HAV:

The Hav was a cargo ship of 5,062 GRT built in 1939 at Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Wallsend, Sunderland for A/S Havtank & A/S Hav (managed by Helmer Staubo & Co., Oslo, Norway). She was a diesel powered motor vessel with a speed of 12.5 knots.
Ship's History:

The Hav had just departed Norway with general cargo and lumber just before the country was invaded on 09 April 1940. She was originally enroute to a South African port but was redirected by Canadian authorities to change course to Esquimalt, arriving on 11 April. She was then ordered to her original destination, but without stopping at ports within Dutch or Russion territories. So took on 300 tons of fuel at Victoria, B.C. and proceeded to Beira, South Africa. However, on 08 May the ship experienced engine trouble with the injector assembly of the diesel's #4 cylinder, reuiring the engine to be stopped. Repairs required 15 hours by the crew before the ship could continue the passage with limited diesel output which resulted in maneuvering difficulties.

Communications were sent and parts were ordered ahead so that they would be available upon arrival. However, once pierside in Beira on 16 June, the ship was informed that there was no news on the repair parts. The ship was then informed that they had been chartered to an Australian company for the next 6-months effective upon unloading their cargo.

Still steaming on the problematic diesel, the ship sailed to Lorenco Marques, Durban, and East London, arriving at East London on 15 July. Engine repair parts arrived a few days later and the crew proceeded to repair the engine. Cargo was unloaded at East London, refueled in Durban, then sailed on 23 July to Calcutta in ballast, arriving 12 August. Departed Calcutta 17 August and arrived Fremantle, Australia on 02 September where 640 tons of cargo was offloaded. Took on 340 tons of cargo and departed for Adelaide on 04 September, then to Melbourne and Sydney. At Sydney, a cargo of flour was onloaded for delivery to Taku Bay on 18 October. Then to Shanghai on 30 October where she was drydocked.

02 November the Hav departed for Nauru to pick up a cargo of phosphates for delivery to Geraldton and Fremantle. While in transit, was forced to sail through a typoohn on 06 November, arriving in Nauru 4-days late unscathed by the storm. Onloaded 9200 tons of phosphates and departed Nauru on 17 November, arriving Fremantle on 02 December where the phosphates were offloaded and a cargo of railroad tracks and general cargo were onloaded. Additionally, the Bridge superstructure was modified with additional protection on 30-31 December.

Departed Melbourne on 01 January 1941, arriving at Suez at the beginning of February, stopping at Aden enroute. The ship was minus 6 crew due to 4 of them jumping ship and 2 being paid off due to illness. The ship then continued to Haifa and offloaded her cargo before returning to Port Said.
The Hav was then requisitioned into service for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and headed to Alexandria and onloaded heavy vehicles. Departed for Piraeus, arriving and offloading here cargo, got underway in convoy for Alexandira on 25 March. On the morning of 26 March the convoy came under aircraft attack, and again later in the afternoon. The second attack consisted of 10 aircraft and the Hav was damaged by a near miss off the port bow by either a bomb or torpedo, lifting the entire bow out of the water and resulting in extensive damages, which were temporarily repaired.

The ship continued on her passage, arriving in Alexandria under her own power on the 28 March. Additional temporary repairs were conducted at Alexandria. Permanent repairs could not be accomplished here due to no drydocking facilities.

Released from Sea Transport Office services on 11 April, with temporary repairs being completed on 18 April. Departed Alexandria the same day and sailed to Kosseir, arriving on 22 April, and taking on a cargo of phosphates. Departed 27 April enroute Fremantle, via Aden, for routing orders to Melbourne. Arrived at Melbourne 29 May and was drydocked 06 June where permanent repairs to the ship were conducted,with completion of repairs on 20 June, and with the addition of degaussing and a gun mount installed aft (without gun). While under repair, the 6-month charter to the Australian company was extended for an additional 6-months.

Cargo was onloaded upon completion of repairs and the ship was ready to get underway, however, 6 crewmembers were missing and 1 crewmember was hospitalized. 3 replacement crewmembers were taken on and the ship departed for Port Said, via Aden, arriving Port Said on 30 July. Cargo was offloaded and departed 17 August for Colombo, via Aden for refueling. Arrived Calcutta on 03 September where general cargo was taken on for delivery to Chile and Peru, stopping at Rangoon enroute for additional cargo.

The ship by now had armament (aft gun), 2 Australian gunners, a new 4th mate, and 4 additional Chinese crewmembers. The ship arrived at Talcahuano, Chile 31 October. She then proceed to discharge her cargo at various South American ports and then taking on cargo at Tocopilla between 22 and 28 November for delivery to Australia. 4 crew members were left behind at Valparaiso.
Hav arrived Sydney on 01 January 1942 and, by the 9th had offloaded here cargo. She was then ordered to a shipyard for additional repairs as a result of having encountered a storm while enroute to Sydney which showed that the previous repairs conducted at Melbourne were inadequate. New protection was added to the Bridge and a new gun was installed at this time. The ship's captain, G.E. Henrikson, was paid off to take a vacation in mid-January. The 1st mate, Josef Jensen replced him as the ship's captian on 16 January.

Repairs were completed on 18 January and departed for Newcastle, Australia for coal, then to Adelaide via Sydney. From Sydney she went to Whyalla and took on a cargo of ore for delivery to Newcastle, where the ship was once again drydocked for repairs. Upon completion of repairs, departed Newcastle with a cargo of coal and delivered it to Adelaide on 15 February.

Onloaded a cargo of 8850 tons of flour at Adelaide for delivery to the Mid-East. Underway on 26 February for Dandar Shapur, arriving 31 March. Offloaded her cargo of flour, onloaded a cargo of barley and departed for Port Said and Alexandria, stopping enroute a Basra to onload additional cargo (departed Basra 21 April) and Abadan on 22 April. Arrived Suez on 06 April with 7380 tons of barley, 16-tons of general cargo, and 220-tons of steel rods which had been onloaded at Abadan. In Suez, the general cargo and steel rods were offloaded and then the ship continued to Port Said where she was directed to wait for further orders. On 13 May, the ship was directed to Beirut in order to offload the cargo of barley.
"The Final Voyage"

The Hav got underway from Port Said that same day (13 May) enroute to Beirut as ordered. Shortly after the Port Said pilot had left the ship that afternoon, the ship was rocked by an explosion on the starboard side amidships. The ship had struck a mine laid by U-561 (Robert Bartels) on 14 April.

The ship immediately started to sink, with holds numbers 1 ,2 3, and 4 flooded along with the engineroom. A tugboat and 2 minesweepers provided assistance in towing the ship to shallow water where she was beached in 7-8 meters of water at 31.17.57N/32.21.09E. Two people were killed, with several injured. The British hospital ship Aba took 3 of the injured to the British hospital in Port Said. (Injured crewmembers are: 3rd Engineer John Silseth, 2nd Mate Richard Fureborg, and Ordinary Seaman Thor Kvilhaug.)

However, the ship's story does not end here. Seven crew members and 2 gunners were assigned to keep watch on the ship while the injured were taken ashore. Captain Jensen and a Chinese mess boy (Chang Ming Chen) were then taken to a hospital. The crew members were on guard onboad the ship from 13 May until 23 June. On 13 May, the captain of the Vilja (Anderson) visited the ship. the Valja had arrived at Port Said after suffering damage at Hifa. Some equipment and supplies were transferred from the Hav to the Valja at this time. On 23 June, the crew members guarding the ship were relieved by personnel from shore. That same day, a fire was obsered onboard the ship, and it was not to be the last. Six additional fires were experienced later that summer which eventually reduced the ship to scrap.
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