M/T Britamsea
Updated May 17-2011

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


Received from Arve Wiborg, who owns this model.

A picture is available on this external page (click in it to enlarge).

Notes:

As will be seen when going to Page 1 of the archive documents, Britamsea was on her way from Covenas to Buenos Aires when war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9-1940. Her 1941 voyages start on Page 2 and continue on Page 3, which also has a few of her 1942 voyages (it'll be noticed, that she had a long stay in Boston that year).

In 1942 (exact date not known) she's said to have had a frightening voyage around Cape Hatteras. Two ships nearby were torpedoed and those on board Britamsea were prepared for the worst. A third ship was hit (American), but continued at full speed with a big hole in her side and oil pouring out of her. As she passed Britamsea she signalled: "U-boats having training exercises in this area, navigate with care". This resulted in a lot of laughs and helped calm the nerves somewhat.

Rick Pitz, a visitor to my website, has informed me via this message in my Gustbook that she was in Convoy GAT 16, which left Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for Trinidad on Oct. 22-1942 and included several Norwegian ships, namely Thorshavet, Alar, Thorshov, Sandanger, Skandinavia and Anna Knudsen. The Panamanian Norbris, which had Norwegian managers and is, therefore, listed under the N's on this website, is also named in this convoy, which arrived Trinidad on Oct. 28 (available via the external link provided in the table above). Britamsea's voyages in this period are shown on Page 4.

A 17 year old messboy from Canada jumped overboard from this ship one Christmas Eve. He was never found, though a search with lifeboats was initiated from Britamsea, as well as from the Norwegian Bañaderos, sailing behind her in the convoy. No year is given for this incident, but it's possible it may have happened while in Convoy GN 29, which had left Guantanamo on Dec. 20-1942 and arrived New York on the 26th, and in which both these ships are named, as are Alar, Bajamar, Braga, Fenja, Garonne, Lynghaug and Thorsholm. Again, see the link in the table above.

A personal story I've found states that Britamsea was in service between the Caribbean and the U.S. with cargoes of aviation fuel in 1943 and 1944. Her 1943 voyages start on Page 4 and continue on Page 5 and Page 6. The latter document (which shows another long stay in Boston in the fall of 1943) also has some 1944 voyages, while the rest are shown on Page 7 and Page 8 (also, 1945 voyages). Convoy information for some of these can be found in the Voyage Record above. According to Page 8, she spent quite a long time in New York in 1945. She had arrived there from Portland, Maine on Jan. 28 and departure is given as March 9. A. Hague says she had been towed to New York after having had an engine room fire on Jan. 25; perhaps some repairs were necessary. Page 9 lists her voyages to Apr.-1946.

For more information on all the other Norwegian ships named on this page, please see the alphabet index below, or go to the Master Ship Index.

POST WAR:

Sold by Skibs A/S Alse (Onstad Shipping A/S, Oslo, managers) in June-1960 to British Iron & Steel Corporation and allocated to Shipbreaking Industries Ltd. for breaking up at Faslane, Scotland. Arrived Faslane on July 22-1960 for breaking up. Britamsea had been laid up at Port de Bouc, France, since Aug. 1-1959.

Related external link:
Stavern Memorial commemorations - Able Seaman Daniel Karlsen is said to have died on Nov. 15-1941 following an accident at sea, while Electrician Tollev Lilletvedt became ill and died on Jan. 25-1943. My Norwegian Guestbook has a message from his granddaughter. According to Page 3, Britamsea was on her way from Cumerabo to Portland, Maine on Nov. 15-1941, and from Page 4, we learn that she was en route from Trinidad to Guantanamo Bay on Jan. 25-1943 - see also the Voyage Record above.

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

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