Født: Hornes - 09 januar 1912
Bosted: Kristiansand - Kristiansand kommune.
Død: 28 desember 1942
Olav Jacobsen var fyrbøter på D/S ”Norse King”, som ble torpedert i Nord-Atlanteren 28. desember 1942. Skipet sank ikke, og ble sett dagen etter på vei til Azorene. Deretter forsvant det imidlertid sporløst.
Kildene forteller:
Krigsseilerregisteret skriver:Ex gratia-arkivet:
Gift med (jf. London-kort):Else Jacobsen. Mønstet fyrbøter D/S ”Norse King” av Oslo, Odd Godager & Co. i Norge før krigen.
Olav Jacobsen omkom da D/S ”Norse King” ble torpedert 29 desember 1942 på reise fra Belfast til Boston lastet med 4500 tonn kull. Hele besetningen på 36 mann omkom.VG Våre Falne skriver:
JACOBSEN, OLAV, fyrbøter, Kristiansand. Født 9. januar 1912 i Hornnes, s. av Ommund Jacobsen, f. i Vegusdal, d. 1935 i Vennesla, og Ingeborg f. Bryggeså, f. 1886 i Eiken. Gift 1935 i Kristiansand med Else Olava Dahl, f. 1911 s. st. 1 barn. Var fyrbøter på D/S ”Norse King”, som ble torpedert i Nord-Atlanteren 28. desember 1942. Skipet sank ikke, og ble sett dagen etter på vei til Asorene. Det forsvant imidlertid sporløst senere.
Desember 1942:
D/S ”Norse King” var på reise i konvoi ONS-154 fra Belfast til Boston med 5.400 tonn kull. Konvoien besto av 45 skip, og den ble angrepet av over 20 ubåter i et tre dagers slag. 14 skip og en tysk ubåt gikk ned. 28. desember 1942 ble D/S ”Norse King” torpedert i posisjon N 51.45 og W 23.50. Det så ut til at skipet kunne berges, og besetningen rodde om bord igjen, startet maskinen og satte kurs for Azorene. D/S ”Norse King” ble sist sett i posisjon N 43.25 og W 27.18. Det var det siste man hørte fra skipet. Tyske opplysninger forteller at fartøyet igjen ble torpedert 29. desember 1942 av den tyske type VIIC U- 591, med sjef Kapitänleutnant Hans-Jürgen Zetzsche, innehaver Det Tyske Kors i Gull, eller type VIIC U-435, med sjef Kapitänleutnant Siegfried Strelow, innehaver av Ridderkorset og deretter lagt under artilleri-ild. Hele besetningen på 35 mann omkom.
www.uboat.net skriver:
At 21.52 hours on 28 December 1942 the S/S ”Norse King” (Master Lorentz Tvedt) in station #112 of convoy ONS-154 was hit by one torpedo from the german, type VIIC u-boat U-591, commanded by Kapitänleautnant. Hans-Jürgen Zetzsche, holder of the German Cross in Gold, and abandoned by the crew. The men were picked up by an escort, but later reboarded the S/S ”Norse King” and managed to get underway, heading for the Azores at a speed of about 6 knots. The S/S ”Norse King” 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, the german, type VIIC U-435, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Siegfried Strelow, holder of the german Knights Cross, hit the S/S ”Norse King” with one torpedo and began shelling the vessel after 15.43 hours with over 100 rounds, but the S/S ”Norse King” remained afloat and had to be sunk by a coup de grâce at 16.24 hours.Minnehallen i Stavern skriver:
D/S ”Norse King” var på reise i konvoi ONS-154 fra Belfast til Boston med 5.400 tonn kull. Konvoien besto av 45 skip, og den ble angrepet av over 20 ubåter i et tre dagers slag. 14 skip og en tysk ubåt gikk ned. 28. desember 1942 ble NORSE KING torpedert i posisjon 5145 N og 2350 W. Det så ut til at skipet kunne berges, og besetningen rodde om bord igjen, startet maskinen og satte kurs for Azorene. D/S ”Norse King” ble sist sett i posisjon 4325 N og 2718 W. Det var det siste man hørte fra skipet. Tyske opplysninger forteller at fartøyet igjen ble torpedert av tysk U 435, og deretter lagt under artilleri-ild. Hele besetningen på 35 mann omkom.
De norske som omkom ombord på D/S ”Norse King”:
Johan Emanuel Johannessen - Maskinmester, Knut K. Abrahamsen - Telegrafist, Alf Holmes - Lettmatros, Lorentz Johan Tvedt - Skipsfører, Lars Petter Thomassen - Matros/skytter, Tor Marselius Søreng - Matros, Bjarne Sundfær - Båtsmann, Leif Johan Steinsund - Smører, Torleif Steen - Matros, Halvor Skau - Fyrbøter, Svein Jarl Røvik - Matros, Kim Schrøder - Styrmann, Johnny Reidar Pettersen - Matros, Leif Henry Johan Olsen - Matros, Bjørn Olsen - Sjømann, Konrad Næss - 1. Styrmann, Gustav Ludolf G. Norenes - Smører, Tønnes P. Meling - Donkeymann, Helmer Gustav Larsen - Matros, Hans Laurits Landa - Tømmermann, Olav Arnvid Klepp - 3. Maskinist, Kåre Magnus Jensen - Kokk, Olav Jacobsen - Fyrbøter, Hilmar Eugen Hilland - Stuert, Johannes Hemmingstad - Matros, Håvard Marius Hansen - Maskinist, Alf Halnes - Sjømann/skytter, Ingar Berntinius Gullsten - Stuert, Karl Ivar Delingsrud - Smører, Svein Ivan Bottolfsen - Styrmann, Harald Klovholt Bjørnstad - Maskinsjef.
www.warsailor.com skriver:
Final Fate - 1942:
Having made some voyages around the U.K. S/S ”Norse King” left Belfast Lough in Convoy ON 154 on Dec. 19-1942 with a cargo of 5400 tons coal for Boston. One of the responses to a query I posted to my Ship Forum states that she had left Swansea Dec. 14, arrived Milford Haven the next day, departed on the 17th for Belfast Lough where she arrived the following day, then left for Boston.The convoy consisted of 45 (49?) ships escorted by a Canadian destroyer and 5 corvettes. ON 154, which originated in Liverpool on Dec. 18 and arrived New York Jan. 12-1943, will be added to an individual page in my Convoys section, but for now, the ships sailing in it are named on this page. Fana, James Hawson, Norhauk, Ramø, Ravnefjell, Veni and Vest are also listed. More than 20 U-boats assembled for attack. Between Dec. 27th and Dec. 29 a great number of ships went down and 1 U-boat (U-356) was sunk. According to the book "Ravnefjell", written by the mate/radio operator on that ship, Peder Kr. Nilsen, S/S ”Norse King” had been ordered to take on the role of rescue ship, after the designated rescue vessel Toward had taken on board as many as 164 survivors from the various torpedoed ships, and for safety reasons was ordered by the Commodore to refrain from further rescue work (probably on Dec. 27); see also my text for Ravnefjell and Fana. S/S ”Norse King”, in station 112 of the convoy, was herself hit in the evening of the 28th by a torpedo from U-591 (Zetzsche), and damaged in position 43 27N 27 15W. The crew was picked up by the escort, which stayed close to the ship, and when it appeared to be repairable the crew rowed on board again, started the engine and headed for the Azores. D/S Veni indicated the next morning that she had seen S/S ”Norse King” in position 43 35 (25?)N 27 18W with a speed of 6 knots and her boats swung out. That was the last seen of her and her crew (some sources say 38 were on board, others 35). One of my Norwegian sources says that according to German reports S/S ”Norse King” was torpedoed again that same day (Dec. 29) by U-435 (Strelow), and then shelled. These reports say nothing about the Norwegian crew (the U-boat also went down half a year later; U-591 was also sunk that summer). With regard to the final sinking of S/S ”Norse King”, Uboat.net says (external link): "At 15.07 hours on 29 December, U-435 hit the S/S ”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". If the statement that S/S ”Norse King” was assigned as rescue ship is correct, I'm wondering whether she also might have had some rescued seamen from other ships on board at the time she was sunk? This might explain the differing numbers found in various sources. The Stavern Memorial has 30 Norwegians listed, but I believe one of them is listed twice, leaving us with 29. Barbara Mumford (see the link to her website below) names 37 all total, and she has also received a list that originated from the Norwegian State Archives with a total of 35 names, all crew (28 Norwegians, the rest of other nationality). Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" claims that S/S ”Norse King” was torpedoed and sunk by U-225 and U-435 on Dec. 29, while J. Rohwer agrees with the U-boats and dates in my text above. Here is a response to a query I posted on Uboat.net's forum (external links). U-225 was involved in the attacks on this convoy and torpedoed several ships, but S/S ”Norse King” was not among them (ref. external links provided below). Rohwer lists the Norwegian Ingerfem among the stragglers from ONS 154, but as will be seen when following the link to my page about this ship, she was in Convoy ONS 156, or ON 156 to be correct. Technically the term ONS is incorrect, it should be ON 154 and ON 156, as the ONS series didn't start until March-1943 (with ONS 1), but the slower convoys were often referred to as ONS before that time.
Kilder: Krigsseilerregisteret, VG Våre Falne, www.uboat.net, www.warsailors.com og Minnehallen i Stavern
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Registernummer London: 18042
Registernummer New York: 19051