AH-WR-0711

Bidevind

Motor Merchant · Norway · Lost 1942 · The New Jersey Coast

An unarmed Norwegian motor vessel torpedoed off New Jersey in 1942, her entire crew rowing safely to the Toms River Coast Guard station.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Bidevind was a Norwegian motor merchant carrying manganese ore, general cargo, and hides from Bombay to New York when U-752 torpedoed her, unescorted and unarmed, off the New Jersey coast in May 1942. Her entire crew of 36 escaped safely and reached the Coast Guard station near Toms River the next day. She now lies in deep water well offshore, a demanding dive frequently bathed in warm Gulf Stream currents.

Vessel

Built: 1938
Builder: Flensburger Schiffsbau-Gesellschaft
Yard: Flensburg, Germany
Material: Steel
Length: 414 ft
Beam: 56 ft
Tonnage: 4956
Propulsion: Motor, single screw
Owners: Gunnar Knudsen, Porsgrunn

Loss

Date: May 1, 1942
Cause: Enemy action
Location: About 75 miles southeast of Ambrose Lightship, off New Jersey
Water: Atlantic Ocean
Voyage: Bombay, via Cape Town → New York
Cargo: 7,000 tons of manganese ore, general cargo, and hides
Aboard: 36
Lives lost: 0
Master: Marcus Roberg

The Wreck Today

Depth: 190 ft
Condition: Lies on its side, mostly collapsed but with sections rising 30 feet or more off the bottom
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established