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MSHans Hedtoft

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MSHans Hedtoft
History
Denmark
NameHans Hedtoft
NamesakeHans Hedtoft
OwnerRoyal Greenland Trading Company
BuilderFrederikshavns Værft, Frederikshavn
Yard number226
Launched13 August 1958
Completed17 December 1958
Maiden voyage7 January 1959
Out of service30 January 1959
HomeportDenmarkCopenhagen
Identification
FateSank, all hands lost
General characteristics
Tonnage
Length82.65 m (271 ft 2 in)
Beam14.17 m (46 ft 6 in)
Depth6.43 m (21 ft 1 in)
Capacity60 passengers
Crew40 crew
Armament3 × 40 mm anti-aircraft guns

MSHans Hedtoftwas aDanishcargo passenger linerthat struck anicebergandsankon 30 January 1959 on her maiden voyage off the coast of WesternGreenland.[1]The only piece of the wreckage ever found was a lifebelt.

Description

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Hans Hedtoftwas 82.65 metres (271 ft 2 in) long, with a beam of 14.17 metres (46 ft 6 in) and a depth of 6.43 metres (21 ft 1 in). She was assessed at 2,875GRT,1,368NRT.[2]

Hans Hedtoftwas built by Frederikshavns Værft atFrederikshavnin northernDenmark.She was yard number 226, launched on 13 August 1958 and completed on 17 December.[3]She had a double bottom and seven watertight compartments and an armoured bow and stern. She was designed to provide a year-round service between Denmark andGreenland.Hans Hedtofthad arivetedhull, a feature which was criticised by Knud Lauritzen, a shipowner. Lauritzen claimed that a riveted hull was not as resistant to ice pressure as a welded hull.[1]Hans Hedtofthad thecode lettersandradio call signOXKA.[4]The ship was named after aformer prime minister of Denmark.

The ship was armed with three 40 mm anti-aircraft guns, on the orders of the DanishMinistry of Defence(MoD). The armament was not part of the original plans, and the ship was strengthened in three places to take the guns. An ammunition room was built into the bow of the ship. The MoD provided the anti-aircraft guns free of charge. Although fitted during tests, the guns were dismounted and carried aboardHans Hedtoftat the time of her sinking. An order had been issued that the guns were to be removed from the ship immediately after she arrived back in Copenhagen. It was claimed that the arming ofHans Hedtoftresulted in a warship being constructed without the approval of theFolketing.[5]

Sinking

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Hans Hedtoftsailed fromCopenhagenon her maiden voyage on 7 January 1959. Her voyage toJulianehaab,Greenland,was made in record time.Hans Hedtoftcalled atNuuk,SisimiutandManiitsoqbefore returning to Julianehaab.[5]

USCGCCampbell

On 29 January, she began her return journey.[6]The ship had 40 crew, 55 passengers and a cargo of frozen fish on board[1]and in addition to that 3.25 tons of archives concerning Greenlandic history.[7][8][9]One of her passengers was the Danish parliament (Folketing) memberAugo Lynge.[5]The next day,Hans Hedtoftcollided with anicebergabout 35 nautical miles (65 km) south ofCape Farewell,the southernmost point of Greenland.[6]A distress call was given at 13:56 (local time) stating that the ship had hit an iceberg at59°30′N43°00′W/ 59.500°N 43.000°W/59.500; -43.000.[5]The call was answered byUSCGCCampbell,theWest GermantrawlerJohannes Krüss[1]ofBremerhaven[5]and another West German trawler. Within an hour, another message was sent stating that the engine room was flooded.[1]At 15:12, it was announced that the ship was sinking. A final message was sent at 17:41 stating the ship was slowly sinking and requesting immediate assistance.[5]Aircraft inNewfoundlandwere grounded by the weather and unable to assist in the search forHans Hedtoft.[1]The beginning of anSOSwas received byJohannes Krüssat 18:06 after which communication withHans Hedtoftwas lost.[5]

Johannes Krüss,and U.S. Coast Guard cutterCampbellboth were in the area nearHans Hedtoftand immediately turned toward Hans Hedtoft's position after the initial distress call. However, due to the high sea, floating ice, dwindling daylight and generally bad visibility they were unable to reach the position provided byHans Hedtoftbefore she sank later that afternoon. PresumablyJohannes Krüss(commanded byKapitän Albert Sierck) after a gallant and dangerous voyage in the ice-filled stormy waters actually made it to the position ofHans Hedtoftonly few minutes after her sinking, but was unable to find any survivors under these extremely difficult conditions.[10]

On 31 January, USCGCCampbellreported that conditions were worse than anything the ship had seen while on transatlantic convoy duty during World War II, and there was no sign ofHans Hedtoftor her passengers and crew.[11]The search was called off on 7 February.[6]The only piece of wreckage ever recovered was a lifebuoy which washed ashore on Iceland and was discovered on 7 October 1959, some nine months after the ship sank.[5]The ship sank withparish registersfromparishesof Greenland, which were meant to be deposited in archives in Denmark, causing a major loss for Greenlandicgenealogy.[12]

As a result of the sinking, the airfield atNarsarsuaq,Greenland, which had closed in November 1958, was reopened.[13]An appeal fund for the relatives of the victims was opened.Kr40,000(then£2,000) was raised amongst ten countries in two months.[14]Compensation for the relatives amounted to Kr1,184,936 (then £59,000).[15]Like RMSTitanic,Hans Hedtoftwas said to be the safest ship afloat,[1]being described as "unsinkable" by some.[5][dubious–discuss]

Legacy

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On 30 January 2005,Queen Margretheunveiled a monument at North Atlantic Wharf,Copenhagen,to the 95 people lost onHans Hedtoft.[16]

The shipwreck is the theme of the 2014 song "All Hope Abandon" by the Greenlandic bandSmall Time Giants.[17]

References

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  1. ^abcdefg"Little Titanic (1 of 2)".Time.9 February 1959. Archived fromthe originalon 28 February 2017.Retrieved29 April2020.(subscription required)
  2. ^"Danmarks Skibsliste 1959"[List of Danish Ships 1959](PDF)(in Danish). Sjøfartens Bibliotek. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 18 March 2012.Retrieved30 January2012.
  3. ^"5613846".Miramar Ship Index.Retrieved4 November2009.
  4. ^"Der Untergang der" Hans Hedtoft "/ OXKA (I)"[The sinking of the "Hans Hedtoft" ] (in German). seefunknetz.de.Retrieved12 December2008.
  5. ^abcdefghi"The ship – lost on its maiden voyage".qaqortoq.gl. Archived fromthe originalon 11 February 2009.Retrieved12 December2008.
  6. ^abcEastlake, Keith (1998).Sea Disasters.London: Greenwich Editions. p. 24.ISBN0-86288-149-8.
  7. ^"Grønlands arkiver sank sammen med" Hans Hedtoft ""[Greenland's archives sank with "Hans Hedtoft" ]. kristeligt-dagblad.dk. 29 January 2019.Retrieved31 January2019.
  8. ^"Lastmanifest of 6th February 1959: Vedr. Godthåbslastens placering i m/s" Hans Hedtoft ""[Last manifest of 6th February 1959: Vedr. Anticipated(?) location of the load in m / s "Hans Hedtoft" ](PDF).www.hanshedtoft.dk.
  9. ^"Hans Hedtoft's forlis var en katastrofe for Grønlands kulturarv"[Hans Hedtoft's shipwreck was a disaster for Greenland's cultural heritage]. politiken.dk. 30 January 2019.Retrieved31 January2019.
  10. ^"climate4you ClimateAndHistory 1950-1999".www.climate4you.com.Retrieved22 April2024.
  11. ^"Little Titanic (2 of 2)".Time. 9 February 1959. Archived fromthe originalon 26 January 2009.Retrieved12 December2008.
  12. ^"Home".Archived fromthe originalon 16 May 2016.
  13. ^"History".iserit.greennet.gl. Archived fromthe originalon 12 December 2008.Retrieved12 December2008.
  14. ^"Telegrams in Brief".The Times.No. 54416. London. 23 March 1959. col G, p. 9.
  15. ^"Telegrams in Brief".The Times.No. 54633. London. 2 December 1959. col D, p. 11.
  16. ^"Memorial to Hans Hedtoft victims".Copenhagen Post. Archived fromthe originalon 10 August 2007.Retrieved12 December2008.
  17. ^Bjerde, Mats (8 May 2017)."En gedigen gang Grønland".Gaffa.dk.Retrieved30 January2022.
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