On October 17, 1941, the Norwegian steam merchant SS Erviken was sunk in the North Atlantic while sailing as part of Convoy SC-48 during World War II. Built in 1921 by William Doxford & Sons Ltd. in Sunderland, England, the Erviken was a 6,595-ton cargo ship owned by Haakon J. Wallem of Bergen. At the time of her final voyage, she was carrying 9,300 tons of phosphate from Tampa, Florida, bound for Liverpool, England, with stops in Hampton Roads, off the coast of North Carolina, and Sydney, Nova Scotia. The ship was under the command of Captain Paul Johan Heesch and had a crew of 38. In the early hours of October 17, the convoy was attacked by German submarine U-558, commanded by Günther Krech. At 1:31 am, U-558 torpedoed the tanker W.C. Teagle, prompting the Erviken and another ship, Rym, to slow down in an attempt to rescue survivors. This proved fatal to the SS Erviken. At 1:49 am, U-558 fired a stern torpedo at the stationary Erviken, striking her on the starboard side near the bridge in hold #2. The explosion broke the ship in two, and she sank within three minutes. The rapid sinking left no time to launch lifeboats, forcing survivors to cling to rafts and debris. Rescue efforts were swift but complicated. HMS Abelia picked up three survivors, though one of its rescue boats was lost after becoming waterlogged. HMS Veronica recovered eleven more from two rafts. Two additional survivors were rescued by HMS Broadwater, but tragically, they were lost when the destroyer was sunk the following night. In total, 22 crew members perished, including Captain Heesch, while 16 survived. The survivors were eventually landed at Londonderry, with those aboard HMS Veronica arriving on October 19 and those from HMS Abelia on October 22 Among the lost crew members were Simon Januereous Guthro (Gouthro) aged 19 was serving as an Engine Room Boy. He was born in Dominion, Cape Breton, on September 19, 1920, the son of Victor Ferdinand Seaward Guothro (1876- 1939) and Catherine Ann (McNeil) Gouthro (1884-1951). Commemorated on Page 147 of the Merchant Navy Book of Remembrance. His name is inscribed on Panel 18 of the Halifax Memorial in Point Pleasant Park, Nova Scotia. Angus McKinnon aged 24 was serving as a Deck Boy. Born in Glace Bay, Cape Breton on January 1, 1917, he was the son of Laughlin Francis McKinnon (1891-1958) and Sarah Jane (MacLeod) McKinnon (1897-1956) . Commemorated on Page 189 of the Merchant Navy Book of Remembrance. His name is inscribed on Panel 19 of the Halifax Memorial in Point Pleasant Park, Nova Scotia.

SS Erviken Simon Guthro Angus McKinnon

Sources: Canadian Virtual War Memorial uboat.net