M/S Bronxville
Updated Aug. 13-2008
To Bronxville on the "Ships starting with B" page.
Crew List
(A picture is available at Uboat.net. Lillesand Sjømannsforening's website also has a photo - external links).
Owner: Skibs-A/S Sjøstad
Manager: A. F. Klavenes & Co. A/S, Oslo
Tonnage: 4663 gt, 2793 net, 8423 tdwt.
Call Sign: LDJE.
Built by Odense Staalskibsværft / A.P. Møller, Odense, Denmark in 1929.
Captain: Bjarne Bolt
Voyage Record
From July-1940 to Aug.-1942:
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(Received from Don Kindell - His source: The late Arnold Hague's database).
Follow the convoy links provided for more information on each.
Errors may exist, and several voyages are missing. Compare Arnold Hague's info with these original images from the Norwegian National Archives:
(includes voyages missing from A. Hague's records)
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3
| 1940 |
July 7 |
Suez |
– |
– |
BS 1 |
Dispersed July 10.
See BS 1
(external link) |
| |
July 10 |
Dispersed from BS 1 |
Singapore |
July 29 |
Independent |
– |
| |
Aug. 2 |
Singapore |
Batavia |
Aug. 4 |
Independent |
– |
| |
Aug. 12 |
Batavia |
Manila |
– |
Independent |
– |
| |
Aug. 23 |
Manila |
Hong Kong |
– |
Independent |
– |
| |
Aug. 27 |
Hong Kong |
Los Angeles |
Sept. 26 |
Independent |
– |
| |
Oct. 1 |
Pt Angeles |
San Francisco |
Oct. 3 |
Independent |
– |
| |
Oct. 5 |
San Francisco |
Vancouver |
Oct. 8 |
Independent |
Traded in the Pacific to Oct. 31-1941
(see also Page 1 above) |
| 1941 |
Oct. 11 |
Vancouver |
New Westminster |
Oct. 11 |
Independent |
* |
|
* Not sure if this entry is correct (it may belong under 1940?) - see Page 2 |
| |
Nov. 2 |
New Westminster |
Vancouver |
Nov. 2 |
Independent |
– |
| |
Nov. 7 |
Vancouver |
San Francisco |
Nov. 11 |
Independent |
– |
| |
Nov. 16 |
San Francisco |
Los Angeles |
Nov. 17 |
Independent |
– |
| |
Nov. 17 |
Los Angeles |
Balboa |
Dec. 1 |
Independent |
– |
| |
Dec. 12 |
Cristobal |
– |
– |
Independent |
– |
| |
Dec. 15 |
Halifax |
Liverpool |
Dec. 30 |
HX 165 |
– |
| 1942 |
Jan. 20 |
Liverpool |
– |
– |
ON 58 |
Wrecked Jan. 21, refloated Febr. 5.
See narrative below.
Convoy will be added.
See ships in ON convoys |
| |
Febr. 5 |
Refloated |
Belfast Lough |
Febr. 6 |
In tow |
– |
| |
Febr. 13 |
Belfast Lough |
Belfast |
Febr. 13 |
In tow |
To drydock & repair. |
| |
July 10 |
Belfast Lough |
– |
– |
ON 111 |
For New York City.
Dispersed in 41 15N 71 25W, July 24.
Convoy will be added.
See ships in ON convoys |
| |
July 24 |
Dispersed from ON 111 |
New York City |
July 25 |
Independent |
– |
| |
Aug. 11 |
New York City |
Cape Cod Bay |
– |
Independent |
– |
| |
Aug. 14 |
Boston |
Halifax |
Aug. 16 |
BX 33 |
See BX 33
(external link) |
| |
Aug. 22 |
Halifax |
(Bound for Liverpool) |
– |
SC 97 |
Sunk - See "Final Fate" below |
Bronxville had arrived the U.K. from Halifax in Convoy HX 165 in Dec.-1941. On her return voyage she ran into trouble. She was one of several ships in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 58* that ran aground in a storm on Jan. 21-1942, near Ballyquintin light south of Belfast. The escorting corvette Monbretia was one of the other ships; both were towed to Belfast for repairs at the beginning of February.
From a website visitor in Ireland I've received the following:
"I can add something to your entry for the Bronxville which went aground near here in a snowstorm, the whole convoy being led into trouble by the escort Monbretia which saw distress lights from another ship the Dorrien Rose which had grounded earlier. One of the crew of the Bronxville told me she had among her cargo a large number of cases of whisky. The customs authorities sealed the hatches and placed a guard, but the crew entered the hold from below and sold a large amount of the whisky ashore in the nearest village, Portaferry. This man, Bert McGinty, who moved to Canada post-war was aboard when she was torpedoed and said they owed their lives to the discipline that prevailed on that ship; other ships' crews did not respond to an emergency so readily".
Other Norwegian ships in Convoy ON 58, which left Liverpool on Jan. 20-1942, were Fagersten, Lisbeth, Maud, Rena and Suderøy. Acanthus is also named among the escorts (in addition to Montbretia, already mentioned).
That summer we find Bronxville in the westbound Convoy ON 111*, originating in Liverpool on July 10-1942. Acanthus and Montbretia were again among the escorts, as was Potentilla, and the convoy otherwise included the Norwegian Bralanta, Hjalmar Wessel (returned), Kosmos II, Lynghaug, Nueva Granada, and Pan Aruba.
* The ON convoys mentioned here will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section; in the meantime, the ships sailing in them are named in the section listing ships in all ON convoys.
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.
Bronxville departed New York on Aug. 10-1942 with a cargo of 800 tons general, 531 tons of which was explosives placed in the shelter deck. She also had trucks and drums on deck and was bound for Liverpool. Her armament consisted of a 4" gun, 2 x 20 mm anti aircraft guns and 6 machine guns. She arrived Woods Hole on Aug. 11 to wait for a convoy, then left in the evening of Aug. 13 for Halifax, arriving on Aug. 15, Convoy BX 33 (the differences in dates here as compared to those found in her Voyage Record could simply be because of different time zones used). The Norwegian Biscaya, Evita, Henrik Ibsen, N. T. Nielsen Alonso, Norefjord, Pollux and Primo also took part in this convoy.
Bronxville was scheduled for Convoy HX 203 which departed Halifax on Aug. 16-1942, but instead joined the slow Convoy SC 97 which left on Aug. 22 - several Norwegian ships took part in both these convoys, as will be seen when following the links.
Bronxville, in station 81 of the convoy, was torpedoed at 06:05 convoy time on Aug. 31-1942 by U-609 (Rudloff), struck on the starboard side near hatch No. 1, resulting in a fire breaking out in No. 1 hold with the flames leaping high in between the hatches. Fortunately, Bronxville sank before the fire ignited the ammunition. (Rowher gives the time of attack as 10:05 German time in 57 13N 33 40W - Captain Bolt's report gives the position as 57 11N 33 45W, adding she sank at 06:12, 7 minutes after the torpedo had hit).
The entire crew of 39 was picked up about 20 minutes later by the rescue vessel Perth and landed at Gourock on Sept. 6, then sent to Glasgow where the maritime hearings were held on Sept. 8.
The Panamanian Capira was hit at the same time, and Perth also recovered 33 of the men from that ship, others were rescued by other vessels.
Crew List - No Casualties:
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Captain
Bjarne Bolt
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1st Mate
Leif Kongstein
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2nd Mate
Frans Sand
|
3rd Mate
Aage Ludvigsen
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Radio Operator
Wilfred Froste
(Canadian)
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Carpenter
Peder S. Kvernvik
|
|
Boatswain
Per W. A. Odden
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Able Seaman
Lars Sola Moen
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Able Seaman
Olaf Johanssen
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Able Seaman
Harry Steffensen
|
Able Seaman
Gunleiv Gundersen
|
Able Seaman/Gunner
Konrad Myklebust
|
|
Able Seaman/Gunner
Robert A. Miller
(British)
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Ordinary Seaman
Thorleif Wilhelmsen
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Ordinary Seaman
Nick Cherwaty
(Canadian)
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Ordinary Seaman
Daniel Reid
(British)
|
Ordinary Seaman
Charles Porter
(British)
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Ord. Seaman/Gunner
Elias Sandhåland
|
|
Ord. Seaman/Gunner
Rolf Trevland
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1st Engineer
Thor Nilsen
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2nd Engineer
Olaf O. A. Knotten
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3rd Engineer
Telford Halvorsen
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4th Engineer
Haakon Noddeland
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Electrician
Robert J. McGinty
(British)
|
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Mechanic
Thrygve K. Thorsen
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Mechanic
Harry Hansen
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Mechanic
Karl H. Olausen
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Mechanic
Olaf Høie
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Oiler
Arne Hansen
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Oiler
Richard W. Carlson
(Canadian)
|
|
Engine Boy
George F. Shelby
(Canadian)
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Steward
Thoralf Larsen
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Cook
Kristian Tallaksen
|
Galley Boy
John F. Pollock
(British)
|
Mess Boy
Janis Nauthal
(Latvian)
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Saloon Boy
James C. Foran
(Irish)
|
|
Gunner
Fredrick Clase
(British)
|
Gunner
Richard Edwards
(British)
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Gunner
Fred Cowan
(British)
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Related external link:
U-609
Back to Bronxville 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), "The Allied Convoy System", Arnold Hague, and misc. others for cross checking info. - ref My sources.
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