Norse King
Norwegian Steam merchant
Photo Courtesy of Library of Contemporary History, Stuttgart
| Name | Norse King | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 5,701 tons | ||
| Completed | 1920 - J.F. Duthie & Co, Seattle WA | ||
| Owner | Odd Godanger, Oslo | ||
| Homeport | Oslo | ||
| Date of attack | 29 Dec 1942 | Nationality:  Norwegian | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-435 (Siegfried Strelow) | ||
| Position | 43° 27'N, 27° 15'W - Grid BD 9878 | ||
| Complement | 37 (37 dead - no survivors) | ||
| Convoy | ONS-154 (straggler) | ||
| Route | Swansea (14 Dec) - Belfast Lough (19 Dec) - Boston | ||
| Cargo | 5453 tons of coal | ||
| History | Completed in May 1920 as West Mahwah for US Shipping Board (USSB). 1937 sold to Norway and renamed Norse King. | ||
| Notes on event | At 21.52 hours on 28 December 1942 the Norse King (Master Lorentz Tvedt) in station #112 of convoy ONS-154 was hit by one torpedo from U-591 (Zetzsche) and abandoned by the crew. The men were picked up by an escort, but later reboarded the ship and managed to get underway, heading for the Azores at a speed of about 6 knots. The ship was seen the last time the next morning by the Norwegian steam merchant Veni in position 43°35N/27°18W. None of her crew was ever found. At 15.07 hours on 29 December, U-435 hit the Norse King with one torpedo and began shelling the vessel after 15.43 hours with over 100 rounds, but the ship remained afloat and had to be sunk by a coup de grâce at 16.24 hours. | ||
| More info | |||
| On board | We have details of 37 people who were on board. | ||
Attack entries for Norse King
| Date | U-boat | Commander | Loss type | Tons | Nat. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Dec 1942 | U-591 | Kptlt. Hans-Jürgen Zetzsche | Damaged | 5,701 | |
| 29 Dec 1942 | U-435 | Kptlt. Siegfried Strelow | Sunk | 5,701 | |
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