Busen Whale Catchers - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

Busen 3 - 210 gt NS:

Built 1924

Hired by Royal Navy in Dec.-1940 for use as minesweeper; renamed HMS Icicle in Sept.-1941.

POST WAR: Returned to Norway in Jan.-1946 and renamed Busen 3. Sold in 1947 to A/S Tromsø Slæpebåter (manager Alfred S. Johansen, Tromsø) and converted into a salvage vessel.

Busen 4 - 266 gt NS:

Built in Tønsberg 1925

Hired by Royal Navy in 1941 for use as minesweeper; renamed HMS Stormwrack in 1942.

Some voyages (based on a document received from the National Archives of Norway, under the name Busen 4):
Left South Georgia Apr. 25-1942, arrived Table Bay May 7. Left Table Bay May 13, arrived Durban May 18. Left Durban May 22, arrived Dar-es-Salaam May 30. Left Dar-es-Salaam June 10, arrived Zanzibar June 11, proceeded to Mombasa with arrival same day.

Though not mentioned, she's said to have escorted Convoy KA 7 from May 13 to May 19-1943 (external link), as HMS Stormwrack - this according to A. Hague's database (info received from Don Kindell).

POST WAR: Returned to Norway in Nov.-1945 and renamed Busen 4. Sold in 1948 to A/S Hvalfjord (manager Herman Christensen, Oslo), and renamed Whale 3. Sold in 1951 to Hvalur H/f (manager Loftus Bjarnason, Reykjavik), and renamed Hvalur 3. Still in service as such 1958.

Busen 6 - 266 gt NS:

Built in Tønsberg 1925

Hired by Royal Navy in 1941 for use as minesweeper; renamed HMS Rainstorm in Sept.-1941.

Some voyages (based on a document received from the National Archives of Norway, under the name Busen 6):
Left South Georgia Jan. 6-1942, arrived Durban Febr. 1. Left Durban Febr. 4 for Mombasa (arrival date not given). Left Mombasa Febr. 18, arrived Mahe Febr. 22. Left Mahe Febr. 23, arrived Colombo March 3.

POST WAR: Returned to Norway in 1946 and renamed Busen 6.

Busen 7 - 254 gt NS:

Built in Tønsberg 1926

Some voyages (based on a document received from the National Archives of Norway, under the name Busen 7):
Left Table Bay Dec. 26-1941 for Mombasa (arrival date not given). Left Mombasa Jan. 9-1942, arrived Colombo Jan. 21.

Hired by Royal Navy in 1941 for use as a minesweeper. Renamed HMS Silhouette (see Note below) in Sept.-1941, based in Beirut and operated in eastern Mediterranean. Lent to Greek Navy from Aug.-1943 to 1946 and during that time named Acheloos.

POST WAR: Returned to Norway in Febr.-1947 and renamed Busen 7. Sold in 1948 to A/S Hvalfjord (manager Herman Christensen, Oslo) and renamed Whale 2. Sold in 1951 to Hvalur H/f (manager Loftus Bjarnason, Reykjavik), and renamed Hvalur 2. Still in service as such 1958.

NOTE: In the book "Sjøfolk i krig" by Leif M. Bjørkelund there's a personal account of one of Silhouette's (Busen 7) Norwegian crew members, Einar Møllerhaug. He had previously been on board D/S Utsire, but payed off on arrival Bombay in Nov.-1941. At that time the Norwegian Navy needed people to man the Norwegian whalers that had been requisitioned by the British Royal Navy, some of which were being converted to minesweepers in Bombay. While waiting for the ships to be ready the approx. 120 mariners who had been recruited were trained at a tent camp by the name Collarba, run by the British Army. In the camp were also Norwegians who had escaped from Norway through Russia and Iran. After a while about 100 of them moved out of the camp and into a large house they called Collarba Castle.

The ships were not ready until Aug.-1942, and Møllerhaug at first joined the minesweeper Karmøy, the former Norwegian whaler Globe V. Karmøy and Oksøy (Pol VI), under Norwegian command and with Norwegian crews, were equipped for minesweeping in The Persian Gulf and were part of a British mine sweeping flotilla of 6 vessels stationed at Khorramshar, Iran. After serving in the Gulf for about 7 months they were handed over to the Royal Navy in March-1943 and the Norwegian crew sent from Basrah via Baghdad to Lebanon. Møllerhaug then joined Silhouette, which had a complement of 22 and served in the Mediterranean, until the Greek took over in the fall of 1943, at which time the Norwegians were placed in a naval camp in Haifa before being taken to England on the troop transport S/S Britannic (Cunard White Star). Møllerhaug says 5700 people were on board, mostly soldiers. In the convoy was also the French S/S Ile de France and the Dutch S/S Amsterdam, with 6 destroyers as escorts (3 U-boats were sunk during the passage). The voyage to Liverpool took 17 days; en route they stopped in Sicily (this was in Sept., when the Americans landed in Italy). Møllerhaug later joined the Norwegian destroyer Stord.

Busen 8 - 394 gt NS:

Built in Middlesbrough 1928

Hired by Royal Navy in Oct.-1941 for use as anti-submarine vessel and renamed HMS Lurcher.

Some voyages (based on a document received from the National Archives of Norway, under the name Busen 8):
Left South Georgia Jan. 6-1942 for Table Bay (arrival date not given). The next piece of information is, left Table Bay for South Georgia where she arrived on Dec. 8-1945.

POST WAR: Returned to Norway in Dec.-1945 and renamed Busen 8.

Busen 9 - 384 gt NS:

Built in Oslo 1929

Hired by Royal Navy in Oct.-1941 for use as anti-submarine vessel and renamed HMS Mastiff.

Some voyages (based on a document received from the National Archives of Norway, under the name Busen 9):
Left South Georgia Jan. 6-1942 for Table Bay (arrival date not given). The next piece of information is, left Table Bay for South Georgia, where she arrived on Dec. 8-1945.

POST WAR: Returned to Norway in Dec.-1945 and renamed Busen 9. Sold during Nov. 1959 to H. I. Hansen for breaking up at Odense, Denmark.

Busen 10 - 374 gt NS:

Built in Oslo 1930

According to a document received from the National Archives of Norway, she left South Georgia for Table Bay on Dec. 2-1941, arrival date not given.

Hired by Royal Navy in 1941 for use as anti-submarine vessel and renamed Collie. Transferred to South African Navy in May-1942 and renamed Pretoria.

POST WAR: Returned to Norway in Nov.-1945 and renamed Busen 10. Broken up in Norway in 1959.

Busen 11 - 279 gt NS:

Built in Oslo 1931

Some voyages (based on a document received from the National Archives of Norway):
Sailed from Table Bay for Mombasa on Dec. 26-1941. Left Mombasa Jan. 9-1942, arrived Colombo Jan. 21.

Hired by Royal Navy in 1941 for use as a minesweeper and renamed HMS Snowdrift in Dec.-1941, based in Beirut and operated in eastern Mediterranean. Lent to Greek Navy from July-1943 and during this time named Pinios. Struck a mine and sank Oct. 24-1945. According to the external website that I've linked to below this happened in the Preveza Minefield during clearing operations.

This posting to my Ship Forum says the following:
"255 or 279 grt, 10 kts, built 1931 (launch 4.3.31, compl. 6.10.31) by Nylands Verksted at Oslo, yard no. 314, 2 x 20 mm & 2 MG, crew of 20, was requisitioned by the Royal Navy in Oct. 1941 and renamed Snowdrift, together with Busen 6, 263 grt built 1925 (renamed Rainstorm) and Busen 7, 264 grt built 1926 (renamed Silhouette). She was given pennant no. FY.1842. The requisition did probably take place in South Africa, as with many other whalecatchers based there, and Snowdrift was then taken to the Mediterranean to serve as a minesweeper, again with other similar vessels. She was transferred to the Royal Hellenic Navy on 18.7.1943 as Pinios together with FY.1854 Silhouette (as Acheloos), Transvaalia (as Evrotas), R.N.N. FY.189 Noble Nora (as Sperchios), and R.N.N. FY.308 John Williamson (as Alfios): five whalers, the last three of 160 grt built in 1912 by Smith's Dock at South Bank, all to be used for mine-sweeping operations in Greek waters. Pinios was mined and lost on 24 Oct. 1945 while sweeping a minefield off Preveza (Epyrus), with the loss of 22 members of her crew and only one survivor".

Related external link:
Hellenic Navy - As will be seen, the loss of Pinios is mentioned (in section D 3).

Other vessels by this name: A/S Tønsberg Hvalfangeri had a Busen 5 after the war, delivered to them in Sept.-1952, 588 gt. Later sailed as R 6 for Albion Star (South Georgia) Ltd. from 1960. Sold to Ålesund in 1966, renamed Hadarøy in 1967, having been rebuilt that year, 598 gt. Also rebuilt in 1972, 832 gt, then sailed as Sæbjørn for A/S Sæbjørn, Ålesund. Sank following a collision off Torsvåg, Troms, Norway in March-1993.
The company also had a Busen 6 in the 1950's, 533 gt, originally built in Oslo as Tirol for the Kriegsmarine, delivered in July-1941. Taken over by the Norwegian State in 1945 (A/S Kosmos/Anders Jahre, Sandefjord) and renamed Kos 25. Sailed as Star I for Hvalfanger A/S Rosshavet, Sandefjord from 1947. Sold in 1955 to Tønsberg Hvalfangeri, Tønsberg and renamed Busen 6. From 1960 she sailed as R 7 for Albion Star (South Georgia) Ltd. Rebuilt in 1968, having been sold to owners in Ålesund, renamed Hareidingen (618 gt). Sailed as Flømann for A/S Flømann, Ålesund from 1971. Renamed Hundvåkøy in 1999 for owners in Bergen, then Hundvåkøy I in 2001, Torbas in 2002 (owners in Hammerfest, Norway). Still in use?