D/S Spind

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Captain JOHANNES BERG JONASSEN appeared and declared that he was Master of the Steamship "SPIND" of Farsund ...

The s.s. "SPIND" left Barry on 9th August and Milford Haven on 12th August in convoy according to orders to proceed to Lisbon after route instructions. The ship was fully manned and in all respects well fitted out.

The voyage was without incidents until 23rd August at about 6.30 a.m. when the vessel was attacked by a German Submarine. The submarine used machine guns, heavy guns and fire bombs.

The guns' crew of the "SPIND" were able to fire two shots at the submarine before taking to the lifeboats.

When the boats got away about twenty minutes after the shooting commenced, the midship portion was on fire and the bunker coals in the tween decks.

The Second Mate was shot and seriously wounded when entering the stb. lifeboat when sliding down the falls.

Captain Jonassen and many others were obliged to jump in the sea but were picked up by the lifeboats, after about half an hour after the commencement of the attack a British Destroyer came up and informed the boats that they would first endeavour to extinguish the fire on the "SPIND". The submarine had disappeared by that time.

After having tried to extinguish the fire, the men in the boats were taken on board the destroyer, which once more went back alongside the "SPIND" and endeavoured once more to put out the fire. The midships portion was then burnt out and the fire had reached the forehold. After consultation the Commander of the Destroyer decided to sink the "SPIND" by shell fire being dangerous to navigation. She was then sunk and went down in a few minutes.

The wounded second mate received medical attention from the surgeon on the destroyer and all the crew and officers were remarkably well looked after by the British Officers and crew.

All the crew were brought into Gibraltar without being able to save their belongings, but they saved their personal documents.

Accomodation had been arranged for all the crew by the Norwegian Consul, who took charge of them on arrival. The wounded Second Mate, EIVING OLSEN, was taken to Colonial Hospital where his condition was pronounced serous, having a bullet in his lung besides other injuries. He was attended to by a Specialist as well as the Colonial Surgeon.

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... FIRST WITNESS. The chief Officer, ERLING JOHANNESEN, who declared that the "SPIND" left Barry on the 9th August 1941 and Milford Haven on the 12th August, nothing unusual happened until the 23rd August when he was on the bridge about 6.30 a.m. when he could hear the motor of a submarine on the surface on the stb. side and gun fire and machine gun fire started almost immediately.

He gave orders for the engine to be stopped, he ran to the port lifeboat with the ship's logbook, he was then returning to the wireless room but it was smashed when he got to it. He then waited for a chance for the gun fire to stop to lower the port lifeboat, with the help of the Boatswain he lowered the lifeboat, when the boat was afloat there were eighteen men in her including himself and the boatswain. The boat was pushed off and the submarine came round from the stb. side of the ship and started firing at the lifeboat with a machine gun. Fire was started amidships in the accomodation and 'tween deck bunkers by fire bombs from the submarine.

A British Destroyer came up almost immediately and told us he would pick us up later on. Then the destroyer went alongside the "SPIND" After a little he came back to our lifeboat and took us on board, he told the officers on the destroyer that there was a badly injured man in the other lifeboat, so they went over and took up the men from the other boat immediately.

The destroyer lay off with some distance from the "SPIND" and after a consultation with the Captain of the "SPIND" and the Chief Engineer, it was decided to sink the burning ship by gunfire because she was a danger to navigation.

Two or three shots were fired and she sank very quickly.

The Deck Logbook was saved, the lifeboats were lost and all the crew's effects.

The wounded 2nd Mate received attention from the doctor on the destroyer, and all the other officers and men were taken care of in the very best way they could.

They arrived at Gibraltar on the 25th August and were there met by the clerk of The Norwegian Consul who had arranged accommodation for all.

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Thereupon appeared as: SECOND WITNESS: KARL HALVORSEN, who deposed that he was Chief Engineer of the "SPIND". The voyage from Barry whence the ship sailed on the 9th August 1941 and Milford Have on the 12th August, was without incident until the 23rd August.

On Saturday the 23rd August about 6.30 a.m. he was in his room stb. side of the "SPIND" amidships. He was lying on the sofa when a shell came through the iron plate of the deck house and then through the bulkhead into the Second Engineer's room and exploded. The Second Engineerwa on watch.

He went out on deck and went over to the port side keeping under cover from the shells and bullets being fired from a submarine on the stbl side. The submarine was also firing fire bombs.

The Chief Mate and the Boatswain were launching a lifeboat, so with others of the crew he slid down into it.

The boat pushed off from the ship when all who were ready to embark had got into it, and went and picked up six or seven men who were in the water.

The submarine came round to the port side of the "SPIND" and started firing at the lifeboat with a machine gun, we lay flat in the boat and the bullets passed just over us.

He saw that the "SPIND" was on fire amidships at that time, smoke and flames were coming from the port side of the accomodation, but not so much from the stb. side.

We then saw smoke of a British Destroyer which soon came up, he does not know what became of the submarine which must have dived.

The destroyer first came near to our boat and told us he would pick us up later. He was then trying to locate the submarine. The lifeboat he was in went over to the other lifeboat, which was leaking badly having been firend on and holed badly by bullets.

The destroyer then came over and picked us all up then went alongside the "SPIND" which was then well on fire, everything amidships was burnt and the coal in the forehold was also burning.

It was decided after consultation, to sink the "SPIND" by gunfire, as the ship was a danger to navigation, which was done in a few minutes by firing a few shots.

The Engine room logbook was lost also the lifeboats, the officers and crew lost all their effects.

The Second Mate for the "SPIND" who was badly wounded was well looked after by the Doctor of the destroyer and the other officers and brought to Gibraltar on the 25th August.

The representative of the Norwegian Consul made all arrangements for accommodation before we arrived.

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THIRD WITNESS: Boatswain, SIGURD ENGEBRETSEN ... He joined the "SPIND" on the 25th June 1941 in London. He stated that the "SPIND" left Barry on the 9th August and Milford Haven on the 12th August, nothing happened until 23rd August when he was in his cabin aft, about 6.30 in the morning, when he heard gunfire caused by the "SPIND"s gun firing two shots, and he went out on deck.

He went amidships and helped the Chief Mate to launch the Port Lifeboat, he went down into the lifeboat with the Mate and the other members of the crew came down immediately after. Some were picked up from the water making 18 men in the boat all told. The boat was pushed off from the ship after the German Submarine had fired at the boat with a machine gun the bullets passing close over.

The "SPIND" was on fire amidships.

A British Destroyer came up and tried to chase the submarine, then it came back to pick up everyone.

The "SPIND" wa sunk by gunfire of the Destroyer, being dangerous to navigation.

The Second Mate who was in the stb. lifeboat was badly wounded by machine gunfire when getting into the boat, in which were also the Steward, 'Cook and oneof the firemen.

The second mate was attended to immediately by the doctor on the destroyer, and all the other members of the crew were well looked after on the destroyer.

The Destroyer arrived at Gibraltar on the 25th August where all the men from the "SPIND" were taken charge of by the Norwegian Consul, the Second Mate being sent to the Colonial Hospital.

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