I thought this was an interesting story. The ship in queston D/S Bestik, was sill sailing in 1940 when Germany invaded Norway. The Bestik and her crew served in convoys throughout World War II as part of the Norwegian Merchant Fleet. 

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Phil Cohen
October 30, 2013

Battered Ship Arrives Here After Riding Out 2 Storms
Captain and Crew Faced Death as Norwegian Vessel Encountered Hurricanes; Stormy Voyage Began at London on January 7

With her radio out of commission and giant waves battering her sides, the Norwegian freighter Bestik anchored off Kaighn Point yesterday, 14 days overdue in her crossing of the hurricane-swept Atlantic.

Bound from London to Camden, the Bestik met the worse weather her skipper, Captain Thoralf Moy, had seen in 35 years at sea.

The exciting story of the ship's passing through two hurricanes, which carried waves clear over her bridge, bending the railings and the iron foremast ladder, was told yesterday by the happy crew, many of whom never expected to set foot on land again.

The ship had left London for Camden on Jan. 7, the voyage usually taking about 19 days.

"The seas were tremendous on almost the entire voyage," Captain Moy explained.

Although the ship had a month's supply of coal when she left London, he explained, the slow progress against the huge waves ate into the supply so rapidly that she was forced to go 350 miles off her course to Fayal, in the Azores, to refill her bunkers. She reached there Jan. 26.

"We started out again and the seas still were terrific," he said. "The waves came over the bridge, put our radio out of order for a while and bent the iron ladder on the foremast almost in half. Sometimes we had to fight our way against the waves to reach the bridge."

The railings around the deck and the bridge also were bent and broken and a steel bulkhead was smashed in.

"We certainly were glad to see the quiet Delaware river," the captain said. "We're lucky to be here. This is a seaworthy little vessel and in any other ship we probably would have been on the bottom now."

The hardy Norwegian crew, few of whom spoke English, had their faces wreathed in smiles as they prepared to set foot on dry land to "splice the main brace."

The ship is carrying chalk, a difficult cargo as it has no "give" and rolls with the seas. She probably will dock today.. 

"I've been told this is a post war picture of this ship, when named Mimer. Received from Dennis Aske, whose father sailed on her." - Siri Lawson