D/S Stromboli - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945 (original) (raw)

D/S Stromboli Updated Aug. 1-2012

Manager: Fred. Olsen & Co., Oslo
Tonnage: 1376 gt

Built in Fredrikstad in 1902, purchased in 1921.
According to the external page that I've linked to above, she was delivered as Stromboli in Apr.-1902 to D/S A/S Otto Thoresens Linie (O. Thoresen), Kristiania. From 1920, D/S A/S Otto Thoresens Linie (O. & Th. Thoresen), Kristiania, then from May-1922, D/S A/S Otto Thoresens Linie (Fred Olsen & Co.), Kristiania. Owned from March-1923 by D/S A/S Spanskelinjen (Fred Olsen & Co.), Kristiania, and from May-1924, D/S A/S Spanskelinjen (Fred Olsen & Co. & O.R. Thorsen), Kristiania. From Nov.-1934, Fred Olsen & Co., Oslo. Departed Cadiz for Seville on Sept. 7-1936. Seized by a Spanish naval vessel near Seville in an attempt to prevent supplies from falling into rebel hands, but freed shortly thereafter and continued to Casablanca. Owned from 1938 by Den Norske Middelhavslinje A/S (Fred Olsen & Co.), Oslo. See also this external page.

Captain: Ingvald K. Borge

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

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

� Voyage Record
From Aug.-1940 to Apr.-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 several voyages are missing.

As can be seen when going to Page 1 of the archive documents, Stromboli arrived Oporto from Kristiansand, Norway on Apr. 11-1940 (Norway was invaded on Apr. 9). She left Oporto again on May 3 for Weymouth Bay and was subsequently in service around the U.K. It'll be noticed that she had a long stay at Shields (Tyne) that year. Her 1941 voyages start on Page 2 - convoy information for a few of them can be found in the Voyage Record above.

Stromboli was one of several Norwegian ships experiencing the air attacks on Liverpool at the beginning of May-1941; see my page about Sollund. According to Page 2, Stromboli had arrived Liverpool from Holyhead on Apr. 27. The attacks started on May 3 and lasted for 5 days, causing a lot of destruction.

She was in dock on May 4 and was damaged when another ship in the dock exploded, leaving a large hole in Stromboli's deck. On May 8 she was hit by a bomb on the starboard side amidships. After having extinguished fires and otherwise done what they could to save her for two hours, the crew had to abandon the ship; some went to a shelter, others to the ship alongside her, S/S Emeraude(?), while Stromboli heeled further and further over to port until she eventually sank.

On board at the time, in addition to Captain Ingvald K. Borge, 1st Mate Matias Aagre and 2nd Mate Einar Ø. Erlandsen, were Ordinary Seaman Martin Joakimsen and 2nd Engineer Samuel Grorud, as well as an able seaman by the last name of Larsen, who was injured and taken to a hospital.

The wreck was later raised, but had to be condemned. According to a visitor to my website, "Shipwreck Index of the British Isles" states that she was placed on Tramere Beach on Apr. 14-1942 and declared a total loss.

Back to Stromboli on the "Ships starting with S" page.