On 20 January 1942, the Norwegian ship M/S Herstein docked in Rabaul in New Guinea after bringing British soldiers and equipment ashore in Port Moresby. Then six bombs fell, delivered by three Japanese dive bombers, and the vessel was completely burned out. One man died, and six men were injured. The entire remaining crew, with the exception of Captain Godtfred Gundersen, was captured by the Japanese. On 1 July 1942, they were being transported on the prisoner ship Montevideo Maru when it was torpedoed by the American submarine USS Sturgeon. The Americans themselves claim that they did not know there were prisoners of war on board. All 1,054 on board, of which 33 Norwegians, perished. The ship was never found. For now. FOUND: A picture of the Montevideo Maru wreck off the coast of the Philippines taken with the help of a Dutch underwater drone. Photo: Silentworld Foundation Deeper than the Titanic An Australian-Dutch expedition was able to announce last night that they had found the wreck after 12 days of searching. This is written by the news agency Australian Associated Press. The ship lies at a depth of 4,000 metres, deeper than the Titanic. The discovery was made with the help of advanced technology and an underwater drone. UNDERWATER DRONE: Illustration of an underwater drone produced by the Dutch company Fugro. This type of drone was also used to search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Photo: FUGRO / AFP 980 of those who perished on the Montevideo Maru were Australian soldiers and civilians. The attack is considered Australia’s worst maritime disaster. Australian army chief General Simon Stuart says the soldiers who fought to defend Rabaul in New Guinea met a “terrible fate”. – Today we remember the service they gave, and the loss of all those on board, including the 20 Japanese prison guards and crew, the Norwegian sailors and the hundreds of civilians from many countries, says Stuart. The wreck will remain undisturbed. No corpses or objects must be removed from the seabed out of respect for those left behind. The expedition to find the Montevideo Maru was carried out by the Silentworld Foundation, an independent organization devoted to maritime archeology and history based in Sydney. With them on the team they had the Dutch company Fugro, which is specialized in investigating the deep seabed. BISTO ALLIED FORCES: MS Herstein sailed for two years, from 1940 to 1942. It was in Calcutta, India when Norway was invaded. Most of the crew were from Vestfold and Agder, and participated in several aid operations for allied forces during the Second World War. Photo: Historical department, Dieselhouse Copenhagen 33 Norwegian sailors The BBC writes that 33 Norwegian sailors died on the Montevideo Maru. The war sailors register has an overview of at least 25 of those who were on the ship: Kaare Fagervik, engineer Arthur Ringshaug, seaman Einar Finn Thoresen, light sailor Hans Teien, engineman Gerhard Johan Storhaug, boatman Egil Kristian Pettersen, carpenter Arthur Olaf Olausen, sailor John Arthur Nicolaisen, telegrapher Bjarne Møller, 1st mate Reidar Thorbjørn Myhre, 2nd engineer Knut Mostad, 3rd mate Ivar Martin Lie, oiler Kåre Johan Køllersen, engineer assistant Arthur Marius Landhaug, seaman Kristian Marthin Kristiansen, engineman Gunnar Alexander Knudsen, sailor Alf Jemtland, 3. engineer Olav Hansen, electrician Reidar E. Grytnes, sailor Gunnar Egil Edvardsen, engineman Kåre H. Brekkestø, galley boy Peter Cornelius Brandal, chief engineer Benn Bolt, 2nd mate Viktor Hugo Andersen, seaman Olvar Andersen, sailor The ship was part of the so-called ” the outer fleet”, which was essential in the Allies’ war effort. Among other things, the outer fleet was responsible for the transport of 19 percent of the oil that came to Great Britain during the war. UNCERTAINTY FOR THE SURVIVORS: It took many years before the next of kin of those killed on the Montevideo Maru found out what happened during the war. In this article from Helgeland’s magazine from 2012, John Møller tells about his journey to Papua New Guinea on the trail of his father Bjarne Møller. Photo: Helgelands Blad / National Library There are said to have been around 25,000 Norwegians on board the outer fleet in April 1940. Adventurer and author of several books on maritime war history, Jarle Andhøy, tells news that ships like MS Hernes are part of an exciting chapter in Norwegian history. – The outer fleet was in a large global operation from 1940 to 1945. That history is like a puzzle to put together. The several thousand men and women who were on board this fleet were absolutely everywhere, and have stories everywhere, says Andhøy. ESCAPE THROUGH THE JUNGLE: Captain Godtfred Gundersen escaped the Japanese forces and died in 1971. Photo: Krigsseilerregisteret The captain who escaped: Godtfred Gundersen When M/S Herstein was attacked, Captain Godtfred Gundersen managed to escape. He joined a group of Australians who walked 540 kilometers in 78 days along the coast of New Guinea. Captain Gundersen’s account of the battle of Rabaul and the escape from the Japanese “Leader during the war M/S “Herstein” of Oslo. On 20 Jan 1942, while we were loading copra in Rabaul, New Britain, the ship was ambushed and bombed by 120 Japanese planes. The ship was hit with 6 bombs and set on fire. On the occasion, the ship’s anti-aircraft guns were used to little or no avail. The ship burned down to the waterline in a short time. During the sinking, Stuerten was killed and 6 men were injured. Two days later, the city and island were invaded by the Japanese. When we got word of the impending invasion, the crew decided to stay in the vicinity of the place, as they thought to get help from the Japanese to get off the island, and possibly be sent home across Japan. I, on the other hand, had no faith in the Japanese, and in order not to be forced to give them important information, I decided to take to the jungle, to get away if possible, and return to civilized areas by myself. Left port the night before the invasion with one of the agent’s people. After walking along the coast and over land for a distance of 350 eng.miles, I, together with a number of Australians, were taken up by a relief expedition, which took us over to Port Moresby, New Guinea. We were then very poor from hunger and disease. 50 percent of the Australians who set out on this trek succumbed to disease and starvation, and some were killed by the Japanese who went looking for us every day. After the shipwreck, I had stayed in the jungle for 78 days. Later I arrived in Sydney by passenger boat. After the end of the war, I was informed that the rest of the crew were captured by the Japanese and sent on a Japanese prisoner ship, which was torpedoed during the voyage to Japan. Everyone came to the estate on this occasion.” Source: Krigsseileret registeret. Half of this group is said to have died as a result of disease and starvation, and some were shot by Japanese soldiers. Finally, a relief expedition from New Guinea brought the survivors back to Port Moresby.
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Wreck with 33 Norwegian prisoners of war found 4,000 meters under the sea – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
