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D/S Berto To Berto on the "Ships starting with B" page. Owner: Skibs-A/S Berto. Built at Bergen mek. Verksted in 1918. According to this posting by Rolf Kristensen on my Ship Forum, she had the former names Botnia and Medemi. Captain: Paul Moe In Admiralty service. Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives: Please compare the above voyages with Arnold Hague's Voyage Record below.
(Received from Don Kindell - His source: The late Arnold Hague's database). Follow the convoy links provided for more information on each (please be aware that some of the listings are incomplete). Errors may exist, and several voyages are missing.
Berto saved the crew from the neutral Nidarholm on Febr. 12-1940, torpedoed and sunk that same day by U-26 (follow the link for details). Berto was en route from Torrevieja for Bergen via Gibraltar and Kirkwall at the time. She also rescued the 5 survivors from the Danish Martin Goldschmidt 2 days later, 15 were lost from this ship, which according to J. Rohwer was torpedoed and sunk by U-53 on Febr. 14 - ref. external link provided further down on this page. At the end of March-1940, shortly before the German invasion of Norway (Apr. 9), Berto, with a cargo of paper and pig iron for Rouen, is listed as sailing in Convoy HN 22 from Norway to the U.K. According to A. Hague, she later joined Convoy OA 126, in order to proceed to her final destination, arriving Rouen on Apr. 9, remaining there for several weeks - see Page 1 of the archive documents, which also shows her subsequent movements. It'll be noticed that she also had a long stay in Cardiff that summer. That fall, she's listed in Convoy OB 193, which originated in Liverpool on Aug. 4-1940 and dispersed on the 7th, Berto arriving Sydney, C.B. independently on Aug. 18. The Norwegian Corvus, Ingertre, Loke, Ringhorn, Thermopylæ and Vilja are also listed. With a cargo of lumber for Boston, Lincs., she was scheduled for the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 3 at the beginning of the following month (Lotos and others were sunk, follow the links for details), but instead joined the next convoy on Sept. 10, SC 4, and arrived Boston on Oct. 7. In Nov.-1940 she shows up, together with the Norwegian Eastern Star, Erica, Evviva, Granfoss, Iron Baron, Regin, Stargard and Trolla, in Convoy OB 240, which originated in Liverpool on Nov. 8 and dispersed on the 13th. Berto was again bound for Sydney, C.B., where she arrived independently on Nov. 30, having started out from Oban on Nov. 9 (more details on the OA and OB convoys mentioned here can be found via the links provided within the Voyage Record above). Page 1 lists her subsequent movements. With pit props for Blyth, she was scheduled to return to the U.K. with the slow Convoy SC 17 from Halifax on Dec. 23, but instead joined the next convoy on Jan. 2-1941, SC 18. However, she had to put into St. John's with weather damage, remaining there until March 22 when she proceeded to Halifax in order to join Convoy SC 27 on March 30 - escort's report is also available for this convoy (Favorit was sunk, follow link for details). Berto had station 82, destination is now given as Barry Docks. She arrived Barry via Belfast Lough on Apr. 22. In May that same year she's listed in the U.K.-Gibraltar Convoy OG 61, departing Liverpool on May 5-1941, arriving Gibraltar on the 19th; Berto, however, was bound for Halifax and detached from the convoy in order to proceed to her destination, where she arrived on May 21, having started out from Milford Haven on May 4 (Page 2 shows her voyages in this period). This convoy, which also included Bonde, Gard, Leka and Vestland, will be added to its own, individual page in my Convoys section; in the meantime, the ships sailing in it are named on the page listing ships in all OG convoys. Berto now remained in Halifax for over a month before proceeding to Sydney, C.B. on June 26, and according to Arnold Hague, she joined the slow Convoy SC 36* from there on July 1, but she put back to St. John's, N.F., later returning to Sydney, C.B., joining Convoy SC 37* on July 12. She had a cargo of lumber and sailed in station 15; the archive document gives her destination as London. Both these convoys had several Norwegian ships, namely Bjerka, Bollsta, Chr. Knudsen, Don, Einvik, Loke, N. T. Nielsen Alonso, Rena and Rym in SC 36, while Acasta, Borgholm, Ingerfem, Ingertre, Mathilda, Sneland I and Veni are listed in SC 37. Berto headed back across the Atlantic the following month with the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 10 (station 114), originating in Liverpool on Aug. 27-1941, dispersed Sept. 11, Berto arriving New York independently on Sept. 16. At the end of that month, Arnold Hague has her returning to the U.K. in Convoy SC 47*, which left Sydney, C.B. on Sept. 29, again with a number of Norwegian ships in company (Bestik, Danio, Don, Fido, Heimgar, Ingertre, Marit II, Petter II [returned to port], Spes, Veni and Victo). Berto had a general cargo and sailed in station 125 of the convoy, for which Eglantine served as escort for a while (see SC convoy escorts). Berto stopped at Belfast Lough on Oct. 18 before proceeding to Cardiff, where she arrived Oct. 20, subsequently making some voyages around the U.K. - see Page 2 and Page 3, as well as A. Hague's Voyage Record above. At the end of that year she made a voyage from Cardiff to Belfast Lough in a convoy which A. Hague has given the designation ONM 51. My guess is that this simply refers to the Milford Haven to Belfast portion of the westbound Norh Atlantic Convoy ON 51*(?) - the dates fit (convoy originated in Liverpool on Dec. 27-1941), but note that she did not go any further than Belfast Lough, where she arrived Dec. 28. Page 3 and Page 4 show her subsequent movemens. Skipping now to May-1942, when we find her, along with Bollsta, Carmelfjell, Fagersten, Granfoss, Ingerfem, Norelg, Norfalk and Rolf Jarl, in the westbound Convoy ON 96*. Berto's destination is given as Pictou, and she had station 83 of the convoy, which originated in Liverpool on May 19 and arrived Halifax June 7. Berto, however, joined from Loch Ewe and stopped at Sydney, C.B. on June 4, later joining an SH convoy from there to Pictou, where she arrived on June 9, according to Page 4 (see link provided within the table above). From Pictou, she went back to Sydney, C.B. on June 17 in order to join the slow Convoy SC 88 from there on June 19, cargo of lumber for Swansea, where she arrived July 3 (Page 5). Acanthus, Montbretia, Potentilla and Rose were among the escorts for a while (again, see SC convoy escorts). With Astrid, Bonneville (Commodore Vessel), Ingertre, Marga, Marie Bakke, Norhauk, Titanian and Torfinn Jarl, Berto now went back in the other direction again with Convoy ON 114*, which originated in Liverpool on July 19; Berto sailed from Belfast Lough on July 20 and arrived Halifax Aug. 3, heading back to the U.K. on Aug. 22 with Convoy SC 97, in which the Norwegian Bronxville was sunk (follow the link for more info - Vice Commodore was in Bonneville). Berto, cargo of lumber, stopped at Loch Ewe on Sept. 6, before proceeding to her destination Boston, Lincs., where she arrived Sept. 10.
Related external link:
Berto was used as ammunition and supply ship for the Torch operations (the invasion of North Africa, which commenced on Nov. 8-1942 - please see my page about Athos for a list of Norwegian ships taking part). She arrived Bone in the middle of Nov.-1940 and shortly after arrival an air attack took place. No sooner was the first attack over than a formation of Ju 88's was observed approaching. "Nortraships flåte" indicates that Berto's gunners may have shot down 2 aircraft on this occasion. The harbour was under almost continuous attack for the next 3 days (gunners Johannes Hansen and Martin Brønnum are given a special mention). Berto was ready to sail with a general cargo (destination was unknown) and was at anchor just off Algiers (36 48N 03 04E) when a powerful explosion occurred on the starboard side near No. 3 hatch at about 06:15 in the morning of December 12-1942. Frogmen Guido Arena and Ferdinando Cocchi from the Italian submarine Ambra (Arillo) had attached explosives, so called limpets, underneath her and several other ships the night before. Berto sank within five minutes in about 16 fathoms of water. The other ships, the British Empire Centaur, Harmattan and Ocean Vanquisher were damaged. All on board survived, except for a British soldier who had been a passenger, and who was never found. The lifeboats were launched, and Berto's crew were landed in Algiers by a corvette at 08:30 that same morning where they were given accommodations on a British transport. They were later taken to the Army Depot were they were given some clothes. With the assistance of Nortraship's representative Captain Jahnsen and the Norwegian Consulate, arrangements were made for them to travel to the U.K. The maritime hearings were held in Glasgow on Dec. 30-1942 with Captain Moe, the 1st mate, and the 1st engineer appearing. * Bjarne Gjævran had previously survived the loss of M/T Sildra.
Related external links: Back to Berto on the "Ships starting with B" page. The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume I (Norwegian Maritime Museum), and misc. others for cross checking info. - ref My sources.
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