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D/S Røsten
Updated May 21-2012

To Røsten on the "Ships starting with R" page.

Crew List

A picture is available on this external page (click in it to enlarge).

Owner: Tønsberg Rederi A/S
Manager: Rafen & Loennechen, Tønsberg
Tonnage:
737 gt, 394 net, 1100 tdwt
Signal Letters: BZTU

Built in Norrköping in 1920. Previous name: Gripen.
According to the external page that I've linked to above, she was delivered from Østersjøvarvet AB, Norrköping in March-1920 as Gripen to A/B Nyman & Schultz (Jac. Svensson), Norrköping. From 1921, A/B Nyman & Schultz (Jac. Svensson), Stockholm, no name change. Managed from 1923 by E. Lindwall, Stockholm, same name. Sold in March-1925 to Tønsbergs Rederi A/S (Birger Rafen), Tønsberg and renamed Røsten. In Oct.-1926, managers became Rafen & Loennechen, Tønsberg.

Captain: Tolle Tollisen

Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives:
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6


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

  Voyage Record
From Febr.-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 as can be seen, the record is incomplete.

Departure From To Arrival Convoy Remarks
1940 Febr. 16 Norwegian Waters Methil Febr. 19 HN 12
March 7 Methil Norwegian Waters March 10 ON 18
March 22 Norwegian Waters Methil March 25 HN 21 Missing voyages, Page 1
Nov. 30 Clyde Methil Dec. 4 WN 47 Convoy available at WN convoys
(external link)
Missing 1940 movements, Page 1
1941 Jan. 7 Methil Oban Jan. 10 EN 53/1 Did not sail.
Convoy available at EN convoys
(external link)
Jan. 11 Methil Oban Jan. 14 EN 55/1 Convoy available at link above
Convoy EN 55 did arrive Oban on Jan. 14 but this does not necessarily mean that Røsten was bound for that port. She later arrived Cardiff (from Newport) on Jan. 23 - again, see also Page 1, as well as Page 2 & Page 3 (missing movements).
* Aug. 2 Shoreham St Helens Roads Aug. 2 CW 44 Convoy available at CW convoys
(external link)
*Compare w/Page 3.
Missing movements, Page 4
Oct. 9 Oban Methil Oct. 12 WN 191 Convoy available at WN convoys
(external link)
Missing movements, Page 5
Nov. 3 Methil Methil Roads Nov. 5 EN 1 Returned.
Convoy available at EN convoys
(external link)
Nov. 8 Methil Oban* Nov. 11 EN 4 Convoy available at link above.
*Page 5 gives arrival Belfast Lough Nov. 13.
Nov. 14 Holyhead* Milford Haven Nov. 16 BB 100 Convoy available at BB convoys
(external link)
*From Belfast Lough.
Missing movements:
Page 5 & Page 6
See also "Final Fate" below.


 Some Convoy Voyages: 

A. Hague has included Røsten in Convoy HN 12 from Norway to the U.K. in the middle of Febr.-1940. He says she returned to Norway early in March with Convoy ON 18, and towards the end of that month we find her in the original Advance Sailing Telegram for Convoy HN 21 from Norway, bound for Hull with a cargo of pyrites. Follow the links for more info; several Norwegian ships took part.

According to Page 1 of the archive documents, the intention was to head back to Norway on Apr. 4 but instead, she was diverted to Nantes (Norway was invaded on Apr. 9). It'll also be noticed that she appears to have spent a long time in Newport that summer. She had arrived there from Honfleur on June 5, and departure is given as Sept. 18, when she proceeded to Cardiff. Her 1941 voyages also start on this document and continue on Page 2, Page 3, Page 4 and Page 5 (showing a long stay in Milford Haven from the end of that year). The latter document also has some 1942 voyages, while the rest are listed on Page 6 (which shows a long stay in Cardiff that spring).

 Final Fate - 1942: 

The eastbound coastal Convoy WP 183 (external link - incomplete listing), escorted by the destroyer Brocklesby was in Lyme Bay between Dartmouth and Portland when the 2nd S-Flottille with 7 E-boats attacked shortly after midnight on July 9-1942. Røsten, on a voyage from Barry (departed Barry Dock on July 7) to Shoreham with coal was torpedoed, port side, by S-109 (Cmdr. Dross) at 01:45 and as she sank immediately, those on board had to jump overboard. A couple of hours later 9 were picked up by the destroyer and taken to Portsmouth, while the captain?*, the 2nd mate, the 1st engineer, the steward, and Stoker Torgersen were picked up by the British steamer Gripfast.

The E-boats sank 5 merchant ships and an escort trawler (I've read that this was in fact a Norwegian whaler) before they withdrew, but at dawn the convoy was again attacked, this time by aircraft. Gripfast got two direct hits and sank. 2 of the previously rescued Norwegians were killed on board, namely the 1st engineer and the steward who had gone down below, while the other 3 who had remained on deck in the galley ended up in the sea again, 2 of whom were rescued by a Dutch steamer and taken ashore. Captain Tollisen was aided by another man who had a lifevest on, but as it took a while for help to arrive, Tollisen told the man to let go of him and save himself.

* The information that the captain was among the 5 rescued by the British steamer comes from an article about him written by Søren Brandsnes (in the Norwegian magazine "Krigsseileren"). This article also includes the details about the captain being assisted by one of Røsten's men after ending up in the water when the British steamer was sunk. However, when including the captain among the casualties from Gripfast, the numbers don't add up correctly; if 9 were picked up by the destroyer and only 2 survived from Gripfast's loss, we end up with 11 survivors instead of 12 - perhaps 10 were picked up by the destroyer, or maybe a total of 7 died, as stated by "Nortraships flåte"?

A visitor to my website has informed me that "Shipwreck Index of the British Isles" gives location as 24 miles south/southwest of Portland Bill. This source says Røsten was built in 1919 by A/B Östersjövarvet, Norrköping, ex Grippen, ex Comp. Stm. (?? not sure what this means).

The Norwegian D/S Kongshaug (Commodore ship) and D/S Bokn were also sunk in the E-boat attack, follow the links for more info. Other ships lost were the British Manor (anti-submarine trawler, ex Verdunois, ex Manor, in other words, not a Norwegian whaler), sunk by S-63, the British tanker Pomella by S-67, and the Dutch steamship Reggestrom by S-50.

The inquiry was held in Cardiff on July 29-1942 with the 1st mate, Able Seaman Jensen and Stoker Torgersen appearing.

Captain Tollisen had also been on Cate B when that ship was sunk, as well as on D/S Deneb at the time of her demise (follow the links for details).

Crew List:
Able Seaman Hansen, Ordinary Seaman Larsen (son of the 1st mate) and Stoker Torgersen were injured.
("Nortraships flåte" states that the captain, 3 Norwegian and 3 British seamen from Røsten died).

Survivors
1st Mate
Leif Larsen
2nd Mate
Hallvard Halgjem
Able Seaman
Sjur Ulvenes
Able Seaman
Karl Hansen
Able Seaman
Reidar Bergeton Jensen
Ordinary Seaman
Alfred Larsen
2nd Engineer
Hjalmar Andresen
Stoker
Otto Larsen
Stoker
Karl Torgersen
Stoker
Sverre Stuanes
Cook
Sverre Antonsen
Gunner
? Westcott
(British)
Casualties

Captain
Tolle Tollisen

Able Seaman
Nils Nilsen

1st Engineer
Nils Hægre

Steward
Thorvald Carlsen

Mess Boy
Eluina Varipati*
(British)

Gunner
Albert Graham*
(British)

* Billy McGee, England has told me that Mess Room Boy Eluina Varipati is commemorated at Tower Hill, Panel 88; I found him on this page on the Commonwealth War Graves Comm. website. I also found Albert Graham, commemorated on Panel 65, Column 1, Plymouth Naval Memorial (both these links are external). See also this message in my Guestbook.

Related external link:
Stavern Memorial commemorations - Norwegians only are commemorated here.

Back to Røsten on the "Ships starting with R" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Krigsseileren" No. 1 for 1988, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Norwegian Maritime Museum, Volume II, and misc. (ref. My sources).

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