MS Sama (1936)

MS Sama was a Norwegian motor merchant ship, she was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine during World War II.[1]

For other ships with the same name, see MS Sama.
History
Name: Sama
Owner: Chr. Gundersen & Co.
Port of registry: Oslo
Builder: Lindholmens varv, Gothenburg
Launched: December 19, 1936
Completed: April 1937
Fate: Sunk by U-155 on February 22, 1942
General characteristics
Type: Cargo ship
Tonnage: 1,799 gross register tons (GRT)

The 1,799-ton (grt, 2200 tdwt) Sama was launched at Lindholmens in Gothenburg on December 19, 1936 and completed in April 1937. She was built for the Oslo-based Norwegian shipping company Chr. Gundersen & Co.[2]

In 1941, Sama played a significant role in the rescuing of survivors from the badly damaged British troopship Staffordshire. Sama rescued 234 survivors and arrived at Stornoway of the Hebrides Islands on March 29, 1941.[1][3]

On February 15, 1942 she sailed as part of the trade convoy ON67 from Belfast on a westbound course for St. John's. She was carrying 1,040 tons of china clay when the convoy was attacked by German submarines in the Atlantic Ocean just after midnight on February 22. At 2:25 AM, Sama was hit in the stern by a torpedo from the German submarine U-155 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Adolf Piening. The ship sank within a few minutes of the attack.[4]

Of her crew and passengers, 19 perished and 20 were saved by the American destroyer USS Nicholson. The maritime inquiry after the incident was held in Halifax, Nova Scotia on March 7, 1942. A Norwegian copy of the inquiry brief currently exists.[5]

References
  1. "Sama (Norwegian Motor merchant) - Ships hit by German U-boats during WWII - uboat.net»". uboat.net. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  2. "Sama (5614816)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  3. "red-duster.co.uk Homepage for the red duster merchant navy maritime information archive". Red-duster.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2003-11-29. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
  4. "M/S Sama". Warsailors.com. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  5. "M/S Sama - Sjøhistorie.no". www.sjohistorie.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2016-02-05. (link to the ship manifest on bottom of the page).
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