Født: Høvåg - 18 oktober 1920
Bosted: Kristiansand - Kristiansand kommune.
Død: 03 juni 1942
Erik Oscar Jørgensen var fyrbøter på D/S ”Nidarnes”, og omkom 3. juni 1942, da skipet ble torpedert i Mexicogolfen på vei fra New Orleans til Cristobal.
Kildene forteller:
Krigsseilerregisteret skriver:Mellomnavn: Også brukt Oscar Påmønstret M/T "Sommerstad" som messegutt 15 september 1939.
Juni 1942:
D/S ”Nidarnes” ble torpedert og sank 2 juni 1942 i pos. N 21.17'. W 85.07' av tysk ubåt U-158.(Kapitänleutnant Erwin Rostin) utenfor Cape San Antonio på reise fra New Orleans til Cristobal. 13 personer omkom.
www.uboat.net skriver:
About 04.00 hours on 4 June 1942 the unescorted S/S ”Nidarnes” (Master Torstein Indreberg) was torpedoed by the german, type IXC u-boat U-159, commanded by Kapiänlautnant Erwin Rostin, holder of the German Knights Cross, in the Yucatan Strait and sank within one minute. The survivors had to jump overboard and only eleven managed to reach a raft the next morning and were picked up the same day by the American steam merchant Curaca, which landed them at Cristobal on 9 June.
Minnehallen i Stavern skriver:
D/S ”Nidarnes” var på reise fra New Orleans til Cristobal med last for den amerikanske hær.
Ble torpedert 2. juni 1942 i posisjon 21.17 N og 85.07 W i Yucatanstredet av tysk U-158. ( Kapitänleutnant Erwin Rostin ) Det oppsto voldsomme eksplosjoner fra ammunisjons magasinene og oljetankene, og folkene om bord måtte hoppe over bord og svømme bort, omgitt av varmt vann og olje. 13 nordmenn ble enten drept eller druknet i løpet av natten. De 11 overlevende kom seg om morgenen opp på en flåte og ble tatt opp samme dag av et amerikansk skip.
De som omkom ombord på D/S ”Nidarnes”:
Ingvald Martin I. Nesse - Matros, Peder Andreas Kleppe - Maskinist, Erik Oscar Jørgensen - Fyrbøter, Lars Jørgen Jørgensen - Motormann, Gustav Adolf Jensen - 3. Styrmann, Arnold Imanuel Iversen - Matros, Birger Hjønnevåg - Matros, Alfred S. Fladmark - Maskinist, Erik Eriksen - Matros, Harry Enehaug - Matros, Petter John Børresen - Stuert.
www.warsailor.com skriver:
Final Fate - 1942:
D/S ”Nidarnes” was torpedoed by U-158 (Rostin) at about 21:10 CWT on June 3-1942 and sunk 21 17N 85 07W, in the straits of Yucatan. She had departed New Orleans on May 29 (or May 30, depending on time zone - see also Page 2), bound for Cristobal with a general cargo, including supplies for the American Army. A memorandum dated June 27-1942, signed U.S.N.R. Ensign E. D. Henderson, based on statements by survivors (Navy Department, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington), gives the position as approximately 21 22N 85 02W. She also had 390 tons of fuel oil in tanks No. 1, 3, 4 and in the aft peak tank, as well as in 2 settling tanks amidships, and 75 tons of fresh water in No. 2 tank. At the time she was on a course 190° true, completely blacked out, not zig-zagging, sailing at a speed of 7.5 knots in clear weather and good visibility, with a calm sea, no wind, no moonlight. 4 lookouts, 1 on the foc'sle head, 2 on the bridge, 1 on the aft gun deck. No other ships were in sight. On the bridge were the captain and the 2nd mate, with Able Seaman Nielsen at the helm, while the 3rd mate was by the gun, and Able Seaman Hjønnevåg on lookout duty. The torpedo struck near the aft bulkhead of No. 4 hatch on the port side, followed by 3 internal explosions, believed to be due to accumulation of fumes in the after peak fuel tank and the igniting of ammunition in the locker, setting the after section on fire. The 2nd mate and the helmsman immediately ran to the lifeboats in order to get them launched, but the ship was already so deep in the water it was impossible. She sank by the stern in 1 minute, so there was no time to send distress messages. The crew jumped overboard and clung to wreckage until life rafts broke loose. The captain, who had gone to the starboard side, jumped overboard and swam away, having seen nobody else. He heard several small explosions and was surrounded by warm water and oil. After a while he found some debris which he held on to for about 2 hours, then climbed on a raft. He heard cries all around him, and was eventually able to move the raft in the direction of the cries with the help of a plank, but the only one he found was the 1st engineer, who later stated that he had seen the torpedo approaching at an angle of 60° to the keel of the ship from the forward side, but nobody had seen the U-boat. At daylight, another 6 crew members keeping themselves afloat on debris were seen, 3 more were spotted shortly afterwards - these 9 were able to get onto another raft. Just a few hours later, June 4 by then, the 11 survivors were rescued by the American Curaca which landed them in Cristobal on June 9. (According to the memorandum, 6 had been picked up at 10:45 CWT and 5 at 10:55 CWT in approximately 21 17N 85 07W - this is identical to the sinking position in the first paragraph above) The inquiry was held in New York on June. 28-1942 with the captain, the 2nd mate and the 1st engineer appearing. 13 had died (all Norwegian); some were killed on board, others drowned in the course of the night.
Kilder: Krigsseilerregisteret,www.uboat.net, Minnehallen i Stavern og www.warsailor.com
Flåtetilhørighet
Tilhørte Uteflåten.
Registernummer London: 5197
Registernummer New York: 26591
Utmerkelser
Krigsmedaljen
Krigsmedaljen utdeles til norske eller utenlandske militære som på en fortjenstfull måte har deltatt i krig for Norge og til norske og utenlandske sivile som under krig har ydet Norges forsvar tjenester. Krigsmedaljen utdeles post mortem til alle nordmenn og utlendinger som har kjempet i de norske styrker og Handelsflåten og falt for Norges sak. (Wikipedia)
Jørgensen, ble tildelt Krigsmedaljen Dato for tildeling ukjent