Tekla
Photo Courtesy of Library of Contemporary History, Stuttgart
| Name | Tekla | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 1.469 tons | ||
| Completed | 1920 - Helsingörs Jernskibs-og Maskinbyggeri A/S, Helsingör | ||
| Owner | A. Schmiegelow & Axel Kampen, Copenhagen | ||
| Homeport | Copenhagen | ||
| Date of attack | 21 Jan, 1940 | Nationality:  Danish | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-22 (Karl-Heinrich Jenisch) | ||
| Position | 58.18N, 02.25W - Grid AN 1681 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 18 (9 dead and 9 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Burntisland - Aarhus | ||
| Cargo | Coal and coke | ||
| History | | ||
| Notes on loss | At 07.11 hours on 21 Jan, 1940, the Tekla was hit on the starboard side in front of the bridge by one torpedo from U-22 about 40 miles north-northwest of Kinnaird Head. The explosion killed four crew members, blew open both hatches and caused a heavy list to starboard that caused the ship to sink within three minutes. Ten survivors abandoned ship in the starboard lifeboat which was destroyed by the mast as the ship capsized when it sank. Five men drowned while the remaining men managed to rescue themselves onto a raft that had floated free. Four crew members abandoned ship on another raft and were picked up a few hours later by HMS Sikh (F 82) (Cdr J.A. Giffard, RN) and transferred to the Norwegian steam merchant Iris, which also picked up the other survivors and landed them all in Bergen. | ||
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