The Wartime Memories Project

- SS Orama during the Second World War -


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World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945

SS Orama



   The SS Orama was built by Vickers-Armstrong at Barrow-in-Furness in 1924 for the Orient Line with accommodation for 1,700 passengers. She was converted to a troopship in 1940, and was used to transport the British Expeditionary Force to Norway following the German Invasion. On the 8th June 1940, she was sunk 300 miles West of Narvik, by the German High Seas Fleet comprising Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Admiral Hipper. The Orama lost 19 killed and 280 were taken prisoner, there were heavy losses on the other allied ships also sunk, the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious, two destroyers HMS Ardent and HMS Acasta, the trawler Juniper and the oil tanker Oil Pioneer.

An Orient Line postcard of The Orama

A German destroyer sails past as The Troopship Orama goes down.

Survivors of the Orama climb aboard the Hipper

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Those known to have sailed in

SS Orama

during the Second World War 1939-1945.

The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List

Records of SS Orama from other sources.



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Want to know more about SS Orama?


There are:0 items tagged SS Orama available in our Library

  These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War.


Surg. Henry Golege Steel SS Orama

My grandfather, Dr Henry Golege Steel, was serving on the SS Orama in the 2nd World War. He was acting as surgeon in the transport ship Orama when she was sunk. My Grandfather was over 60 yrs when he joined the war at the end of May 1940 so the sinking was early on in his war. He was captured and held prisoner of war in a variety of locations until he returned to England some three and a half years later. I have a typed copy of a talk he gave that mentions the ship and its sinking.

Sarah Clayson



Clarence "Harry" Little Orama

My father, Clarence Little, known as "Harry", survived the sinking of the Orama and was held in Stalag 13B.

Richard Little



AB. James White SS Orama (d.8th June 1940)

James White died when his vessel was sunk by German fleet during Battle of Narvik.

William James Morrow



AB. Sidney John Hurlock SS Orama

My Father Sidney Hurlock joined up at the beginning of the war. He was 38 years old and could have stayed at home, but he reasoned the more went to war the sooner it would be over. The SS Orama was sunk I believe on its first trip and he was taken prisoner and spent 4 years in a German Camp. He contacted T.B. there and came home a very sick man which led to his early death at 63 years.

Marion Datlen



SA. E. A. Huntbatch SS Orama (d.15th July 1941)

E A Huntbatch of the Merchant Navy served on the SS Orama. I discovered the grave of this man in southern Bavaria, CWGC cemetery, Durnbach. It is of note, however, as he is the only seafarer in what is a Royal Air Force cemetery. The site is almost entirely the resting place of bomber crews. In the midst of all these young men is a 55yr old.

Don Hill



Walter Augustus "Dick" Wellerd SS Orama

Dick Wellerd was onboard the Orama when it was sunk in 1940, he was an Assistant Pantryman. He along with many others was a POW in Gard Nord camp for the remainder of the war. He is remembered as being a fastidiously neat and tidy man, very into keeping fit.




Ass.Stwd. E. A. Huntbatch S.S. Orama (d.15th July 1941)

E A Huntbatch is buried in Durnbach, I found it a strange place for a ship's steward to be buried but presumably he died in a concentration camp, however Stalag 13 mentioned by others, is not that near, maybe 240km away. I used to live in Bavaria, near the war cemetery in Durnbach, I stopped off on my way home from work and took this photo.

Neil Scott



Olley Rudd SS Orama

Olley Rudd, my husbands grandfather. Survived the sinking of the SS Orama and spent the war in Milag Nord. We have one of his YMCA issued Wartime log books. It contains many poems and sketches by many different prisoners. The last being a pencil sketch titled, The Gates are Open. Dated 28th of April 1945, showing a tank by the gates and guards with their hands above there head.




Able Sea. Richard Flynn S.S. Orama (Barrow) (d.23rd November 1946)

Able Seaman Flynn was the Son of Edward and Margaret Flynn, of Tramore; husband of Anastasia Flynn, of Tramore.

He was 64 when he died and is buried in the north east corner of the Fenor Catholic Churchyard, Co. Waterford, Ireland.

s flynn



Sidney Hurrell SS Orama

Sidney Hurrell served on the SS Orama and became a prisoner of war after the sinking.

Nicholas Hurrell



Percy George Burgess SS Orama

Percy Burgess is believed to be one of the 280 survivors of the 'Orama' which was sunk June, 1940. I would like to hear from anyone who has knowledge of him.

Margo Gould



Harry Little

My father, Harry Little, survived the sinking of SS Orama. He was a POW in Stalag 13.

R Little



Able Sea. Philip Lindup RMS Orama

I joined the Orama in late autumn 1939 and crossed the Atlantic to pick up Canadian troops from Halifax ,Nova Scotia. Returned safely before Christmas, my last one at home for five years! I then went to Australia and back on RMS service; once again no problems.

In May 1940, we joined convoy to Norway which assembled at Scapa Flow. we ran aground in Scapa, following a naval destroyer which had much less draught than we did. To meet sailing date with convoy, we pumped out most of our fresh water; thereby hangs a tale! The rendezvous was outside Narvik. There were more ships in the convoy than were needed, so we were ordered to return to Scapa on our own, and it was then that we ran into the German Navy. We had lots of trouble with rats on the ship. Crew who had been on the ship since her maiden voyage, said that they had never known so many rats about. Did they know something?

The vessel was sunk and most of the crew were picked up by German destoyers and Hipper. We were landed Trondheim and transferred to cattle trucks on a train; these carried a sign - they would carry 10 horses or 40 men. We were taken down to Oslo and across to Denmark, and then down to Stalag 13 (I think).

Then moved to Tost, which is Upper Silesia, and was placed in the Tost camp along with PG Wodehouse among others. Eventually moved on to Marlag und Milag Nord, where I stayed until liberation in April 1945.

Jeremy Cotton







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