S.S. Shantung / Sgt Donald Houston

[georgetanksherman]

Sgt Donald Houston, R.C.A.F., R/82806, from Syracuse, New York, U.S.A.

Researching this individual, it is thought that he was aboard the ship S.S. Shantung, but there is not a lot of info out there on the web about this ship. Sgt Houston's R.C.A.F. Service File records that he was reported missing, presumed dead as a result of the sinking of the S.S. Shantung. It caught fire in the Atlantic in Convoy HX 165 at position 59º 50' N 23º 30' W, which is south of Iceland, and was scuttled by shellfire on January 2nd 1942 at 62º 28' N 18º 30' W. Was this an accident ??? Was it attacked by a U-boat ???

any help and assistance with this would be appreciated.

Cheers

[Temujin]

Sgt Donald Houston, R.C.A.F., R/82806, from Syracuse, New York, U.S.A.

Researching this individual, it is thought that he was aboard the ship S.S. Shantung, but there is not a lot of info out there on the web about this ship. Sgt Houston's R.C.A.F. Service File records that he was reported missing, presumed dead as a result of the sinking of the S.S. Shantung. It caught fire in the Atlantic in Convoy HX 165 at position 59º 50' N 23º 30' W, which is south of Iceland, and was scuttled by shellfire on January 2nd 1942 at 62º 28' N 18º 30' W. Was this an accident ??? Was it attacked by a U-boat ???

any help and assistance with this would be appreciated.

Cheers

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[Temujin]

Admiralty War Diaries.

No mention of a torpedo attack.....it seems the ship caught fire. But let me check further

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[georgetanksherman]

Thanks Temujin, still looking, trying to find out if the original fire on ship was from an attack, German aircraft, U-Boat, or an accident of some sorts, it does look like the Allies had to sink it by shell fire a couple of days later ! It's the only ship that has given me problems with no info out there on it !

Hope you and your family are staying safe and healthy, thanks for the help !

Cheers !

[Temujin]

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[Temujin]

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[Temujin]

From Admiralty War Diaries

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[joppen46]

To Sgt Donald Houston

My grandmothers brother was the first mate of Swedish ms Shantung, owned by Broströms Line in Gothenburg. She loaded cotton and general cargo in New Orleans. She then sailed to Halifax Canada to join convoy HX-165 bound for Liverpool. I have seen figures of 3 -5 passagers, I know that a John Albert Butler RCAF service no R/74699 was on board as well as another RCAF person. She caught fire on dec 25 1941. My granduncle claimed it was sabotage. Swedish authorities report on merchant ships lost during the war (+400 ships/+1400 crew) states probable cause as sabotage.

She had 4 lifeboat, when the fire was a threat to the lifeboats the launched them, one lifeboat flipped and several of the passengers fell into the water, several of them drowned before the other lifeboats could reach them.
Apparently some of the crew boarded Shantung the next day to try to put out the fire but failed. My granduncle Gregor Hörle drifted 4 for days in his lifeboat, the lost several people in an horrid way. I think they where saved by ms Tunaholm (Swedish) but I cant find any info that she sailed in the convoy, later some of the crew where transfered ms Gullmarn (Swedish) no trace that she sailed in the convoy either.
My granduncle arrived home on ms Remmaren from England to Gothenburg. ms Remmaren was lost the year after after hitting 2 mines west of Norway

I will try to translate the Swedish documents and put them out here.

[joppen46]

Swedish Report on Merchamt Marine Vessels Lost i WWII, date 1963, language Swedish
Link: https://filedn.com/ljdBas5OJsrLJOq6KhtB ... 963-60.pdf

Page 123
The motor ship "Shantung", as a result of sabotage wrecked on December 24
1941 in the North Atlantic.
Reg.nr 7552; built in 1929 of steel; tonnes: gross 6597, net - 5208;
owner: AB Svenska Ostasiatiska Kompaniet; place of residence: Gothenburg; Insurance value: Kasko SEK 3,600,000, interest SEK 900,000.
On 2 December, the ship departed for New Orleans destined for Liverpool with cargo of general cargo and cotton. After the ship docked at Halifax,
where nine passengers were boarded, the voyage was continued on 15 December in convoy out into the North Atlantic. On December 24, around 11:25 a.m. observed
some muted detonations. Five minutes later, the on-duty machine assistant felt fire smoke in the engine room, which is why he immediately
started an investigation. It turned out that fire had broken out on the spar deck.
Carbonic acid was released to the hearth of the fire while clarifying all the fire charges. Despite all efforts to put out the fire, this spread with furious speed and an hour or so later the cabins of the midship house were also ignited.
After it proved impossible to reach the hearth of fire in the interior of the ship and
Several powerful explosions occurred in the spar deck and the control line was set
out of order, orders were given to man and launch the lifeboats before
the fire reached these. During the starboard lifeboat deliberation, this one was suspended upside down in the stern. In doing so, most of the lifeboat crew, 19 men, fell overboard. Before a motor-lifeboat launched shortly thereafter had time to intervene, five people drowned, including three passengers. Then the fire
the following day's morning appeared to subside, they re-boarded to
start the extinguishing work. Nor did the new attempts bring success.
On December 26 in the morning, the survivors of the Swedish motor ship »Tunaholm» were taken up. Some of the shipwrecked were later transferred to the motor ship "Gullmaren".
After extensive and thorough investigation, it has been assured
limiting probability could be assumed that the fire was caused by sabotage of the ship during loading in New Orleans.
Fatalities: 2 foreign crewmen of a crew of 33 men
as well as 3 foreign passengers.

[joppen46]

The picture of the ship is when she was moored in Copenhagen sometime in 1940.