M/S Bajamar
Updated March 8-2011

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


Source: Book about Akers mek Verksted 1931.
More pictures are available on this external page (click in them to enlarge).

Some Convoy Voyages:

For information on voyages made in between those mentioned here, please see the documents received from the National Archives of Norway and A. Hague's Voyage Record above. Follow the convoy links provided for further details; the Commodore's notes and/or narrative are also available for some of them and several Norwegian ships took part.

A French visitor to my website has told me that Bajamar was stopped for examination in the Caribbean sea by French auxiliary cruiser Esterel on Apr. 11-1940 (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. This fits in with the information found on Page 1 of the documents received from the National Archives of Norway, which adds she subsequently proceeded to New York, where she arrived on Apr. 30.

Her 1941 voyags start on Page 2 and continue on Page 3, which also has some 1942 voyages (it'll be noticed that she had quite a long stay in New York early that year), while the rest are shown on Page 4. The latter document also has some 1943 voyages (showing occasional long stays in port). Convoy information for some of them can be found in the Voyage Record above.

In May-1943 she's listed in Convoy HX 239, which left New York City on May 13 and arrived Liverpool on the 28th. Bajamar, however, joined from Halifax, taking station 24, and was bound for Iceland with general cargo (via Loch Ewe May 27), arriving Reykjavik on June 5. Later that month she can be found in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 188*, joining from Iceland on June 13, together with Bañaderos (convoy had started out in Liverpool June 10, arrived New York June 26). Other Norwegian ships in this convoy were Abraham Lincoln (Commodore Vessel), Belinda, Duala, Evita, G. C. Brøvig, Gylfe, Kaia Knudsen, Kaldfonn, Montevideo, Mosdale, Skandinavia, Strinda, Thorhild, Vav and Velma.

The following month she made another voyage to Iceland with general cargo, sailing in Convoy HX 248, which had originated in New York on July 15, but Bajamar again joined from Halifax on the 18th, having left the day before. According to the Commodore's notes, she parted company for Iceland at 12:00N on July 26 in 55 20N 18 36W, together with Bañaderos. See also the Commodore's report. Going back to Page 4, we learn that she arrived Reykjavik on July 28, leaving again for Boston on Aug. 2, and she's mentioned in connection with Convoy RU 84, which departed Reykjavik that day. There's a note in the original convoy document saying she was to join the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 195*, again together with Bañaderos. This convoy originated in Liverpool on July 31, and both ships are indeed included, as are Abraham Lincoln (again serving as Commodore Vessel), Christian Michelsen, Duala, Egerø, Gallia, Vav, Velma and Washington Express. According to A. Hague, Bajamar joined from Iceland on Aug. 3; she arrived Boston on the 12th, later proceeding to New York and St. John's, N.F., then on to Halifax and back to Boston, where she stayed for quite a while.

Arnold Hague has also included her in the Halifax portion of Convoy HX 261, which had originated in New York on Oct. 11-1943 and arrived Liverpool on Oct. 26. Duala, Elisabeth Bakke, Norsol, Pan Scandia, Tai Shan and Vav are also listed (though Vav returned to port). Bajamar had sailed from Halifax on Oct. 13 and stopped at Loch Ewe Oct. 25, before contiuing to Reykjavik that same day. This convoy is not yet available among the HX convoys included on my site, but will be added - see ships in all HX convoys. The following month she again appears in a convoy from Reykjavik, namely RU 96, together with Lyra. Bajamar's destination on that occasion is given as Bristol, where she arrived on Nov. 14 (Page 4), cargo of U.S. Government stores. She subsequently joined the westbound Convoy ON 213*, which left Liverpool on Nov. 26 and arrived New York on Dec. 14; Bajamar arrived Boston on the 12th, having started out from Milford Haven Nov. 25. Bañaderos had again been in company, as had Dageid, Lista and Skaraas. Bajamar's voyages in this period are shown on Page 5, which also lists some of her 1944 voyages, while Page 6 has the rest. The latter document also lists a few 1945 voyages, which continue on Page 7 and Page 8 (to Apr.-1946). Again, see A. Hague's Voyage Record for convoy information.

* The ON convoys will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section; in the meantime, the ships sailing in them (and escorts) are named in the section listing ships in all ON Convoys.

More information on all the other Norwegian ships mentioned on this page can be found via the alphabet index below, or go to the Master Ship Index.

POST WAR:

Sold in 1955 to A/S Istria (Sofie Helene Wigert), Oslo. Sold again in June the following year to Skips-A/S Tilthorn (J. Lind, Kjøpsvik), Narvik, renamed Stella Marina in 1957. Sold in Oct.-1960 to Gerner Mathisen Rederi-A/S, Oslo and given the name Bajamar again. Sold in 1962 to Blue Star Shipping Co. Inc. (Mario Trapani, Napoli), Panama and again renamed Stella Marina. Sold in 1965 to Cia. Mar. Goldwood S/A (Nicolaos Coustas, Piræus), Panama, renamed Giannakas. Sold for breaking up at Split in Sept.-1971, work commencing in the spring of the following year.

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

The company later had another ship by this name (also refrigerated) built in Gothenburg as Leeward Islands in 1953, purchased in 1964 and renamed Bajamar, sold in 1968 to L. Harboe Jensen & Co., Oslo and renamed Bonzo. Transferred to Sigurd Haavik A/S, Haugesund that same year. Later Fortuna Reefer of Nassau, Bahamas 1974, Panamanian Thanassis K 1982, renamed Contramaestre Casado in Dec.-1982 for the Spanish Navy.