# MV Arizona



## warrensj

Hi I am looking for any information on the MV Arizona aka SS Arizona. All I know is she was a Dutch Coaster sunk 29th September 1940 off Elie, Fife when she struck a mine. Believed to have been carrying coal bound for Holland which puzzles me in that Holland finally surrendered to the germans in May 1940. I have found these basic details online the problem is searches are over shadowed by the USS Arizona as sunk by the Japanese in Pearl Harbour.


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## n. liddell (sparks)

Greetings Warrensj - Have a look at www.photoship.co.uk - obviously many pics of her more famous namesake but pic no. 5 looks like a coaster. Hope she is the one you are interested in. BV


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## warrensj

Thanks for that does look right and the flag could be dutch, but difficult to age pictures of ships. I did find some more details last night on www.wrecksite.eu. it gives her dimensions as 43.6 x 7.9 x 2.7 owned by Smid E, built by Gebr. Van Diepen, Waterhuizen in 1939 so she wasn't very old when she went down.


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## Pat Thompson

Greetings,

According to Miramar she was mined HERE whilst en route from Blyth to Bridgewater with a cargo of coal. She was completed on 21/4/1939 by Van Diepen at their Waterhuizen Yard for E.Smid and was registered at NLD Groningen.


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## A.D.FROST

warrensj said:


> Hi I am looking for any information on the MV Arizona aka SS Arizona. All I know is she was a Dutch Coaster sunk 29th September 1940 off Elie, Fife when she struck a mine. Believed to have been carrying coal bound for Holland which puzzles me in that Holland finally surrendered to the germans in May 1940. I have found these basic details online the problem is searches are over shadowed by the USS Arizona as sunk by the Japanese in Pearl Harbour.


Motor-Coaster
Voy.Methil to Holland.coal.Sunk with 5 crew members(Lloyds) Blythe to Bridgewater.coal(miramar)doutful because of where she was sunk.


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## warrensj

I also found vessel on Divesite where it says she is in four pieces which to my unexperienced eye seems a lot of pieces for a ship only carrying coal. This location matches Wrecksite but as you say the location of the wreck on Miramar is different 

Most details say she was out of Methill with coal bound for Holland but by this time Holland was under German Occupation so Holland just doesn't add up as a destination. 

Blyth to me seems like a more likely Coal port but I know nothing of coal mining in Scotland. So Blyth to Bridgewater seems more feasable on two counts, the long way round to avoid the English Channel

What I think is we may be up against is a bit of british secrecy it was kept quite so the Germans didn't know we were transporting goods by boat around the coast, rather than by land.

Its all a conundrum I'm only interested in the vessel as I was looking at a sailor that died when it went down the only record of him is on his training college memorial He doesn't appear on CWGC or any Death indexes and indexes for war deaths do exist Whilst I have two MN Cards for him his seamans pouch doesn't come up on National Archives


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## Derriaghy

*MV. Arizona*

Hi Warrensj

My father was one of the survivors of the mv. Arizona, he was hospitalized in Kirkaldy for some time .

It is a fascinating story, he had a plate put into his leg and yes he returned to war.

He was from Groningen and was a member of the free Dutch who managed to escape Holland. The boat was not going to Holland it was engaged in coastal traffic. I do know that the boat and later boats travelled to South Wales so suggest that they carried coal up to Scotland regularly.

After the war he became a captain in the Dutch Merchant navy and received a War medal with two bars........there were other episodes.

Hope this helps

Derriaghy


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## ruud

*Arizona 1939*

Should be this one!


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## Ron Stringer

Nice to see you back, Ruud. Welcome aboard again.


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## Derriaghy

Hi Ruud

Spot on it is that one , I have a photo /postcard of her in port in Scotland. On the back is the sad comment written by my Dad `this is the one I lost`.

This photo will however go with the information and medals to the grandson who is immensely proud to have the knowledge. My sorrow goes to the family of the young 16 year old lad who was lost that day.

Thanks

Derriaghy


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## apeman76

hello looks like a good forum


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## Susan Allum

My Great Uncle was Allan H Kingsland who was killed on the MV Arizona on the 29th September 1940 aged 16. He was asleep below deck as he had been on night watch. He was the older brother of my mother who was only 5 when he was killed


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## Susan Allum

Derriaghy said:


> Hi Ruud
> 
> Spot on it is that one , I have a photo /postcard of her in port in Scotland. On the back is the sad comment written by my Dad `this is the one I lost`.
> 
> This photo will however go with the information and medals to the grandson who is immensely proud to have the knowledge. My sorrow goes to the family of the young 16 year old lad who was lost that day.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Derriaghy


My Great Uncle was the 16 year old who died on the MV Arizona. I was wondering if there was any way you could scan the picture of the boat and send it to me. 
He was my mums brother and she does not remember a lot about him as she was only 5 years old when he was killed. she was left an only child when he died.


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## Derriaghy

Did scan and sent to Ships Nostalgia but am not sure if it got through. Am going to try again and see if I can send it again. My Dad survived but was in hospital in Kirkaldy for ages with a crushed leg. However once he had a plate in it he went back to sea and served until the end of the war.


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## Derriaghy

Susan I am trying to send you a photo of MV Arizona as promised


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