The steel steamship Eva was launched from the yard of Bergen Mekaniske Verksteder A/S (Yard no 209) on 20th July 1929. She measured 244.8′ x 37.7′ x 15.7′ and her tonnage was 1599 gross tons, 937 net tons. She was powered by a triple expansion steam engine by Bergen Mekaniske Verksteder delivering 138 nominal horse power. Built for August Kjerland A/S of Bergen she operated on various North Sea and Baltic routes until the outbreak of World War Two.
Lloyd’s register 1939
On 15th August 1940 Eva was in Sydney, Nova Scotia joining a large convoy heading across the North Atlantic to Liverpool. Convoy SC-1 consisted of 40 merchant vessels with 6 escort vessels. Eva was loaded with a cargo of 1750 tons of timber heading for Sharpness on the River Severn. She was under the command of Captain Ingvald Waage who had a crew of nine men aboard. The convoy proceeded across the Atlantic but as they reached the Western Approaches the attacks from the German Wolf packs began. On 25th the steamship Blairmore was torpedoed and sunk by U-37 in a position approximately 57°N, 26′ W. Two days later Eva had become detached from the main body of the convoy straggling well behind the other ships. The subsequent enquiry heard that this was due to the use of unsuitable coal to fire her boilers. Meanwhile U-28, which had set out on it’s latest patrol from L’Orient on 11th August under the command of Kapitanleutnant Günter Kuhnke, had reached her intended patrol area off the west of the Hebrides. On 27th August U-28 attacked Eva in a position approximately 57° 50’N 11° 15’W.
U-37 KTB sortie map
Captain Waage later stated that, around 4:00pm, the vessel was torpedoed without warning and was they were forced to abandon ship immediately. The 2nd officer reported that the ship heeled over to starboard within seconds of the impact and, as he scrambled on deck he could see that the rear of the ship was badly damaged with much of the deck cargo of timber floating off the the starboard side and the rear mast broken and down. As the crew scrambled to the lifeboat the cabin boy Helge Hult was lost perhaps injured in the torpedo explosion. The remaining crew managed to reach land safely hauling up their boats at Boligary, Barra three days later. 30 minutes after the initial attack U-28 surfaced and began shelling the hull of Eva which refused to sink completely. Despite 22 rounds fired at her and 17 direct hits Eva remained afloat with her cargo of timber acting as buoyancy despite the damage form the German torpedo and gunfire.
The hulk of Eva gradually drifted eastwards finally coming ashore one mile south of the Butt of Lewis. We have assigned a position of 58° 30.440’N, 06° 16.567’W although the exact location is not recorded. The wreck was visited by the ship breaking firm of W.H. Arnott Young after the war but we have no information on the success or otherwise of their salvage efforts although photographs of the wreck would indicate that it was aground in an accessible position and was most likely completely removed.
Wreck of Eva near Butt of Lewis
Wreckage of Eva near Butt of Lewis
We’d like to thank W Sloan Smith for his kind permission to use the photographs from his photographic collection which records the work of the shipbreaking company W H Arnott and Co Ltd of Dalmuir and Troon.
