M/T John P. Pedersen

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The 1st witness (3rd engineer Halfdan Nilsen) stated that the "John P. Pedersen" left Halifax on the 10th May this year bound for Glasgow with a cargo of oil in convoy. The crew consisted of 34 men and 4 British gunners. The voyage went well until the 19th May when the witness heard that 2 of the vessels in the convoy were said to have been torpedoed at about 23 o'clock. On the next day, at about 14 o'clock, when the witness was on watch in the engine room, the vessel was struck by a torpedo which, according to what he heard later, struck abaft the pump room. In the engine room they noticed a violent blow and the witness then stopped the engine immediately afterwards. A great deal of oil then came down through the skylight and at the same time a great deal of steam was pouring up probably from the dynamo engine. We then ran up on deck where tey were occupied with releasing the lifeboats. There was moderate weather with some sea which incidentally was calmed by the oil pouring out. The witness then jumped into the starboard lifeboat, but cannot say who or how many were in the lifeboat. Several of the crew jumped from the vessel into the sea, but were picked up by the lifeboat. The witness knows that all the crew were taken into one lifeboat, but one of the British gunners was dad when he was picked up. The lifeboats kept together until the afternoon of the next day, at about 16 o'clock, when the rope between the boats parted on account of the increasing wind and the sea. On the 23rd May, this year, the lifeboat was picked up by a British rescue boat in which they remained for about 1/2 an hour and thereafter they were put on board a Dutch hospital ship which took them to Reykjavik. There were 16 men in the lifeboat, in which the witness was, who came in to Iceland. Of these, 4 men were taken nto the Navy in Iceland, one was taken to hospital and 8 men were sent on the Dutch hospital ship to Gourock and 3 men, among whom was the witness, were sent to Preston, from where they were sent to Glasgow. The witness has now signed on on board the Norwegian M/T "Ferncastle".

The witness added that he heard on board the Dutch hospital ship that the torpedoing had taken place about 150 miles south of Greenland. During the time, a little over a day, that the lifeboats were together, they did not succeed in getting the vessel's motor boat to start. About 20 minutes after they had ome into the lifeboat, which had then drifted a good distance away from the vessel, they saw her sink. 2 further torpedoes had by the been sent into her. The witness seems to remember that the U-boat, which torpedoed the vessel, carried the mark Z 37.

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The 2nd witness (boatswain Nils Walderhaug) stated that he was in his cabin at the moment of the torpedoing. He then ran up to the port lifeboat. There were three men in the lifeboat which capsized after it had come into the water. The three men got into the sea, but were picked up by another lighter boat. Later, the lifeboat was baled out and put in order again and 8- 9 men were put into it. The witness is unable to say who were in the various boats because for one thing he did not know the names of the various members of the crew, and besides men were shifted from one boat to another during the time they were together. On account of the weather becoming thretening the captain gave orders the next day, at about 17 - 18 o'clock, to let go the moorings between the boats.

Otherwise, the witness made statement in accordance with that of the previous witness. He was one of the 8 men who were sent to Gourock. The witness did not see anything of the U-boat which sank the vessel.

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