Født: Herad - 8. mars 1915
Bosted: Herad - Farsund kommune.
Død: 26 januar 1943
Alf Erling Johansen seilte under krigen i alliert fart på M/T "Nordtind"; skipet gikk fra New York i januar 1943 med kurs for Mersey; det ble sist sett 24. januar da det var i ferd med å redde skipbrudne fra M/T "Kollbjørg". Siden har ingen sett noe til skip eller mannskap.
Kildene forteller:
Krigsseilerregistert skriver:Våre falne skriver:
JOHANSEN, ERLING ALF, fyrbøter, Herad. Født 8. mars 1915 i Herad, s. av Johan Vilhelm Johansen, f. 1875 i Herad, og Eline Amalie Ådnesdatter, f. 1879 s. st., d. 1939.
Juni 1942:
M/T "Nordtind" ble skadet 20 juni 1942 etter torpedering av tysk ubåt U-67 ( Korvettenkapitän Günter Müller Söckheim) utenfor New Orleans. En mann borte. M/T "Nordtind" ble reparert i Mobile. Tilbake i tjeneste i september 1942.
Januar 1943:
M/T "Nordtind" avgikk New York 14 januar 1943 bestemt for Mersey, Liverpool. Vinterværet i Nord-Atlanteren 1943 var det verste i manns minne. I en periode på 120 dager blåste det storm og kuling med tilsvarende grov sjø i 116 dager.
M/T"Nordtind" forsøkte å komme det norske tankskipet M/T "Kollbjørg" til hjelp etter at dette hadde brukket i to, men til ingen nytte i det harde været. Under arbeidet med dette, falt M/T"Nordtind" ut av konvoien og ble torpedert av tysk (U-358 - Kapitänleutnant Rolf Manke)
26 januar 1943 i pos. N 58.30, W 34.00. M/T"Nordtind" var lastet med bensin, det var storm og alle om bord omkom. Besetningen besto av 34 nordmenn, 7 briter og 2 hollandske passasjerer.
De norske som omkom med M/T"Nordtind":
Erling Andreassen - Matros.. Ole Kristoffer Wulfsberg - Motormann. Johan Svendsen - Reparatør. Kaspar Peder Sulebakk - Lettmatros. Hilmar Strand - Matros/skytter. Nils Gerhard Stavland - Tømmermann. Aage Sollie - Matros/skytter. Bjørn Edgar Skjold - Byssegutt. Per Anthony Schaanning - Telegrafist. Godtfred Seim - Fyrbøter, Sigvald S. Brekke - Motormann, Thorleif Paulsen - Motormann, Bjarne Fr. Olsen - Maskinassistent, Leif Oftedahl - Maskinsjef, Kåre Sommerfelt Nilsen - Stuert, Alf Thorleif Nilsen - Messegutt, Erling Dahl Moen - 2. Styrmann, Mathias Andreas Midtbø - Matros/skytter, Sigurd Magnus Mathiesen - Stuert, Svein Løwe - Motormann, Kolbjørn Adolf Kolstad - Fyrbøter, Erling Alf Johansen - Fyrbøter, Fritjof Bjarne Johannessen - Matros, Ingvald Johan Johannessen - Maskinist, Jakob Osvald Jensen - Skipsfører, Gitle Haavik - Maskinist, Hans Hvidsten - Matros, Arne Ingvald Førland - Matros, Arne Henrik Christensen - Fyrbøter, Alfred Harald Bernhoft - Matros, Hans Bernhard Bauge - Pumpemann, Svein Bakke - 1. Styrmann, Broder Arvid Aukan - Båtsmann, Harald Andreassen - Maskinist, Peder Jorang Aga - 3. Styrmann.
www.uboat.net skriver:
Completed in December 1941 as British Empire Onyx for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT), managed by British Tanker Co Ltd, London. On 14 Mar 1942 transferred at Barry to Norway and renamed M/T"Nordtind"
At 11.25 hours on 20 Juni 1942, the M/T"Nordtind" was hit in the stern by one of two torpedoes fired by the german, type IXC u-boat U-67, Korvättenkapitän. Günther Müller-Stöckheim, holder of the german Knights Cross, off New Orleans in 28°41N/89°34W. One crew member was lost.
The M/T "Nordtind" had been spotted at 07.20 hours, was after the hit missed by a second spread of two torpedoes at 11.40 hours and managed to escape, reaching New Orleans two days later. She was repaired at Mobile and returned to service in September 1942.
On 24 Jan 1943 the M/T"Nordtind" (Master Jacob O. Jensen) in convoy HX-223 stayed together with the American steam tanker Pan Maryland behind convoy to rescue survivors from the M/T "Kollbjørg", which broke in two during a storm in 58°28N/41°34W.
The survivors were picked up by the American tanker, while the M/T"Nordtind" was reported missing after being seen the last time at 01.00 hours on 25 January east of Cape Farewell in 58°30N/38°10W.
At 15.33 hours on 26 Jan 1943 the M/T"Nordtind" (Master Jakob O. Jensen) was hit near the bridge by one of two torpedoes from the german, type VIIC u-boat U-358, commanded by Kapitänleautnant. Rolf Manke, holder of the German Cross in Gold, and caught fire immediately. About 19.00 hours, the tanker broke in two and sank. The master, 39 crew members and two Dutch passengers were lost.
www.warsailors.com skriver:
Torpedoed – June-1942:
M/T"Nordtind" had arrived U.S. again early in June-1942. M/T "Nordtind" subsequently appears in the Hampton Roads to Key West Convoy KS 510 (external link), which left Hampton Roads on June 13 and also included B. P. Newton, N. T. Nielsen Alonso, Norfjell and the Panamanian Norvik.
From the archive document, we learn that M/T "Nordtind" was bound for Texas City.
When about 15 n. miles south/southwest of South West Pass. Light (position 28 41N 89 34W) on June 20, M/T "Nordtind" was damaged by a torpedo from U-67 (Müller-Stöckheim).
According to a memorandum dated July 3-1942, based on survivors' statements, she was on charter to British Trade Corporation at the time.
Time of attack is given as 04:30 CWT, she was in ballast (3000 tons of water), on a course 262° true, not zig-zagging, blacked out, radio silent, sailing at a speed of 12 knots, in cloudy weather with a calm sea, no moonllight, light southerly breeze, good visibility, no other ships in sight.
There were 3 lookouts, 2 on the bridge, 1 on the stern poop deck.
M/T"Nordtind" was struck on the port side below the bridge, 8' below the water line, resulting in a 50' long x 40' wide hole in her hull, with plates projecting outward parallel to the water. No. 4 pump room was flooded, as were holds No. 4, 5 and 6 and the wing and center tanks.
M/T"Nordtind" initially listed 15°-20° to starboard, but then came back on an even keel, later developing a slight list to port.
Shortly before the explosion occurred the lookout had seen the wake of a torpedo passing in front of the bow, missing her by about 100', and he was about to report this when
M/T"Nordtind" was struck, the torpedo that hit her was not seen.
About 15 minutes later the captain spotted the spray from a periscope on the port beam, so ordered the 1st mate to instruct the gunners aft to keep a close lookout, and fire immediately if they saw anything. Course was immediately altered 90° to starboard in order to put the wake of the periscope dead astern, and she proceeded northerly for about an hour, before altering to N 22° E true.
The U-boat abandoned the chase after 2-3 miles, and was last seen a little over an hour after the attack, on a course 350° true in a westerly direction, still with only the periscope visible.
Captain at that time was Paul Monsen who was in his cabin when the explosion occurred.
On the bridge were 1st Mate Bakke, Able Seaman Andresen (lookout), and Deck Boy Dibb (at the helm). By the aft guns were Oscar Orud and Gunner Walter G. Woodland.
2nd Radi Operator Cornelius Blake was in the radio station, but 1st Radio Operator Einar Axelsen took over a few minutes later, Blake having been injured by items that had fallen down in the station. The receiver had been destroyed, but the transmitter was operable and Axelsen sent repeated SOS about their situation. (The memorandum says "The switchboard was jarred loose from the bulkhead and after a slight delay, radio silence was broken to advise of attack, using 600 meters. Unknown if reply was given since only emergency receivers in the lifeboats were undamaged and static was heavy").
About 20 minutes after the explosion Ordinary Seaman Sulebakk came to the bridge to inform them that Stoker Arne Christensen was missing.
Mechanic Erik Johansson had seen him get into a lifeboat, then jump overboard. A radio message requesting a search by sea planes was sent out and repeated several times, as M/T"Nordtind" could not stop to look for him due to the fact that the U-boat was in the vicinity.
When the pilot arrived later that morning the incident was reported to the pilot boat, which in turn reported it to shore, and about 20 minutes later a patrol boat came to in order to obtain the position and time of the incident. I get the impression the stoker was never found.
M/T"Nordtind" managed to get into New Orleans for her own power that same evening; the memorandum states she arrived the Quarantine Station there at 19:05 CWT.
M/T "Nordtind" was later repaired in Mobile, where she arrived July 9. According to the archive document, M/T "Nordtind" did not leave again until Sept. 27 (see also the Voyage Record above).
An inquiry had been held on board on July 2 while still in New Orleans. The majority of the details above were taken from statements made by the captain, the 1st mate, Able Seaman Andresen, Deck Boy Dibb, Radio Operator Axelsen, Mechanic Johansson, 1st Engineer Julius Nilsen, and 2nd Engineer Ingebrigt Moe.
It appears some of the men mentioned here and in the above paragraphs were no longer on board at the time of M/T"Nordtind"'s loss the following year. Gunner Woodland paid off in New Orleans.
There was also an Able Seaman Frithjof Johannessen on board at the time, not included in the crew list for 1943, however, he's commemorated at the memorial for seamen in Stavern, Norway (link at the end of this page).
Final Fate – 1943:Captain Jakob O. Jensen. Together with M/T "Kollbjørg" (and other Norwegian ships), M/T "Nordtind" departed New York again on Jan. 14-1943 in Convoy HX 223, bound for Mersey with a cargo of 11 000 tons oil. M/T "Kollbjørg" broke in two in the storm encountered by the convoy on Jan. 24, and M/T "Nordtind" (as well as the American Pan Maryland) stayed nearby in case they were needed to assist. In so doing M/T"Nordtind" was unable to catch up with the convoy later on. On Jan. 26 she was torpedoed by U-358 (Manke), position 58 30N 34 00W. Among the casualties were 2 Dutch passengers.
Kilder: Krigsseilerregistert, Våre Falne, www.uboat.net og www.warsailors.com
Flåtetilhørighet
Tilhørte Uteflåten.
Registernummer London: 27294
Registernummer New York: 2491