Walma
Finnish Steam merchant
Walma under her former name Aina. Photo courtesy of Jon Skiftesvik
| Name | Walma | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 1,361 tons | ||
| Completed | 1908 - Campbeltown Shipbuilding Co, Campbeltown, Argyllshire | ||
| Owner | A/B Baltic Lloyd Line Ltd O/Y (H. Janhonen), Helsinki | ||
| Homeport | Helsinki | ||
| Date of attack | 23 Sep 1939 | Nationality:  Finnish | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-4 (Harro von Klot-Heydenfeldt) | ||
| Position | 58° 15'N, 11° 00'E - Grid AO 4186 | ||
| Complement | 18 (0 dead and 18 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Viipuri, Finland - Ellesmere | ||
| Cargo | 1622.4 tons of cellulose | ||
| History | Completed in January 1908 as British Driva for J.T. Salvesen & Co, Grangemouth. 1916 sold to Sweden and renamed Lennart for Otto Hillerström, Helsingborg. 1921 renamed Aina for A/B Maritime (C.O. Norin), Gothenburg. 1934 sold to Finland and renamed Walma for A/B Baltic Lloyd Line Ltd O/Y (H. Janhonen), Helsinki. | ||
| Notes on event | At 11.20 hours on 23 Sep 1939 the neutral Walma was stopped by U-4 in the Skagerrak and examined by a boarding party. The Germans placed scuttling charges aboard after it became clear that the vessel was carrying cargo for England. At 15.35 hours, the charges exploded and caused the ship to sink after 40 minutes about 10 miles southwest of Smögen, Sweden. The U-boat then towed the two lifeboats closer to the Swedish coast where the survivors were later picked up by the Swedish fishing vessel Zephyr. | ||
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