Shipwreck Research Information

Survivors picked up by the Iris.

The Danish Sea Accident-statistics 1940 (Ministry of Trade, Industry and Sailing) has the following:       Page 54-55

288 S/S Tekla of Copenhagen, 1469 Reg.T. Built 1920 of Steel. On voyage from Burntisland to Aarhus with Coal and Coke.
Lost after explosion on January 21st in the North Sea: 9 perished.
Inquest in Copenhagen on January 25th and February 1st 1940. Loss registration dated Copenhagen February 15th, 1940.
At about 6 GMT when Tekla. Was at. 58º18'N Lat. 2º25'W Long. A violent
explosion occurred- the ship immediately had list to starboard, which increased rapidly, and began to sink.
Starboard lifeboat was put into the water and 10 men of the crew came into it. Immediately after that the vessel sank, as the stern lifted upwards, and the ship capsized whereby the mainmast hit the lifeboat which was crushed.
5 of the persons in the boat saved themselves onto a one of the ships life rafts, and on another raft were further 4 men of T's crew. At about 8.30 AM the 4 men were taken onboard an English Navy vessel and transferred to a Norwegian ship, which at the same time took the 5 men from the other raft. The saved were disembarked in Bergen.

Note 1. The perished are:

Captain                            Aage Jensen from Gedser.

1st mate                           Christian Nikolaj Jacobsen 

1st Engineer                     Poul Husland Poulsen, both from Copenhagen.

2nd Engineer                   Emil Hartvig Christiansen.  from  Aarhus.
Steward                           Verner Sørensen from Fredericia,

Cook                                  Carl Rasmussen from Esbjerg.

Able seaman                   Knud Henning Svart,
ordinary seaman              Joen Hilbert Johansen 

stoker                                Erik Emil Forsberg, all from Copenhagen.

Note 2. The explosion is supposed to be caused by war actions.

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