Barfonn
Photo Courtesy of Library of Contemporary History, Stuttgart
| Name | Barfonn | ||
| Type: | Motor tanker | ||
| Tonnage | 9.739 tons | ||
| Completed | 1931 - Götaverken A/B, Gothenburg | ||
| Owner | Sigval Bergesen, Stavanger | ||
| Homeport | Stavanger | ||
| Date of attack | 17 Oct, 1941 | Nationality:  Norwegian | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-432 (Heinz-Otto Schultze) | ||
| Position | 56.58N, 25.04W - Grid AL 0143 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 40 (14 dead and 26 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | SC-48 | ||
| Route | Texas City - Sydney - Old Kirkpatrick | ||
| Cargo | 13300 tons of gas oil | ||
| History | | ||
| Notes on loss | Between 03.42 hours and 04.00 hours on 17 Oct, 1941, U-432 attacked from inside the convoy SC-48 between the seventh and eight columns, first hitting the Evros in station #63 at 03.42 hours. At 03.43 and 03.46 hours, two torpedoes were fired and Schultze claimed one ship sunk and another possibly damaged. There is no confirmation for these hits in Allied reports, but the HMS Gladiolus (K 34) disappeared at about this time. She was either sunk in an attack by U-558 (Krech) or by one of these two torpedoes from U-432. At 04.00 hours on 17 Oct, 1941, the Barfonn (Master E. Ellingsen Vorberg) on station #53 in convoy SC-48 was hit by a torpedo from U-432 in the engine room and at 04.48 hours by a coup de grâce from the same U-boat, which sank the ship. Two of the survivors, 1st mate Gustav Aagenes and 1st engineer Arnt Foyn were picked up by the HMCS Baddeck (K 147) and 24 survivors, including the master were picked up by the HMCS Wetaskiwin (K 175) from a lifeboat. All were brought to Reykjavik. Eight Norwegians, two Canadians, two British, one Swede and one Dane died. | ||
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