Wednesday, March 17, 2010

61'30N 01'50E, 1952

D/S Edna

Built in Sunderland 1905. Previous names: Chr. Gylstorff until 1913, Anund until 1921, Kjell until 1922. Pre war history: Delivered in May-1905 from Sunderland Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Sunderland, UK (229) as cargo vessel Chr. Gylstorff to D/S A/S Progress (Holm & Wonsild), Copenhagen, Denmark. Steel hull, 194.8’ x 32’ x 13.8’, 915 gt, 1275 tdwt, Tripple Expansion (NE Mar. Eng. Co. Ltd., Sunderland, UK) 123nhp, 9 knots. Sold in Apr.-1913 to Ångfartygs-AB Svithiod (H. Metcalfe), Gothenburg, Sweden, renamed Anund. Owned in 1920 by Rederi-AB Svenska Lloyd (same managers). Sold in 1921 to D/S A/S Kjell (H. H. Gjertsen), Oslo, renamed Kjell. Sold in June-1922 to D/S A/S Ryvarden (K. I. Bredsdorff & N. Chr. Sørensen), Kragerø. Sold in July that same year to Det Bergenske Dampskibsselskab, Bergen, renamed Edna and used in the company's cargo service between the south and north of Norway.
WW II: Edna sailed in Convoy HN 9A from Norway to the U.K. in Jan.-1940. She returned to Norway the following month with Convoy ON 12, which left Methil on Febr. 13, and later that month she joined Convoy HN 15, cargo of fresh fish for Newcastle (she had initially been in the previous convoy, HN 14, but returned to port). Early in March she joined Convoy ON 18, returning to the U.K. with Convoy HN 20, again with fresh fish for Newcastle. She subsequently went back to Norway at the very end of March with Convoy ON 24 and was still there when the Germans invaded on Apr. 9 - follow links for more info, several Norwegian ships took part in all these convoys.
In 1941 she was in cargo service between western Norway, northern Norway and eastern Finnmark, together with the company's Canis and Kora (other companies that had vessels in coastal service to eastern Finnmark found the risk of Russian aircraft attacks too great and cancelled all their sailings to this area). The Germans demanded that these sailings should take place in German convoys, so there was a lot of waiting involved, causing delays. Edna arrived Kirkenes on her first voyage in this run on Nov. 24-1941. In 1942 Edna and Canis made 2 voyages each, while Kora made 3, in 1943 Edna and Kora made 3 voyages each, Canis 1, and in 1944 all three vessels made 1 voyage each. These sailings were extremely important to the people living in this area.
NOTE: According to R. W. Jordan's records Edna was voyaging to and from Sweden in June-1944(?).
POST WAR: Sold in Aug.-1946 to Rederi-AB Hera (Albert Jansson Saltvik), Mariehamn, Finland. On March 7-1952, when on a voyage Thamshavn-Preston with wood pulp, she reported from position 61 30N 01 50E that the ship had to be abandoned. Edna and her crew subsequently disappeared.

http://www.warsailors.com/homefleet/shipse.html