SS Eurana (1915)

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History
United States
Name
  • Eurana (1916–1930)
  • Alamar (1930–1942)
NamesakeMrs. Eurana E. Schwab
Owner
Operator
  • Southland Steamship Corp. (1916–1917)
  • The Nafra Line (1917)
  • Imperial Shipping Co. (1919–22)
Port of registry
  • Savannah (1916–1920)
  • New York (1920–1942)
BuilderUnion Iron Works, San Francisco
Cost$750,000
Yard number121
Laid down1 June 1915
Launched11 September 1915
Sponsored byMrs. Eurana E. Schwab
Maiden voyage3 February 1916
Identification
FateSunk, 27 May 1942
History
United States
NameUSS Eurana
OperatorU.S. Navy (1918–1919)
Acquired13 September 1918
Commissioned13 September 1918
Decommissioned9 October 1919
IdentificationSP-1594
FateReturned to owners 9 October 1919
General characteristics
Typecargo ship
Tonnage
Length399.7 ft (121.8 m)
Beam56.2 ft (17.1 m)
Depth30.5 ft (9.3 m)
Installed power2,600 ihp, 498 Nhp
PropulsionGeneral Electric Co. steam turbine, double reduction geared to one screw
Speed12+1⁄2 knots (14.4 mph; 23.2 km/h)
Armament

Eurana was a steam cargo ship built in 1915 by Union Iron Works of San Francisco. While the ship was under construction, she was acquired by Frank Duncan McPherson Strachan to operate in the Atlantic trade. The vessel made several trips between the Southeast of the United States and Europe before being sold to Nafra Steamship Co. in 1917. The freighter then entered the Mediterranean trade where she remained until September 1918 when she was requisitioned by the United States Navy to transport military supplies during World War I. With the war coming to an end, the ship was released from the navy service in October 1919 and subsequently passed under control of the Green Star Steamship Co. After conclusion of bankruptcy proceedings, Eurana together with several other ships was acquired by Planet Steamship Co. The ship largely stayed in the West Coast to East Coast trade for the next seven years. In 1930 she together with several other vessels were purchased by the Calmar Steamship Corporation and renamed Alamar. The ship remained in the intracoastal trade following her acquisition through 1940 carrying various cargo between the East and West Coasts of the United States. In May 1942 while en route to the Soviet Union with military cargo as part of convoy PQ-16, she was hit by several bombs and was subsequently scuttled by a British submarine to prevent her from becoming the menace to navigation.

Design and Construction[]

Early in 1915 James Rolph Jr., mayor of San Francisco, and owner of two shipping companies, Rolph, Hind & Co. and Rolph Coal and Navigation Company, placed an order with Union Iron Works to build a new vessel of approximately 9,000 deadweight tonnage. With Germany conducting unrestricted submarine warfare in early parts of 1915, European ship-owners suffered considerable shipping losses. As a result, the prices for new and existing ships and freight fees skyrocketed prompting some entrepreneurs to enter the highly speculative shipbuilding business. In anticipation of increasing demand for vessels, Union Iron Works decided to build two ships of the same design and size instead of one.

On 1 June 1915, with much fanfare, Rolph himself drove in the first rivet to fasten the keel of his vessel, to be named Annette Rolph. Her sister ship, to be named Eurana, was laid on the same day (yard number 120) during the same ceremony.[1] The vessel was launched on 11 September 1915, with Mrs. Eurana E. Schwab, wife of Charles M. Schwab, being the sponsor.[2] As the ship slipped into the water, she was christened Eurana in honor of Mrs. Schwab. A few months later, in November 1915, while the new vessel was still under construction, she was purchased by a wealthy Georgian shipping magnate, Frank Duncan McPherson Strachan to be used in cotton trade between Southeast of the United States and Europe.[3][4]

Similar to her sister ship, SS Annette Rolph, the vessel was built on the three-island principle with fairly short well decks both fore and aft. The steamer had two main decks and was built on the Isherwood principle of longitudinal framing providing extra strength to the body of the vessel. The freighter had her machinery situated amidships and had all the modern machinery fitted for quick loading and unloading of the cargo. The vessel was equipped with wireless apparatus of de Forest-type and had electric lights installed along the decks.

As built, the ship was 399.7 feet (121.8 m) long (between perpendiculars) and 56.2 feet (17.1 m) abeam, and had a depth of 30.5 feet (9.3 m).[5] Eurana was assessed at 5,915 GRT and 3,579 NRT and had deadweight tonnage of approximately 9,450.[5][2] The vessel had a steel hull and a single steam turbine rated at 2,600 ihp, double-reduction geared to a single screw propeller that moved the ship at up to 12+1⁄2 knots (14.4 mph; 23.2 km/h).[5] The steam for the engine was supplied by three Scotch marine boilers fitted for oil fuel.

The sea trials were held on 16 January 1916 in the San Francisco Bay, just off California City in Paradise Cove. The vessel made several runs on a measured mile reaching average speed of 13.6 knots (25.2 km/h).[6] Following successful completion of trials, the vessel returned to iron works and was officially transferred to her owners, Walker Armstrong & Co.

Operational history[]

In December 1915, while nearing completion, Eurana was chartered by Sperry Flour Co. to transport a large cargo of flour to Europe.[7] After being transferred to her owners, the ship loaded part of her cargo and sailed out from San Francisco on January 20 bound for Tacoma where she were to embark the remainder of her cargo.[8] On her way up north, Eurana tried to come to help of schooner Centralia beaten up by storms, but in the dark and very foggy weather, she could not find the distressed vessel.[9] Upon arrival at Tacoma, Eurana was set to embark 8,850 long tons of flour to be delivered to France, the largest cargo to be sent there during 1916 season.[10] The steamer finished loading on February 3, and departed for French ports on the same day, reaching Bordeaux on April 21.[11][12] Eurana returned to Newport News on May 31, successfully concluding her maiden voyage.[13] The freighter then entered trade under Southland Steamship Corp. control and proceeded to Jacksonville and then Savannah where she embarked a large cargo of various southern goods, such as rosin, turpentine, pig iron, tobacco, lumber and cotton, and departed for Liverpool.[14] On her return voyage, she was stopped by a German submarine for inspection, but was released after examination.[15] Eurana made three more trips to Europe, first with 8,200 tons of grain to Rotterdam, then one to France with record cargo of cotton and other southern goods,[16] and finally one to England in January 1917 also with cargo loaded at Jacksonville and Savannah.[17] Upon return to the United States, Eurana was sold by her owners on 26 April 1917 to The Nafra Company for about $2,750,000.[18][19]

The Nafra Co. just recently entered into a contract with the Italian Government to transport 60,000 tons of metal from the United States to Italy. As the company could not charter vessels at reasonable rates it decided to buy three steamers to fulfill the contract. On 12 October 1917, the United States Shipping Board (USSB) sent out a letter to all ship-owners advising them of imminent requisition of all vessels above 2,500 gross register tons for war purposes. Eurana managed to make two trips to Italy between May and October 1917, when she was officially requisitioned, but not delivered to USSB. Following a lengthy dispute, the parties signed the requisition agreement on 13 April 1918, with Eurana falling under the Shipping Board control on the bareboat basis. Eurana continued sailing to Italian ports for the duration of the dispute. On 2 July 1918 the Shipping Board transferred Eurana to the War Department and her trips to the Mediterranean were terminated.[20]

U.S. Navy service, World War I[]

Following her transfer to the War Department, Eurana was acquired by the U.S. Navy on 13 September 1918 and officially commissioned into it on 21 September.[21] The freighter was put under control of Naval Overseas Transportation Service (NOTS), renamed USS Eurana and assigned identification number SP-1594. She was also defensively armed with two 4 in (102 mm) naval guns. The freighter sailed on her first trip under Navy control as part of convoy HN-86 carrying military supplies including some tanks.[22] After returning to New York on 24 February 1919,[23] she was transferred to the Cruiser and Transport Force on 2 March 1919 and was thereafter used as a troop transport. On her next trip she returned home carrying 1,737 men of 326th Infantry and several casuals, including Percy L. Jones, commander of the American ambulance service with the French Army.[24] The ship conducted one more voyage to France, returning to New York on 14 September.[25] Following the conclusion of the trip, Eurana proceeded to Norfolk where she was decommissioned from the US Navy on 9 October 1919. Two weeks later Baltimore Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Co. was awarded a contract for extensive repairs to Eurana following her naval service.[26]

Return To Commercial Service[]

While Eurana was undergoing repairs, The Nafra Co. was reorganized and incorporated, together with all its assets, into newly formed Green Star Steamship Corporation.[27] After completion of repairs Eurana was returned to her owners and sailed from Baltimore on 10 December 1919 for New York to load cargo for Italy.[28] After return from Italy in mid-February 1920, Eurana was reassigned to the Far East trade and proceeded to Baltimore and Savannah. She embarked a full cargo of phosphates and cotton and departed from Savannah on March 9 bound for Kobe.[29] On her way there she started experiencing problems with her turbines, and had to put in into Honolulu for repairs.[30] Being able to quickly finish the repairs, Eurana continued to her destination, reaching Kobe on May 3.[31] After an uneventful journey back, the ship returned to New York on August 5.[32] Upon discharging her cargo, the steamer then continued to Baltimore where she embarked 8,000 tons of steel and sailed out on September 21 bound for Singapore.[33] While on this trip, she again developed problems with her turbines and boilers and was forced to call at Honolulu on October 30.[34] The repairs took considerable time to finalize and the vessel was only ready to sail in December.[35] The ship eventually left on December 23, however, when about 120 miles out of Honolulu, she developed further problems with her turbines and had to turn back.[36] It took more than one month to finish the repairs and the freighter was prepared to leave the port on 4 February 1921.[37] Before departure she went on an extended trial run to ensure all problems are resolved. After its successful completion, as she was returning to harbor, Eurana struck the pier damaging her bow just above the waterline.[38] The repairs took several days to complete, and the ship was finally able to depart on February 10.[39] The vessel reached Singapore on July 3 after stopovers at Shanghai and Hong Kong. She then continued on to Sourabaja and from there to Colombo where she developed more problems, this time with her feed pumps being out of order and leaking condenser tubes.[40] Nevertheless, the vessel was able to proceed slowly to Aden where she was repaired and from there continue on to Europe via the Suez Canal.[41] Eurana finally returned to New York on 14 May 1922, finishing her nearly 20-month long trouble filled round-the world journey.[42]

By the time Eurana returned to the East Coast, her owners, Green Star Steamship Corp., was already under significant financial duress due to a shipping crisis that started in 1921. After its organization the company chose rapid expansion, acquiring close to forty vessels and incurring a large amount of debt. As business dried up, and many ships were forced to be either laid up or sit idle in ports, the company defaulted on its debt obligations, and after a two-year-long struggle to get help from USSB, it was forced into receivership and had to sell its assets. Many company's vessels remained idle during this time, however, in June 1922, Steele Steamship Company announced that they intend to acquire seven of the ships to employ them in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean to Pacific trade as part of the Green Star Steamship Corp. reorganization.[43] That plan, however, never materialized as the ensuing rate war rendered any potential profits from such acquisition highly unlikely.[44]

Planet Steamship Corporation[]

In February 1923 a newly formed corporation, Planet Steamship Corporation was formed to take over the remaining assets of the Green Star Line. The new company acquired seven vessels including Eurana at two US Marshal's auctions with an intent to put them into West Coast to East Coast trade.[45]

Eurana remained idle until late July when she was finally put into action and departed New York with almost 8,500 tons of general cargo and steel bound for Seattle.[46] After stopovers at San Pedro and San Francisco, the vessel reached her destination on September 13, and upon discharging the cargo proceeded to Tacoma, Everett and Portland to load over 5,000,000 feet of lumber.[47] The vessel reached Boston on November 1, successfully completing her first trip under new ownership. Eurana continued sailing mainly on the East to West Coast route through the end of 1929, largely carrying steel and steel products and general cargo on her westward journeys being often chartered to Isthmian Line. For example, on one her trips in September 1926 she brought about 1,000 tons of iron pipe consigned to the Union Oil Company.[48] On her eastward trips she carried lumber, canned fish and fruit and other general cargo from various ports of the Pacific Northwest and California.

In June 1924 when navigating up the Columbia River, the steamer's steering gear failed and she ran aground suffering minor damage to her hull.[49] In October 1924 she made her first trip to the United Kingdom carrying lumber, lumber products, cotton and canned goods to London and Liverpool.[50][51] On her return trip, she ran into a severe storm and sprang a leak in her forward compartment but was able to stay afloat and safely make it to Boston.[52] Upon finishing repairs the ship again sailed to the West Coast where she loaded another cargo for United Kingdom, this time carrying grain in addition to lumber and other merchandise.[53]

In December 1925 Eurana made her only trip to Hawaii bringing general cargo, including over 11,000 pounds of empty bottles.[54] On her way back the vessel carried large shipment of pineapples to San Francisco, and then proceeded to Puget Sound to load her usual cargo of lumber, copper and other general cargo for delivery to the East Coast.[55][56] In April 1926 while on her usual trip to the West Coast with general cargo and steel, Eurana hit a reef near the entrance of the Panama Canal, but suffered only minor damage and was able to continue on her trip.[57]

Collision with the Second Narrows Bridge[]

Eurana arrived at the Puget Sound ports in late February 1927 and upon discharging her cargo proceeded to Port Alberni to start loading her usual cargo of lumber destined for the East Coast.[58] The steamer then continued to New Westminster and Vancouver, loading lumber cargo at each of the ports. In the evening of 10 March 1927 the ship departed Dollarton laden with over 4,000,000 feet of lumber and was proceeding down the Burrard Inlet to embark the remaining 800,000 feet of lumber at Victoria.[59] The ship was piloted by captain Walter Wingate, an experienced local pilot.

Shortly after 18:00 the vessel appeared in view of the Second Narrows Bridge, a bascule bridge built in 1925 across the Burrard Inlet connecting East Vancouver to North Vancouver. As the ship was closing in, the bascule gate was opened and Eurana headed straight for it. When approximately 400 feet away from the bridge, the freighter suddenly started sheering forcing the pilot to put engines Full Ahead. The vessel continued to swerve, and when it became obvious she would not be able to clear through the bridge, both anchors were dropped in an attempt to slow her down and mitigate the impact. As starboard anchor held the port one dragged, swinging the vessel further north and at approximately 18:15 Eurana struck the bridge approximately 60 feet north of the bascule gate. As the freighter crashed into the bridge, her forward upper works, derricks, the forward mast, the bridge house and chartroom were sliced off in a matter of minutes, and the ship came to rest with the east side of the bridge nearly touching her funnel. The footwalk on the east side of the bridge was destroyed but the bridge held and the west side of it appeared to be intact.[60][61]

Salvage tugs were called to the scene immediately, and they started working on the damaged vessel, as she stuck onto the bridge and the rising tide threatened to break the vessel in two. After almost two hours of salvage work, Eurana was freed and was towed to the eastern anchorage at approximately 20:35.[61] The ship and the bridge were surveyed following the accident and the damage to the bridge was initially estimated at $10,000 and to the vessel at $25,000.

On March 13 Eurana was towed to Seattle to undergo repairs, with her owners posting bonds as the bridge owners voiced their intent to libel the ship for damages.[62][63][64] The repairs took approximately two weeks to finish and cost approximately $77,000, and on 2 April 1927 Eurana returned to Victoria to finish loading the remainder of her cargo.[65]

While the ship returned to her usual responsibilities, the bridge owners filed a libel case with the courts, alleging improper navigation and seeking compensation in the amount of approximately $7,800. The ship owners filed counterclaim alleging the bridge was poorly designed as it was not tall enough and the bascule gate was not in the middle of the stream which impeded water flow and created dangerous eddy currents during tides.[66] Captain Wingate testified for Eurana owners, describing the accident and explaining how the bridge design affected the tidal currents.[67] Two more local captains testified agreeing with captain Wingate that the bridge was not properly designed and is a menace to navigation.[68] In addition, the owners claimed the bridge was not constructed according to legislature-approved blueprints having various deviations, and therefore was constructed illegally.[69] Both claims were finally dismissed by the court in April 1929, as the court determined that Eurana was navigating properly and the bridge was built legally and was not considered a menace to navigation.[70]

While the court case was under way, Eurana continued operating on her usual route. In August 1928 when she was leaving Baltimore, her steering gear failed and the ship ran aground. After refloating she was towed to anchorage where she was struck in the stern by Munson steamer . Neither vessels suffered significant damage and were able to continue on their respective journeys.[71] The repairs to her steering gear were done at Oakland upon arrival there.[72] Eurana then became one of the first steamers selected by Planet Steamship Co. to sail directly between the Puget Sound and Belfast and Dublin in Ireland.[73]

Sinking of SS Dorothy[]

Eurana cleared out from Baltimore on 31 August 1929 loaded with general cargo for New York to finish loading remainder of the cargo.[74] In the early morning hours of 1 September 1929 the ship was proceeding slowly down the Chesapeake Bay under control of pilot Willard Wade. At the same time, A.H. Bull steamer SS Dorothy was sailing with a full cargo of phosphate rock from Tampa bound for Baltimore. The night was clear with good visibility. Shortly after midnight, captain Olaf Andresen of Dorothy sighted Eurana and her green light about 2 miles off starboard side, and turned the wheel to starboard about half a point to give the incoming steamer more room to pass. Captain Andersen then saw both of Eurana's lights and turned the wheel to starboard side again.[75][76] Captain Wade, on the other hand, first sighted Dorothy about three and a half miles to his port side. Seeing the other steamer's port light, captain Wade turned the wheel to port side to give Dorothy more space to pass. He then too noticed the other ship showing both of her lights and ported the wheel more. Both Wade and the second officer claimed it appeared to them that Dorothy was zigzagging.[77][78]

As the ships continued maneuvering they found themselves just off Smith's Point at the mouth of the Potomac River. The vessels closed in and the collision became unavoidable. As Dorothy was cutting across Eurana's bow, captain Wade ordered to reverse the engines but it was too late and his ship's bow struck Dorothy amidships, opening a 10 foot hole in her hull, immediately flooding her engine compartment and shutting her engines down. Captain Wade tried to keep the ships together to prevent Dorothy from sinking, but eventually the ships came apart and approximately 45 minutes after the collision, at about 02:00, Dorothy turned over and sank. Thirty crewmembers of Dorothy were able to board Eurana over a rope ladder thrown over her bow. Two people were trapped inside of stricken steamer and went down with her. Eurana had her bow smashed but did not take on any water and was able to slowly proceed to Newport News for repairs and disembark the crew of Dorothy.[79]

The repairs took approximately two weeks to finalize and Eurana was able to leave Newport News on September 18 for Portland to finish loading her cargo.[80] the wreck of Dorothy was examined by divers who determined that the vessel lies on her side in approximately 70 feet (21 m) of water. Neither the owners nor the underwriters decided to pursue the salvage work and the ship was declared a total loss and abandoned.[81]

Calmar Steamship Corporation[]

In 1927 Bethlehem Steel founded Calmar Steamship Corporation as a wholly owned subsidiary company to transport steel and steel products from the company's steel mills in Maryland and Pennsylvania to the West Coast costumers. Calmar transported exclusively Bethlehem's products westbound but served as a common carrier carrying lumber and other cargoes on their return voyages eastwards for a variety of shippers.[82]

In November 1929 it was reported that Calmar Steamship Corp. placed a bid in the amount of $937,500 for five steamers operated by Planet Steamship Corp. with Eurana being valued at $194,691[83] Approximately two weeks later the sale went through and all five vessels were sold to Calmar increasing the size of their operational intercoastal fleet to eleven vessels.[84][85] Following the sale all five new vessels were renamed according to Calmar Steamship established naming pattern, where the names of the ships consisted of two parts, the prefix corresponding to a state, city or facility operated by Bethlehem Steel, and the second part consisting of word "-mar", an abbreviation for Maryland. Under this naming tradition, Eurana became Alamar in honor of Alameda.[86][87] At the time of the sale, Eurana was on a voyage to United Kingdom departing Liverpool on 18 January 1930 and reaching Baltimore on February 6.[88] After unloading and repairs the steamer was transferred to her new owners on March 4.

Alamar departed on her first voyage under new ownership on 22 March 1930 bound for West Coast ports via Philadelphia carrying full cargo of steel and hardware.[89] The vessel arrived at Los Angeles on April 20 successfully completing her voyage under new name and ownership.[90][91] She continued serving this general route through the early part of 1941. On her westward journeys the ship carried steel, steel products and hardware for various ports along the West Coast. The freighter carried mainly lumber and lumber products eastwards on her return trips to the North Atlantic ports. For example, in December 1930 the ship carried well over 3,000,000 feet of lumber to the East Coast,[92] and in July 1937 she delivered over 4,500,000 feet of lumber to Boston.[93]

In the early morning on 17 November 1932 Alamar was proceeding up the Delaware Bay towards Baltimore with her usual cargo of lumber. The weather was very foggy. When approximately 20 miles south of Newcastle the freighter was suddenly struck on her port side by Cunard Line steamer SS Makalla who had left Philadelphia two hours earlier. The resulting collision completely demolished Alamar's forecastle, destroying the crew cabin and crushing one crewmember to death. Another crewmember, Walter Sandusky, a carpenter, was thrown from his bunk bed almost a hundred feet and landed in Makalla's hold, but only suffered minor injuries. Makalla had her bow stove in just above the waterline, and was towed by tugs to port while Alamar was able to proceed to her destination under her own power.[94][95][96] Upon unloading her cargo, Alamar returned to Baltimore in early December to enter the drydock for repairs.[97] A few months later, in March 1933, while Alamar was berthed in San Pedro, Walter Sandusky died of alcohol poisoning after a night of drinking.[98][99]

Early in 1934 Alamar transported among other cargo 300 Studebaker automobiles from Philadelphia to the Pacific Coast dealers.[100]

During the night of 4-5 November 1935 Alamar was progressing down the Columbia River towards Portland after taking partial lumber cargo at Vancouver. The vessel deviated from the channel too far to the Oregon side of the river and went aground on a sand bar.[101] Due to shortage of tugs, US Coast Guard cutter Onondaga was dispatched to help to float the freighter, however, the first attempt on November 7 proved to be unsuccessful. The ship was successfully dislodged at higher tide later the same day and continued to her destination.[102][103]

In 1937 Alamar was involved into two accidents with other vessels. In the evening of March 10, while on one of her regular trips, Alamar rammed and sunk San Francisco-based fishing trawler Normandie approximately thirteen miles off the entrance into Humboldt Bay. There were no casualties, as the crew was saved by another trawler, Wanderer.[104][105] On April 17 Alamar under command of captain Nystrom was proceeding from Philadelphia to Sparrows Point drydock. As the vessel entered the harbor, just off Fort McHenry, she tried to pass another steamer, SS City of Havre, on her port side. At the same time, SS Yorktown, a passenger liner on her passage from Norfolk to Baltimore with close to 100 passengers under command of captain Elliot, was attempting to overtake Alamar. As Yorktown was gaining on Alamar she was forced towards the mid-channel by water compression near shore, while the freighter started executing her maneuver, turning into Yorktown's path. As the steamers were very close too each other, Yorktown smashed Alamar on her port side roughly amidships. As a result of the collision, the passenger ship had her bow smashed and twisted and had one passenger injured, but was able to make port on her own. Alamar also suffered only minor damage and continued on to Sparrows Point for repairs.[106][107][108][109] Following probe into crash, both captains were suspended, captain Elliot for 30 days and captain Nystrom for 15, for unskillful navigation and inattention to duty.[110]

The freighter returned to East Coast on her last peace-time trip in early July 1941 and went into dock for maintenance and repairs. At the same time following the Emergency proclamation issued by President Roosevelt on 27 May 1941, the vessel together with many other ships were chartered by the Maritime Commission for Red Sea service, which would allow the vessels under US flag to transport war matériel and supplies acquired through lend-lease by the British War Ministry for British troops fighting in North Africa. Alamar loaded her cargo and sailed from New York on 26 July 1941 arriving in Port Sudan on September 25 via Cape Town and Aden. The freighter returned to New York on 24 January 1942 after picking up cargo at Calcutta and Colombo.

Alamar remained in New York until 6 March 1942 when she sailed to Philadelphia for loading. After embarking her wartime cargo of general supplies, ammunition and fuel in drums, the vessel proceeded to Halifax, a gathering port for all Atlantic convoys. The freighter then sailed from Halifax as part of convoy SC-77 bound for Reykjavik where she were to join one of the Arctic convoys to deliver lend-lease supplies to the Soviet Union.[111] The ship was detached from the convoy and safely reached Iceland on April 15 and remained there for over a month waiting for ice floes to recede in the Northern Atlantic.

Sinking[]

Together with 34 other cargo vessels, Alamar departed Hvalfjord on May 21 as part of convoy PQ-16.[112] The vessel carried 6,762 tons of military cargo consisting of munitions, tanks, fuel, trucks and foodstuffs for the Red Army.[113] She was under command of Captain Regnar Nystrom, had a crew of thirty six and also carried nine Navy gunners. Two days later the convoy was joined by its escorts. At approximately 19:00 on May 23 while in approximate position

 WikiMiniAtlas
67°0′N 11°30′W / 67.000°N 11.500°W / 67.000; -11.500 the convoy was spotted by a German reconnaissance plane.[114] During the night of May 23-24 the convoy found itself in thick fog resulting in it splitting into two parts. Both groups were finally able to rejoin during the following night. At about 06:35 on May 25, a Focke-Wulf Condor reconnaissance plane appeared and started shadowing the convoy. Later that evening the convoy was attacked unsuccessfully for the first time by a group of seven He-111 torpedo bombers from KG 30 and six Ju-88 long range bombers from KG 26.[114] Two more air attacks followed during the night of May 25, and in the evening of May 26, again without any success. At about 03:20 on May 27, another unsuccessful attack was launched by Luftwaffe, after which the convoy had altered its course to the southeast to avoid pack ice. On 27 May 1942 at about 11:10, a series of massive air attacks were launched against the convoy using mostly Ju-88 dive bombers.[114] At about 13:10 Alamar was hit on aft-deck by two bombs in quick succession setting the ship and her cargo on fire. The freighter started to take on water and soon developed a list to starboard forcing hasty evacuation. Approximately 20-25 minutes later Alamar went down without loss of life after being scuttled by a British submarine to prevent her from becoming a menace to navigation.[113] The survivors were picked up by HMS Starwort, HMS Trident and HMS St. Elsten approximately twelve hours later and were safely landed at Murmansk on 30 May 1942.[113][114]

The survivors from Alamar sailed from Murmansk for New York aboard another Calmar vessel, SS Massmar, in Convoy QP 13. On 5 July 1942, while travelling in a bad and stormy weather with poor visibility, an escort and six merchant vessels, including Massmar mistakenly entered the Northern Barrage minefield SN72 laid at the entrance to the Denmark Strait.[115] Massmar hit two mines near her #4 and #5 holds, forcing the crew and the passengers to abandon the ship in three lifeboats and three rafts. Soon after, two lifeboats capsized including one with sixty men on board. The survivors were picked up about thirty minutes after Massmar going down by French corvette Roselys. Twenty two crewmen and four gunners from Alamar as well as seventeen crewmembers and five gunners from Massmar died from drowning and exposure.[116] All the survivors including twenty three from Alamar were landed in Reykjavik.[116]

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