Tonnage: 1392 gt.

Built at Akers mek. Verksted in Oslo 1937. (A/S Jelølinjen, owner). This was the last coal fuelled vessel built for Fred. Olsen & Co.

WW II:

Received from Theodor Dorgeist, a German visitor to my site:

My German isn't all that great, but I believe he says that Baden was at Akers Verft (where she was built) when the Germans invaded Norway on Apr. 9-1940; it's possible she was in for repairs at the time. She was taken as prize on Apr. 17, departed Larvik for Germany on Aug. 3, where she was freed (no longer considered a prize of the Germans). On May 13-1941 she was taken over in Oslo by the Kriegsmarine and allocated to Reederei Leth & Co., Hamburg, then handed over to that company when in Hamburg on May 22 that year, getting a German crew on board on the 24th. Sent to Helsingör on July 1 to be converted to the small Sperrbrecher 75. On Nov. 13-1941 she was officially no longer managed by Leth & Co.; the way I understand it she had been transferred on Nov. 3 to the command of the 2nd Sperrbrecher flottille. On Apr. 14-1942 she was on a trial run on the Elbe, then put into service as Sperrbrecher 175 on Apr. 23 (from Aug. 1-1941 these small Sperrbrecher vessels were given numbers higher than 100 instead of as previously lower than 100, so that Baden then became Sperrbrecher 175 instead of 75). On Sept. 7-1944 she was taken out of service at La Pallice.

POST WAR:

I understand she was still at La Pallice in May-1945, at which time she again came into allied hands and was subsequently returned to Norway. In 1946, after she had been repaired, and all the armament and other changes made by the Germans had been removed, she was again put into service as Baden for Fred. Olsen & Co. Converted for oil fuelling in 1949. In 1965 she was owned by A/S Ansea and managed by Egil Paulsen, Oslo under the name Slire Utara, then in 1968 she went to owners in Singapore (Gibbons & Co.) as Darpo Tiga. In 1970 she came under Panamanian flag (Pariurjwan?), keeping the same name. Her fate after 1978 is unclear.

Back to Baden on the "Homefleet Ships starting with B" page.

The company's 2nd ship by this name (a motor vessel) was built in Trondheim in 1966, sold in 1976 to Karstein Solbakk, Fedje and renamed Sambi.