Who is on the former White Boat on the way from Malmö? Germans?, former DPs?, Repatriands?
Considering the above, I was thinking about the cabin number. 37 on deck C of S/S Kastelholm. I know who traveled in it for 4 days between the 5th and 8th of July. Her name was Grete Lorie (her real name was Gertruda Lorieova), a Holocaust survivor from Bergen-Belsen. She was almost unconscious and had a high fever of around 40°C when leaving Lübeck. Her cabin, deep in the ship on the starboard side, third from the fore, was hell for the first two days of the journey from Germany as special devices against acoustic mines were fitted close to the cabins. These mechanical devices produced a terrible chattering sound for countering acoustic influence mines. When in Stockholm, Gertruda Lorieova was taken by ambulance directly to the hospital. She died there after some days and was buried in the K-quoter at the North Jewish cemetery. During the following trip of S/S Kastelholm from Lübeck to Stockholm, Eva Jakubovitz was lying in the same cabin. Both Gertruda and Eva died within the days after they arrived in Stockholm. On deck B, in cabin no. 31, Vera Krèmer was. Vera was the first Holocaust victim to die in Stockholm. All three girls are buried in the same row at the Northern Jewish cemetery in Stockholm!
Six months later, the same cabins at S/S Kastelholm in which dying Holocaust survivors were transported from Lübeck to Sweden were filled by German military personnel who were going in the opposite direction. Among them were probably also the SS and Gestapo members who were on duty in Norway when WWII ended. On duty means that they might also be responsible for sending 768 Jews from Oslo to Auschwitz. Only 28 of them survived.
Remarkable that the predators and their prey were in the same berth, with just six months time difference.
Later, in 1946-1947, the cabins of S/S Kastelholm saw again Jewish Holocaust survivors who were brought to Sweden by White Boats and White buses. Now, they were leaving Sweden for Eretz Israel, and some as well for Poland after getting unbelievable information that someone survived. Two Jewish survivor groups, heading later for Israel, boarded S/S Kastelholm on its trips to Antwerp and Calais.
Six months later, the same cabins at S/S Kastelholm in which dying Holocaust survivors were transported from Lübeck to Sweden were filled by German military personnel who were going in the opposite direction. Among them were probably also the SS and Gestapo members who were on duty in Norway when WWII ended. On duty means that they might also be responsible for sending 768 Jews from Oslo to Auschwitz. Only 28 of them survived.
Remarkable that the predators and their prey were in the same berth, with just six months time difference.
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| Later, in 1946-1947, the cabins of S/S Kastelholm saw again Jewish Holocaust survivors who were brought to Sweden by White Boats and White buses. Now, they were leaving Sweden for Eretz Israel, and some as well for Poland, after getting unbelievable information that someone survived. Two Jewish survivor groups, heading later for Israel, boarded S/S Kastelholm on its trips to Antwerp and Calais. Here in May, they are leaving for Calais. Among passengers there were boys and girls, former inmates from Kinderheim in Bergen-Belsen, who were brought on UNRRA's White Boat, S/S Kastelholm to Sweden. |
Later, in 1946-1947, the cabins of S/S Kastelholm saw again Jewish Holocaust survivors who were brought to Sweden by White Boats and White buses. Now, they were leaving Sweden for Eretz Israel, and some as well for Poland after getting unbelievable information that someone survived. Two Jewish survivor groups, heading later for Israel, boarded S/S Kastelholm on its trips to Antwerp and Calais.
Many of the Jewish refugees who ended up in Sweden by different actions, wanted, after they got their health back, to move to Eretz Israel. Transportation between Sweden and Eretz Israel was the biggest problem. Europa was not safe for the Jews. On January 24th, 1947, the Aliyah boat S/S Ulua departed successfully from Trelleborg with 650 Jews. The final destination for S/S Ulua was Israel. The trip was part of Aliyah Beth, an illegal entry to Israel. After the S/S Ulua left, there were still hundreds of young Jews who wanted to go to Israel.
S/S Kastelholm was never used to transport Jewish survivors to Haifa in Israel, as it is stated by The Living History Forum run by the Swedish Government.
S/S Kastelholm was never used to transport Jewish survivors to Haifa in Israel, as it is stated by The Living History Forum run by the Swedish Government.
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| Red Cross Boat S/S Kastelholm, cabin no. 37 on deck C, starboard side, is marked. Was this cabin, the area of the boat, especially dedicated to the most ill patients? |
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| The medical journal from the Red Cross Boat Kastelholm, cabin no. 37 2. 5-8th July 1945. Puls and fever data of Grete Lorie are shown. Many of the patients were in a very bad condition, suffering from severe malnutrition and tuberculosis, and, in fact, a few of them did not survive the voyage and numerous died after arrival in Sweden. |
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The medical journal from the Red Cross Boat Kastelholm, cabin no. 37 2. 11-15th July 1945. Pulse and fever data of Eva Jakubovitz are shown. Many of the patients were in a very bad condition, suffering from severe malnutrition and tuberculosis, and, in fact, a few of them did not survive the voyage and numerous died after arrival in Sweden. Eva died a few weeks after arrival. Two of her sisters, who survived, left Sweden later.
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The medical journal from the Red Cross Boat Kastelholm, cabin no. 31, deck B. 2. 5-8th July 1945. Pulse and fever data of Vera Krémer are shown. Vera Krémer was the first Holocaust victim to die and was buried in Stockholm. Her daughter survived the Holocaust in hiding and lives now (2020) in Budapest.
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| December 1939 - June 1945. Until mid June 1945, the steam ship S/S Kastelholm was parked at Old City, next to the Royal Palace in Stockholm. No one wanted to use it for the Baltic trips. Throughout the entire WWII, S/S Kastelholm was posted there. Suddenly, the situation drastically changed! |
Below are some of the activities of S/S Kastelholm 1939-1946.
December 1939- June 1945
Until mid-June 1945, the ship S/S Kastelholm was parked next to the Royal Palace in Stockholm. No one wanted to use it for the Baltic trips. Throughout the entire WWII, S/S Kastelholm was posted there. Suddenly, the situation drastically changed!
June-July 1945
In June and July 1945, the cabins were filled in several rounds by Holocaust survivors who, under UNRRA aid, went under the Red Cross flag to Sweden to receive care. S/S Kastelholm, with Captain Dahlbom, was then part of a fleet of five vessels administered by the Navy (through Civilförsvaret) and was subsequently painted as a Red Cross ship belonging to White Boats. S/S Kastelholm was chosen to transport survivors from Lubeck in Germany to Stockholm in Sweden. It was a rather comfortable ship, which was important as most of the survivors brought to Stockholm were in rather poor condition.
December 15th, 1945
S/S did several trips with Polish and Jewish refugees to Poland, a.o., on December 15th, 194,5 from Malmö to Poland. Some of the Holocaust survivors from Sweden were on board. Some of them to reunite with their families in Poland, and some of them are just using Poland as a transit land when going to Eretz Israel. Thus, legally, they had a visa to enter Eretz Israel issued by British authorities. However, the number of visas was very limited, and it resulted in Aliyah Beth's illegal immigration.
December 1939- June 1945
Until mid-June 1945, the ship S/S Kastelholm was parked next to the Royal Palace in Stockholm. No one wanted to use it for the Baltic trips. Throughout the entire WWII, S/S Kastelholm was posted there. Suddenly, the situation drastically changed!
June-July 1945
In June and July 1945, the cabins were filled in several rounds by Holocaust survivors who, under UNRRA aid, went under the Red Cross flag to Sweden to receive care. S/S Kastelholm, with Captain Dahlbom, was then part of a fleet of five vessels administered by the Navy (through Civilförsvaret) and was subsequently painted as a Red Cross ship belonging to White Boats. S/S Kastelholm was chosen to transport survivors from Lubeck in Germany to Stockholm in Sweden. It was a rather comfortable ship, which was important as most of the survivors brought to Stockholm were in rather poor condition.
The very first trip for S/S Kastelholm as a White boat was to bring exhausted and ill Holocaust survivors liberated in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Numerous of them, although they were treated for almost 10 weeks at field hospitals. Most of them were still seriously ill and very weak when they boarded the S/S Kastelholm on June 28th, 1945. Boarded means they were taken onboard on stretchers.
S/S Kastelholm made three trips between Lubeck and Stockholm. The last trip under UNRRA's direction was thus from Lubeck on July 25, 1945, with approximately 170 Norwegian children and 46 mothers.
December 15th, 1945
S/S did several trips with Polish and Jewish refugees to Poland, a.o., on December 15th, 194,5 from Malmö to Poland. Some of the Holocaust survivors from Sweden were on board. Some of them to reunite with their families in Poland, and some of them are just using Poland as a transit land when going to Eretz Israel. Thus, legally, they had a visa to enter Eretz Israel issued by British authorities. However, the number of visas was very limited, and it resulted in Aliyah Beth's illegal immigration.
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| S/S did several trips with Polish and Jewish refugees to Poland, a.o., on December 15th, 194,5 from Malmö to Poland. Some of the Holocaust survivors from Sweden were on board. Some of them to reunite with their families in Poland, and some of them just using Poland as a transit land when going to Eretz Israel. Thus legally as they had visa to enter Eretz Israel issued by British authorities. However, the number of visas was very limited, and it resulted in Aliyah Beth an illegal immigration. |
January 27, 1946
Almost 6 months later, the cabins of S/S Kastelholm (Captain Kallenberg) were filled by German militaries (probably also the SS and Gestapo people). They were about to leave Trelleborg for Lubeck. It was part of the last act of the Baltic and German extradition from Sweden. Therefore, in January 1946, there stood two vessels in Trelleborg harbor. One was a Russian ship, S/S Beloostrov, and the other a Swedish ship S/S Kastelholm. I do not know if the Swedish ship was again chartered by the Swedish Military. The Marine Administration's documents state that S/S Kastelholm was, after it was transporting former concentration camp prisoners, "delivered back" to SAL (the Swedish America Line) in late July or August 3, 1945.
Almost 6 months later, the cabins of S/S Kastelholm (Captain Kallenberg) were filled by German militaries (probably also the SS and Gestapo people). They were about to leave Trelleborg for Lubeck. It was part of the last act of the Baltic and German extradition from Sweden. Therefore, in January 1946, there stood two vessels in Trelleborg harbor. One was a Russian ship, S/S Beloostrov, and the other a Swedish ship S/S Kastelholm. I do not know if the Swedish ship was again chartered by the Swedish Military. The Marine Administration's documents state that S/S Kastelholm was, after it was transporting former concentration camp prisoners, "delivered back" to SAL (the Swedish America Line) in late July or August 3, 1945.
Back to Trelleborg. What is known is that on January 25, 1946, the Soviet ship S/S Beloostrov left Trelleborg with about 150 Balts along with 230 Germans on board. Balts and Germans were soldiers. It was actually the third and the final transport to the Soviet Union. In total, over 2,500 Germans were extradited to the Soviet Union. The destination of the Soviet vessels was Libau in Latvia.
The Swedish ship S/S Kastelholm departed Trelleborg harbour just two days later, on January 27, 1946, with about "200 German military refugees" going to the western zones. I do not know who exactly decided about the fate of 200 Germans destined for Lubeck. Most probably, it had to do with the principles decided by the Alien forces. It implies that refugees in uniform would be returned to the zone where they were at the time of Germany's military capitulation on May 8. Thus, soldiers from the Eastern Front would be extradited to the Soviet zone. Among the German soldiers returned to the Soviet Union were Balts serving in the German army, among others in the SS.
The Swedish ship S/S Kastelholm departed Trelleborg harbour just two days later, on January 27, 1946, with about "200 German military refugees" going to the western zones. I do not know who exactly decided about the fate of 200 Germans destined for Lubeck. Most probably, it had to do with the principles decided by the Alien forces. It implies that refugees in uniform would be returned to the zone where they were at the time of Germany's military capitulation on May 8. Thus, soldiers from the Eastern Front would be extradited to the Soviet zone. Among the German soldiers returned to the Soviet Union were Balts serving in the German army, among others in the SS.
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On May 13th, 1946, S/S Kastelholm left Helsingborg with 100 of the youngest Jewish refugees, born around 1930. This time to the French port of Calais. It is likely that all of Jewish refugees had a permit to entry the Mandate of Palestine as this information was in the "Card for facilitating the passport control on departure from Sweden". There were supposed to go further to Eretz Israel but first, after 1 year stay/learning in France according to Aliyah office in Paris. Here the back of the Swedish entry card with the information of whereabout since the person came to Sweden with the White boat in July 1945.
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May, 13th, 1946
S/S Kastelholm did another trip with Jewish refugees, 100 of the youngest ones, born around 1930. This time to start with, the French port of Calais. S/S Kastelholm left Helsingborg on May 13th, 1946. All of them likely had a permit to enter the Mandate of Palestine, as this information was in the "Card for facilitating the passport control on departure from Sweden". They were supposed to go further to Eretz Israel, but first after a 1-year stay/education in France,e according to the Aliyah office in Paris.
August 1946
Again, S/S Kastelholm, which transported the first former concentration camp prisoners (June-July, 1945) was the solution. The ship was departing in August 1946 for Antwerpen and Aliyah Beth people in Sweden succeeded in getting 130 adults and 30 youth on board. The idea was that another boat was taking them further to Israel. However, the group got stranded in Holland and left for Israel in April 1947.
S/S Kastelholm was built 1929 by Eriksbergs Mekaniska Verkstads AB., Göteborg for Swedish America Line. After 1952, it was sold several times after that without change of name. In 1975 the ship was scrapped.
S/S Kastelholm did another trip with Jewish refugees, 100 of the youngest ones, born around 1930. This time to start with, the French port of Calais. S/S Kastelholm left Helsingborg on May 13th, 1946. All of them likely had a permit to enter the Mandate of Palestine, as this information was in the "Card for facilitating the passport control on departure from Sweden". They were supposed to go further to Eretz Israel, but first after a 1-year stay/education in France,e according to the Aliyah office in Paris.
August 1946
Again, S/S Kastelholm, which transported the first former concentration camp prisoners (June-July, 1945) was the solution. The ship was departing in August 1946 for Antwerpen and Aliyah Beth people in Sweden succeeded in getting 130 adults and 30 youth on board. The idea was that another boat was taking them further to Israel. However, the group got stranded in Holland and left for Israel in April 1947.
M/S Kronprinsessan Ingrid was also used to transport DPs to Sweden during June-July 1945. Later in October-November 1945, the ship was to transport to Poland so called repatriandi. Repatriandi were person that were returning to their home countries. Concerning Jews Polan was not the country to return to as most of the Jews and their homes were not there any more.
