Erling Gulbrandsen M/S Crux Sunk by German U-boat in 1940

Erling Gulbrandsen ( Norwegian, 1894-1971) Norwegian Motor Merchant . M/S Crux. Dimensions: 17 x 11 inches inclusive the frame. Description: Oil on canvas. Signed E. Guldbrandsen for Erling Gulbrandsen (1894-1971) A listed Norwegian seascape painter. The oil is titled Oslo and dates back to the late 1930s. Rare portrait of the famous Norwegian Motor Merchant, M/S Crux seen on high seas outside Oslo in Norway. The M/S Crux was on route to Madeira, Portugal when WW2 broke out and Norway was put under German occupation. Unable to return to Norway, she and her crew joined the allied forces in United Kingdom. On June 18,1940, she was carrying 6300 tons of fuel, when she was stuck by a torpedo from famous German submarine, U-A, Commanded by Fregattenkapitän Hans Cohausz.