Many thanks to Robert N Baird, author of Shipwrecks of the North of Scotland� (published by Birlinn, Edinburgh in October 2003) who contributes his research on the debate over whether U 55 or U 22 sank TEKLA:

In his original version of Axis Submarine Successes, Prof Dr Jurgen Rohwer attributed the sinking of Tekla and�Andalusia on 21 January 1940 to�Heidel in U-55.

Following correspondence with myself, he amended this in the revised edition of Axis Submarine Successes to show that Heidel probably sank the Andalusia (it was sunk off the north west of Ireland), while Jenisch sank the Tekla in the North Sea on the same day. (Obviously U-55 could not possibly have been in both of these positions at the same time, or even on the same day!)

�U-55 was on its first patrol, from which it did not return, as it was sunk on 30 January, after sinking the Vaclite and the Keramiai off Lands End. Heidel, himself, was lost, and the KTB�must have gone�down with the boat, as it has not survived. No other U-boat claimed to have sunk Andalusia, and as U-55 had to pass through the area in which Andalusia was sunk, and at the appropriate time, by a process of elimination, U-55 seems the most likely candidate for having sunk the Andalusia.

Excerpt from Shipwrecks of the North of Scotland�by Robert N Baird (published by Birlinn, Edinburgh in October 2003):
The Danish steamship Tekla, belonging to D/S Torm of Copenhagen was built in Helsing�r in 1920.� She was torpedoed and sunk while en route from Burntisland to Aarhus with a cargo of coal and coke on 21 January 1940. The ship sank in three minutes with the loss of nine of her 18 crew.

According to Rohwer's Axis Submarine Successes 1939-45, she was torpedoed at 05.00 hrs on 21 January 1940. The position was described as 50 minutes (miles?) North east of Tarbat Ness, and the torpedoing was originally attributed to the U-55 (KL Werner Heidel).

Admiralty documents in the PRO state that Tekla was torpedoed at 05.13 hrs on the 21st in 5818N, 0225W, which is about 40 miles NNW of Kinnaird Head, and this is the position recorded by the Hydrographic Department, Lloyds and Axis Submarine Successes. The fact that all three sources give the same position suggests a common original source - probably the radio log of the Cyprian Prince, whose radio operator gave that position at 05.07 hrs when he called GKR (Wick Radio) �SOS. Sinking in 5818N, 0225W�. (Although the vessel he was referring to was HMS Exmouth).

Further consideration has since been given to the U-boat attacks in this area during January 1940, and it is now known that Tekla was the ship torpedoed by U-22 at 06.11 hrs on the 21st (07.11hrs CET) in AN1681, which equates to about 5827N, 0224W.

About an hour and a half after this grid reference was entered in U-22�s Ktb, the U-boat�s navigator made a correction to his position plot by 10 miles southwards. This would result in a position for the torpedoing of the Tekla as 5817N, 0224W.

A wreck located at 581624N, 022612W in February 1945, was reported to be 130 ft long, and standing up 30 ft from the seabed. The wreck was located and dived on 1 June 2001 at 5816.473N, 0226.550W. Although nine of Tekla�s crew were lost, there were nine survivors.

An inquest was held in Copenhagen on 25 January and 1 February 1940. Able Seaman Julius Thomsen had taken over the helm at 0600hrs on the 21st. The weather was calm with a slight swell. It was dark but still with some visibility. About five minutes before the torpedo struck, Thomsen observed a sharp beam of light coming from low over the water, and flashing towards Tekla�s bridge. The light came and went a couple of times before disappearing. He immediately told the mate, Hans J�rgensen, that they probably had a German U-boat to starboard, and shortly afterwards saw at a distance of 300-400 metres, the luminous streak of a torpedo coming towards the starboard side of the ship. Thomsen immediately put the helm hard to port, but it was too late. When the torpedo struck there was a violent explosion which killed four members of Tekla�s crew. Both hatches flew up in the air before the explosion was even heard. The ship immediately took a list to starboard, which increased rapidly, and she began to sink. The starboard lifeboat was put into the water and ten men jumped into it. Immediately after that the vessel sank. As the Tekla�s stern lifted upwards, and the ship capsized, the mainmast hit the lifeboat, crushing it. The ten men who were in the lifeboat fell into the water and five of them drowned. The other five managed to board a raft which had floated free. Four more of Tekla�s crew were on another raft. At about 8.30 am these four were taken aboard a Royal Navy vessel and transferred to the Norwegian ship Iris, which at the same time took the five men from the second raft. The nine survivors were disembarked in Bergen.

The body of one member of Tekla�s crew, Verner S�rensen of Fredericia, was washed ashore and buried in an unmarked grave in Wick cemetery. (Plot No.1026).

Many thanks to Robert N Baird for the extensive coverage of this ship. �

Unless otherwise stated, all dates and times are from the German perspective and are given in CET.
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