registry was changed to Amsterdam and the Code Letters PIQI were allocated. Willy remained under the management of NV Nederlandsch Bevrachtingskantoor. In 1939, Willy was sold to Dampskibs Hetland AS and renamed Storaa, which is the Danish for "Big River". Her port of registry was changed to Copenhagen, and the Code Letters OZDP were allocated. War service On 9 April 1940, Storaa was requisitioned at Grangemouth by the Ministry of Shipping. She was reflagged to the United Kingdom. Her port of registry was changed to London and the Code Letters GLDG were allocated, with the ship regaining her Official Number 142256. She was operated under the management of W T Gould Ltd, Cardiff. In June 1940, Storaa was detained at Casablanca, Morocco. Her crew were imprisoned, but they escaped deportation to a German work camp when the Allies invaded French North Africa. Storaa was seized by the Vichy Government and renamed Saint Edmond. She was scuttled at Port Lyautey, Morocco in November 1942. In January 1943, she was refloated. The ship was renamed Storaa, and passed to the MoWT. She was refitted by her crew, and returned to the United Kingdom in June 1943. Sinking From 1941, the MOWT had the power to requisition merchant ships, regulate and control the movement of ships and regulate the trade and the type and amount of cargo they carried. The MOWT also acted as the owning authority for all ships under government control. On 2 November 1943, Storaa left Southend as part of Convoy CW 221, the 221st convoy proceeding along the Channel Westwards, transporting 2500 tons of tank parts from to a weapons factory in Cardiff. was the escort to the convoy which consisted of 19 Merchant ships including Storaa. The bills of loading show that it had a cargo of 376 tons of steel slabs, 250 tons of steel billets and 608 tons of pig iron (a total of 1,234 tons). However, a contemporary account by a survivor, 3rd officer, H B Knudsen, describes the cargo as "tank parts and aircraft". Mr Knudsen describes loading the cargo: When we had unloaded the pulp, we then began to load caterpillar tracks for the so-called "belt vehicles", which was very heavy material almost solid iron. That was put in the bottom of the ship, and then we filled up the rest with aeroplanes in large boxes. We even had some as deck cargo.