D/S Marstenen

Extract from the log book of the steamer "Marstenen"

Left Indian Bay the 23rd July with a cargo of pulpwood, 789 1/2 cubic fathoms, of which about 200 fathoms on deck.

Arrived St. John's the 23rd July for inward clearance etc. At St. John's we carried out some minor engine repairs, and in accordance with instructions from London cement slabs /protection/ were also fitted round the bridge and wireless room by the shipyard there. When everything had been completed we left St. John's on the 1st August bound for Sydney C. B. for convoy.

Arrived Sydney on the 3rd August for convoy.

Left Sydney in convoy on the 4th August at about 13 o'clock and the voyage was continued under favourable weather conditions with arrival Belfast on sunday the 18th August at about 20 o'clock in order to be degaussed there. As soon as this had been done we left Belfast on Wednesday the 21st August at 17 o'clock bound for Gourock Roads in order go get the electric system, which had been fitted, tested there.

Arrived Gourock roads on Thursday the 22nd August at 17 o'clock to await further orders from the Naval Control there.

On Sunday the 25th August the test was carried out, awaiting orders for the first convoy to leave.

Wednesday the 28th August at 7 o'clock left Gourock Roads with the usual north and east going convoy. The voyage passed without anything to remark until we had passed Duncansby Head on Friday the 30th August at about 18 o'clock when we contiued with the convoy course south-eastwards. At about 21 o'clock - the weather fairly dark with heavy low-lying dark clouds - we heard some firing aft on the port side which we assumed was from an escorting destroyer. Immediately afterwards the firing ceased and the ship's steward, Nils Skogvoll, who was exprerienced in gunfiring, was requested by the vessel's master to stand by at the machine gun. At that time the vesell's master, 2nd officer J. Strand and deck boy M. Powell were on the bridge, and helmsman Meinart Vallist at the wheel.

At about 21.10 o'clock we were aware of a violent explosion aft on the port side and by looking towards aft at the same moment it could be seen that the explosion occurred immediately outside No. 4 hatch on the port side, where a column of water rose high in the air. All the men were then ordered to go into the lifeboats and be ready to leave the vessel, at the same time as there was made known by the ship's whistle that a casualty had occurred. The starboard lifeboat was kept alongside as long as possible, but as the vessel quickly began to sink with the after part of the ship and it looked as if she was going to capsize we had to come away as quickly as possible. We were hardly clear of the ship's side when the "Marstenen" capsized over to port and went right under to the after part of the forecastle. She was then lying completely over on the port side. The men in the port lifeboat, which was the first to leave the vessel, were picked up by the accompanying Swedish steamer "Birgitta" and the men in the starboard lifeboat were picked up by an escorting destroyer. 10 men in the port and 11 in the starboard boat and thus all the men were saved, and fortunately none were injured.

All of the crew lost everything, and they were picked up with only the clothes they had on. Of the ship's papers only a brief case containing the register, the certificate of nationality etc., was saved everything else was lost including accounts, account books etc.

Sunday the 1st September at about noon the men in the starboard boat were landed at Leith, and the men in the other boat were then landed at Methil, and these arrived at Leith during Monday the 2/9, where the others had already been accomodated with the assistance of the Norwegian Consul.

Taking everything into consideration the vessel had been sunk by an aerial torpedo or a bomb from an aeroplane, because at the moment the explosion was heard, the vessel's master saw from the starboard side of the bridge an aeroplane /aircraft/ immediately outside No. 2 hatch on the port side with its wing tips almost at the height of our deck cargo stanchions which measured about 17 feet. No sound was heard from the aeroplane so that it is assumed that this had come down with the engine shut off. The steward who was attending the machine gun had seen nothing because, as seems likely, as he was on the lookout for aeroplanes from above and had not thought that this one would come flying along the ship's side.

Finally, it should be noted that we cannot here sufficiently praise the exceptinonal treatment and care shown us on board the above mentioned destroyer and right up to the time we came ashore, and the same has no doubt been the case with those who were picked up by the s.s. "Birgitta".

Leith, the 5th September 1940

I. Mathiesen, Master