Mosfruit
| Name | Mosfruit | ||
| Type: | Motor merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 2.714 tons | ||
| Completed | 1938 - Eriksbergs Mekaniske Verkstads A/B, Gothenburg | ||
| Owner | Martin Mosvold, Farsund | ||
| Homeport | Farsund | ||
| Date of attack | 30 Jun, 1942 | Nationality:  Norwegian | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-458 (Kurt Diggins) | ||
| Position | 56.10N, 23.40W - Grid AL 4224 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 36 (0 dead and 36 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | St.John, New Brunswick - Liverpool | ||
| Cargo | General cargo and frozen meat | ||
| History | Mosfruit was one of the fast fruit carriers, which crossed the North Atlantic unescorted at 14 knots or higher. Until July 1942, she was the one with the most Atlantic crossings from the fleet of Martin Mosvold. | ||
| Notes on loss | At 16.26 hours on 30 Jun, 1942, the unescorted Mosfruit (Master Jens Lassen Ugland) was hit by one torpedo from U-458 just forward of bridge on the port side. All on board went in the starboard lifeboat, but one of the three British passengers was missing and the master and six men went back on board to search him. They found him in shock and a head wound and brought him to the lifeboat, while they also gathered some blankets, food and other necessities before lowering the gig. The U-boat then surfaced and questioned the survivors before finishing off the vessel with 51 rounds of gunfire at 19.39 hours. The lifeboats sailed for seven days towards Ireland, before the survivors were found on 8 July by the British motor merchant Empire Hope about 40 miles west-northwest of Tory Island and taken to Belfast the same day. Three dogs and a cat had been also in the lifeboat, but the cat had died on the third day as it was always licking salt water off its fur. The master, Jens Lassen Ugland, later took over the Christian Michelsen, which was sunk by U-410 (Fenski) on 26 Sep, 1943. | ||
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