MV Storsten

History

Norway
Name	Storsten
Operator	Rafen & Loennechen/ Nortraship
Port of registry	Tønsberg
Builder	Barclay, Curle & Co Ltd., Glasgow
Launched	12 May 1926
Fate	Sunk by German aircraft in Skagerrak on 1 April 1942 during Operation Performance
General characteristics
Type	Tanker
Tonnage	8,000 DWT

MV Storsten was a Norwegian tanker built in 1926, and sunk by German aircraft in the Skagerrak on 1 April 1942.

Construction

The ship was built by Barclay, Curle & Co Ltd. in Glasgow in 1926.^[1] She had a tonnage of 8,000 dwt.^[2]

Second World War

The ship was among the Kvarstad vessels which were held in arrest in Gothenburg during the German occupation of Norway from 1940. During the British led Operation Performance commanded by Sir George Binney, an attempt to bring ten ships with cargo to Great Britain, Storsten was sunk by German aircraft in the Skagerrak, off Kristiansand. The ship had a British flag captain and 48 Norwegian crew and passengers. One of the lifeboats, with 17 of the crew, disappeared. The other lifeboats landed outside Rekefjord. Nine of the crew managed to escape, and eight of these eventually returned to Sweden.^[3] The other 23 were captured by German forces. Of these, two female passengers were subsequently released. The British flag captain was held in Marlag und Milag Nord, while the Norwegian crew eventually ended up as Nacht und Nebel (NN) prisoners in various German prisons.^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]

Several of the prisoners perished as NN prisoners in Germany. These included boatswain Hans Fjelly, who died in Sonnenburg in January 1944, Asbjørn Amundal died in February 1944, Karl Anker Nygaard in August 1944, and Trygve Fredriksen in September 1944, all in Sonnenburg. Rolf Høiberget died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in March 1945.^[8]^[9]

References

Citations

^ Andresen 1948: p. 33
^ Hegland 1976: p. 448
^ Andresen 1948: pp. 53-58
^ Hegland 1976: pp. 68-75
^ Voksø, Per, ed. (1984). "Tragedie i Skagerrak". Krigens Dagbok (in Norwegian). Oslo: Det Beste. p. 227. ISBN 82-7010-166-4.
^ "Kvarstad ships and men". Warsailors.com. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
^ Andresen 1992: pp. 164-165
^ Andresen 1948: pp. 5-6
^ "Operation Performance. Page 2 – Crew Lists". Warsailors.com. Retrieved 4 July 2012.

Bibliography

Andresen, Alf Pahlow; Johansen, Helge Stray (1948). Kvarstadbåtene. Göteborgkonvoien (in Norwegian). Oslo: Tanum.
Andresen, Alf Pahlow (1992). I natt og tåke mot England. Kvarstadbåtene – beretning fra en mann ombord (in Norwegian). Oslo: Cappelen. ISBN 978-82-02-13804-2.
Hegland, Jon Rustung (1976). Krigsseilasen under den allierte offensiv 1942–1945. Nortraships flåte (in Norwegian). Vol. 2. Oslo: Dreyer. ISBN 82-09-01261-4.

Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in April 1942

Shipwrecks

1 Apr: Giovanni delle Bande Nere, HMS P36, HMS Pandora, Skytteren, Storsten
2 Apr: David H. Atwater, Tiger
3 Apr: Shaumyan
5 Apr: HMS Abingdon, SS Catahoula, HMS Cornwall, HMS Dorsetshire, Empire Beacon, HMS Hector, HMS Tenedos
6 Apr: HMS Havock, HMIS Indus
7 Apr: Lancing
8 Apr: USS Dewey, Byron D. Benson, Shch-421, HMT Svana
9 Apr: Q-112 Apra, HMS Hermes, HMS Hollyhock, HMS Lance, Q-111 Luzon, USS Napa, Sagaing, HMAS Vampire
10 Apr: USS Canopus
11 Apr: Empire Cowper, USS Finch, HMS Kingston
13 Apr: El Occidente, Empire Amethyst
14 Apr: Benwood, Margaret, U-85, U-252, HMS Upholder
20 Apr: Empire Dryden
22 Apr: San Jacinto, , SS Connecticut
23 Apr: Lammot Du Pont
24 Apr: Empire Drum
26 Apr: USS Sturtevant
29 Apr: HMS Urge
30 Apr: Ashkhabad
Unknown date: U-702