Prisoners of War Japan - warsailors.com

For more information on how these 3 were taken prisoners, follow the link to Alcides above (also has a complete crew list). Additionally, there's more details on daily life at Ofuna and Camp Omori on my page Life in Imprisonment

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

Arne Ingvald Karlsen
Bodø Captain July 23-1943 end of the war Hitachi Odvar Lorand Olsen
Skien 2nd Mate " " Japan Johan Arthur Johansen
Nevlunghavn Radio Operator " " Omori
A complete crew list and more details on her loss can be found under Aramis on my page "Norwegian victims of M/S Michel", follow the link above.

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

Erling Norvald Christensen
Arendal Captain July 17-1942 end of the war Japan Hjalmar Leon Hansen (1)
Henstad 1st Mate " " " Leif Reistad (1)
Hidra 2nd Mate " " " Willy Petter Berg
Lofoten 3rd Mate " " " Anders Faleide (1)
Bergen Radio Operator " " " Jens Toralv Kjøstvedt
Flekkefjord Electrician " " " Arnt Olsen
Risør 4th Engineer " " Osaka Nils Bent Thorsen
Flekkefjord Able Seaman " " " Einar Oliver Ulgren (2)
Fredrikstad Carpenter " died Jan. 28-1945 " Nils Henrik Jensen Steward " " " NOTE: Kristian Ottosen lists various dates which I felt did not fit the facts - July 7, July 16 etc. - Aramis was sunk on July 17, so I've entered that date for all these men.

(1) In book 4 in the series "Handelsflåten i krig" (Guri Hjeltnes) there's a picture in which the 3 men marked here have been identified. The picture was taken at Oyamo, a camp for officers, 2 weeks after the Japanese capitualation. Also, in Guri Hjeltne's book there's a mention of 5 officers at Osaka being told they were excempt from work at the end of Aug.-1943 and that they were moved to a camp for British officers; whether this was the Oyamo camp I don't know (this included the steward Nils Jensen). Captain Christensen does not appear to be in this picture, and I'm unable to confirm where he was kept. All I can find is a statement that he was in a "military camp" in Japan, separated from the others for the duration. It must have been fairly close to the sea because he became the foreman for a group of 127 men who worked at a shipyard (according to an interview with Lise Lindbæk after the war, author of "Tusen norske skip" - more details in the section for Aramis on my page "Norwegian Victims of Michel", link above these names).

(2) Einar Ulgren had had his leg amputated while on Michel after he had been injured by shrapnel during the attack on Aramis. While in the camp it became infected and he also developed pneumonia and died.

For more details on the events on April 3-1942 and the weeks that followed, follow above link to D/S Aust on my page "Norwegian victims of T/S Thor".

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

Christoffer Tuften
Sem Captain Apr. 3-1942 Nov. 28-1942 Adelaide David Faye Knudsen
Connecticut, U.S.A 1st Mate " " Adelaide Otto Karlsen
Larvik 2nd Mate " " Adelaide Finn Hannevik
Borre 3rd Mate " Dec. 18-1942 Oslo Kjeld Edgar Norby
Nøtterøy Able Seaman " " " Peder Eike
Strand

Able Seaman

"

"

"

Knut Otto Knudsen
Porsgrunn

Able Seaman

"

"

"

Nils Erling Nilsen
Stokke Able Seaman " " " Leif (Forland) Sandtorv
Sund Able S. / Gunner " " " Normann Hummelsund
Sund Engineer " " " Eivind Knoff (Koff?)
Inderøy Ordinary Seaman " " " Odd Wangberg
Molde Ordinary Seaman " " " Mathias Næss
Sandar Donkeyman " " " Leif Hansen
Trondheim Stoker " " " Ingvald Eilertsen
Bergen Stoker " " " Konrad M. Pedersen
Haugesund Stoker " " " Peder Carolius Karlsen **
Grimstad Stoker " " " Josef Langballe *
Arendal Cook "

"

" Kai Olav Olsen
(Danish)

Steward

"

?

Denmark?

* Josef Langballe had previously been the steward on Ravnaas from the fall of 1937 until March-1940. Through an error his wife was told shortly after the capture of Aust that her husband had died, so it was quite a shock when he came home.

** Peder Karlsen had been on Oslofjord when she struck a mine.

The following 5 men were transferred to Regensburg on Sept. 5-1942, which means they ended up in Japanese imprisonement when that ship was torpedoed by the American submarine Searaven (SS-196) on Oct. 11-1942. The Norwegians came to the island Krakatau, and from there they were transported to Singapore where they were in prison camps until 1945, first in Changi, later in Sime Road.

Lars Kristoffersen
Karmøy Carpenter " end of the war Singapore A book has been written about Lars Kristofferesen - go to this Guestbook message for information. Odd Nielsen
Trondheim Boatswain " " " John Block Johansen
Stavanger Ordinary Seaman " " " John Ingolf Danger
Skotfoss Stoker " " " Oddvar Henrik Andreassen
Skedsmo Oiler " " " The following 3 men were transferred to Rhakotis on Sept. 24 (25?)-1942. As mentioned in my text about the capture of Aust, Erik Roos came to a Spanish port after the sinking of Rhakotis. The other 2 may have been among the Norwegians picked up by U-410, because they ended up in France and via German camps they came to Norway in June-1943 - there's more details on the sinking of Rhakotis in Captain Gjurød's Report (Kattegat). Erick Roos
(Swedish)

3rd Engineer

"

Freed Jan-1943?

Spain?

Thallak Solheim
Arendal 1st Engineer " June 19-1943 Oslo Hilmar Jakobsen
Ålesund 2nd Engineer " ?Jan. 1-1943? Oslo? Tallak Solheim and Hilmar Jakbobsen were both on the Rhakotis when she was sunk, and I'm wondering if they were freed and sent home at the same time (the date Jan. 1-1943 being in errror?). There's also a Hilmar A. Jakobsen, listed on my POWs Page 3. Kristian Ottosen has him on Tannenfels, but it might be an error, because the dates fit with those given for Thallak Solheim. (The Hilmar Jakobsen listed in this table has a different birthdate, so I don't believe they are 1 and the same man, unless one of the birthdates given is an error).

When the Norwegians were transferred to Nankin on Aug. 12-1942, the British and American crew members were sent to a camp near Tokyo, as well as other camps. I have no information on their further fate.

Santosh Kumar Gupta
(British)

Radio Operator

"

Fate unknown

unknown

Osvald Collett
(British)

Radio Operator

"

"

"

Wilfred Braithweith
(British)

Ordinary Seaman

"

"

"

Robert Owen*
(British)

Stoker

"

Died Dec. 23-1943

Kawasaki

Bernhard McGovern
(British)

Stoker

"

Fate unknown

unknown

Adam Dick
(British)

Stoker

"

"

"

Abraham Fye **
(American)

Stoker

"

end of war?

"

William Kane
(British)

Oiler

"

unknown

"

John Kelly
(British)

Trimmer

"

"

"

John Snowdon
(British)

Trimmer

"

"

"

Francis Alphonse Faulkner **
(American)

Galley Boy

"

end of war?

"

Edison Yeadon
(British)

Messboy

"

unknown

"

David Thomson
(British

Saloon Boy

"

"

"

* Robert Owen was 47 years old. Roger Mansell, Ron Bridge and Wes Injerd have helped me determine what happened to this stoker. He can be found on the roster for The Halone Internment Camp on Lake Hakone. The notation was included in the rosters for the Nankin. Roger says: "He apparently was transferred at one time to the Ramses before going onto Japan proper (this fits in with can be found in my text for Aust). His POW number is listed as #155 - Birthday appears to be 9.1.20 (Jan. 9-1920 - this does not fit with his age). He landed in Japan on 25 Aug 1942 from the Ramses. This information was found in Record Group 407, Box 98 at NARA".

Robert Owen died in Tokyo #1 Branch Camp at Kawasaki City from acute Bronchitis on the date given above. He's commemorated at the Yokohama War Cemetery - see this page on the Commonwealth War Graves Comm. website for more details on him. My Guestbook has a message from his grandson.

** According to a report presented at the maritime hearings in Sydney on Jan. 5-1943 (signed by Captain Tuften, 1st Mate Knudsen and 2nd Mate Karlsen), Francis Faulkner received an injury to his leg from shrapnel while attempting to leave the ship. After the war, Faulkner was listed as a repatriated seaman by the United States Coast Guard, but with no attributed ship. The 2 Americans from Aust are both listed at this external link, Merchant Marine POW's of WW II, a section of the US Merchant Marine website, scroll down to Aust on that page. (Several Norwegians are also listed on that page).

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

PLEASE NOTE: I've listed the dates as found in "Ingen nåde", though some of them don't make sense; Febr. 15-'42 for instance (Bordvik was sunk on March 3-1942). I'll leave them for now, until I can find more detailed information on each seaman which might provide an explanation for these dates. Anton Vesthassel
Farsund Captain Dec. 20-1943 end of the war Java Sten Lundegaard
Farsund 1st Mate Dec. 20-1943 ('42?) " Singapore Sverre Holmesland *
Farsund 2nd Mate May 2-1943 "? Java Marius Torkildsen
Farsund 1st Engineer Dec. 20-1942 " Singapore Rudolf Frits Andresen
Oslo 2nd Engineer March 3-1942 " " Kristian Evensen
Askim 3rd Engineer Febr. 15-1942 " " * "Ingen nåde" gives the date for his release as May 17-1943. S. Holmesland was in fact in imprisonment for 3 1/2 years, possibly in a civilian camp until May-1944, then several different camps. May have been in a camp in Singapore when Japan surrendered. So I believe the dates given by "Ingen nåde" are incorrect. (He died in 1995).

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

Follow link above to D/S Dukat for the details on her capture and the subsequent internment of these officers. Johannes Slaastad
Nøtterøy Captain Dec. 8-1941 end of the war Tokyo Kåre Foss Olsen
Oslo 1st Mate " " " Reidar Andreassen
Sandefjord 2nd Mate " " " Rudolf Wilhelm Hansen
Eid Chief Engineer " died March 17-1944* died and buried
in Shanghai John Alme
Ålesund 2nd Engineer " end of the war Tokyo * Some sources say Rudolf Hansen died in 1945, but see this Guestbook message. See also my page Life in Imprisonment where some of these men are mentioned.

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

K. W. Nyquist Captain Dec. 8-1941 Aug.-29-1942 Laurenço Marques Arrested in Yokohama on Dec. 8-1941, in prison until Dec. 29 that year when he was sent to Negishi Concentration camp, Yokohama. Transferred on June 24-1942 to a camp in Tokyo, then transported July 30 on Tatuta Maru to Laurenço Marques (Maputo), Mozambique arriving Aug. 28 (prisoner exchange). He then boarded the S/S El Nil, departing Laurenço Marques on Sept. 5 (his wife and son embarked in Shanghai), arriving England in Oct.-1942. Several Norwegians were on both these ships, some also got passage to England on the S/S Narkunda.

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

Follow above link to D/S Hafthor for details on how these men became prisoners. Conrad Holm Andersen
Kragerø Captain Dec. 9-1941 end of the war Sime Road
Singapore Ivar Røsholdt
Holmestrand 1st Mate Dec.-1941 died May 8-1942 Bangkok Henry Fredheim
Grimstad 2nd Mate Dec. 9-1941 end of the war Sime Road
Singapore Birger Røstad
Trondheim

1st Engineer

"

"

Sime Road
Singapore

Bjarne Jansen
Larvik 2nd Engineer Dec.-1941 " Bangkok? Håkon Log
Grimstad 3rd Engineer Dec. 9-1941 " Sime Road
Singapore
Follow the link to Hai Ping above for more details on how these men became prisoners.

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

Olav Øistein Olsen
Bergen Captain Dec. 9-1941 Aug 10-1942** Thailand Martin Farstad
Trondheim 1st Mate " Aug. 29-1942 Laurenço Marques, Mozambique Leif Krag
Farsund 2nd Mate/Radio Operator " Aug. 10-1942 Thailand Olav Ø. Strømme
Bergen Mate " Aug. 29-1942 Laurenço Marques Herman J. Andersen
Bergen 1st Engineer " end of the war * Shanghai Edvin Karsten Hansen 2nd engineer " Aug. 10-1942 Japan Marius Johansen
Tønsberg Seaman " died Dec. 1-194? Thailand There seems to be a lot of confusion with regard to these men. The details given in the table above are from "Ingen nåde". In another book by the same author, "Nordmenn i fangenskap" (Norwegians in imprisonment) 1st Engineer Herman J. Andersen is said to have been transferred to Omori on Dec. 22-1941, freed on Aug. 10-1942 *. The exact same facts are given for Captain Olsen, 1st Mate Farstad, 2nd Mate Krag, Mate Strømme and 2nd Engineer Hansen. The same book gives the following for Marius Johansen: Arrested on Dec. 8, transferred to Omori (no date), died Dec. 1-1941 - this date is obviously wrong. "Nortraships flåte" states the Norwegian officers were freed on Aug. 4-1942 and travelled to Cape Town via Saigon on diplomatic passports the same day. "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig" (Maritime declarations from WW II) does not mention Herman Andersen and Marius Johansen at all, and lists Strømme as 1st Engineer with the first name Øivind.

** Furthermore, the Memorial for Seamen in Stavern, Norway claims that Captain Olav Olsen and the 2nd Engineer both died in Japanese imprisonment, however, it's Marius Johansen (or rather Martinius Johansen) who has become the 2nd engineer.
Here's the link to those names at the website of the Stavern Memorial:
2 who died

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

Jørgen Jørgensen
Oslo Captain Dec. 8-1941 died Dec. 16-1941 Hong Kong Halvor Andersen*
Kragerø Mate Dec. 16-1941 end of the war Kulanshu(?)
China Leif Eide
Bergen Mate Dec. 25-1941 " Hong Kong Olaf Daniel Pedersen
Arendal Chief Engineer Febr. 22-1942 died Aug. 15-1945 " Per Gösta Nyberg
Rygge 2nd Engineer Dec. 8-1941 died Dec. 15-1941 " Hans Ivar Sørensen
Kragerø Engineer Dec. 25-1941 end of the war " Again some of these dates don't make sense. Follow the link to Halldor for information.

Roger Mansell has told me that there is a Halvor Andersen on the Stanley POW Rescue roster (Hong Kong). He is listed as Norwegian Ship's Officer. Date of birth 16 Aug 1916. He was in the Dutch section, 2nd Floor, Room 16, POW # 1088.

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

For details on how these men ended up as prisoners, please follow above link. Halfdan Kvamsø
Kvam Captain Dec. 12 (?)-1941 escaped Febr. 10-1943 Hong Kong Paul Normann Urke
Ålesund 1st Mate Febr. 22-1942 end of war " Gustav Olav Hauge
Haugesund 2nd Mate Dec. 25-1941 " " Arnt Olsen
Haugesund 1st Engineer Dec. 24(?)-1941 " " Daniel K. S. Danielsen
Haugesund 2nd Engineer Dec. 25-1941 " Kowloon Knut Frank Hjelmås
Kristiansund Engineer " " Hong Kong Henrik Davidsen
Sandefjord Boatswain " " " The following were also on board - I don't know their titles, nor what happened to them - I assume they were all at Stanley Internment Camp, except for the Chinese? Urho Paasi
Finland Anders Andressen Peder Midtgaard Sverre Johnsen Dag Aanestad Henrik Heuyser
Holland Nils Hjalmar Beckman
Sweden Einar Trygve Malmquist
Sweden Birger Andren
Sweden John Erik Johnson
Sweden Marjan Cieplak
Poland Bjarne Trovatten + 28? 34? Chinese
There's no reason why anyone from Havbør should be at Omori or in a camp in Singapore(?). Havbør was torpedoed and sunk in Nov.-1940. This man may have served on Havbør previously, but must have been on another ship when taken prisoner(?). At the maritime hearings following the sinking of Havbør, the 2nd engineer stated that 3 men had "deserted" when they made a stop in Cape Town, one of whom was an Ordinary Seaman by the last name of Hansen. Perhaps this is the same man? Follow link to Havbør for more info on her loss.

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

Elias Andersen Hansen
Bamble Steward Febr. 15-1942
(Omori) died Nov. 19-1944 Singapore
Follow the above link for more information on the capture of Helios.

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

Johannes Hansen
Nøtterøy Captain Dec. 8-1941 March 17-1942 Shanghai Arnt Emil Andreassen
Tromsø 1st Mate "

"

" Thorbjørn Krusche Pedersen
Kristiansand

2nd Mate/Radio Operator

"

end of war?

"

Rolf Andersen
Sandefjord Chief Engineer " March 17-1942
(died Nov. 19-1942) " Ole Kristian Andersen
Larvik 2nd Engineer " March 17-1942 " Oscar Carlsen
Sandefjord 3rd Engineer " end of war "

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

See my text under M/T Herborg on the "Victims of Thor" page for further details - link above.

According to statements given at the subsequent maritime hearings the captain, the 3 mates and 3 engineers remained on Thor when some of the others were transferred to Madrono after the capture of that ship on July 4. Kristian Ottosen lists the 3 engineers as being freed and sent back to Norway, with arrival Dec. 12-1943. I have no further details on the other 4, but perhaps they too were freed at the same time?

John Oluf Westad

Captain

June 19-1942

unknown

unknown

Ingolf N. Nicolaysen

1st Mate

"

"

"

Sverre Bergendahl

2nd Mate

"

"

"

Haagen S. Nilson Poppe

3rd Mate

"

"

"

Karl Falnes
Karmøy 1st Engineer " Dec. 12-1943 Oslo Charles Brændeland
Tromsø 2nd Engineer " Dec. 12-1943 Oslo Olav Verner Olsen Thonstad
Rotterdam 3rd Engineer " Dec. 12-1943 Oslo Some of Herborg's crew members were later sent towards Europe with Rhakotis, but I don't know who. It appears the next 3 on this list were among those who landed in Spain after Rhakotis had been sunk. Strangely, Kristian Ottosen has a notation for Svenn Solberg saying "ran away Febr. 1-1943" and has the other 2 as freed on Febr 1-1943. This may have been the date they arrived Gt. Britain? I've chosen to list the date as Jan.-1943 (Rhakotis was sunk on Jan. 1) Frantz (Frank?) Folke Eriksen
Nord-Aurdal Ordinary Seaman " Jan.-1943 Spain Henry Svinø
Arendal Odinary Seaman " Jan.-1943 Spain Svenn Solberg
Sandefjord Ordinary Seaman " Jan.-1943 Spain The rest of these men were sent towards Europe with Rhakotis, Dresden, or their own ship Herborg, (which had been renamed Hohenfriedburg - sunk en route) and were subsequently repatriated to Norway. Bjarne Mathisen
Fredrikstad Boatswain " March 1-1943 Oslo Johan Robert Johansen
Hamar

Engineroom Assistant

" " " Bjarne Nilsen
Tromsø Mechanic " " " Kristian Kristiansen
Fredrikstad Able Seaman " Dec. 12-1943 " Håkon Clasen
Oslo Able Seaman " " " Waldemar Nilsen
Narvik Able Seaman " " " Arne Burnes
Sarpsborg Able Seaman " " " Sverre Arnesen
Borre Able Seaman " " " Yngvar Klausen
Larvik Ordinary Seaman " " " Birger Fried Larsen
Oslo Ordinary Seaman " " " Ole Jack Knudsen
Arendal Ordinary Seaman " " " Alfred Georg Odberg

Electrician

"

"

"

Sigurd Pedersen
Sør-Varanger Repairman " " " Frank Hansen
Fredrikstad Mechanic " " " Hans Olav Halvorsen
Bærum Mechanic " " " Sverre Johnsen
Stavanger Mechanic " " " Leif F. R. Seiffert
Haugesund Petty Officer " " " Hans Norman (Herman?) Solund
Oslo Steward " " " Gunnar Pedersen
Porsgrunn Ordinary Seaman " Dec. 17?-1943 " The following 2 are said to have been kept as prisoners in Tokyo until they were freed by the Americans on Sept. 15-1945. I've also seen Gudmund Nilsen mentioned at Omori in Dec.-1943, seen there by the 3 survivors from Alcides who arrived there at that time. There's also a John Jacobsen mentioned there, but said to be from Madrono, unless that's an error (ref. my page Life in Imprisonment). Gudmund Helge Nilsen
Tromsø Mechanic " end of war Hitachi? Jon Gunnar Jakobsen
Oslo Able Seaman " end of the war Tokyo? Herborg also had some Chinese crew members; again - I don't know their fate. Leung Choi
(Chinese?)

Carpenter

"

fate unknown

unknown

Ko Boeng Kong
(Chinese)

Engine Boy

"

"

"

Han Kit Toon
(Chinese)

Cook

"

"

"

Foe Lai Hing
(Chinese)

2nd Cook

"

"

"

Lim Si Fong
(Chinese)

Galley Boy

"

"

"

Foe Djoen Ming
(Chinese)

Mess Boy

"

"

"

Gei Tjing Soen
(Chinese)

Saloon Boy

"

"

"

Kristian Ottosen also lists Able Seaman Arthur Olaf Olausen from Sem in Vestfold under Herborg. I believe this is an error, because the date for his capture is given as Jan 21-1942, died on Montevideo Maru in July 1942. Therefore, I've added him to the names under Herstein.
Follow the link to Herstein above for a picture of the ship and details on how these men ended up on Montevideo Maru.

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

Gottfred Gundersen

Captain

escaped

On July 1 -1942 the following men were under transport from Rabaul on the prisoner ship Montevideo Maru, when that ship was torpedoed and sunk by the American submarine Sturgeon (SS-187). Bjarne Møller
Arendal 1st Mate Jan. 21-1942 July 1-1942 Montevideo Maru Benn Bolt
Sandefjord 2nd Mate " " " In my Norwegian Guestbook there's a message from the nephew of Benn Holt. Knut Mostad
Nøtterøy 3rd Mate " " " John Arthur Nicolaisen
Tønsberg Radio Operator " " " Egil Kristian Pettersen
Karmøy Carpenter " " " Gerhard Olsen
Flora Boatswain " " " Axel Koinberg
Estonia

Able Seaman

"

"

"

Arthur Ringshaug
Tønsberg Able Seaman " " " Olvar Andersen
Trondheim Able Seaman " " " Reidar Ellefsen Grytnes
Borre Able Seaman " " " Göte Gustavson
Sweden

Ordinary Seaman

"

"

"

Gunnar Alexander Knudsen
Oslo Ordinary Seaman " " " Nils Beckman
Sweden

Ordinary Seaman

"

"

"

Einar Finn Thoresen
Oslo Ordinary Seaman " " " Peter Cornelius Brandal
Oslo 1st Engineer " " " Reidar Thorbjørn Myhre
Oslo 2nd Engineer " " " Alf Jemtland
Porsgrunn 3rd Engineer " " " Kåre Fagervik
Nesna Assistant " " " Olav Hansen
Karmøy Electrician " " " Gunnar Egil Edvardsen
Fredrikstad Mechanic " " " Kristian M. Kristiansen

Mechanic

Hans Teien
Sandefjord Mechanic " " " Magnus Skaug
Gjøvik Mechanic " " " Hugo Andersen
Trondheim Oiler " " " Ivar Martin Lie
Larvik Oiler " " " Karl Magnus Thorsell
Sweden

Steward

"

Killed
Jan. 20-1942

Herstein

Arthur Marius Landhaug
Åsfjord Cook " " Montevideo Maru Kaare Hansen
Vennesla Mess Boy " " " Jack Hansen
U.S.A.

Mess Boy

"

"

"

Karl Nilsson
Sweden

Mess Boy

"

"

"

James Tynan
Australain

Saloon Boy

"

"

"

The above names are listed in "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig" (Maritime Declarations from WW II). "Ingen nåde" also lists the following Norwegians from Herstein as being on Montevideo Maru at the time - as does the Memorial for Seamen in Stavern, Norway: Kåre Hansen * Brekkestø
Vennesla Galley Boy " " " * I believe this man is identical to the Kaare Hansen a little further up on this list. Kåre Johan Køllersen
Nesna Engineroom Assistant " " " Arthur Olaf Olausen *
Sem Able Seaman " " " Gerhard Johan Storhaug
Kinn Boatswain " " " * Kristian Ottosen has listed Arthur Olausen under Herborg but that must be an error, because the date for his capture is given as Jan 21-1942, died on Montevideo Maru in July 1942. Therefore, I've added him here.
More details can be found under M/S Kattegat on my page "Norwegian victims of M/S Michel" - follow the link. That page also has an excerpt from Captain Gjurød's diary which includes details on the sinking of Rhakotis, and a report from Jens Flørenes (also spelt Flørnes in some sources) to Nortraship detailing the sinking of Ramses. This list has been compared to what is found in "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig" (Maritime Declarations from WW II), Norwegian Maritime Museum, Volume I and adjusted accordingly.

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

As can be seen from what follows, there are so many conflicting statements in my various sources, that it has been next to impossible for me to determine what really happened to all these men, but from what I can gather the following 10 men were sent with Rhakotis. When Rhakotis was sunk on Jan 1-1943, 4 of Kattegat's men landed in neutral Spain, while 6 were rescued by a German U-boat and were later sent to France, from there to Marlag und Milag Nord, then on to Norway in the spring of 1943. Please click on the link to Kattegat for further details. Karl Bjarne Gjurød
Hvaler Captain May 20-1942 Jan. 1-1943 Rhakotis Rolf Hammerberg Christensen
Fredrikstad 1st Mate " Jan. 1-1943 Rhakotis Carl Martin Nielsen
Arendal 2nd Mate " June?-1943
Oslo Rhakotis Johan Arne Rørvik
Ålesund Radio Operator " Jan. 1-1943 Rhakotis Hans Pareli Hansen
Steigen Boatswain " 1943
Oslo Rhakotis Astor Torleif Bertheussen
Tromsø Able Seaman " 1943 Rhakotis Hans Gustav Espeland
Solund Able Seaman " 1943 Rhakotis Arne Fagerlund
Herøy Ordinary Seaman " 1943 Rhakotis Jørgen Hansen

Ordinary Seaman

"

1943

Rhakotis

Peter Haargaard
Danish

Mess Boy

"

1943

Rhakotis

These men were sent with Regensburg, which was torpedoed by the American submarine Searaven (SS-196) in Sunda Strait on Oct. 11-1942 and they therefore ended up in Japanese imprisonment: Christen Holst Bergskaug *
Oslo Mechanic " end of the war Singapore Johan Olaf Johansen *
Bodø Steward " ? Singapore?

* Guri Hjeltnes ("Handelsflåten i krig") says the above 2 men came to Changi Prison, Singapore in the winter of 1943, after they had been on board the blockade runner Doggerbank, while Kristian Ottosen says the steward was sent to Europe on Ramses, in which case he would have been freed when Ramses was sunk (The sinking of Ramses). "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig" says they were sent with Regensburg.

These men are said to have been sent with Doggerbank and also ended up in Japanese imprisonment when this ship was sunk by mistake by U-43 en route to Europe on March 3-1943: Arvid Christian Hellesen
Durban 3rd Mate " end of the war Osaka Wilfred Øyehaug (1)
Ålesund Able Seaman " " Tokyo Bertel Stokset (1)
Ålesund Able Seaman " " Hitachi Åge Sedolfsen (1)
Tromsø Able Seaman " " Japan My Guestbook has a message from the granddaughter of Åge Sedolfsen. Harry Thorleif Petterson
Tønsberg Electrician " " Japan Marthon Johan Hermansen (2)
Stavanger Mechanic " said to have died March 8-1944 (incorrect - see note below) Tokyo Erling Meyer Jacobsen (1)
Lardal Mechanic " end of the war Hitachi Lars A. Eberg Johansen
(possibly Johnsen) Oiler " May 17-1943* France(?) * Unsure about this, he's listed elsewhere as being at Hitachi, Japan until the end of the war. He has also been given 2 different home towns, one is Lærdal, Sogn og Fjordane, the other is Skånland, Troms. There's also a Lars Johnsen from Kattegat mentioned as being at Omori when the 3 survivors from Alcides arrived there in Dec.-1943, see my page Life in Imprisonment - that account also indicates that (2)Marthon Hermansen had already died by 1943, which is repeated in an article written by Bertel Stokset saying Hermansen and Fostervoll came down with pneumonia the first winter they were at Shinagawa. Hermansen died, while Fostervoll recovered. Additionally, I've received an E-mail from Roger Mansell, who runs a website about allied POW's under the Japanese, saying the following: "We have located the reports of the Camp Doctor (surgeon) Clive at the Omori POW Camp and can confirm Hermansen's death on 7 March 1943. He was admitted to the hospital on 9 Dec 1942. The cause of his death is noted as pneumonia and wet Pluerisy (wet Beri Beri) plus chronic nephritis." See also Note for 1) below. (The book "Våre falne", which lists Norwegian WW II casualties, also gives the year of Hermansen's death as 1944, adding that he died at the Shinagawa hospital after having been sick for 11 months, and is buried in Yokohama). Oddvar Fostervoll (1)
Levanger Oiler " end of the war Hitachi

Birger Jarholm (1)
Sømna

Assistant " " ? Phillip (Mac?)Killinger
British

Able Seaman

"

Fate unknown

Japanese camp

Robert Jones
British

Engine Boy

"

"

"

Angus McKinnon
British

Galley Boy

"

"

"

Bjarne Asheim
Stavanger Seaman " *died Dec. 15-1944 *Cabanatuan, Phiippines * Please note that the details for Bjarne Asheim appear to be incorrect. I'm not even sure if he was a member of Kattegat's crew. He is not included at all in the crew list found in "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig". In fact, when adding his name there are 1 too many; Kattegat had a crew of 32. (According to "Våre falne" he had served on Kongsgaard in 1939, later Fernplant). Asheim died of starvation, exposure and dehydration at Takao Harbour aboard the Japanese Brazil Maru on Jan. 5-1945. (Source: Diary of Major Arthur C. Peterson, who was aboard the Enoura Maru at the time [another ship at Takao] and who specifically mentions the death of Bjarne Asheim. Diary sent to me by a visitor to my website). The following external website will provide some more information: Oryoku Maru; the site used to have a page with a downloadable pdf file containing a roster, but the link to the roster no longer works. Bjarne Asheim was included under the A's of the roster, and must have been among the prisoners placed on Brazil Maru in Dec.-1944 (Oryoku Maru was bombed on Dec. 15-1944). See also this site for more on these ships. Additionally, here is a diary describing the voyage with Oryoku Maru. A Google search will find several more. On my last visit to Stavanger, Norway I went to see my mother's grave at Revheim cemetery, and to my astonishment I found Bjarne Asheim's name listed on a memorial stone near the gate; birthdate and all details fit. Roger Mansell has told me that he had been transferred from Cabanatuan to the Las Pinas detail on Dec. 12-1942.

Again, some of the dates and facts here don't correspond with what is found in other sources. All I can do is list what is found.

(1) These men, as well as Lars Johnsen are listed among 7 men from Kattegat who were at Omori when the 3 survivors from Alcides arrived there in Dec.-1943, again see my page "Life in Imprisonment" link above. That account (mostly based on a personal story) says that 10 from Kattegat had arrived Shinagawa in Dec.-1942, then these 7 were moved to Omori in May-1943. (Shinagawa only is mentioned in connection with Harry T. Petterson). The fact that they had been at Shinagawa first is confirmed by Bertel Stokset himself in an article written by him (1988). He gives the date of arrival there as Dec. 10-1942. He adds that Wilfred Øyehaug was moved to a camp far up north when the rest of them were moved from Omori to Hitachi not long before the war ended. Roger Mansell has told me that he's listed in the Tokyo #5B Rescue roster.

Other, previous info: 8 men from Kattegat arrived Shinagawa in Dec.-1942, Wilfred Øyehaug being one of them. After the new camp at Omori had been established in 1943 Katttegat's men were moved there. I've been trying to determine exactly when this camp (full name Tokyo POW Camp Omori-ku Iriarai Kila) was opened - one source says in the fall of 1943, another says early 1942 (I believe the former to be correct).

According to "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig" the following men were sent with Ramses, and were therefore freed. This list is based on statements taken from these men by Naval Captain W. O. Thoresen in the period Dec. 15-1942 to Dec. 25-1942. These interviews were done on orders from General Consul F. S. Platou, Sydney N.S.W., and is signed by all 7 men on Jan. 7-1943. If they were indeed present to sign I will have to assume that what follows is correct, though there's a lot of disagreement on this as well, for instance, "Ingen nåde" says that Able Seaman Olav Aas listed below escaped and died Oct. 28-1944, Australia. The same author says in another book that he had been transferred to Omori on Dec. 10-1942, and later escaped Jens Flørenes
Arendal 1st Engineer " Dec. 2-1942 Ramses Olav Aas
Flora
(ref. note above) Able Seaman " Dec. 2-1942 Ramses Alf Gunnar Holm
Bamble Able Seaman " Dec. 2-1942 Ramses Hans Nilsen
Bergen Able Seaman " Dec. 2-1942 Ramses Harald Bjerkestrand
Kristiansund Cook " Dec. 2-1942 Ramses Reidar Ystrøm
Halden 2nd Engineer " Dec. 2-1942 Ramses Hans Henriksen
Tjøme 3rd Engineer " Dec. 2-1942 Ramses

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

See the text under D/T Madrono for further details.

Complete crew list received from Leif Vetlesen, Norway - his source: The National Archives of Norway

Sigvart Andersen (1)
Tønsberg Captain July 4-1942 Dec. 12-1943 Oslo Arnold Arntzen (1)
Lillesand 1st Mate " " " Ragnar Jonassen (1)
Randesund 2nd Mate " " " Toralv J. Gundersen (1)
Søgne Radio Operator " " " Einar Johansen (1)
Sandefjord Oiler " " " John Jacobsen (2)
Oslo Gunner/Able Seaman " " " Ole Hansteen Horgen (1)
Sem Cook " Nov. 24-1943 " Edvard Edvardsen

3rd Engineer

"

Jan.-1943

Spain
(Rhakotis)

(1) I've come across a mention in an article that these men (except possibly Ole Hansteen Horgen) were sent to Bordeaux with the German supply ship Tannenfels. Ref. the text for Madrono. Please read the text for all 3 ships, Aust, Herborg and Madrono on that page where I've assembled all the information available to me. The stories of the 3 vessels and their crews are closely interconnected.

The majority of the above dates have been quoted from "Ingen Nåde". It's very difficult to determine what is correct, because my sources give such wildy differing facts. One source says that a few of Madrono's men arrived Europe with Dresden, while 6 were placed on Regensburg for Europe. After the latter had been torpedoed by an American submarine, the Norwegians were picked up by a Japanese landing craft and taken to Singapore where they were imprisoned for the rest of the war. 3rd Engineer Edvardsen appears to have been the only one sent with Rhakotis.

Toralf Madsen
Lillesand 3rd Mate " end of the war Hitachi Toralf Madsen was at Omori in Dec.-1943. Johan Martin Sunde (4)
Trondheim Carpenter " death given as March 3-1944 (incorrect, see note below) Japan Theodor N. Nilsen (2)
Arendal Boatswain " end of the war Hitachi Arne Emil Framnes
Oslo Able Seaman " " Singapore Ragnar Haug
Larvik Able Seaman " " Shanghai Thorbjørn B. Christiansen (2)
Oslo Able Seaman " " Japan Alick Edwin Bråthen
Kristiansand Able Seaman " " Singapore Erling Sveberg*
Trondheim Able Seaman " " Singapore * Still going strong. Please see this Guestbook message from his grandson. Karl G. Bivall
(Swedish)

Able Seaman

"

Jan. 20-1944

unknown

Karl Bivall was freed Jan. 20-1944, committed suicide Aug. 21-1944. Trygve Berge
Tysnes Able Seaman/Gunner " died March 30-1942 Batavia Magnus Heggø (3)
Ølen Able seaman " end of the war Japan Anton Julius Minsaas (2)
Oslo 1st Engineer " died Oct. 18-1943 Ofuna Petter Alfred Trætvik (2)
Mandal 2nd Engineer " end of the war Tokyo Einar Eidissen (Eidesen?) (2)
Tønsberg 4th Engineer " " Japan Tønnes Kviljo Tønnesen (3)
Farsund Petty Officer " " " Karsten Pedersen (2)
Sandefjord Stoker " " " Olav Johnsen (2)
Arendal Steward " " " Cedrik Waddle
(Tatanagar, India)

Ordinary Seaman

"

Fate unknown

unknown

Erik W. Lundqvist
(Hernösand, Sweden)

Stoker

"

"

"

James McKirdy
(Sunderland, England)

Stoker

"

"

"

Bedrich Scharf
(Czechoslovakian)

Oiler

"

Edgar LeBlanc
(British)

Oiler

"

Fate unknown

unknown

Frank Brown
(British)

Oiler

"

"

"

John N. Lace
(British)

Oiler

"

"

"

Albert White
(Australian)

Boy

"

"

"

Clyde Gibbons
(British)

Boy

"

"

"

There's a man named Schwartz listed without a ship under S on page 3; I believe this might be Madrono's Czechoslovakian Bedrich Scharf. My text for Ngow Hock has more information.

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

Ivar Andreassen
Oslo Captain Dec. 7-1941 end of the war Shanghai Einar Agerup
Røyken 1st Mate " " " Olaf K. Snekkestad
Borre 2nd Mate " " " Helge Hansen
Fredrikstad 1st Engineer " March 17-1942 " Henry K. Kristiansen
Borre 2nd Engineer " " " Follow link for complete crew list.
I'm not sure about these dates found in "Ingen nåde" - ref. my text under Prominent, which was sunk at the very beginning of March-1942 by a Japanese war ship south of Java.

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

K. Gjerdsen
Tjøme Captain Febr. 8-1943 end of the war Java Otto Ottesen
Haugesund

1st Mate

died when sunk?

–

–

Finn Gleditsch? *
Fredrikstad 1st Mate March 1?-1943 end of the war Singapore Aksel Evensen

2nd Mate

saved by
allied ship

–

–

Harald M. Marø
Ålesund 3rd Mate Febr. 8-1943 end of the war Java Nils Gjertin Nilsen
Bergen Chief Engineer Dec. 20-1943 died Febr. 8-1945 Japanese camp Johan Stavenes
Haugesund

2nd Engineer

died when sunk?

–

–

Petter Harpestad

3rd Engineer

?

died?

Japanese camp

* "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Norwegian Maritime Museum, Volume II, which is based on information found in the Norwegian National Archives, lists the 1st mate as Otto Ottesen and does not mention Finn Gleditsch at all.
Follow link to Proteus for more details.

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

Anton Sofus Bugge *
Hammerfest Captain May 4-1942 end of the war Hong Kong Olav Nøkling **
Haugesund 1st Mate May 4-1942 died Dec. 18-1943 Java Hans H. Fasting(sen?)
Haugesund 2nd Mate March 3-1942 end of the war Hong Kong Erling I. Gundersen
Stavanger 1st Engineer " " " Olav Amalius Larsen***
Stavanger 2nd Engineer March 2?-1942 died Oct. 3-1942 " Alf Kåre Skjaanes****
Brandbu Seaman May 17-1942 end of the war Philippines * Anton Bugge's wife Magnhild, who lived in Manila with their son became well known to prisoners of all nationalities there for her efforts to improve their daily lives, as did her friend Gunvor Wilberg, a Salvation Army major who also lived on the Philippines. More details can be found here.

** The 1st Mate died as a result of illness on Dec. 18-1943.

*** The 2nd Engineer died of Malaria on Oct. 3-1942.

**** Somehow, the facts for Alf Skjånes do not fit with this ship, and I do not think he was on board Proteus. I initially thought he might belong to Ravnaas, because the facts fit with that ship, but all the crew members for Ravnaas are now accounted for.

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

Bjarne H. Johansen
Svelvik Captain Dec. 11-1941 Jan. 3-1942 Bangkok Frederick Rolsdorph Flock
Kongsvinger 1st Mate " " " Waldemar Schnitler
Bærum 1st Engineer " " " Harald Pettersen
Kråkerøy 2nd Engineer " " " These men got passage on a diplomat ship from Bangkok to Gt. Britian on Aug. 4-1942. Follow link to Randi for information on her capture.
The following 4 men hid in the jungle, and were not interned - read their remarkable story under Ravnaas, link above. My Guestbook has a message from the son of Ragnvald Myhre. Ole Martin Thorgrimsen

Able Seaman

–

–

–

Ragnvald Myhre

Ordinary Seaman

–

–

–

Tore B. Knudsen

Ordinary Seaman

–

–

–

Arne Lie Hansen

Mechanic

–

–

–

The majority of the men listed below were interned at Santo Tomás - later moved to Los Baños. For more information on Santo Tomás, please see a camp newspaper which I've received from the son of Wilfred Falch Johansson. I've included it in my Santo Tomás Documents section. It contains a chronological timeline, info on food, statistics etc.

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

Thomas Eilertsen
Arendal Captain May 17-1942 end of the war Los Baños Kristen Eltvedt

1st Mate

"

"?

Leyte?

Knut Selmer Pedersen
Arendal 2nd Mate/Radio Operator " " " Olaf A. Bakken
Arendal 3rd Mate " " Los Baños Oscar William Christensen
Arendal Boatswain " " Philippines Kristian Minde
Haugesund Able Seaman " " " Sigurd Terjesen
Arendal Ordinary Seaman " " " Bjørn Erling Pedersen
Porsgrunn Ordinary Seaman " " " Olaf Fjelly Monsen
Grimstad Ordinary Seaman " " " Hans Svendsen

1st Engineer

"

"

Leyte?

Yngvar Kjell Christensen
Tromsø 2nd Engineer " " Manila Sigbjørn M. Olsen
Arendal 3rd Engineer " " Philippines Nils Aanonsen
Arendal Assistant " died Febr. 23-1945 Los Baños Hans Byholt
Arendal Electrician " End of war Manila Åge Gilbert Pettersen
Oslo Mechanic " " Philippines This mechanic is listed as a casualty (external link) at the "Minnehallen i Stavern" website. "Nordmenn i fangenskap" (Norwegians in Imprisonment) by Kristian Ottosen, states he was transferred to Santo Tomás on Dec. 1-1942, where he stayed until the war was over. (As can be seen, the Stavern Memorial also lists a Chief Engineer Sigurd Arthur Johansen). Bjarne William Abrahamsen
Grimstad Mechanic " " Los Baños, Phillipines Trygve Pedersen
Bergen Oiler " " Philippines Wilfred Falch Johansson
Arendal Oiler " " Philippines Ruben Einarsen
Arendal Steward " " " Peder Kristian Einarsen
Tvedstrand Cook " " " Nils Øyen
Arendal Galley boy " " " Bernt Svenningsen
Arendal Messboy " " " The following 2 young men had volunteered their services to the US Army - again, follow the link to Ravnaas above for further details. Brynjolv Baardson was in various camps, but first at San Carlos prison, then via the Bilibid prison to Kobe House in Kobe, Japan for about a year, then on to Zentsuji Camp No. 1 (on Shikoku) - see the external site Zentsuji Camp, Shikoku 1942-45 - camp roster, Brynjulv Baardson is on the list. He's also included in the Kobe House roster (name spelt a little differently) and in the Rokuroshi roster. Carpenter Jens Kristian Jensen is also in all 3 of these. Here's a Guestbook message from his granddaughter. (I'm not sure if the date May 17 for these 2 men is entirely correct[?] since it would appear they were not with their shipmates at time of arrest) Brynjolv Baardson
Kristiansand Ordinary Seaman " " Japan Jens Kristian Jensen
Grimstad Carpenter " " Japan

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

Karl Hjalmar Hansen
Stokke Captain Nov. 27-1943 end of the war Fukuoka Scotia's captain was taken aboard the Japanese submarine I-37 (Otani) after Scotia had been sunk on Nov. 27-1943, and was later taken to Japan. I found him included on this master roster for Kyushu POW camps, saying he was at Fukuoka Camp # 1 (other Norwegians are also listed - ref. William Strachan). After the capitulation he was sent to the U.S.A. and after a long convalescence there he came home to Norway. Full story and complete crew list under Scotia.

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

Finn Kjellevik
Kristiansand 3rd Mate Oct. 1-1943 end of the war Tokyo Chan Lai San
Chinese

Stoker

"

unknown

unknown

Text under D/S Storviken has the full story and complete crew list. See also my page Life in Imprisonment

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

Finn E. Lindhjem
Tønsberg 2nd Engineer Nov. 9-1940 Febr. 1-1941 Kobe None of the others from Teddy are mentioned as prisoners of the Japanese. Refer to my text for Teddy and Ole Jacob on the page "Victims of Atlantis" - link at M/T Teddy above (includes complete crew lists)

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

Samuel Sørensen
Farsund Captain Dec. 20-1943 end of war Java Halvdan Hansen
Farsund 1st Mate " " " Erling Mikal Berntsen
Farsund 2nd Mate " " Singapore? Sofus Solberg
Trondheim 3rd Mate?
Engineer? " " Java Albert Albrigtsen
Trondheim

1st Engineer

"

Died Febr.-1944
Apr. 9-1945?

"

Kristian Ottosen says Albrigtsen was taken prisoner on March 2-1942 on Java and died Apr. 9-1945.

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when died

Arne Oswald Bjørshol
Averøy Seaman Dec. 20-1943 died Aug. 21-1945 Java

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

Torvald Andreas Kibsgaard
Alstadhaug Able Seaman May 6-1942 end of the war Omuta I found Kibsgaard and 2 of his friends on some Internet POW rosters - more details can be found by clicking on the link to M/T William Strachan above. (See also text under Otto Normann Pettersen and Johan Skulstad listed on Page 3).

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

Marcus Iversen

Captain

?

Sept. 20-1945

Sumatra?

Birger Georg Olsson
Tønsberg 1st Mate June 7-1942 end of the war Singapore Roald Johan Daler
Tønsberg 2nd Mate " " " Einar Eide
Ålesund 3rd Mate " " " Jaan Svads
Skien 1st Engineer " " Singapore Jens Kristian Limkjær
Larvik 2nd Engineer " died June 17-1942 Port Blair Denis Whitehouse
British

Gunner

"

end of war?

Singapore?

Click on D/S Woolgar for a lot more details on the time spent at Port Blair, Changi etc.

Name

Title

Prisoner from

Until

Location when freed

Olav Gundersen
Tønsberg Captain Dec. 8-1941 end of the war Hong Kong I have no information on this ship other than what is found under the link above, so I'm not sure why this captain ended up in imprisonment.