D/S Borgfred
Updated Febr. 5-2013

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


This shows the ship post war when she had the name Tarva (ref. post war details below) - received from Graham Moore.


When named Bitten (see Post War details) - Source: Bjørn Milde's postcard collection.

Another picture of this ship is available on this external page (click in it to enlarge).

Misc. 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 info; the Commodore's notes and/or narrative are also available for some of them and several Norwegian ships took part.

Judging from the information found on Page 1 of the archive documents, Borgfred was on her way from New New York to Norway when war broke out on Apr. 9-1940. She stopped at St. John's, N.F. on Apr. 18 remaining there until May 8. She also had quite a long stay at Corner Brook that summer and it looks like she subsequently made a voyage to Greenland, but arrival/departure Ivigtut is not given. It'll also be noticed that she spent several weeks in New York that fall, before proceeding to Sydney, C.B., were she remained for over a month. From there, she made a voyage to Clarke City, then returned to Sydney, C.B., arriving Dec. 7, and with a cargo of pulp for Ellesmere Port, she was scheduled for the slow Convoy SC 15 on Dec. 8, but did not sail. As can be seen on the archive document, she was still at Sydney, C.B. on Dec. 25.

She's said to have arrived Halifax from Clarke City and Seven Islands on Jan. 17-1941 (again, see Page 1), and was scheduled for Convoy SC 20 on Jan. 22 (still with paper pulp for Ellesmere Port), but did not sail. On Febr. 8, she left Halifax in Convoy SC 22 (her destination is now given as Gravesend), but returned to Halifax on the 11th for engine and dynamo repairs. She was now scheduled for Convoy SC 23 from Halifax on Febr. 18, but instead joined Convoy SC 24 on Febr. 28. She arrived Loch Ewe on March 19, departing again the next day, arriving Imperial Wharf, Gravesend on March 28.

The following month, Arnold Hague has included her, with the Norwegian Boreas, in Convoy OB 312, which originated in Liverpool on Apr. 18. She was detached from the convoy on Apr. 22 and arrived Reykjavik on Apr. 24, having started out from Loch Ewe on the 19th, according Page 1. From Reykjavik, she later joined Convoy OB 318 on May 7. This convoy, in which the Norwegian Eastern Star was sunk (follow the link for details), had originated in Liverpool on May 2 and dispersed on the 10th. Borgfred was placed at the back of the starboard column and was appointed as rescue ship, rescuing 22 survivors from the British Esmond and a total of 16 from Bengore Head (1 died after rescue) - both ships having been torpedoed on May 9 by U-110 (Lemp), which was shortly thereafter captured (according to a statement by Borgfred's West Indian messboy, Alfred Mendel, 1st Mate Sabo was near the 4" gun when U 110 surfaced nearby. He immediately gave orders to fire, but the gun jammed and the U-boat was surrounded by the escorts not long afterwards). As it turned out this was a very important event in the history of the war; read about Kapitänleutnant Fritz-Julius Lemp and also the account on the "secret capture" of U-110 via the external links provided at the end of this page.

She also picked up 12 survivors from the British Gregalia, torpedoed and sunk by U-201. Borgfred's crew had rescued all the survivors they could see and had already started to speed up again, when someone spotted a young man in the water. While the ship was still moving, 3 men, among them Boatswain Per Strøm, lowered a lifeboat and picked him up, but in spite of attempts to save him he died from the exhaustion. This was Bengore Head's Assistant Steward William John McGabe, ref. this message in my Guestbook. He was buried in the sea with 3 captains as witnesses; Borgfred's own and the 2 they had rescued. She made it safely to Sydney, C.B. on May 18 with her 49 passengers.

Other Norwgian ships in OB 318 were M/S Høyanger and M/T Sommerstad (both made it to Sydney, C.B.). According to Arnold Hague, the Norwegian Iron Baron also took part, while the source for the information on my page about OB 318 states this was the British Iron Baron. The first external link at the end of this page has a description of the battle.

NOTES on Bengore Head, Esmond and Gregalia
Bengore Head, Captain Maurice Kennedy, on a voyage from Belfast to Montreal with cargo of coal and binder twine, was hit amidships on the starboard side and broke in 2. She had a crew of 41 (all British). The 3rd Engineer and assistant steward died, the latter after rescue, as mentioned. In addition to the 16 picked up by Borgfred, the remaining 24 were picked up by an escorting corvette (HMS Aubretia).
S/S Esmond, Captain James B. MacCafferty was on a voyage from Loch Ewe/Newcastle to Sydney N.S. in ballast with a complement of 50 (1 Irish). In addition to the 22 rescued by Borgfred, some were picked up by S/S Aelybryn and 1 by Aubretia, no casualties.
S/S Gregalia, Captain Alexander Bankier, on a voyage from Glasgow to Buenos Aires in ballast had a complement of 64 (all British). There were no casualties and in addition to the 12 picked up by Borgfred, 52 were rescued by Aelybryn. The latter was also torpedoed and according to Jürgen Rohwer, reached Reykjavik in damaged condition on May. 17. Again, see also my page about OB 318.

Borgfred now made a voyage to Clarke City again, before returning to Sydney, C.B. in order to join Convoy SC 34 back to the U.K. on June 10-1941, cargo of wood pulp. According to Page 1, she arrived Liverpool, via Belfast Lough, on June 30. About a month later, she joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 1, leaving Liverpool on July 26, dispersed Aug. 9, Borgfred arriving Sydney, C.B. the next day. From there, she made a voyage to Hantsport, then went back to Sydney, C.B. and Arnold Hague now has her in the slow Convoy SC 44*, departing on Sept. 11. She had a cargo of lumber, sailing in station 25 of the convoy, which also included the Norwegian Ada, Barbro (sunk, along with several others - follow the link for details), Bollsta, Borgfred, Carrier, Cetus, Gudvin, Hjalmar Wessel, Iron Baron, Lago, Marita, Rolf Jarl, Sirehei, Sneland I, South Africa and Spero. Borgfred's subsequent movements are shown on Page 2, while convoy info for some of them can be found in the Voyage Record above (as can be seen, she spent several weeks at Tyne that fall).

Skipping now to the beginning of 1942. Borgfred left Clyde on Jan. 11 and joined Convoy OG 78 (will be added, in the meantime, see the page listings ships in all OG convoys - Askeladden is also named). She arrived Gibraltar on Jan. 24, then left again on Febr. 6 for Melilla, departing Melilla on Febr. 8 for Gibraltar with arrival there the same day, leaving again on the 11th for Belfast Lough in Convoy HG 78A, arriving Febr. 22. Left Belfast Lough on Febr. 25 for Swansea, where she arrived the next day (later proceeding to Milford Haven and back to Belfast Lough).

In March-1942 she's listed, together with Arosa, Beth, Elg, Sirehei, Thorsholm, Titanian, Tortugas and Tungsha, in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 74*, originating in Liverpool on March 9, arriving Halifax on March 25, Borgfred continuing to her destination Boston, where she arrived on March 30, according to Page 2 (she had sailed from Belfast Lough on March 10). She subsequently remained in Boston for almost a month before returning to Halifax in order to join the slow Convoy SC 82 on Apr. 30. Her destination is given as Middlesbrough (cargo of timber), and she arrived there (via Loch Ewe and Methil Roads) on May 18/19. In June, she joined the westbound Convoy ON 100*, departing Liverpool on June 2; Borgfred sailed from Loch Ewe that day and arrived Hantsport June 20 - see Page 3. Kirsten B (joined from Halifax), Rio Branco (returned) and Tore Jarl are also listed in this convoy, which lost several ships (ref. external link at the end of this page). With a cargo of timber, Borgfred went back to the U.K. in the middle of July with Convoy SC 92 from Sydney, C.B., returning across the Atlantic the following month with Convoy ON 120*, which originated in Liverpool on Aug. 8 and included the Norwegian Aun, Fjordheim, Måkefjell, Solitaire and Suderøy. Borgfred arrived Halifax on Aug. 27 having sailed from Clyde on the 8th.

According to Arnold Hague, she later went back to the U.K. in the Sydney, C.B. portion of Convoy SC 102*, which had originated in New York on Sept. 19-1942; Borgfred, cargo of lumber, sailed from Sydney, C.B. on Sept. 23 and stopped at Belfast Lough Oct. 5/6, before proceeding to Swansea, where she stayed for 3 weeks (Page 3). Aun, Aragon (to Halifax only), Bestik, Fjordheim, Nea, Norvarg, Orwell, Solitaire and Solsten are also included in SC 102 (though Nea and Solitaire returned to port). Borgfred's last Trans-Atlantic convoy voyage was made in Convoy ON 144*, which originated in Liverpool on Nov. 7 and arrived New York on Nov. 27. Borgfred, however, was bound for Halifax, where she arrived on Nov. 25, having started out from Milford haven on the 6th. Other Norwegian ships in this convoy were Bencas (joined from Halifax), Bestik, Cetus, Ingertre, Minister Wedel, Norlom, Orwell, Suderøy and Titanian, while Eglantine, Montbretia (sunk - follow the link for details), Potentilla and Rose were among the escorts for a while (see ON escorts). My page about Monbretia has more details on the passage of this convoy, which lost several ships.

The rest of Borgfred's voyages are shown on Page 3, Page 4 (she was chartered by US Army Transport from July-1943 and put into service to New Guinea and other islands in the area. She also transported troops), Page 5 and Page 6 (to Apr.-1946). It'll be noticed, that she occasionally had long stays in port. A. Hague's Voyage Record above has some convoy information.

POST WAR:

Sold in Nov.-1947 to Skips-AS Tautra (Br. Torkildsen), Trondheim, handed over in Oskarshamn, Sweden and renamed Tarva, used in the North Sea. Sold in Nov.-1955 to Skips-AS Sandbo (M. B. Johansen), Skien, renamed Sandli. The company went bankrupt and the ship was taken over by Skiensfjordens Kreditbank A/S, Skien (bank) in Oct.-1959. Sold in Dec.-1959 to Skips-IS Bitten (Knut E. Møinichen), Oslo, renamed Bitten. Sold in Sept.-1962 to Assuncion Cia de Nav y Commercio SA, Beirut, Lebanon (Ditta Jacomino Onofrie, Napoli, Italy), renamed Immy. Sold in March-1967 to Cantieri Navale del Golfo SpA, La Spezia, Italy for breaking up, work commencing on March 29.

Related external links:
OB-318, 7-10 May 1941 - Some of the info here is slightly different from my own.
Fritz-Julius Lemp | The secret capture of U-110

Military History on line - battle of the Atlantic - has info on the Enigma and Ultra, raiders, U-boats, the convoy system, and all aspects of the battle.

Ships hit from Convoy ON(S) 100

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

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, E-mail from Tony Cooper, England, and misc. - (ref. My sources). Pre war and post war details were received from T. Eriksen, Norway - His sources: Article about Torkildsens Rederi in "Skipet" 2.2003 by Dag Bakka Jr., and article about Sigvald Bergesen in "Skipet" 3.87 by John Magne Gramstad, Hans Pedersen and Per H. Kjærvik.