Lotos
Norwegian Steam merchant
Photo courtesy of Ron Beaupre
| Name | Lotos | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 1,327 tons | ||
| Completed | 1919 - H. te Veldhuis, Papendrecht | ||
| Owner | Stener S. Müller, Bergen | ||
| Homeport | Bergen | ||
| Date of attack | 16 Sep 1940 | Nationality:  Norwegian | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-99 (Otto Kretschmer) | ||
| Position | 57° 54'N, 14° 54'W - Grid AM 1751 | ||
| Complement | 17 (0 dead and 17 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | SC-3 (straggler) | ||
| Route | Dalhousie - Sydney, CB (2 Sep) - Belfast - River Tyne | ||
| Cargo | 1500 tons (500 standards) of timber | ||
| History | Completed in June 1920 as Erholm for D/S A/S Erholm (N. Bakke), Bergen. In June 1928 renamed Svartisen for Det Nordlandske D/S A/S (J. Sannes), Bodø. In July 1935 renamed Lotos for D/S A/S Lotos (Stener S. Müller), Bergen. In the morning of 10 June 1940 the Lotos (Master Karl Hjellestad) left Rouen, without a pilot and under constant bombardment from eleven German aircraft, just as the Germans captured the city. She also experienced the heavy air attacks in Le Havre the same evening and picked up some crew members from the Norwegian steam merchant Ellavore, which had been hit and sunk and brought them to England. | ||
| Notes on event | At 02.41 hours on 16 September 1940 the unescorted Lotos (Master Karl Hjellestad) was hit on the starboard side abaft of the #2 hatch by one G7e torpedo from U-99 and sank by the bow within 30 minutes about 40 miles west-northwest of Rockall. The ship had been in convoy SC-3, but could not keep up with the speed and lost convoy shortly after they left Sydney. One lifeboat with nine men reached shore after three days, the second lifeboat containing eight survivors including the master made landfall at Castlebay, Hebrides after 5 days. | ||
| More info | |||
| On board | We have details of 17 people who were on board. | ||
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