsen	† Able Seaman Kristian Otto Røstad	† Able Seaman/Gunner Arne H. Martinsen	† Ordinary Seaman Gunnar Åsmund Kjær	† 2nd Engineer Alf Monsen
† Donkeyman Johan Sverre Gorola	† Stoker Hans Johan Nilsen	† Stoker Sverre D. Hagerup	† Stoker Arne Ludvik Paulsen	† Stoker Rolf Borgersen	† Stoker Sigurd Engstrøm (Swedish)
† Cook Vidsten Johnsen	† Mess Boy Bernhard Rice (British)	† Passenger Karl Halvorsen *	+ 1 more?
* This was the former 1st Engineer of D/S Spind, which had been sunk the previous month.

Related external links:
Stavern Memorial commemorations - Varangberg's 19 Norwegians are commemorated at this Memorial for Seamen in Stavern, Norway.

HG - 73, 19th to 28th September 1941
U-203 | Rolf Mützelburg (this U-boat was also responsible for the attacks on Soløy and Octavian, though there is some doubt as to the sinking of the latter ship, follow the link for an explanation).

Ships in HG 73 - Arnold Hague's listing.

Back to Varangberg on the "Ships starting with V" 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. others for cross checking details - (ref. My sources).

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