Technical
general cargo vessel��� -� steam - single screw
3,256 GRT -� 5,420 DWT
331' x 47'9" x 21'
Service speed 8 knots

Master Lieutenant Seron

The ship was a steamer owned by Max Faulbaums Steamship Line, steaming under the Latvian flag.� At the time of the Soviet� invasion of the Baltic countries in 1939 the ship was in Riga.� To prevent her being captured by the Soviets she was loaded as fast as possible with wood and sailed for Bruges, Belgium.�Upon arrival there the crew decided to stay with the vessel and await what would happen.� In order to be able to buy foodstuffs the crew was forced to sell some machinery and other equipment.�

When Germany invaded Belgium on May 10, 1940 the Belgian Government decided to seize the vessel since Max Faulbaums Steamship Line had a German co-owner.�� To secure the prize it was decided to evacuate the ship to a British or French port.� On May 15 the vessel's engines were inspected and they were found to be in a bad condition.� Thereupon the Belgian Naval Corps despatched the river tug Baron de Maere and the ocean-going tug Graaf Visart to Bruges for towage.� First it was the intention to tow the ship to France via inland channels.� This idea soon was abandoned since the vessel� proved to be too large.� Thereupon it was decided to evacuate the ship via the North Sea.�

On May 18 the ship arrived at Zeebrugge.� Lt. Grar�, commander of the Second Squadron, was ordered to load all departing vessels as much as possible with lead, zinc, and rice.� He was allowed to requisition civilian manpower.�� Representatives of the company "La Vieille Montagne" agreed that their stockpile of lead, which was stocked in the harbour of Zeebrugge, was to be loaded on Sigurd Faulbaums.� To man the ship the entire crew of the Italian vessel Foscolo, which was sunk off Knokke during a German air raid, was requisitioned with approval of the Italian consul.� Lieutenant Seron of the Belgian Naval Corps was to take command of the ship.� During the night of 19 to 20 May German bombers dropped magnetic mines in Zeebrugge Roads.� Because of that danger the Italians refused further cooperation.� A crew then was formed from 10 volunteers of the Second Squadron.

On 20 May the English Admiralty announced they would block the entrance to the harbour the following night.� Therefore it was necessary to tow the vessel away that same day.� During the evening, however, Belgian authorities were informed by the Admiralty the blockade was postponed.

Loading the ship continued until May 22.� Civilians as well as naval personnel were involved in this task.� Accord to Military records 1,000 tons of lead was taken on board.� At about 16:00 Lt. Seron was ordered to stop loading and to prepare the ship for sea.� It was intended to tow the vessel with Graaf Visart and Baron de Maere to the Downs and to hand the ship there over to British authorities.�

At about 11:00 on the 23th the convoy set sail to England.� They were merely passing the mole at Zeebrugge when Baron de Maere's screw got tangled with the hawser because of clumsy manoeuvring.� Nevertheless Lt. Seron decided to continue their voyage.� Baron de Maere was taken in tow by Sigurd Faulbaum, which, in her turn, was towed by Graaf Visart.� At about 12:10 there was a heavy explosion at the after part of the steamer.� An enormous detonation column carried water, pieces of wood and chunks of lead into the air.� The stern immediately settled and it was clear the ship was sinking fast.� Nearly the entire crew managed to abandon ship in one lifeboat and a raft.� Lieutenant Seron, however, was sucked into hold number two.� He eventually saved himself by� using two pieces of debris as a raft.

In the meantime the crew of Baron de Maere had parted the towing line from the sinking vessel and had taken to a lifeboat.� Graaf Visart also parted the line and immediately began a rescue operation.� All survivors were taken on board of this tug.� An half hour later Graaf Visart took also Baron de Maere back in tow and proceeded to the Downs.� At that time it was believed that Sigurd Faulbaums fell victim to a magnetic mine and it was but after the war that it became clear she was in fact torpedoed by U-9.�

It also became clear L�th assumed he had sunk an important military supply ship because of the presence of two tugs around the freighter and because of the presence of Belgian marines on board of the ship.

Source
Belgische Marinekorps 1939-1940, Jasper van Raemdonck, (thanks to Danny� Desmidt)��

NOTE : There was some confusion about her nationality.� According to The World's Merchant Fleets by Roger Jordan she was a Belgian ship at the time of her sinking.� According to Deutsche U-boot Erfolge by Busch & R�ll she was then a German one, captured by the British and on her way to the UK.� This is however wrong, see the detailed description above.

Many thanks to Walter Janssens for the extensive information on this page.

Unless otherwise stated, all dates and times are from the German perspective and are given in CET.
NEW There is a page to assist with grid squares here.