Ships hit by U-boats


Bidevind

Norwegian Motor merchant



Photo courtesy of Roger W. Jordan

NameBidevind
Type:Motor merchant
Tonnage4,956 tons
Completed1938 - Flensburger Schiffsbau-Ges., Flensburg 
OwnerGunnar Knudsen, Porsgrunn 
HomeportPorsgrunn 
Date of attack1 May 1942Nationality:      Norwegian
 
FateSunk by U-752 (Karl-Ernst Schroeter)
Position39° 35'N, 72° 42'W - Grid CA 5265
Complement36 (0 dead and 36 survivors).
Convoy
RouteBombay (19 Mar) - Capetown (5 Apr) - New York 
Cargo7000 tons of manganese ore, general cargo and hides 
History Completed in April 1938 
Notes on event

At 05.43 hours on 1 May 1942 the unescorted and unarmed Bidevind (Master Marcus Roberg) was hit by a torpedo from U-752 about 75 miles southeast of Ambrose Lightship. The torpedo struck on the starboard side in hold #4, damaging the generators and radio aerial, shattering most of the cast iron pipes and slowly flooding the hold and the shaft alley. The entire crew abandoned ship safely in a motorboat and two lifeboats, but one of them was damaged by debris, which was thrown in the air by a second torpedo that hit aft in the quarter of the crew and injured three of the 17 men in it. They were later transferred to the motorboat which came to assist and all survivors made landfall at the US Coast Guard station near Toms River, New Jersey the next day. The Bidevind settled by the stern and foundered later that day in 40°13N/73°46W.

 
More infoMore on this vessel 
On boardWe have details of 35 people who were on board


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