History | |
---|---|
Name | Sneland I |
Owner |
|
Port of registry | ![]() |
Builder | Nüscke & Co., Stettin-Grabow |
Completed | September 1922 |
Identification | |
Fate | Torpedoed and sunk by U-2336, 7 May 1945 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Cargo ship |
Tonnage | 1,791 GRT |
Length | 82 m |
Beam | 13 m |
Depth | 5 m |
Propulsion | Screw propeller |
Crew | 29 |
Sneland I (Norwegian for “snowland one”) was a 1,791 GRT cargo ship which was built by Nüscke & Co. shipyard at Stettin-Grabow (then Germany) in 1922. She was the last merchant ship to be torpedoed by Germany in the Second World War, on 7 May 1945, one day before German surrender.[1]
History
The ship was built for the German shipping line Stange & Dreyer GmbH in 1922 and got the name Ingeborg. Three years later, in 1925, it was sold to the Norwegian shipping company Richard Amlie & Sverre Amlie (Amlie & Amlie) in Haugesund, and renamed Sneland I.
On 6 May 1945 the ship was a member of Convoy EN 491, which departed Hull bound for Belfast via Methil.[2] On 7 May 1945, the convoy was attacked by U-2336 and two ships were sunk, Sneland I and Avondale Park, which became the last merchant ships to be sunk by a German U-boat during the Second World War. The sinking, at about 22:45 on 7 May 1945, was in the last hours of the Second World War in Europe, with the official surrender taking place at 23:01 on 8 May 1945.[3]
Sneland I sank at 56°10′N 02°31′W / 56.167°N 2.517°W. Seven of the 29 crew were lost. A signal had been sent to the U-boats on 4 May 1945 ordering them to surrender but U-2336 did not receive the signal.[4]
See also
External links
- Image of Sneland I