Arnfinn Jakob Moxnes Strøm

Krigsseilerregisteret - M/T "Scotia": https://www.krigsseilerregisteret.no/no/skip/25317/

Utdrag fra sjøforklaringen:

Referat

Dato 21. desember 1943

Sted Colombo

Administrator Konsul E. B. Creasy

Merknad Kapteinens livbåt beskutt i 25 minutter, alle unntatt én drept. ...

The m/t "SCOTIA" was attacked, without warning, by a Japanese submarine at 17-25 hrs. on 27th November 1943, the position of the vessel being about 3 degrees South and 69 degreees East, som 200 miles from the Addu Attol southern point of the Maldive Islands. There is a British Naval Station on this Attol, and the rescue ship H.B.M.S. "Okapi" is based here. The "Okapi" was formerly a whaler. The "SCOTIA"s Log Book and secret papers have been dropped into the sea by the Captein they could nod be produced at the enquiry.

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TORBJØRN KRISTIANSEN, A.B. At about 5.30 p.m. on the 27th November the first torpedo struck the ship. The engine was going full speed and nothing happened to it. It continued going full speed. When the first torpedo struck the ship I was up on the foremast on the look-out. I turned round and had a look down. I did not feel anything. I did not have good glasses, so I did not see anything. So I went midships for orders. I was ordered to let go the lifeboat and we let it half down and waited for an order from the Captain. In that boat were the Chief Officer, the Third Mate, the Fourth Engineer, the pumpman, the Captain, the saloon boy and Purdy and myself. We did not cast off until the second torpedo hit the ship and it was beginning to sink. When the second torpedo hit it the Captain was on the boat deck. He was ready to let go because the ship was sinking. The Wireless Operator was still on board. He (the Captain) called to him two or three times. The boat was 25 or 30 yards from the wreck when he saw the Wireless Operator come down. The Captain told him to jump overboard. He jumped overboard but the Captain ordered us to draw away from the ship. He said the submarine was coming up. He said we will have to pick up the Wireless Operator later. The Wireless Operator had a life-belt on, so we just got away. The submarine came up alongside of us and asked for the Captain of the ship. The Captain answered. Our boat went alongside the submarine and the Captain went into the submarine. That was the last I saw of him. I do not know whether he is a prisoner of war or whether he is dead. After that we just got away and tried to push off from the submarine. There was still a machine gun trained on the boat but never pulled the trigger. It was about 100 yards when the submarine was moving up again and they came on the other side - the port side of the submarine. They took the Bren gun on the other side of the submarine just to make it ready. They commenced firing on us with the machine gun. I jumped overboard and swam below the lifeboat. I came up on the other side and I met the Chief Officer and the Third Mate and they were still machine-gunning us. The Chief Officer was wounded in his left leg. The Third Mate had some bullets on the shoulder. The Chief Officer spoke of giving up and the Third Mate told him never to do that. Four or five minutes later he was "again hit". The Third Mate was hit just a minute after. I did not see the Chief Officer again because I was trying to keep myself below the liefboat. I was hidning on the port side of the lifeboat. They were still firing about 25 miutes later on the lifeboat. I heard the engine of the submarine. I saw the smoke. I saw the submarine moving round to have a look. I dived under the lifeboat again.

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Kilde: Krigsseilerregisteret - https://www.krigsseilerregisteret.no/no/forlis/221405/