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M/T Aristophanes
Updated Febr. 19-2011

To Aristophanes on the "Ships starting with A" page.


Source: Bjørn Milde's postcard collection.

Another picture is available on on this external page (click in it to enlarge).
See also this external page. This site also has pictures and information on several other Jahre ships; here's a list, and here's the main page. Text is in Norwegian.

Owner: A/S Jaris
Manager: Anders Jahre, Sandefjord
Tonnage:
10 224 gt, 15 400 tdwt.

Built by Götaverken A/B, Gothenburg, Sweden in 1939, delivered in Jan.-1940.

Captain: Alf Møller Mathiesen.

 Notes: 

This ship was built for Aristoteles S. Onassis. Sold to Norway while she was being built, or rather "transferred" to Norway. According to Book 1 (Atle Thowsen) of "Handelsflåten i krig" Onassis, together with the Swedish Gustav Sandström and Gunnar Carlsson (well known shipowner) had established the company A/S Onassis Gothenburg Ltd. In June-1938 their new ship M/T Ariston was finished and went on her maiden voyage, doing extremely well in the year to come. Aristophanes was almost ready when the war broke out in Sept.-1939, and with it Sweden prohibited the export of, among other things, ships, including foreign owned ships built at Swedish shipyards. It so happened that Onassis was at the time engaged to the daughter of shipowner Ingvald Bryde. She established contact between her fiancé and Anders Jahre, Sandefjord in the late fall of 1939 with the result that Jahre Skibs A/S created the company Jaris (combination of Jahre and Onassis), which took over the ship. In Jan.-1940, Aristophanes was placed under the Norwegian flag, a "pro forma" arrangement as Onassis was still the true owner.

A French visitor to my website has told me that Aristophanes was stopped for examination in the Caribbean sea (23 58N 39 15W) by the French cruiser Jeanne d'Arc on Apr. 16-1940 (shortly after the German invasion of Norway). Ordered to Fort de France (French West Indies). Released Apr. 23 provided complying with orders from London-based operating office. These details fit in with what can be found on Page 1 of the archive documents, which says she was en route from Gibraltar to Leghorn for Curacao at the time, having departed Gibraltar on Apr. 10-1940, adding she arrived Fort de France on Apr. 21, leaving again on the 24th.

When Nortraship was established, the arrangement with Onassis proved to be quite a problem, as he wasn't about to give up his ship without getting something in return. He played his hand to the last card and Nortraship ended up losing a lot of money on the deal. Here's what happened:

Aristophanes was requisitioned while at Martinique in the spring of 1940. On Aug. 3-1940, Onassis had her "arrested" in Rio de Janeiro, requesting (or rather, demanding) to take over the ship or have his US $ 800,000 bond payed. The former was impossible for Nortraship to fulfill; her formal owner, Anders Jahre was in Norway, and Nortraship had only requisitioned the "right to use" the ship. Following negotiations with Onassis, Nortraship not only payed his bond, but also 6% interest from Dec. 27-1939, plus the expenses Onassis had incurred for lawyers, in U.S.A. as well as in Argentina. Additionally, Onassis got to keep the profit from the voyage Aristophanes was about to make for Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Co., while he for the next 5 voyages would get a refund of US $ 1 per ton oil transported. The deal was signed on Aug. 15-1940.

Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives:
(unfortunately, some of the scans have information missing in the margin)
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4


Please compare the above voyages with Arnold Hague's Voyage Record below.

 Voyage Record
From May-1940 to Oct.-1945:
 
(Received from Don Kindell - His source: The late Arnold Hague's database).

Please follow the convoy links provided for more details on them.

Departure
From
To
Arrival
Convoy
Remarks
1940
May 13
Trinidad
Curacao
May 15
Independent
Earlier voyages, Page 1
May 19
Curacao
Buenos Aires
June 10
Independent
June 16
Buenos Aires
Curacao
July 1
Independent
July 4
Curacao
Montevideo
July 23
Independent
July 24
Montevideo
Buenos Aires
July 24
Independent
July 29
Buenos Aires
Rio
Aug. 2
Independent
Aug. 14
Rio
Curacao
Aug. 25
Independent
Via Montevideo?
(Page 1)
Aug. 27
Curacao
Buenos Aires Roads
Sept. 14
Independent
To La Plata, Sept. 18
(Page 1)
Sept. 20
La Plata
Curacao
Oct. 4
Independent
Oct. 5
Curacao
Buenos Aires
Oct. 22
Independent
Oct. 26
Buenos Aires
Curacao
Nov. 10
Independent
Nov. 13
Curacao
Buenos Aires
Nov. 30
Independent
Dec. 6
Buenos Aires
Curacao
Dec. 20
Independent
Dec. 23
Curacao
Buenos Aires
Jan. 10-1941
Independent
1941
Jan. 13
Buenos Aires
Curacao
Jan. 28
Independent
Jan. 29
Curacao
Curacao
Jan. 31
Independent
Via Las Piedras
(Page 1).
Febr. 5
Curacao
Buenos Aires
Febr. 22
Independent
March 9
Buenos Aires
Curacao
March 23
Independent
March 26
Curacao
Buenos Aires
Apr. 15
Independent
Via Montevideo
(Page 1).
Apr. 18
Buenos Aires
Rio
Apr. 22
Independent
Apr. 27
Rio
Curacao
May 7
Independent
May 11
Curacao
New York City
May 17
Independent
May 21
New York City
Aruba
May 26
Independent
May 27
Aruba
New York City
June 4
Independent
June 6
New York City
Curacao
June 12
Independent
June 14
Curacao
New York City
June 20
Independent
July 7
New York City
Curacao
July 13
Independent
July 14
Curacao
New York City
July 21
Independent
Sept. 2
New York City
Halifax
Sept. 5
Independent
Sept. 10
Halifax
Liverpool
Sept. 25
Missing movements, Page 2
Oct. 8
Liverpool
ON 24
For New York City
Dispersed in 58N 28W, Oct. 15
Convoy will be added.
See ships in ON convoys
Oct. 15
Dispersed from ON 24
New York City
Oct. 23
Independent
Nov. 7
New York City
Aruba
Nov. 12
Independent
Nov. 14
Aruba
Halifax
Nov. 22
Independent
Nov. 24
Halifax
New York City
Nov. 26
Independent
Nov. 29
New York City
Aruba
Dec. 5
Independent
Dec. 6
Aruba
Halifax
Dec. 14
Independent
Dec. 17
Halfiax
New York City
Dec. 19
Independent
1942
Jan. 18
New York City
Aruba
Jan. 24
Independent
Jan. 25
Aruba
Halifax
Febr. 3
Independent
Febr. 15
Halifax
Curacao
Febr. 22
Independent
Febr. 28
Curacao
Aruba
Febr. 28
Independent
March 1
Aruba
New York City
March 8
Independent
March 8(?*)
New York City
Hampton Roads
Independent
*See Page 2
Apr. 3
Hampton Roads
Aruba
Apr. 13
Independent
Apr. 26
Aruba
Cristobal
Apr. 28
Independent
Apr. 29
Balboa
Talara
May 2
Independent
May 4
Talara
Auckland
May 31
Independent
June 1
Auckland
Nelson
June 3
Independent
June 5
Nelson
Lyttleton
June 6
Independent
June 16
Lyttleton
Los Angeles
July 7
Independent
July 19
Los Angeles
Suva
Aug. 7
Independent
Aug. 13
Suva
Sydney, N.S.W.
Aug. 19
Independent
Sept. 8
Sydney, N.S.W.
Los Angeles
Sept. 30
Independent
Oct. 7
Los Angeles
Lyttleton
Oct. 30
Independent
Nov. 2
Lyttleton
Dunedin
Nov. 3
Independent
Nov. 6
Dunedin
Los Angeles
Nov. 26
Independent
1943
Jan. 1
Los Angeles
Sydney, N.S.W.
Jan. 24
Independent
Jan. 29
Sydney, N.S.W.
Brisbane
Febr. 1
Independent
Febr. 3
Brisbane
Los Angeles
Febr. 25
Independent
March 7
Los Angeles
Brisbane
March 30
Independent
Apr. 3
Brisbane
Townsville
Apr. 6
BT 50
Convoy available at BT 50
(external link)
Apr. 8
Townsville
Cairns
Apr. 8
Independent
Apr. 11
Cairns
Los Angeles
May 3
Independent
May 11
Los Angeles
Melbourne
June 9
Independent
June 17
Melbourne
Los Angeles
July 14
Independent
July 30
Los Angeles
Auckland
Aug. 20
Independent
Aug. 27
Auckland
Talara
Sept. 16
Independent
Sept. 19
Talara
Valparaiso
Sept. 26
Independent
Sept. 30
Valparaiso
San Antonio, Chile
Sept. 30
Independent
Oct. 2
San Antonio, Chile
Talara
Oct. 7
Independent
Oct. 10
Talara
Wellington
Independent
Page 3 gives arrival Nov. 1
Nov. 6
Wellington
Nelson
Nov. 6
Independent
Nov. 9
Nelson
Los Angeles
Nov. 29
Independent
Dec. 22
Los Angeles
Sydney, N.S.W.
Jan. 16-1944
Independent
1944
Jan. 20
Sydney, N.S.W.
Townsville
Jan. 24
Independent
Jan. 31
Townsville
Los Angeles
Febr. 24
Independent
Febr. 28
El Segundo
San Francisco
Febr. 29
Independent
Apr. 10
San Francisco
Sydney, N.S.W.
May 5
Independent
May 9
Sydney, N.S.W.
Townsville
May 12
Independent
May 16
Townsville
Gladstone
Independent
May 17
Gladstone
Talara
June 10
Independent
June 15
Talara
Sydney, N.S.W.
July 10
Independent
July 12
Sydney, N.S.W.
Brisbane
July 14
Independent
July 20
Brisbane
Los Angeles
Aug. 10
Independent
Aug. 19
Los Angeles
Langemak Bay
Sept. 12
Independent
Sept. 12
Langemak Bay
Hollandia
Independent
Sept. 24
Hollandia
Langemak Bay
Sept. 25
Independent
Sept. 28
Langemak Bay
Talara
Oct. 24
Independent
Oct. 27
Talara
Wellington
Nov. 20
Independent
Nov. 23
Wellington
Lyttleton
Independent
Page 3 gives arrival Nov. 24
Nov. 26
Lyttleton
Wellington
Nov. 27
Independent
Dec. 10
Wellington
Talara
Dec. 29
Independent
Dec. 31
Talara
Sydney, N.S.W.
Jan. 25-1945
Independent
1945
Jan. 26
Sydney, N.S.W.
Brisbane
Jan. 28
Independent
Febr. 3
Brisbane
Talara
Febr. 28
Independent
March 3
Talara
Valparaiso
March 9
Independent
March. 12
Valparaiso
San Antonio, Chile
Independent
Page 3 gives arrival same day
March 15
San Antonio, Chile
Talara
March 20
Independent
March 22
Talara
Wellington
Apr. 14
Independent
Apr. 20
Wellington
Talara
May 12
Independent
May 14
Talara
Callao
May 18
Independent
Notional sailing date
June 1
Callao
Talara
June 2
Independent
June 3
Talara
Valparaiso
June 12
Independent
Notional sailing date
June 14
Valparaiso
Balboa
June 25
Independent
Via San Antonio
(Page 4).
June 26
Cristobal
Curacao
June 29
Independent
July 1
Curacao
Cristobal
July 5
Independent
July 6
Balboa
Sydney, N.S.W.
Aug. 4
Independent
Aug. 7
Sydney, N.S.W.
Brisbane
Aug. 9
Independent
Aug. 22
Brisbane
Gladstone
Aug. 24
Independent
Aug. 24
Gladstone
Balboa
Sept. 20
Independent
Sept. 24
Cristobal
Curacao
Sept. 26
Independent
Oct. 7
Curacao
Southend
Oct. 22
Independent
Oct. 29
Southend
Amsterdam
Oct. 30
Independent
Subsequent voyages, Page 4


 Some Convoy Voyages: 

As can be seen from the above, Aristophanes hardly ever sailed in convoys. When in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 149 in Sept.-1941 she had station 43 of the convoy, in which several Norwegian ships took part; follow the link for more info. According to A. Hague, she returned across the Atlantic the following month with Convoy ON 24, which left Liverpool on Oct. 8 and dispersed on the 15th. Her destination is given as New York, station 53. According to Page 2, she arrived her destination on Oct. 23. She had again been in the company of several other Norwegian ships - see ships in all ON convoys.

It'll be noticed, when going to the various archive documents, that she occasionally had long stays in port.

 POST WAR: 
As per info found at Lillesand Sjømannsforening (no name change):

1948: Skibs A/S Jaris (Anders Jahre & Co. A/S) Sandefjord
1952: Soc.Maritime Miraflores Ltd., Puerto Cortes, Honduras
1958: Soc.Maritime Miraflores Ltd., Monrovia
1963: Soc.Maritime Miraflores Ltd., Piræus
4/1968: Sold to Spain for breaking up, arriving Castellon on Apr. 13.

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