M/S Baalbek
Updated Dec. 25-2012

To Baalbek on the "Ships starting with B" page.


From Bjørn Milde's postcard collection

Source: Received from the webmaster of Riversea International, which no longer appears to exist - see Post War info below.
Another picture is available on this external page (click in it to enlarge).

Notes:

A French visitor to my website has told me that Baalbek was stopped for examination off Virgin Islands by the French submarine Vénus on Apr. 16-1940 (shortly after the German invasion of Norway, Apr. 9). Ordered to Fort-de-France (French West Indies). Released on Apr. 23 provided complying with orders from London-based operating office. According to Page 1, she arrived Para on Apr. 29.

It'll be noticed, when going to the various archive documents, that she occasionally had long stays in port, though not very often. From Page 9, we learn that she got to go home to Norway in Dec.-1945, and again (possibly) in March-1946 (Page 10).

Helene Karoline J. Fischer Dale served as a radio operator on this ship for a while. She had previously served as stewardess on Bayard from March-1940 till Dec. that year, and on the same ship from Febr.-1941 till March-1942, before joining Laurits Swenson in the same capacity in May-1942, till July-1942. The following month she started school at Little Norway, Toronto to become a radio operator, and fresh out of school she joined Baalbek as 2nd radio operator in June-1943 (till Sept.-1943), before signing on Alf Lindeberg in Oct.-1943, where she stayed till Dec.-1945. Just 2 days after signing off Alf Lindeberg she joined M/S Fernplant, this time as 1st radio operator, remaining with this ship until March-1946. She was later awarded Krigsmedaljen and Haakon VII Frihetsmedalje - see my Norwegian War Medals page.

Many women sailed with the Norwegian fleet during the war; mostly as stewardesses or saloon girls. Norwegian ships also had several female Canadian radio operators; a list of their names, and the names of their ships, can be found at the end of my page about Mosdale. (My mother was also a radio operator, though not during the war. Her ships can be found under Åse's Ships).

POST WAR:

The caption for the picture further up on this page reads: "The Norwegian motorship Baalbek, which crashed into the Great Nore "Fort on Stilts" in the Thames Estuary during fog on March 1 (1953), was arrested pending an enquiry into th the crash, by A. E. Tuck, the Admiralty Marshal's officer, the following day. The 2160-ton vessel put into Gravesend, Kent, today, March 3, when the fog lifted. Photo shows: The Norwegian vessel puts into Gravesend today with part of the wreckage of the Towers' catwalk across its bows. The catwalk system linked the Towers". She became the Greek Solidarity in 1967, Galata in 1970 (Greek). Arrived at Karachi for breaking prior to 7/1972.
According to this external page, she was owned from Oct.-1967 by Navarino Sh. S.A.(Navarino Sh. & Transport, Co.), Piræus when she had the name Solidarity and by Pomar Comp. Nav. S.A. (Leonidas N. Pothas), Piræus from Oct.-1971 when she had the name Galatea. Left Djibouti on May 26-1972 for Gadani Beach to be broken up. Arrived Karachi on July 1-1972.

Related external link:
Fred Olsen & Co. today

Back to Baalbek on the "Ships starting with B" page.

There was also a French ship by a similar name (steamer Baalbeck), torpedoed and sunk on Febr. 21-1943 off the Kerkenna Islands, Tunisia.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: The majority of the information on Helene Fischer Dale was received from Olive Roeckner, who herself served as radio operator on Norwegian ships; she in turn received the information from Berit Pittman, Canada. A book has been written about Olive's experiences - see my text for Narvik.