Randsfjord
Photo Courtesy of Roger W. Jordan
| Name | Randsfjord | ||
| Type: | Motor merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 3.999 tons | ||
| Completed | 1937 - Eriksbergs Mekaniske Verkstads A/B, Gothenburg | ||
| Owner | Den Norske Amerikalinje A/S, Oslo | ||
| Homeport | Oslo | ||
| Date of attack | 22 Jun, 1940 | Nationality:  Norwegian | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-30 (Fritz-Julius Lemp) | ||
| Position | Grid BF 1266 - See estimated map location (50.17N08.48W) * | ||
| Complement | 33 (4 dead and 29 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | HX-49 (dispersed) | ||
| Route | New York - Halifax (9 Jun) - Liverpool | ||
| Cargo | 6746 tons of general cargo, including 77 tons of ammunition and 33 aircraft | ||
| History | | ||
| Notes on loss | At 01.58 hours on 22 Jun, 1940, the Randsfjord (Master Halvor Pedersen), dispersed from convoy HX-49, was hit by one torpedo from U-30 about 70 miles south-southeast of Queenstown. The torpedo struck on the port side in the foreship and caused the ship to sink capsizing after three minutes. The master and three crew members were lost. Two men were crushed and injured between the starboard lifeboat and the side of the ship when they lost their grip while lowering themselves down to the boat. Some men jumped overboard and were later picked up by the boat. The U-boat surfaced and the Germans questioned the survivors, handed them a bottle of Brandy before leaving the area at full speed after two destroyers were spotted. The survivors set sail for land, but were picked up after 36 hours by the British steam merchant Port Hobart and landed in Glasgow on 25 June, where three men were admitted to hospital. | ||
* Estimated position shown here is based on positions of losses in a roughly the same German grid code. It may be a bit off but should give a good idea as to where the attack took place.
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