D/S Vespasian - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

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D/S Vespasian
Updated Apr. 16-2009

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

Crew List

Owner: Rederi A/S Vespasian
Manager: Hilmar Reksten, Bergen
Tonnage: 1570 gt, 2425 tdwt
Signal Letters: LFFT

Built by Porsgrund Mek. Verksted, Porsgrunn, Norway in 1935. Previous name: Betta until 1940.

Captain: Peder Johnsen

Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives:
Page 1 | Page 2

The text below will be compared with the above voyages, and updated accordingly. At the same time, more convoy information will be added, if necessary. (This will take place very soon, probably May-2009).

Some Convoy Voyages:

Vespasian is listed in the Norway-U.K. Convoy HN 8 in Jan.-1940.

In the middle of Aug.-1940 Vespasian, cargo of pit props for Manchester, is listed in the first, slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K., Convoy SC 1, in which the Norwegian Eva was sunk.

A French visitor to my website has told me that she's still listed as Betta on Nov. 25-1940, at which time she sailed in a convoy from Dakar (at Casablanca on Dec. 5. Sailed from Casablanca on Dec. 14-1940 in convoy. At Oran on Dec. 17), however, I believe this must be a mix up with another ship, possibly the Danish Betta? This ship was requisitioned at Dakar by the Vichy French in June 1940 and renamed Saint Albert, then seized by the Germans at Marseilles in Nov.-1942. Wrecked in a storm at Valencia harbour in Febr.-1943 (broken up in 1946). There also seems to be some confusion over this ship in J. Rohwer's book. He says Vespasian was the ex Danish Betta, but the Danish Betta (ex Betty) was built in 1931, so again, I'm wondering if this might be a mix-up on his part.

In the middle of Oct.-1940 Vespasian can be found in Convoy SC 8, cargo of pit props for West Hartlepool.

Final Fate - 1941:

Departed Oban in convoy on Jan. 21-1941 for Mackenzie, Br. Guiana in ballast, but lost the convoy* in bad weather on Jan. 23 and was never heard from again. Believed to have been torpedoed and sunk on Jan. 24 by U-123 (Moehle) in approx. 55N 15W. All 18 died. (Some sources claim she was sunk by aircraft).

* This must have been Convoy OB 276, in which she's listed at the external site that I've linked to below. OB 276 left Liverpool on Jan. 20-1941 and dispersed on the 25th. The Norwegian Helle is also included.

Crew List - No survivors:

Casualties
† Captain Peder Johnsen	† 1st Mate Theodor Bengtson	† 2nd Mate Olaf J. Olsen	† Able Seaman Arthur M. Stelander	† Able Seaman Nils Ingolf Lode	† Ordinary Seaman Bjarne Wiste
† Ordinary Seaman Torbjørn Olsen	† Ordinary Seaman Albert Nilsen	† Ordinary Seaman John M. Andersen (Andreasen?)	† 1st Engineer Harry Oldrul	† 2nd Engineer Dorhald Berg	† Donkeyman Olai Hagenes
† Stoker Karsten Hansen	† Stoker Thorvald Wickstrøm	† Stoker Joacim Hansen	† Steward Ingolf H. K. Leikanger	† Cook Juul Holm	† Mess Boy Harry Larsen

Related external links:
Misc. convoys - By clicking on "Ship Search", using "Vespasian" as keyword, some local U.K. convoys that are not mentioned in my own text will come up. Here is OB 276, mentioned in my text above.

Stavern commemorations - 19 are commemorated at this memorial for seamen in Stavern, Norway - this could either mean that Vespasian had lost a crew member earlier, or she had a complement of 19 when lost. In fact, there are 2 names listed at the memorial that do not appear above, namely Donkeyman Karl Olai Huun and Stoker Karsten Torp - however, the latter might be identical to Karsten Hansen (his full name may have been Karsten Hansen Torp), Also, the engineer's name is given as Harry Olrup Jacobsen, and some of the other names are also spelt a little differently.

Operations information for U-123

U-123 | Karl-Heinz Moehle

Back to Vespasian on the "Ships starting with V" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "The World's Merchant Fleets 1939", R. W. Jordan, "Axis Submarine Success of World War Two", Jürgen Rohwer, "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume II, Norwegian Maritime Museum - (ref. My sources).

Aa–Al	An–Ar	As–Av	Ba	Be	Bi–Bl	Bo	Br–Bu	C	D
E	F	G	Ha	He	Hi–Hy	Hø	I	J	K
L	M	N	O	PQ	R	Sa–Sc	Se–Sj	Sk–Sn	So
Sp–St	Su–Sø	Ta–Te	Th–Ti	To	Tr–Tø	U	V	W	Ø

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