Ships hit by U-boats


Erviken

Norwegian Steam merchant



Photo from City of Vancouver Archives, CVA 447-2196

NameErviken
Type:Steam merchant
Tonnage6,595 tons
Completed1921 - William Doxford & Sons Ltd, Sunderland 
OwnerHaakon J. Wallem, Bergen 
HomeportBergen 
Date of attack17 Oct 1941Nationality:      Norwegian
 
FateSunk by U-558 (Günther Krech)
Position56° 10'N, 24° 30'W - Grid AL 1966
Complement38 (22 dead and 16 survivors).
ConvoySC-48
RouteTampa, Florida (23 Aug) – Hampton Roads (29 Sep) – Sydney, CB (5 Oct) - Liverpool 
Cargo9300 tons of phosphate 
History Completed in May 1921 
Notes on event

At 01.31 hours on 17 Oct 1941, U-558 fired one torpedo at W.C. Teagle in station #103 of convoy SC-48 and sank her about 600 miles west of Rockall. Erviken in station #104 and Rym in station #85 both slowed down to pick up survivors, the latter actually had to alter course to avoid a collision. At 01.49 hours, the U-boat sank the stopped Erviken with a stern torpedo. Seeing this the Rym immediately tried to reach convoy again at full speed but was chased not only by U-558 but also by U-432 (Schultze), which observed how Krech torpedoed and sank her at 02.14 hours.

Erviken (Master Paul Heesch) was hit on the starboard side just in front of the bridge in #2 hold, broke in two and sank within 3 minutes. The ship sank so fast that the crew had no time to launch the lifeboats and the survivors rescued themselves on rafts or clung to debris. After about 3 hours, two men on a raft were picked up by HMS Abelia (K 184) (T/Lt F. Ardern, RNR) which launched a boat and picked up another man from wreckage, but then lost her boat because it became water logged. At the same time HMS Veronica (K 37) (LtCdr D.F. White, RNR) picked up 11 survivors from two rafts and after locating the still drifting wreck of Rym remained in the area until dawn. Two survivors were picked up by HMS Broadwater (H 81) (Cdr W.M.L. Astwood, RN), but were lost when the destroyer was sunk the next night. The survivors were landed at Londonderry, those in HMS Veronica on 19 October and those in HMS Abelia on 22 October. The master and 23 crew members were lost.

 
More infoMore on this vessel 
On boardWe have details of 38 people who were on board


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