BRG57019210220001 RIMFAKSE. Bilde via Warsailors/Bjørn Milde.

1921 DS RIMFAKSE (2) (BRG570192102)

warsailors

Type:

Dampskip, stykkgods
steam ship, general cargo.

Off. nr.:

5605538

Flagg (flag):

NOR

Havn (port):

Bergen

Byggeår (year built):

1921/03

Bnr (Sno).:

133

Bygger (yard):

Kockums Mekaniska Verkstads A/B, Malmö, Sverige.

Eier (owner):

A/S Dampskib Rimfakse, Bergen.

Disponent (manager):

Albert Schjelderup, Bergen.

Klasse (Class).:

DnV +1A1

Tonnasje (Tonnage):

2.200 tdw, 1.333 brt, 745 nrt.

Dimensjoner (size):

L: 235,5’-B: 37,7’-D: 16,5’.

Lasthåndtering
(cargo handling):

4 lasteluker.

Kjølemaskineri
(Ref. machinery):

Navigasjonsutstyr:

Manøversystemer
(syst. for manouvering):

Dekksmaskineri
(deck machinery):

Kommunikasjon (comm.):

Kallesignal (Call sign):

LBRP / LERO

Fremdrift (propulsion):

1 dampmaskin (steam reciprocating), triple exp. 3-
sylinder, syl. diam.: 18,1’’–28,8’’–48,8’’, slag/stroke:
31,5’’. 160 NHK. Bygget av Kockums mekazniska
Verkstads A/B, Malmö, Sverige.

Fart/forbr.(speed/cons.):

9,5 knop.

Hjelpemaskineri (aux):

Tot. el. kraft (el. power):

Kjeler (boilers):

2 dampkjeler (boilers), hver med dim: 11,9’ x 10,7’ og 2
fyrganger. Samlet heteflate 2.570 ft². Arbeidstrykk 185
psi. Bygget av Kockums Mekaniska Verkstads A/B, Malmö,
Sverige.

Bemanning (crew):

Historikk:

1920 Bygget som RIMFAKSE ved Kockums mekazniska Verkstads A/B, Malmö, Sverige for A/S Dampskib Rimfakse (Albert Schjelderup), Bergen. Sjøsatt 14/12.
1921 Ferdigstilt i mars.
1927 Solgt til A/S Dampskib Ringhorn (Albert Schjelderup), Bergen.
1940 WW II–Nortraship ble managers i april..
1941 Torpedert og senket 27/04 av den tyske ubåten U 147 (Oberleutnant zur See Eberhard Wetjen), i posisjon 60.10N-08.54V mens hun var på reise fra Blyth, England via Lock Ewe, Scotland til Patricksfjord, Island med 1.900 tonn kull. 11 mann omkom. Kaptein Ivar Johannessen Lønne og syv mann reddet seg opp på en flåte, men klarte ikke å hjelpe andre som lå i sjøen.
Rapport om torpederingen av D/S RIMFAKSE.
DS RIMFAKSE av Bergen avgikk fra Blyth 20. april lastet med 1900 ton kull bestemt til Patricksfjord, Island. Skibet gikk i konvoi til Loch Ewe. Derfra avgikk det alene 25. april. Reisen fortsattes uten uheld inntil søndag 27. april. Skibets posisjon var da 60 10’ N, og 8 54' V. Frisk O.S.O. vind. Kl. 1.50 ble DS RIMFAKSE truffet av en torpedo fra babord side ved akterkant av Nr. 2 Iuken. Skibet fikk straks en meget sterk slagside og begynte å synke. Vakthavende styrman, Rolseth, og rormannen Sulo Kiika løp straks til babord livbat. Surringene var kappet, likedan styrbords talje. 2. styrmann Rolseth ble da slått overbord. Skibet fikk stadig mere slagside og sank i løpet av mindre enn 2 minutter. Straks etterpå fikk de fatt i en flåte, som 8 mann etter hvert kom seg opp på. Omkring 10 minutter senere såes ubåten å komme til overflaten, men det kunne ikke sees at den gjorde noe forsøk på å ta opp de forliste som hørtes å rope om hjelp. Ved dagslys om morgenen saes en av livbåtene flytende med bunnen opp. Den annen redningsflåte såes også, og man fikk tak i den etter et par timers roing. Flåtene ble surret sammen og de 8 reddete fordelt. lntet tegn såes til andre overlevende. Kl. 12.45 ble de 8 man tatt opp av SS HENGIST av Leith. De fikk alle tørre klær og førøvrig en utmerket behandling. 28. april kl. 9.00 ble de som var reddet landsatt i Crabster. Kapteinen, som hadde skadet en fot, ble lagt igjen på Durham Hospital i Thursø. De andre fortsatte til Newcastle og til London.
London, 1. mai 1941 Per Roseth, 2. styrmann.

History in English:

1920 Built as RIMFAKSE at Kockums Mekaniska Verkstads A/B, Malmö, Sweden for A/S Dampskib Rimfakse (Albert Schjelderup), Bergen. Launched 14/12.
1921 Completed in March.
1927 Sold to A/S Dampskib Ringhorn (Albert Schjelderup), Bergen.
1940 WW II–Nortraship became managers in April..
1941 Torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U 147 (Oberleutnant zur See Eberhard Wetjen), in position 60.10N-08.54W, about 130 nm North-West of Scotland whilst on a voyage from Blyth, England via Lock Ewe, Scotland to Patricksfjord, Iceland with 1.900 tons of coal. 11 men lost.
Abstract from the maritime declaration.
Appeared Officer Per Roseth, who stated that the chief officer is missing and that the vessel's master, who received injuries to his foot, is lying in hospital. Officer Rolseth asked for chief engineer Lavold, A.B. Seaman Kiikka and wireless operator Morris to be examined. Statement was thereafter taken, without nautical assessors, from officer Rolseth who would on Monday the 6th May, appear with the witnesses. Officer Rolseth stated that the vessel was of the well deck type. Officer Rolseth stated that on departure from Blyth the vessel was in good seaworthy condition. All lifesaving equipment as per regulations was available and was in the prescribed order. The 2 ordinary lifeboats were placed amidship on the boat deck, one on each side, and had since departure been hanging swung out in the davits. The motor lifeboat was standing in chocks amidship on the starboard side at the forward part of the boat deck. One of the ordinary lifeboats had been obtained in December 1940 at Gourock and at the same time the other one was repaired in consequence of heavy weather damage. The motor lifeboat had been obtained during the autumn of 1939, no doubt at Leith. During survey in February this year at Sunderland, all 3 boats received completely new equipment. There was no spare boat. The 2 lifesaving rafts were lying loose amidship on the boat deck, one on each side at the after part of the boat deck. They were fully equipped although without spray hoods. They had been obtained at the New Year 1940 at Gourock. There were 2 life buoys. They were on the bridge. There were life belts in sufficient number so as to allow one for each man. They were lying in a chest on the bridge and some were hanging on the engine room grating. The lifesaving jackets on board were of kapok. Cannot remember the mark or name. They had been obtained at various times. They had been distributed to all the men and had been found to function splendidly. There were some extra jackets in a chest on the bridge. Officer Roseth produced a report, prepared by him.
There was some sea, speed 8 1/2 miles, steady course, the night was dark and he did not see anything on the sea, neither before nor after the explosion. No one on deck. The look-out man had gone down from the bridge in order to call the chief officer. He felt a violent blow, the vessel was heavily shaken, he was himself flung down towards port, heard a heavy report (did not notice any preceeding sound) saw some greenish gleam and sparks, noticed the smell of gun powder, saw that the No.2 hatch burst open, pieces of hatches (nothing else) in the air (nothing of the cargo). The vessel at once began to sink with the bow first and disappeared below the surface of the sea, he thinks, in less than 2 minutes. Very quickly a heavy list to port. There was no time to lower lifeboat. He and Kiikka cut the lashings of the port lifeboat and was lowering with the forward tackle, but he was then thrown into the sea. Officer Rolseth stated with regard to those missing that he, personally, had not seen any of them on board and not later either. He produced a list of those missing and those saved. Forward in the berths of the deck crew were the A.B. Seamen Jacobsen, Sivertsen and Lekven, who were off duty. Aft in the quarters of the engine room staff were donkyman Hansen, fireman Olsen and fireman Eriksen, also trimmer McCorrigan. The Estonian look-out man, Konstantin Saar, had gone down from the bridge before the explosion in order to call the chief officer. As to whether Saar had a lifesaving jacket on he is unable to say. Cries were heard from the Estonian look-out man, A. B. Seaman Konstantin Saar, by A.B. Seaman Kiikka who was then on the boat deck. Roseth thinks that the Swedish fireman Larson, who was on watch in the engine room, lost his life in the sea. Larson, with lifesaving jacket on, was seen by trimmer McCorrigan. A.B. Seamen Jacobsen, Sivertsen and Lekven probably lost their lives on board as the vessel at once began to sink bow first. Roseth thinks that steward Petter Jacobsen, cabin amidship, lost his life on board. The cabin was on the port side. Jacobsen was club-footed on both feet.
Appeared the 1. witness, chief engineer Johannes Lavold. The weather was overcast with some sea. The witness was to have been on watch at 4 o'clock. After the explosion he was called by the 2nd engineer and ran out on deck with engineer Kopstad in front of him, who had trousers and shirt on, but no lifesaving jacket. This was the last that the witness saw of Kopstad. Having got on the boat deck he saw donkeyman Hansen in trousers and shirt, but without lifesaving jacket, standing at the after part of the amidship over by the starboard lifeboat. Hansen had on a lifesaving arrangement to be inflated. By the side of Hansen stood fireman Oscar Olsen in pyjamas without lifesaving jacket. Otherwise, he saw no persons. Hansen and Oscar Olsen jumped into the sea whilst the witness ran back to his cabin and put on a leather jacket and a lifesaving jacket. When he came out, the vessel had heeled right over, and the witness went into the sea from the starboard side of the ship. This time the witness did not see any one. He saw no one in the water. He saw no one from the raft. They heard shouts from several, but could not differentiate between them. After a short while the U-boat came past the raft at a distance of perhaps 50 or 75 metres and after a short while she disappeared. The U-boat was nearer to those who were lying in the water than was the raft, and the U-boat could therefore have heard the shouts. The witness does not know if anyone has seen anything of the others who are missing. When it began to get light in the morning, the other raft was seen about a hundred metres away. They managed to get two boards broken loose and by means of these as oars they reached the other raft. There was no one to be seen or heard in the sea.
Appeared the 2nd witness, Sulo Viktor Kiikka, A.B. Seaman on board. The weather was overcast with a fair amount of sea. He came to the wheel at 1 o'clock. After the explosion the 2nd officer gave whistle signal. The witness ran down on to the boat deck together over to the port lifeboat and commenced to lower it. There was no time to use the lifeboat. The witness jumped on to the port raft whilst the raft was on board; when this had come into the sea the witness assisted Roseth on to the raft. Whilst the witness was on board by the lifeboat, he heard Saar calling out for the witness. Saar was then inside amidship. The witness thinks that Saar may have been in the galley making coffee for the chief officer. The witness saw no one from the raft, but heard shouts from several without being able to differentiate as to who they were. After perhaps 10 minutes the U-boat came up, perhaps 25 metres away, between the vessel, of which the funnel could be seen, and the raft. The U-boat went past the raft. She was seen for about 5 minutes. She was nearer to the "Rimfakse" than the raft. On board the U-boat they should have heard the shouts from those who were in the water. On the raft the shouts were heard for perhaps a couple of hours, but then only from a couple of men. There had been no oars on the lifesaving rafts as long as the witness had been on board. Got two small planks loose when i became light, and the other raft was seen about 200 metres away. They used the planks, and if they had not had them they would not have overtaken the other raft. The two rafts were lashed together. The rafts were new when obtained at Glasgow. New lifeboat at Glasgow, and the lifeboats were then put into the sea, but not later. Boat muster was held every morning at 8 o'clock at sea. When it became light, an upturned lifeboat was seen far away. This was seen first, and thereafter the raft was seen as previously stated.