D/S Atle Jarl
Updated March 1-2011

To Atle Jarl on the "Ships starting with A" page.
A picture is available on this external page (click in it to enlarge).

On Apr. 29-1940 she collided with the British submarine HMS Unity. The website that I've linked to at the end of this page says the following:
"At 1730 on 29th April 1940 HMS Unity sailed from Blyth to support the struggle for Norway. The weather and visibility down to 300 yards as Unity moved out of the harbour; in the main channel, where the Norwegian ship Atle Jarl was proceeding on her way from Scotland to the Tyne visibility was down to 100 yards: Neither vessel was aware of the other until the submarine spotted the ship at 50 yards and on a collision course. There was just time to shut the bulkhead doors and order the engines astern before the Atle Jarl smashed into the submarine. The order to abandon the submarine was given and Unity sank only five minutes after the collision."
I also came across the following in the 1940 section of a war time diary for the northeast of England (external site by Roy Ripley and Brian Pears):
"Monday, 29th April, 1940 - Day 240 'HM Submarine Unity' sank after a collision with 'SS Atle Jarl' off Blyth at 55 13 30N 01 19 00W. Four of her crew were killed".
Several Norwegian ships are mentioned in these diaries, as are ships of other nationalities. Here's the Diary Index. Going back to the archive document, we learn that Atle Jarl had left Methil Roads that same day and arrived Shields on the 30th, leaving again for France on May 10, arriving Rouen on the 13th.

A French visitor to my site has told me that she was stopped for examination off Bizerta by French patrol boats around Febr. 2-1940 (can this date be correct? Should probably be June). She was ordered to Oran, and was then allowed to proceed, sailing from Oran on June 16 in Convoy 29 R (available at the external link provided within the Voyage Record, but Atle Jarl is not included, listing may be incomplete). According to Page 1, she arrived Gibraltar on June 17, and a few days later we find her in Convoy HG 35 to the U.K., bound for London in station 63 of the convoy, which left Gibraltar on June 21. The only other Norwegian ship was Brask. The archive document gives Atle Jarl's arrival in London as July 5, and it looks like she subsequently remained there for about 3 weeks.

In Aug.-1940 she's listed, together with the company's Tore Jarl, in Convoy OA 194, which departed Methil on Aug. 5 and dispersed on the 9th (ref. external link in the above record), Atle Jarl arriving Pictou, N.S. independently on Aug. 20. At the beginning of the following month she joined the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 3, from which the Norwegian Lotos was sunk, and which had a large number of Norwegian ships - follow the links for more details. Atle Jarl had a cargo of lumber for Kirkaldy. With Jernland and Selvik, she later joined Convoy OA 228, departing Methil on Oct. 12, dispersed Oct. 16, Atle Jarl arriving St. John, N.B. on the 29th. With a cargo of lumber for Dublin, she's listed in Convoy SC 13 from Sydney, C.B. on Nov. 22; however, there's a note in the original convoy document saying she returned to port, and she appears again in Convoy SC 15 on Dec. 8. Again, there's a barely legible note next to her name saying "returned to ?", and according to Page 1 she arrived St. John's, N.F. on Dec. 19, so she may have had some kind of a problem.

She left St. John's again on Jan. 14-1941, but put back the following day, due to "stress of weather", according to the archive document. From St. John's, she later proceeded to Halifax, with arrival there on Jan. 26. She had been scheduled for Convoy SC 20, but instead joined the next convoy, SC 21, which left Halifax on Jan. 31 and arrived Liverpool on Febr. 18 - Atle Jarl stopped at Belfast Lough that day before continuing to Dublin. Her voyages in this period are shown on Page 2. In March she joined the Gibraltar bound Convoy OG 55*, together with Arosa, Bello, Corvus, Frontenac, Thyra and Trolla (departure Liverpool March 7, arrival Gibraltar March 21), but returned to port with defects (Oban) and later joined the next convoy, OG 56*, which originated in Liverpool on March 17 - the Norwegian Hørda, Rym, Sneland I and Vigsnes are also listed. Atle Jarl arrived Huelva on Apr. 3, having started out from Oban on March 18. With a cargo of fruit, she headed back to the U.K. on Apr. 15 with Convoy HG 59 from Gibraltar (the Norwegian Thyra is also listed). In May she joined the U.K.-Gibraltar Convoy OG 62*, which originated in Liverpool on May 15 and arrived Gibraltar on the 29th, but Atle Jarl had detached from the convoy around May 26, arriving Bathurst independently on June 2 (Chr. Knudsen, Rolf Jarl and Storanger are also listed). Later that month we find her, together with Rolf Jarl, in Convoy SL 78, which departed Freetown on June 18 and arrived Liverpool on July 12, having lost several ships (see link in Voyage Record, as well as the website that I've linked to at the end of this page). Atle Jarl, cargo of groundnust, stopped at Belfast Lough July 12, continuing to Sharpness that same day.

She was one of several Norwegian ships in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 4, which departed Liverpool on Aug. 6-1941 and dispersed on the 18th - follow the link for the names of the others. Her destination is given as Sydney (Cape Breton), and she arrived there on Aug. 23, having sailed from Belfast Lough Aug. 7. Having made a voyage to Nelson, N.B., she returned to Sydney, C.B. in order to join Convoy SC 43* on Sept. 5. This convoy, which also included Astrell, Bernhard, Bjørkhaug, Bonde (returned), Erica, Fjord, Fjordheim, Galatea, Ingerfem, Solstad, Torfinn Jarl and Vigsnes, arrived Liverpool on Sept. 20; Atle Jarl, cargo of lumber, stopped at Loch Ewe that day.

Her subsequent voyages are shown on Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7 & Page 8 (convoy information for some of these can be found in the Voyage Record above - it'll be noticed that she occasionally had long stays in port). As can be seen, she made voyages around the U.K., until Sept.-1943, when she headed to Algiers, having joined Convoy KMS 26*, originating in Liverpool on Sept. 5, arriving Gibraltar on the 18th. According to Page 9, Atle Jarl sailed from Belfast Lough on Sept. 7 and arrived Algiers on the 20th, Bone 2 days later, and it looks like she remained there for over a month, before proceeding to Malta in Convoy KMS 29*. Atle Jarl sailed from Bone on Oct. 24 and arrived Malta on the 26th, continuing to Brindisi that same day (for info, this convoy had started out from Liverpool on Oct. 7 as the combined convoy OS 56/KMS 29 which split up on Oct. 18, the KMS portion heading to Gibraltar with arrival there on Oct. 20, while the OS convoy continued to Freetown, where it arrived on Oct. 29 - note, however, that Atle Jarl was not present in the combined convoy from the U.K., having joined from Bone, as mentioned). The following month, I have her in Convoy MKS 30 - scroll down to the second table on that page. She was en route from Augusta to Bizerta, having left Augusta on Nov. 7, but straggled and put in at Malta the next day, leaving again on Nov. 9, with arrival Bizerta Nov. 10. She's now listed in Convoy MKS 31 (again, scroll down to the second table on the page) - going back to the archive document (Page 9), we see that she arrived Philippeville Nov 20, Bougie Nov. 21.

Skipping now to March-1944, when she's listed as bound from Bone to Augusta with Convoy KMS 43* (departure Gibraltar March 6 - again, this had previously started out from the U.K. as a combined convoy, namely OS 69/KMS 43, which departed Liverpool on Febr. 23, split up on March 5, with the KMS portion arriving Gibraltar on March 6, the OS convoy arriving Freetown on March 15, but again, note that Atle Jarl was not present from the U.K.). According to Page 9, she sailed from Bone on March 9 and arrived Augusta on the 12th. She made another voyage from Bone to Augusta the following month, Convoy KMS 48*; she left Bone on Apr. 28 and arrived Augusta May 1, leaving for Naples the next day, with arrival May 3 (KMS 48 departed Gibraltar on Apr. 25, having started out in Liverpool on Apr. 12 as the combined Convoy OS 74/KMS 48, split up Apr. 23, the Gibraltar bound ships arriving there Apr. 25, the OS convoy continuing to Freetown with arrival May 3 - but as already indicated, Atle Jarl was not present from the U.K.).

Page 10 shows her subsequent voyages, while convoy information can be found in Hague's Voyage Record. As can be seen, she's listed in several Naples to Augusta and returning convoys in the course of 1944 (NV and VN convoys), as well as few AH and HA convoys (Augusta-Bari and return). She also appears in a couple of GUS convoys, but did not follow them all the way to the U.S., and also made voyages in the other direction with UGS convoys (which had originated in Hampton Roads).

Billy McGee, England has told me that Atle Jarl's Fireman Edmond Carroll from Dublin is commemorated at Tower Hill, Panel 12 - I found him on this external page. Date is given as July 7-1944 at age 62 - I'm not sure what caused his demise. Judging from the information found on the archive document referred to above, Atle Jarl was on her way from Crotone to Augusta on that date.

Her 1945 voyages start on Page 11 and continue on Page 12, which also lists a few 1946 voyages. As can be seen (Page 11), she got to go home to Norway already in May-1945.

* The OG convoys will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section in due course, along with further details on each. In the meantime, the ships sailing in them (and escorts) are named on the page listing ships in all OG convoys. The entire SC series will also be updated and completed, including the already existing convoys (some have already been updated), see ships in all SC convoys. Additionally, the MKS and KMS convoys will be added; see the section listing ships in all MKS convoys and ships in all KMS convoys.

For more information on all the other Norwegian ships mentioned on this page, please see the alphabet index below, or go to the Master Ship Index.

POST WAR:

In service between the White Sea-England and the Continent in 1951. Partly in service, partly laid up in the period 1952-1953. Remeasured in 1953, new tonnage 1225 gt, 676 net, 1700 tdwt. Laid up in Trondheim in Sept.-1953. Into North European tramping service on July 14-1954. Sold on Apr. 26-1955 to D/S A/S M. H. Kongshavn & Sønners Rederi, Haugesund and renamed Kongshavn, used in lumber trade. Sold to Brødrene Anda, Stavanger in Dec.-1967 and converted to barge with the name Havn. Used as 'warehouse vessel'. Reported broken up in 1973. (Info from "Nordenfjeldske", Finn R. Hansen). This sequence of events conflicts slightly with what is found in "Våre gamle skip" by Leif M. Bjørkelund and E. H. Kongshavn, which says Kongshavn was used as "warehouse vessel" (storeship) Havn, and was later turned into barge Balder, then broken up in Stavanger in 1979. This book also gives a slightly different tonnage (1190 gt) and says she was sold to Brødrene Anda in Oct.-1967.

Back to Atle Jarl on the "Ships starting with A" page.

Nordenfjeldske D/S's other ships by this name:
The company had earlier had another Atle Jarl (ex Navarre?), built 1904, 1094 gt - purchased by Nordenfjeldske in 1911. Stopped by U-78 off the coast of Norway on Oct. 21-1916 and taken to Cuxhaven, later to Hamburg (prize). Sold to Germany in 1919, renamed Barbara, then sold to Yugoslavia in 1925 and renamed Morava. Sold to France in 1933, renamed Soussien, sold to Italy in 1937 and renamed Rastrello - sunk as such on June 16-1940 during air attack. Another Atle Jarl had been delivered in Dec.-1947 as Arcturus to Det Bergenske Dampskibsselskab, 1333 gt, sold to Nordenfjeldske in Febr.-1958. Sold to Lebanon in 1972 and renamed Amal, later sold again and renamed Saadeddine. Broken up in Dec.-1980. There was also an Atle Jarl built in 1976, 499 gt, remeasured in 1991, became 1284 gt. Had various owners between 1979 and 1995, and the names Mare Freezer and Green Flake. Still in service in 1999.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, and misc. others as mentioned within above narrative - (ref. My sources).