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 | |
|---|---|
| Name | Sneland I |
| Owner |
|
| Port of registry |  Haugesund |
| 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 |
History
editThe 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
editExternal links
edit- Image of Sneland I
References
edit- ^ Data Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- ^ Voyage record Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- ^ Crew list Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- ^ Eberhard Rössler: U-Boottyp XXIII. 2nd extended edition, Bernard & Graefe, Bonn 2002, ISBN 3-7637-6236-1, pp. 109–112, (German).