D/S Audun
Updated July 14-2008

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

(Received from Don Kindell - His source: The late Arnold Hague's database).

Further to the above – 1940-1945:

(Only a few of her voyages are mentioned here - for information on some of her voyages in between those discussed below, please go back to the Voyage Record).

Again, please note that the above record is incomplete, with many voyages missing. See the documents from the archives for more details. Further voyages, from June-1945 up to Apr.-1946 are listed on Page 11 and Page 12. As can be seen, she made a voyage to Norway in Sept.-1945.

As mentioned, Audun sailed in Convoy HN 9B from Norway to the U.K. in Jan./Febr.-1940. Early in March we find her in the U.K.-Norway Convoy ON 17A, and at the end of that month, shortly before the German invasion of Norway, she joined Convoy HN 22, bound for London with pulp, thereby ending up in Allied service.

She's one of several Norwegian ships listed in Convoy OA 175, which departed Southend on June 27-1940 and dispersed on July 1. Her destination is given as Southampton, station 92. Ref. external link within the above Voyage Record, as well as my own page related to this convoy (Vice Commodore's report).

In Aug.-1940 Audun was in one of the Dover convoys which was fired upon from the new guns the Germans had installed near Cape Gris Nez, but was not hit.

She's mentioned in Convoy OB 348, which left Liverpool for Halifax on July 17-1941, but she was only bound for Iceland on that occasion, arriving Reykjavik on July 23. The Norwegian Grena, Storaas and Tautra are also listed. In Sept. we find her in the slow, eastbound North Atlantic Convoy SC 41, which had originated in Sydney, C.B. on Aug. 24 and arrived Liverpool on Sept. 11, but Audun joined this convoy from Iceland, and is said to have followed it as far as Belfast Lough, where she arrived on Sept. 11. Several Norwegian ships are listed, namely Akabahra, Astra, Balduin, Blink, Carrier (returned), Einvik (sunk, see Einvik), Evviva, Fagersten, Fanefjeld, Grado, Gudrun, Heien, Hestmanden, Hildur I (the last 3 also joined from Iceland), Ledaal, Leka, Lom (from Iceland), Marga, Nesttun (from Iceland), Orania (returned), Reiaas (from Iceland), Siak, and Spes - again, see link provided in the table above.

Audun took part in the Torch operations, which commenced in Nov.-1942 (my page about Athos has the names of other Norwegian ships involved). According to the Voyage Record she sailed in the U.K.-Gibraltar Convoy KX 6, which left Milford Haven on Nov. 8-1942 and arrived Gibraltar on the 17th. Other Norwegian ships listed: Facto, Mammy, and Selvik. Audun continued to Algiers the following day, arriving on Nov. 23.

She's also listed as joining Convoy KMS 10 from Oran on March 9-1943; go to my page about this convoy, then scroll down to March 9 in the narrative. As can be seen, this voyage is missing from her Voyage Record. Later that month we find her mentioned in Convoy MKS 10 - scroll down in the table on my page for that convoy.

In July-1943 she's listed, along with the Norwegian Arosa, Mammy, Dux, Gabon, and Kong Haakon VII, in Convoy SL 132 / MKS 16, voyaging from Casablanca to Mersey with a cargo of phosphates. The external link provided in the record has more on the combined convoy. Audun was in the Gibraltar portion, MKS 16, which left Gibraltar on July 9, as were Kong Haakon VII, Dux and Mammy.

In Sept.-1943 she shows up in Convoy OS 55 / KMS 27, which left Liverpool on Sept. 17 and split up on the 28th, the Gibraltar portion*, in which Audun sailed, arriving there on Sept. 29, while the OS convoy continued to Freetown, where it arrived on Oct. 8. Audun's destination is given as Algiers, cargo of military equipment, and she continued in the convoy (KMS 27) from Gibraltar on the 29th in order to proceed to her destination (together with Egerø, Glarona, Kong Haakon VII, Mathilda, and President de Vogue). The following month she's listed as bound from Algiers to Malta for Syracuse in Convoy KMS 29*, leaving Gibraltar on Oct. 20-1943. This convoy had started out from the U.K. on Oct. 7-1943 as the combined Convoy OS 56 / KMS 29, but split up on Oct. 20 - Audun was not present from the U.K., joining KMS 29 from Algiers, as already noted. Follow the link at * below for the names of other Norwegian ships taking part.

At the beginning of Nov.-1943 she's listed in Convoy GUS 20, which had originated in Alexandria on Oct. 29-1943 and had Hampton Roads as its final destination, with arrival there on Nov. 24. Audun, however, was only bound for Bizerta on that occasion, where she arrived on Nov. 4, having started out in Augusta 2 days earlier. This convoy had several Norwegian ships, namely Bralanta, Danio, Frontenac, Leiv Eiriksson, Pan Aruba, Petter, President de Vogue, Tatra, and Torborg. Later that month Audun made a voyage from Bizerta back to Augusta with Convoy UGS 22 (convoy had originated in Hampton Roads on Oct. 25). Fernplant, Katy, Norma, and Salamis are also included. According to the Voyage Record she now sailed from Augusta to Salerno, and if this is correct, she must have returned to Augusta, because on Nov. 22 she's said to have made a voyage from there to Bizerta in Convoy GUS 22, which had originated in Port Said on Nov. 17-1943 (its final destination Hampton Roads). Again, several Norwegian ships took part (Belinda, Bruse Jarl, Glarona, Hermelin, President de Vogue, Thorshov, and Tore Jarl). Audun is also listed as voyaging from Bizerta to Oran with Convoy MKS 32 at the end of that month - scroll down to the second table on my page about this convoy.

In Febr.-1944, we find her in Convoy UGS 31, which had originated in Hampton Roads on Jan. 25, but Audun, bound for Augusta, joined this convoy from Bizerta. (The Norwegian Dux, Granville, Katy, Margrethe Bakke, Nueva Granada, Solør, and Strinda are also listed). Audun now proceeded from Augusta to Naples in Convoy VN 22, arriving Naples on Febr. 19. That spring she made a voyage from Philippeville to Augusta (via Bizerta) with Convoy KMS 45A*, originating in Gibraltar on March 31, arriving Augusta on Apr. 4. (Again, the convoy had started out from the U.K. earlier as a combined convoy, OS 71 / KMS 45, and split up on March 25 into a Gibraltar portion and a Freetown portion.

As can be seen in her Voyage Record, Arnold Hague has also included her in Convoy VN 39A, from Augusta May 12-1944, to Naples May 14. She also appears in the returning Convoy NV 39A, which left Naples on May 21-1944 and arrived Augusta on the 23rd. And together with with Atle Jarl and Far, she's included in Convoy NV 44, leaving Naples on June 9, arriving Augusta the next day, and in Convoy AH 48B, which left Augusta on June 13-1944 and arrived Bari on the 15th; Audun was bound for Brindisi. At the beginning of the following month we find her in Convoy HA 52, which left Bari on July 2 and arrived Augusta on the 4th (the Norwegian Solør and Tore Jarl are also included). At the end of that month she's listed in Convoy AH 58, leaving Augusta on July 31, arriving Bari on Aug. 2, and a couple of weeks later she shows up in Convoy HA 60 - departure Bari Aug. 11, arrival Augusta Aug. 13; Audun was bound for Crotone on that occasion. She was 1 of 4 Norwegian ships taking part in the landings on the coast between Cannes and Toulon on Aug. 15-1944 (Roald Amundsen, M/T Elise [fleet oiler] and D/S Star were the other 3). Almost 900 ships took part in this operation, mostly American (65% US Navy, 33% Royal Navy, the rest from other allied countries). As will be seen when following the links provided in the above table, the Norwegian Bruse Jarl, Elise, Tautra, and Tore Jarl are also listed in AH 58, and Bruse Jarl, Nea, and Salamis are included in HA 60.

Going back to the Voyage Record, we find that Audun took part in the Bari-Ancona Convoy AH 15, which left Bari on March 1-1945 and arrived Ancona the next day. (The Norwegian Borholm and Knoll are also included). A few days later she appears (together with Knoll) in Convoy HA 17A, which left Ancona for Bari on March 5, arriving Bari the next day; Audun's voyage information is given as "Augusta/Tunis". Later that month she appears, together with Bruse Jarl and Far, in Convoy AH 22, leaving Bari on March 22, arriving Ancona March 23, and a few days later she's listed as bound for Brindisi for orders in Convoy HA 23 (departure Ancona on March 26, arrival Bari March 27). None of these convoys are available on my own site, but I've linked directly to them within the table above, which also has details on some later voyages.

POST WAR:

Sold in 1952 and renamed Hera. Sold in 1957 to Finland and renamed Furuskar. Sold to German breakers at Lübeck in July 1963.

Back to Audun on the "Ships starting with A" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, and misc. other.