D/S Graciosa
Updated Oct. 30-2008

To Graciosa on the "Ships starting with G" page.

Crew List


This is a picture of the ship when she had the name Edfou.
Received from George Robinson, who runs the website Riversa International.

Related items on this website:
M/S Belray
M/S Sønnavind (detailed description by someone who witnessed the carnage from a distance).

Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives:
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5

Notes:

As can be seen when going to Page 1 above, Graciosa was on her way from Colombo to Penang when war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9-1940.

Final Fate - 1944:

Badly damaged in the Fort Stikine explosion in Bombay on April 14-1944 while loading general cargo at Princess Dock, total loss. According to Page 5, she had arrived Bombay on Apr. 10.

The captain, who had just been ashore, saw smoke from Fort Stikine when he returned at 15:30, the burning ship being in Victoria Dock, about 3 ship's lengths away from Graciosa on the other side, with warehouses between them, but no other ships, so she could easily have been moved out. Since the shore authorities gave no orders to do so, the loading of cargo was continued. A little over half an hour later the British ship exploded, the pressure completely destroying Graciosa's bridge and saloon house. Burning debris fell down in her No. 2 hold and other areas of the ship, killing 2 coolies on the foredeck and 6 in the hold. Her engine room and stockhold were both heavily damaged and her steering gear destroyed.

Her Chinese crew left the ship as did the coolies who had been working on board. The captain had been injured in his neck by a great number of glass pieces which hurled down everywhere, and was taken to a hospital in Byculla in a truck full of several other injured people. (He had gone over to Belray in order to get bandaged, but as the situation was equally chaotic there, he went to the hospital). 5 Chinese crew members had also been injured and were treated by Nortraship's doctor.

In the meantime, the 2nd mate and the radio operator were able to extinguish some small fires in the hold, the galley and in the motor lifeboat. By 5 o'clock that afternoon, the radio operator and the 2nd engineer had also left the ship, the latter in order to assist the Harbour Master's wife who had come on board in a hysterical condition saying her husband and child had been killed and their house burnt, so 2nd Mate Arne Aker was alone on board with 2 coolies when another violent explosion occurred. The whole deck above the bunkerspace was blown up, the foremast fell down and more fires erupted all over the ship, so the 3 remaining men also went ashore.

She was still on fire when she was towed out of the dock and beached a week later.

Maritime hearings were held in Bombay on Apr. 19-1944 with Captain Rasmussen, the 2nd mate, the 2nd engineer and the radio operator appearing.

The wreck was sold for breaking up in July-1944.

Crew List - No Casualties:
Some of the Chinese names may be/are probably spelt wrong. Titles are not known, hence the question marks.

Captain Mathias Kristian Rasmussen	1st Mate Rasmus F. Gaasøy	2nd Mate Arne Marinius Aker	Radio Operator Ole Markus Loen	1st Engineer Lars Skau	2nd Engineer Karl Wilhelm Trondsen
Assistant Rudolf Sarapuu (Estonian)	? Chong Pah (Chinese)	? Lee Ah Choi (Chinese)	? Ah Hook (Chinese)	? Ling Teck Lee (Chinese)	? Lee Chim Seng
? Shiu Ah Fatt (Chinese)	? Ah Soon (Chinese)	? Loo Re Yew (Chinese)	? Teng Choon Ang (Chinese)	? Ah Tay (Chinese)	? Ee Yuen (Chinese)
? Tan Ah Choi (Chinese)	? Ong Ah Lee (Chinese)	? Fong Fong (Chinese)	? Giu Kwang (Chinese)	? Cheang Ah Nai	? Lee Siong Hoe (Chinese)
? Hung Yee Seng (Chinese)	? Lee Lim Sung (Chinese)	? Tan Hin Lon (Chinese)	? Lee Wee Yang (Chinese)	? Lee Moh Sing (Chinese)	? Lee Ah Hong (Chinese)
? Lee Gee Hoe (Chinese)	? Hoh Ah Song (Chinese)	? Low Ah Yin (Chinese)	? Tan Duk (Chinese)	? Lee Kee Moh (Chinese)	? Lee Ghee Lim (Chinese)
? Lee Ah Kit (Chinese)	? Chew Tek Kong (Chinese)	? Lee Ah Seng (Chinese)

Related external links:
The Bombay Explosion - A great deal of information and a lot of pictures.

List of Ships lost

Back to Graciosa on the "Ships starting with G" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume I (Norwegian Maritime Museum) - (ref. My sources).