Ships hit by U-boats


Lise

Norwegian Motor tanker


We don't have a picture of this vessel at this time.


NameLise
Type:Motor tanker
Tonnage6,826 tons
Completed1931 - William Doxford & Sons Ltd, Sunderland 
OwnerS. Holter-Sørensen, Oslo 
HomeportOslo 
Date of attack12 May 1942Nationality:      Norwegian
 
FateSunk by U-69 (Ulrich Gräf)
Position13° 53'N, 68° 20'W - Grid ED 4726
Complement33 (12 dead and 21 survivors).
Convoy
RouteSouthampton - Belfast Lough - Curaçao 
CargoBallast 
History  
Notes on event

At 09.03 hours on 12 May 1942 the unescorted Lise (Master Sigmund Frette) was first torpedoed by U-69 and then shelled. Twelve men were killed near the gun platform during the shelling and as it proved fruitless to defend the ship, the crew got order to abandon ship. The master and the second mate jumped overboard and climbed into the gig which had been launched by the crew. At 10.02 hours, the tanker was hit by a coup de grâce amidships and sank.
At daybreak the six men in the gig found a raft with seven men, while another lifeboat containing eight survivors searched for other survivors, but found none until daybreak, so they headed for land, reaching Carrizal in Columbia on 15 May. They went aboard the Norwegian merchant Washington Express and arrived at New York on 2 June. In the meantime, the master found that the gig was overloaded with all 13 men in it, so they decided to have a draw for a place in it. Five men had to go back to the raft and they later lost contact.
On 13 May, the gig came near Curaçao and the men were rescued by the Dutch armed whaler Femern and taken ashore. A B-17 aircraft was sent out to look for the remaining survivors on the raft, but they were not found. On 31 May, another US aircraft located the raft in 14°38N/79°23W and directed the Dutch steam merchant Socrates to it, which picked up the survivors two hours later and landed them at Curaçao.

On 7 June, the master, the five men from the raft and four others from the Lise left Curaçao on the Crijnssen for New York. The ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Straits of Yucatan on 10 June by U-504 (Poske). All men from the Lise again survived being torpedoed. One Norwegian crewmen landed together with other survivors on the coast of Yucatan and was later flown to the USA. The master, eight crewmen and 40 others were picked up on 11 June by the Lebore, which was herself sunk by U-172 (Emmermann) on 14 June. Again all nine Norwegians survived and abandoned ship on a raft. They were picked up two days later by the USS Erie (PG 50) and taken to Cristobal.

The first mate, Haugar Lyngås, later experienced a fourth torpedoing when Katy was torpedoed and sunk by U-857 (Premauer) on 23 April 1945.

 
On boardWe have details of 33 people who were on board


If you can help us with any additional information on this vessel then please contact us.

Return to Allied Ships hit by U-boats