- SS Orama during the Second World War -
Naval Index
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to accept cookies.
If you enjoy this siteplease consider making a donation.
Site Home
WW2 Home
Add Stories
WW2 Search
Library
Help & FAQs
WW2 Features
Airfields
Allied Army
Allied Air Forces
Allied Navy
Axis Forces
Home Front
Battles
Prisoners of War
Allied Ships
Women at War
Those Who Served
Day-by-Day
Library
The Great War
Submissions
Add Stories
Time Capsule
TWMP on Facebook
Childrens Bookshop
FAQ's
Help & FAQs
Glossary
Volunteering
Contact us
News
Bookshop
About
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
If you have any Photographs you would like to share please get in touch.
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
Those known to have sailed in
SS Orama
during the Second World War 1939-1945.
- Burgess Percy George.
- Byrne C.. Bosun's Mate.
- Cook Edward. 2nd W/Ofc.
- Flett William. 3rd Elec. (d.8th Jun 1940)
- Flynn Richard. Able.Sea.
- Flynn Richard. Able Sea. (d.23rd November 1946)
- Hopperton Henry. Bsn.
- Huntbatch E. A.. Ass.Stwd. (d.15th July 1941)
- Huntbatch E. A.. SA. (d.15th July 1941)
- Hurlock Sidney John. AB.
- Hurrell Sidney.
- Lindup Philip. Able Sea.
- Little Clarence.
- Little Harry. Stew.
- Little Harry.
- Locke Sidney. Seaman.
- OBrien P. J.. Asst.Stew.
- Overman Arthur. Steward.
- Overman Arthur.
- Phillips George. Gnr.
- Rudd Olley.
- Steel Henry Golege. Surg.
- Thompkins Roy.
- Wellerd Walter Augustus.
- White James. AB. (d.8th June 1940)
- Williams Thomas Lawrence.
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.
The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.
Announcements
- The Wartime Memories Project has been running for 24 years. If you would like to support us, a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting and admin or this site will vanish from the web.
- 28th March 2024 - Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 263784 your information is still in the queue, please do not resubmit, we are working through them as quickly as possible.
- Looking for help with Family History Research? Please read our Family History FAQ's
- The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web.
If you enjoy this siteplease consider making a donation.
Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the War? Our Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text.
We are now on Facebook. Like this page to receive our updates.
If you have a general question please post it on our Facebook page.
Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to WW2. We would like to obtain digital copies of any documents or photographs relating to WW2 you may have at home.If you have any unwanted photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes.
Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted. World War 1 One ww1 wwII second 1939 1945 battalion
Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.
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
Recomended Reading.
Available at discounted prices.
Links
The free section of the Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers. We have been helping people find out more about their relatives wartime experiences since 1999 by recording and preserving recollections, documents, photographs and small items.
The website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources and we currently have a huge backlog of submissions.
If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small to help with the costs of keeping the site running.
Hosted by:
Copyright MCMXCIX - MMXXIV
- All Rights Reserved
We do not permit the use of any content from this website for the training of LLMs or for use in Generative AI, it also may not be scraped for the purpose of creating other websites.