- SHIPS TANKERS
7)SUPPLY SHIP EUROFELD
Eurofeld above, seen as Limicana. Photo image.php (800×532) (marhisdata.nl)
Launched 1917 as Beechleaf by Lane & MacAndrewLtd., London, Great Britain.
1919. Sold to Anglo Saxon Petroleum Ltd. London, Great Britain.
1921. Changed registry to Limicana.
1927. Sold to N.V. Petroleum Maatschappij 'La Corona', The Hague, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands.
1927. Sold to Naphta Industrie und Tankanlagen A. G. "Nitag" Hamburg, Ger. and renamed CH. N. KAHAN.
1936. sold to Europaische Tanklager- und Transport A. G. Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
1937. Sold to J.A Billmer & Co. London, Great Britain and renamed Stanbridge.
1939. Sold to Europäische Tankreederei GmbH, Hamburg, Germany and renamed Eurofeld.
1939. Requisitioned by Deutsche Kriegsmarine - Werft Wilhelmshaven, Wilhelmshaven Germany.
Launched as 'Olmos' for The Admiralty, over to The Shipping Controller during completion and christened.
CHARACTERISTICS
Tonnage 5,863 tons GRT
9,000 tons DWT
Length. 115,99 mts.
Beam: 15,54 mts.
Draught. 9,82 mts.
Eurofeld loaded on August 25, 1939 in Tampico Mexico. After additionally taking over 7,800 tons of bunker oil and potable water, the ship left the port on August 26th with everything well equipped due to the first warning message. Captain Blessin had a sealed order on board that was to be opened 24 hours after leaving port. This was broken on August 27th and it became clear that the ship was destined for Santa Cruz on Tenerife. The ship immediately set course for the Eurofeld and tried to return to Tampico at top speed.
It was only on August 29th at 6:30 a.m. after decoding the forwarding message No. 10 that the ship went on the opposite course again and steered the appropriate course to the port of destination. This meant that around 34 hours had been wasted. On September 1st the ship was at 24º 03' N and 85º 83' W, about a day's journey off Key West. The Florida Strait will therefore have passed the Eurofeld just before the outbreak of hostilities.
Without any notable events, the ship arrived at its destination Santa Cruz de Tenerife on September 20, 1939. There it was taken over by the Navy with its crude oil load of 7,800 tons on November 4, 1939. The further commands were carried out appropriately. Captain Blessin died on May 23, 1941. During the year and a half that he served as a supply for the Navy, he behaved very carefully and carried out all orders properly. His successor was the previous first officer Rautz and the previous first officer the previous second W. Gosenwinkel.
Fate: 11.09.1944: Sunk at St. Nazaire in the Charpentier Channel. 1950: Raised and broken up.
CHRONOLOGY
26 DEC 1940. Point Andalusien (15º 00'S 18º 00'W. Prize Duqueza (Herzogin) and Admiral Scheer met Schiff 33 Pinguin, Schiff 10 Thor, supply ship Nordmark and tanker Eurofeld that eventually returned to France.
