SS Brattdal
From Our Contribution
 Capetown 1937 | |
 Sunken hulk of SS Brattdal in Orei Bay | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | SS Brattdal |
| Owner | Moltzau & Christensen, Oslo, Norway |
| Builder | Bremer Vulkan, Germany |
| Yard number | 193 |
| Launched | 1935 |
| Completed | August 1935 |
| Fate | Scrapped in Peoples Republic of China 1971 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Bombed and sank Volos, Greece |
| Tonnage | 4,968 tons |
| Length | 414.3 feet (126.28 m) |
| Beam | 55.7 feet (16.98 m ) |
| Depth | 25 feet (7.62 m) |
| Speed | 12.25 knots |
Remarks
Prior to the war she operated on the London to Australian route, with her Australian agent being Westralian Farmers Transport Ltd. In December 1938 she sailed from Fremantle for Belfast and her ownership transferred to a subsidiary company A/S Moltzaus Tankrederi..
In April 1940, she and other Norwegian ships that escaped the German invasion of Norway, and those elsewhere in the world were seized by the Noregian Government in Exile. Assigned to the Mediterraneum, she made several trips betwen Alexandria and Greece including one from 26 Mar 1941 when she sailed from Alexandria to Piraeus in Greece, and then the return journey on 1 April from Pireaus for Alexandria, arriving there on 4 April 1941. Her final voyage was from Alexandria to Volos carrying the guns and vehicles of the 2/1st Australian Field Regiment, unloading on 10 April. In ballast she was bombed and severely damaged at Volos, Greece on 13 Apr 1941 by 12 German aircraft with the loss of one of her 28 crew. Bombed again on 15 April, and then on 17 April, she finally sank.
SS Brattdal participated in the following convoys:
- Convoy BN.4 from Bombay to Suez in September 1940 (40 ships + 8 escorts)
- Convoy BS.7 from Suez to Aden in October 1940 (27 ships + 7 escorts)
- Convoy BN.13 from Aden to Suez in January 1941 (42 ships + 8 escorts)
- Convoy AN.16 from Port Said to Piraeus in February 1941 (4 ships)
- Convoy AG.6 from Alexandria to Pireaus in March 1941 (7 ships)
- Convoy AS.21/1 from Pireaus to Alexandra in March 1941 (15 ships - 2 sunk)
- Convoy AG.9 from Alexandria to Pireaus in March 1941 (6 ships)
- Convoy GA.2 from Pireaus to Alexandria in March 1941 (4 ships)
- Convoy AG.11 from Alexandria to Pireaus in April 1941 (9 ships)
- Convoy ASF.22 from Pireaus to Alexandria (10 ships + 4 escorts)
".....in accordance with orders from the British Admiralty the M/S "Brattdal" left Volos on the 12th April at the same time as the British M/S "City of Karachi" in order to meet escort. As, in spite of diligent searching on the part of both vessels, the escort could not be found, and no instructions had been received as regards port of destination, the two vessels agreed on returning to Volos in order to obtain orders. Shortly after the arrival at Volos the vessels were suddenly attacked by enemy planes and a heavy bomb struck the vessel on the after deck. The vessel heeled heavily over to port and orders were given to man the boats. The British Naval Authorities, later the same day, advised that the vessel be beached in order to prevent the bulkhead between Nos. 4 and 5 holds from breaking. At 23.45 o´clock the vessel had been beached at the assigned place after having been subjected to another attack."
"On the 15th April the vessel was taken off the ground again, according to orders from the British Admiralty, and shifted to Oreus Bay, where the vessel was anchored in 15 fathoms of water. The captain thought this order to shift most strange as the ship had been beached in consultation with the same British Authorities.""After repeated bombings and torpedoings the vessel commenced to sink on the 17th April, probably either on account of the continuous strain in consequence of the explosions or as a result of a torpedo which scraped along the ship´s side. At 21.30 o´clock the M/S "Brattdal" had sunk in about 14 fathoms of water."[1]
Soldiers carried
Alexandria to Piraeus, Greece 26 - 29 Mar 1941
Brattdal was a member of Convoy AG.9. The other ships being Corinthia, Hellas, Port Halifax, and Theermopylae, escorted by HMS Ulster Prince.
- Raymond Eric Gerard Bennett
- ↑ Statement by Captain Kristian Hartvik to Inquiry held on 16 May 1941 at Alexandria into the sinking of the Motor Ship Brattdal.