Hanonia
Estonian Steam merchant
Hanonia under her former name Hanö. Photo courtesy of Sjöhistoriska Museet, Stockholm
| Name | Hanonia | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 1,781 tons | ||
| Completed | 1900 - Greenock & Grangemouth Dockyard Co Ltd, Greenock | ||
| Owner | Nikolai Lopato, Kuressare | ||
| Homeport | Kuressare | ||
| Date of attack | 24 Sep 1939 | Nationality:  Estonian | |
| Fate | Captured by U-34 (Wilhelm Rollmann) | ||
| Position | 57° 35'N, 6° 12'E - Grid AN 3574 | ||
| Complement | ? men (0 dead and ? survivors). | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Veitsilnote - Grimsby | ||
| Cargo | 1049 tons of timber | ||
| History | Completed in October 1900 Aleksey Goriainov for Kerch Metallurgical & Mining Co, Kerch. 1903 sold to Sweden and renamed Drott for Rederi-A/B Henckei (N.P. Swensson), Helsingborg. 1916 sold to Rederi-A/B Väring, Helsingborg. 1917 renamed renamed Småland for Ångfartygs-A/B Tirfing, Gothenburg. 1924 renamed Hanö for Rederi-A/B Naparima (J. Carlbom), Stockholm. 1934 registered in Finland for Rederi-A/B Hanö, Helsingborg. On 6 Jun 1939, sold to Estonia and renamed Hanonia. On 6 Feb 1940, the Hanonia was commissioned in the Kriegsmarine as Schiff 11/Ulm after conversion to an auxiliary minelayer was completed on the Stülckenwerft. On 9 Mar 1940, Schiff 11 laid 144 mines and 146 explosive buoys off the Dutch coast, which had following results: On 9 Mar 1940, sunk Belgian motor fishing vessel Santa Godelieva (34 grt) west of Ostende. On 11 Mar 1940, sunk Dutch steam merchant Amor (2325 grt) in 51°24N/02°09E. All 33 crew members survived. On 11 Mar 1940, damaged Greek steam merchant Niritos (3854 grt) in 51°25N/01°45E. On 12 Mar 1940, sunk French sailing vessel Rose Effeuillee (35 grt). On 15 Mar 1940, sunk British steam merchant Melrose (1589 grt) in 51°21N/02°13E. On 15 Mar 1940, sunk Dutch motor merchant Saba (397 grt) en route from Caen to Ijmuiden. On 17 Mar 1940, sunk Dutch steam merchant Sint Annaland (2248 grt) in 51°24N/02°01E. On 18 Mar 1940, sunk Italian steam merchant Tina Primo (4853 grt) in 51°20’43N/01°44’27E. 1 of 37 crew members was lost. On 20 Mar 1940, damaged Dutch motor tanker Phobos (7412 grt) 5 miles east of North Galloper. On 8 Apr 1940, sunk Greek steam merchant Okeania (4843 grt) in 51°16’48N/02°03’12E. 1 crew member was lost. On 12 Apr 1940, sunk Dutch motor merchant Velocitas (197 grt) in 51°25N/01°50E. On 23 Apr 1940, sunk British steam merchant Lolworth (1969 grt) in 51°22N/01°26E. A total of 10 ships with 18,490 grt were sunk and two ships with 11,266 grt damaged. On 2 Apr 1940, the vessel was recommissioned as Schiff 111 after she was fitted out with the minelaying equipment from Schiff 4 on the Stülckenwerft. On 9 Apr 1940, the disguised minelayer took part in the invasion of Norway and went to Bergen. Off the harbour, the Norwegian patrol boat 201 tried to stop the vessel, but Schiff 111 continued her way. At 09.55 hours, she entered the harbour of Bergen and immediately dropped four mine barrages in the harbour entrance. On 11 April, the ship rammed a rock while dropping a double mine barrage in the Soerfjord during a snow squall. The leaking ship was beached with a damaged screw in the Kirkefjord. The next day the ship was towed to Bergen. She was taken out of service and the crew was transferred with the minelaying equipment to the Norwegian minelayer Uller and the patrol vessel V-221. On 27 April, the ship was assigned to the harbour defence flotilla Bergen as minelayer, but the fate of the ship is unclear. It is possible that she was lost one month later after hitting a mine. | ||
| Notes on event | At 14.30 hours on 24 Sep 1939 the Hanonia was stopped by U-34 off Norway and brought to Kiel-Friedrichsort and later to Hamburg on 28 September by a prize crew, because the cargo of the ship had been bound for an English port. | ||
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