Varanger

This wreck has a fascinating history. The Varanger departed Curacao for New York on 16 January 1942 with a cargo of 12 750 tons of fuel oil. Later, on the 25th of January, she was torpedoed by U-130. She broke into three pieces after being hit by three separate torpedoes. The first of these struck the port side between the foremast and the bridge, where 3 crew members were on duty. The port amidships lifeboat was destroyed in the following explosion and the radio was left useless. Both the starboard amidships lifeboat and the aft standard motorboat were ordered launched but five minutes after the first torpedo struck a second hit between the aft mast and the poop deck. A few minutes later, once everyone had safely disembarked onto smaller boats which were all behind the ship (which had begun to sink), the third torpedo set the Varanger on fire. The front of the ship was able to stay afloat but the remaining two parts sank. All 40 of the original passengers survived and began to row westwards as the U-boat surfaced. About 6 hours later the survivors came across two fishing vehicles which towed the lifeboats to safety at the Coast Guard station at Sea Island Inlet, New Jersey. Survivors' statements report that Varanger was about 30 miles offshore on a course toward Barnegat when the first torpedo hit the ship amidships on the port side, destroying 2 of the 4 lifeboats. As Varanger began to sink the 2 remaining boats were launched. The second torpedo (which hit on the port side) destroyed the engine room and all men were off the ship by that point. Shortly afterwards, a third and final torpedo was fired at the ship, which caused it to sink rapidly. Fishing vessels towed the remaining two lifeboats to shore. No-one was seriously injured although there were various minor injuries.

Varanger Dive Info: Key Characteristics and Details