# MT Storstad



## Mette Engø (Jun 5, 2012)

Im trying to find people who can give me any information about what happend to the crew on this ship after 7 oktober 1940.


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## stein (Nov 4, 2006)

I suppose you have seen this on the Warsailor website?:

Departed Miri, Borneo for Melbourne on Sept. 30-1940 with a cargo of 12 000 tons diesel oil and 500 tons bunkers oil, and was captured by Pinguin on Oct. 7. Storstad had no armament on board. Her complement consisted of 30 Norwegians and 1 Dane. 25 were transferred to Pinguin, while the rest were forced to stay on board Storstad to help with the work, namely the 2nd and 3rd engineers, the assistant, 2 mechanics and the carpenter. 1200 tons of her oil was transferred to Pinguin that same night. Kapitänleutnant Erich Warning was given the command of the ship along with 2 officers, 9 subordinate officers and 19 crew in addition to the 6 Norwegians. She was renamed Passat and was in the subsequent months used partly as minelayer (laid 70 delayed action mines, Banks Strait and Bass Strait between Oct. 29 and 31), partly as replenishing depot for several of the German auxiliary cruisers in The Indian Ocean, before being sent to Bordeax with 405 of Pinguin's prisoners on board (from Nowshera, Maioma, Port Brisbane and Port Wellington). After a meeting with the raider Atlantis on Dec. 8, when she supplied this raider with fuel and took on board some of her prisoners the total number had been increased to 524, whose voyage became quite an ordeal under terrible conditions. En route to France, in position 27S 12W on Jan 6-8-1941 Storstad met with Thor, Admiral Scheer and her prize Duquesa, and Nordmark, and transferred 6500 tons diesel oil to the latter, for use by Scheer, prizes and raiders, and in turn she received some provisions from the captured Duquesa, which had 3539 tons frozen meat and 15 million! eggs on board. Storstad reached the Gironde inlet on Febr. 4-1941.

Admiral Scheer had attacked Convoy HX 84, escorted by the well known Jervis Bay in Nov.-1940 (see D/S Hjalmar Wessel). It was after this incident that Admiral Sheer continued on south, sinking or capturing a number of British ships, one of them being Duquesa. British Naval forces searched in vain for the culprit, and in Jan.-1941 Admiral Sheer headed for the allied shipping routes off West Africa (M/T Sandefjord).

Storstad's Norwegian crew was interned in Germany (I would assume Marlag und Milag Nord) for about 4 weeks before being sent back to Norway. Some of them later escaped to England, 1 of whom, Kristen Møller Johansen, who escaped via Sweden in 1943 joined D/S Freidig as a gunner, but died when she sank in bad weather north of Cape Wrath in Febr.-1944. Erling Holtane also managed to get out of Norway. (One of my sources also lists Asbjørn Eltvik., but he may have been from another ship?).

Crew List - No Casualties:
The Norwegians were eventually repatriated to Norway - The Danish seaman was probably sent home to Denmark(?).

Captain Egil Wilhelmsen 
1st Mate Thomas Karlsten 
2nd Mate Bård Myklebust 
3rd Mate Åge Hansen 
Carpenter Even Evensen
Boatswain Ragnar Eriksen (Danish) 
Able Seaman Paul Mølback 
Able Seaman Sverre Støen 
Able Seaman Arne Andersen Jr. 
Ordinary Seaman Thoralf Tørresen Jr. 
Ordinary Seaman Sverre Kristiansen Jr. 
Ordinary Seaman Erling Holtane 
Deck Boy Thorbjørn Karlsen 
Deck Boy Magne Kristiansen 
1st Engineer Gunnar Veberg 
2nd Engineer Halvard Stensholt 
3rd Engineer Kristen Hansen Orstad 
Mechanic Erling Andersen 
Mechanic Odd Meland 
Mechanic Egil Nordahl 
Mechanic Arne Støldahl 
Pump Man Oscar Fredriksen 
Stoker Olaf Jørgensen 
Stoker Gunnar Gundersen 
Oiler Kristen M. Johansen 
Oiler Thorleif Borgersen 
Oiler Eigil Nilsen 
Steward Harald Andersen 
Cook Rolf O. Holth 
Galley Boy Roy Hansen 
Mess Boy Jens Thorvaldsen 

(First link in Norwegian.)

http://www.klaveness-siden.com/innlegg_i.html#STORSTAD

http://www.skipet.no/rederier/afklaveness/skipstekst/1926storstad.htm

http://warsailors.com/forum/read.php?2,39585,39585

http://www.warsailors.com/forum/read.php?1,2702,2702#msg-2702

http://www.warsailors.com/riksarkivet3/storstad.gif

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_auxiliary_cruiser_Pinguin

http://www.bismarck-class.dk/hilfskreuzer/pinguin.html

http://www.uboatarchive.net/PinguinINT.htm

http://webot.org/?search=German_auxiliary_cruiser_Pinguin#Storstad


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## stan mayes (Jul 22, 2006)

Hello Jan,
Thankyou for all this very interesting information..
I hope you are keeping in good health...
Best regards,
Stan


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## stein (Nov 4, 2006)

Thanks Stan, it was all taken off the net; the "Warsailor site" is quite a treasure as regards Norwegian ships. Hope you are in good health as well.

What were the two stokers doing on a motorship?


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