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D/S Victo
Updated Jan. 26-2010

To Victo on the "Ships starting with V" page.
See also Victo - Page 2 (report on bombing and survivors' statements).

Crew List

Owner: Esito D/S A/S
Manager: Bjarne Ruud-Pedersen, Oslo (from 1939).
Tonnage:
3655 gt, 2357 net, 6170 tdwt
Signal Letters: LDDM

Built as Skogstad by Robert Thompson & Sons Ltd., Sunderland in 1906, 346.5' x 50.9' x 23', Triple exp. 3 cyl. 1500 bhp (J. Dickinson & Sons Ltd.).
1906-1907 Klaveness D/S A/S (A. F. Klaveness & Co.), Sandefjord.
1907-1909 Klaveness D/S A/S (A. F. Klaveness & Co.), Kristiania.
1909-1919 Skogstad A/S D/S (A. F. Klaveness & Co. Ltd.).
1919-1922 Skogstad A/S (Klaveness & Co.), Kristiania.
1922-1927 Skogstad A/S (A. F. Klaveness & Co. A/S), Kristiania.
1927-1937 E. B. Aaby, Olso, renamed Victo.
1937-1939 E. B. Aaby Rederi A/S, Oslo.
1939-1941 Esito D/S A/S (Bjarne Ruud-Pedersen), Oslo.

Captain: Guttorm Jacobsen

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


Please compare the above voyages with Arnold Hague's Voyage Record below.

Voyage Record
From March-1940 to Nov.-1941:

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

Follow the convoy links provided for more information on each.

Errors may exist, and some voyages are missing.

Departure From To Arrival Convoy Remarks
1940 March 21 Sandefjord Halifax Independent See also Page 1
Apr. 22 Halifax Portland, Maine Apr. 24 Independent
Apr. 27 Portland, Maine New York City Apr. 29 Independent Missing movements, Page 1
May 6 New York City* New Orleans May 13 Independent From Hampton Roads
(Page 1)
May 21 New Orleans Norfolk, VA May 28 Independent
May 28 Norfolk, VA Halifax June 2 Independent
June 5 Halifax HX 48 Straggled June 6
(see also narrative below)
June 6 Straggled from HX 48 London June 22 Independent Via Falmouth June 21
(Page 1 - Also, missing movements)
Aug. 1 Southend Tyne Aug. 3 FN 239 Convoy available at FN convoys
(external link)
Aug. 28 Tyne Methil Aug. 29 FN 264 Convoy available at link above
Sept. 2 Methil OA 208 For Pictou.
Dispersed Sept. 6.
Convoy available at OA 208
(external link - incomplete listing)
Sept. 6 Dispersed from OA 208 Pictou Sept. 20 Independent
Oct. 14 Pictou Sydney, C.B. Oct. 15 Independent
Oct. 24 Sydney, C.B. Clyde Nov. 9 SC 9
Nov. 11 Clyde Methil Nov. 16 WN 37 Convoy available at WN convoys
(external link)
Nov. 21 Methil Tyne Nov. 21 FS 341 Convoy available at FS convoys
(external link)
Dec. 18 Tyne Methil Dec. 19 FN 361 Convoy available at FN convoys
(external link)
Dec. 26 Methil Oban Dec. 30 EN 47/1 Did not sail.
Convoy available at EN convoys
(external link)
Dec. 30 Methil Oban Jan. 3-1941 EN 49/1 Convoy available at link above
1941 Jan. 11 Oban OB 272 Dispersed Jan. 14.
Convoy available at OB 272
(external link)
Jan. 14 Dispersed from OB 272 Louisburg Jan. 23 Independent
Jan. 31 Louisburg St. John, N.B. Febr. 2 Independent
Febr. 21 St. John, N.B. Halifax Febr. 23 Independent
Febr. 28 Halifax Clyde* March 19 SC 24 *Loch Ewe
(Page 1).
March 20 Loch Ewe Methil March 22 WN 101 Convoy available at WN convoys
(external link)
March 23 Methil Hartlepool March 25 FS 445 Convoy available at FS convoys
(external link)
Apr. 12 Hartlepool Oban Apr. 17 EC 6 Convoy available at EC convoys
(external link)
Apr. 23 Oban OB 313 Dispersed Apr. 28.
Convoy available at OB 313
(external link)
Apr. 28 Dispersed from OB 313 Galveston May 20 Independent
June 6 Galveston Sydney, C.B. June 19 Independent
June 20 Sydney, C.B. Loch Ewe July 9 SC 35
July 11 Loch Ewe Methil July 13 WN 151 Convoy available at WN convoys
(external link)
July 14 Methil Southend July 16 FS 541 Convoy available at FS convoys
(external link)
See also Page 2
July 26 Southend Tyne July 28 EC 51 Convoy available at EC convoys
(external link)
Aug. 2 Tyne Loch Ewe Aug. 4 EC 53 Convoy available at link above
Aug. 8 Clyde* ON 4 *From Loch Ewe.
For St John's, N.F.
Dispersed 52 40N 47 26W, Aug. 18
Not sure if her initial destination was St. John's, N.F., or whether this is a typing error - Page 2 also gives her destination as St. John's, but arrived St. John, N.B.
Aug. 18 Dispersed from ON 4 St. John, N.B. Aug. 25 Independent
Aug. 28 St. John, N.B. Parrsboro Aug. 29 Independent
Sept. 20 Parrsboro St. John, N.B. Sept. 21 Independent
Sept. 25 St. John, N.B. Sydney, C.B. Sept. 28 Independent
Sept. 29 Sydney, C.B. Oban Oct. 17 SC 47 Convoy will be added.
See ships in SC convoys
Oct. 19 Oban Methil Oct. 22 WN 195 Convoy available at WN convoys
(external link)
Oct. 24 Methil Southend Oct. 26 FS 629 Convoy available at FS convoys
(external link)
Again, see also Page 2
Nov. 7 Southend FN 546 Convoy available at FN convoys
(external link)
Bombed and sunk - See "Final Fate" below.


 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. Follow the convoy links provided for more details on them; several Norwegian ships took part.

When war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9-1940, Victo was on her way from Sandefjord, Norway to Portland, Maine, via Halifax, according to Page 1 of the archive documents. She had previously arrived Sandefjord from Malmö, Sweden.

With a cargo of lumber for London, she's listed in station 91 of Convoy HX 48 from Halifax on June 5-1940, having been cancelled from the previous convoy, HX 47 (Italia was sunk - follow the link for details). According to A. Hague, Victo became a straggler on June 6; going back to the archive document referred to above, we see that she arrived Falmouth on June 21, London the following day, proceeding to Rochester about a week later, remaining there for a month. As can be seen, she also had quite a long stay at Tyne later on. She's mentioned as scheduled for Convoy OA 206, leaving Methil on Aug. 29, but she did not sail - see external link below. A. Hague instead has her, together with Inger Lise, Tarifa and Temeraire, in Convoy OA 208, which departed Methil on Sept. 2 and dispersed on the 6th, Victo arriving Pictou on Sept. 20 (ref. link provided in Voyage Record). She did not leave Pictou again until Oct. 14, when she proceeded to Sydney, C.B., later joining the slow Convoy SC 9 from there on Oct. 24, cargo of lumber for Tyne, where she arrived (via Clyde and Methil Roads) on Nov. 21 and again had quite a long stay there.

In Jan.-1941, we find her in Convoy OB 272, which originated in Liverpool on Jan. 10 and dispersed on the 14th. (Brask was sunk - the Norwegian Don, Ferncastle, Gezina, Kongsgaard, Marita and Ravnefjell are also listed; again, see the link provided in the Voyage Record). According to Page 1, Victo arrived Louisburg on Jan. 24, having started out from Oban on Jan. 11. A week later, she proceeded to St. John, N.B., where she stayed for almost 3 weeks before heading to Halifax in order to join Convoy SC 24 on Febr. 28, cargo of steel and lumber for West Hartlepool, where she arrived, via Loch Ewe and Methil, on March 25. The following month, she's listed in Convoy OB 313, which originated in Liverpool on Apr. 22 and dispersed on the 28th and also had the Norwegian Haakon Hauan, Inger Lise and Sandar among its ranks. Victo had sailed from Oban on Apr. 23 and arrived Galveston on May 20 - see Page 2 (this seems like an awfully long time from dispersal date). From Galveston, she later proceeded to Sydney, C.B., joining Convoy SC 35 back to the U.K. on June 20.

In Aug.-1941, she was one of several Norwegian ships in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 4; her destination is given as St. John's, N.F. but it looks like this should be St. John, N.B., where she arrived on Aug. 25, the convoy having been dispersed on the 18th (Victo had joined from Loch Ewe). A few days later, she continued to Parrsboro, where she spent about 3 weeks before returning to St. John, then on to Sydney, C.B., and according to A. Hague, she headed back to the U.K. in Convoy SC 47 on Sept. 29. This convoy is not yet available among the SC convoys included in my Convoys section, but will be added - the ships sailing in it are named at ships in all SC convoys. (Eglantine is named among the escorts - see SC convoy escorts). Victo, cargo of steel and lumber, arrived Oban on Oct. 17. Page 2 indicates she was bound for London - she arrived Gravesend on Oct. 26.

More information on the Norwegian ships mentioned here can be found via the alphabet index at the end of this page, or go to the Master Ship Index.

Related external link:
Convoy OA 206 - As can be seen, Victo is mentioned, but did not sail.

 Final Fate - 1941: 

As mentioned above, Victo had arrived the U.K. in Convoy SC 47 from Sydney, C.B. in Oct.-1941. She left London for Southend in ballast on Nov. 6, then departed Southend the following day in convoy for Tyne (see Convoy FN 546 - external link, incomplete listing). At about 23:30 on Nov. 8, when off Flamborough Head, she was bombed by German aircraft, 54 19 50N 00 15 45W. According to the captain's report the convoy was very scattered at the time and they had no escort. The convoy had also been attacked earlier that afternoon, so the men who operated Victo's guns were ready and fired back when the aircraft was spotted. 3 PAX rockets were fired as well as a few rounds with the 2 Hotchkiss guns and Twin Merlin. At about the same time 3 heavy explosions occurred, 1 in the waterline on the port side, 1 in the bottom of No. 3 hold and a 3rd in the sea on the starboard side. The wheelhouse and upper bridge collapsed, the engine stopped and the lights went out, steam and smoke poured out of the engine room and boiler room, and a 4' wide fracture could be seen in the deck and on the port side of the ship, right across at the forward part of the boiler room, and she was listing heavily to port.

After the crew had gotten away in 2 lifeboats they discovered that 5 men were missing, so the captain and 2 volunteers (1 of whom was Able Seaman Reinholdt Jenssen) went back on board and tried to get into the engine room to look for them but had to withdraw because of the hot steam. The bombs were still falling around the ship when they returned to the lifeboat, but while the men in the port boat were being assisted by a British ship, the captain, Boatswain Haveland and 3rd Engineer Hansen reboarded Victo and this time Donkeyman Karlsen and Stoker Andresen were found. They had managed to get up on deck themselves. On the second attempt at entering the engine room, another, badly burnt shipmate was found (1st Engineer Pedersen).

They rowed across to the British S/S Lottinge where the injured men were hoisted on board. Victo had now broken in 2 and the forepart had sunk, but the after part remained afloat. They rowed around the wreck hoping to find the other missing men, but none were seen so they left at 02:00 (Nov. 9). The survivors in the port lifeboat were picked up by S/S Skipjack, while the others were picked up by Lottinge; all were landed in Tyne later that morning, where the 3 injured men, as well as Ordinary Seaman Didriksen were taken to a hospital.

George Monk, England has told me that Captain Jacobsen later received the British "HonOBE(Civ)" as well as Lloyd's Bravery Medal, while 3rd Engineer Hansen and Boatswain Haveland received "Commendations" (his source: Seedies List of awards to the British Merchant Navy which includes awards to Allied merchant seamen).

The maritime inquiry was held in Newcastle-on-Tyne on Nov. 12-1941 with the captain, the 2nd mate, Able Seaman Reinholdt Jenssen, and the carpenter attending. The 2 who could not be found were assumed killed immediately in the boiler room. Full report and survivors' statements are available at Victo - Page 2.

A visitor to my site has told me that "Shipwreck Index of the British Isles" says Victo lies off Scarborough today. Also, Ron Young has written about this ship in his "The Comprehensive Guide to Shipwrecks of the East Coast 1918 to 2003". He states that the bow section is located 4.10 n. miles NE from Scarborough Rock at a depth of 47m (fairly intact), while the after part drifted for over a mile before going down and is located 2.43 n. miles E from Scarborough Rock at a depth of 30m (collapsed and broken up), a popular diving site today.

Crew List:
The 2nd mate was on watch on the bridge, the captain was also on the bridge
Ordinary Seaman Didriksen was at the helm
Able Seaman Reinholdt Jenssen was on lookout duty
Able Seaman Olsen and Carpenter Hansen were on machine gun watch.
The 1st engineer, the donkeyman, stokers Andresen and Nilsen and trimmer Harkestad were on watch in the engine room.

Survivors
Captain
Guttorm Jacobsen
1st Mate
Egil Risberg
2nd Mate
Peder Haraldsen
3rd Mate
Olaf Larsen
Carpenter
Marner Hansen
Boatswain
Elling Haveland
Able Seaman
Arvid Hegstad
Able Seaman
Olav Kristian Olsen
Able Seaman
Øivind Reinholdt Jenssen
Able Seaman
Ingolf Roth
Able Seaman
Tom Nyland
Ordinary Seaman
Harald P. Didriksen
Ordinary Seaman
Sigurd Hansen
Ordinary Seaman
Anders Eikland
Ordinary Seaman
Edward Moulton
(New Foundland)
1st Engineer
Sverre H. Pedersen
2nd Engineer
Frithjof Johannessen
3rd Engineer
Johannes Hansen
Donkeyman
Karl W. Karlsen
Stoker
Kriss Grundberg
(Latvian)
Stoker
Emil Riis
Stoker
Otto Andresen
Stoker
Alexander Wichman
(Estonian)
Stoker
Arthemi Kaasik
(Estonian)
Trimmer
Helleman Hardlevær
Trimmer
Iver Hansen
Steward
Wilhelm Wilhelmsen
Cook
Jens Ingebregtsen
Galley Boy
José Cudillero Fernando
(Spanish)
Mess Boy
Malvin Bertin Torsvik
Casualties

Stoker
Reinhard Nilsen

Trimmer
Paul Harkestad*

* Paul Harkestad had escaped from Norway with M/B Fred / Fri in Sept.-1941.

Related external link:
Stavern Memorial commemorations - Seaman Paul Villiam Harkestad and Seaman/Whale Catcher Aksel Reinhard Nilsen are commemorated at this memorial for seamen in Stavern, Norway.

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

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Damp - Dampskipets æra i Vestfold" (pre war history), "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume II (Norwegian Maritime Museum), and misc. (ref. My sources).

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