Built for Casebourne Fowler of Middlesbrough and launched from the Elsinore yard of Helsingors Jernskib (Yard No 39) as Ferrum on 4th June 1892 the steel steamship was sold to Blackstad Holt and Co in 1898 and renamed Havlide. She measured 156.3′ x 24.1′ x 11.6′ and hertonnage was 419 gross tons, 242 net tons. She was powered by a triple expansion steam engine by Helsingors Jernskib delivering 55 nominal horse power. She operated for these owners until the outbreak of Word War One, regularly crossing the North Sea and Baltic moving goods between the North Sea ports. With the outbreak of war the voyages across the North Sea became extremely dangerous but she continued to ply back an forth avoiding the attentions of the German U-boats operating there.
Indeed, it was not to be an attack from an enemy submarine that was to lead to the loss of the ship in March 1917. In the middle of that month she left the Tyne in a small convoy with a full load of coal heading for Lerwick. From there she would head east and ultimately to her home port of Skien. As the convoy steamed north passing Longstone the British torpedo boat HMS Thrasher, under the command of her new commander Lieutenant L M Kelly and operating as one of the escort vessels for the convoy, was spotted on a course that was bringing her close to the Havlide. As the two vessels approached each other the subsequent enquiry records don’t describe in detail how the collision occurred but, despite some desperate last minute action to avoid a collision by the master of the Havlide, instead of Thrasher altering course and passing behind Havlide as should have been the case, Lieutenant Kelly attempted to turn up on her port side and collided with the Norwegian vessel. Neither skipper believed that any serious damage had been caused and the Havlide continued north at her full speed of seven and a half knots but, only one hour later, she had filled with water and sank. The crew escaped unharmed in the ship’s boats. The Royal Navy was later to admit liability for the collision and loss of the Havlide.
The wreck of the Havlide lies in the position 55° 47.417’N, 001° 52.013’W oriented 005°/185°. She is charted in 46 metres with a least 44 metres and was positively identified by the recovery of a bell inscribed Ferrum in 2007. The wreck is fairly well broken, particularly the forward section, with the stern, rudder and visible four bladed propeller somewhat more in tact and recognisable.
We would like to thank Lloyd’s Register Foundation – Heritage & Education Centre for allowing us to reproduce documents from their archive in this article.