D/S Carmelfjell
Updated June 2-2011

To Carmelfjell on the "Ships starting with C" page.


Source: Roger W. Jordan collection.

Received from Bjørn Pedersen, Norway.

Post War picture when named Stalheim - received from Graham Locke, who runs the Port Talbot Coastguard website (external link).
He in turn received it from a Port Talbot Coastguard crew member.

Misc. Convoy 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 record above. Follow the convoy links provided for more details on them. Some include the Commodore's notes, and several Norwegian ships took part.

Carmelfjell, bound for Portland and London with general cargo, is listed in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 48 in June-1940. According to Page 1 of the archive documents, this voyage had started out in Montreal on May 30 and she arrived Portland on June 19, London on June 25. The following month she appears, together with Alfred Olsen, in Convoy OA 183, which left Methil on July 12, but Carmelfjell was only bound for Clyde on that occasion, later joining Convoy OB 187 from there in order to travel to St. John's, N.F. This convoy originated in Liverpool on July 21 and dispersed on the 25th, Carmelfjell arriving her destination independently on July 31, proceeding to Montreal the next day. The Norwegian Caledonia, Heien, Ibis, Iris, John P. Pedersen, Lyra, Para and Suderholm are also listed in this convoy. Carmelfjell was scheduled to return to the U.K. with the Sydney, C.B. portion of Convoy HX 73 in Sept.-1940, but instead joined the Sydney section of the next convoy, HX 74, which originated in Halifax on Sept. 17. The original convoy document gives her destination as Glasgow; going back to the archive document, we learn that she arrived Liverpool on Oct. 2, Manchester Oct. 5 (having sailed from Sydney, C.B. on Sept. 18). With Leka, Morgenen and Sophocles, she joined Convoy OB 233 on Oct. 23, but returned to port (Clyde), subsequently joining Convoy OB 241, which originated in Liverpool on Nov. 9 and dispersed on the 14th. Other Norwegian ships listed by A. Hague in OB 241 are Beduin, Belray, Einar Jarl, Maridal and Sveve. Please see the external website that I've linked to within the table above for more on the OB (and OA) convoys mentioned here. (Note that one section of the site has not included Belray and Einar Jarl in this convoy, but has added Emma Bakke). Carmelfjell arrived Dalhousie, but date is not known.

Her subsequent voyages are shown on Page 1 and Page 2.

Skipping now to Aug.-1941, when we find her in Convoy HX 143, together with the Norwegian Thorshavn, Belinda, Mosli, Andrea Brøvig, Ravnefjell, Katy, Salamis, Primero, Benwood and Petter. The convoy departed Halifax on Aug. 5 and arrived Liverpool on the 20th. Carmelfjell, however, joined from Sydney, C.B. and stopped at Reykjavik on Aug. 17, continuing to Liverpool (and Manchester) that same day. The following month A. Hague has included her in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 16, bound for Bathurst, N.B., where she arrived (via Sydney, C.B.) on Oct. 7. She headed back to the U.K. again on Dec. 4 with the slow Sydney C.B.-U.K. Convoy SC 58, from which the Norwegian Nidardal was lost - follow the link for details. Montbretia is named among the escorts. According to the Advance Sailing Telegram for this convoy, Carmelfjell had a general cargo for Manchester - from Page 2 above, we learn that she arrived there on Dec. 22.

On Jan. 18-1942 she's listed in Convoy OS 17, together with Harpefjell and Ørnefjell. Carmelfjell's voyage information is given as Liverpool for Bathurst/Freetown/Lagos, station 33. According to Page 3, she arrived Bathurst, R.G. on Febr. 6, Freetown on Febr. 18 and Lagos on March 1. She later returned to Freetown in order to join Convoy SL 105, which left Freetown for the U.K. on Apr. 3. Links to both these convoys have been provided within the table above. In May she can be found in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 94*, but returned to port (Clyde), subsequently joining ON 96*, general cargo for Montreal, where she arrived, via Sydney, C.B., on June 11. Other Norwegian ships in ON 94, which originated in Liverpool on May 12, were Dux, Evanger (Commodore Vessel), Ingertre, Jan, Mathilda, Norelg (also returned) and Torfinn Jarl, while Berto, Bollsta, Fagersten, Granfoss, Ingerfem, Norelg, Norfalk and Rolf Jarl are listed in ON 96 (originated in Liverpool on May 19). In July that year she's listed in the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 91, general cargo for Glasgow, arriving July 23, returning across the Atlantic the following month with Convoy ON 121*, which originated in Liverpool on Aug. 12 and also had the Norwegian B. P. Newton, Gallia, Idefjord, Lista, Norfalk and Norfjell among its ranks. Carmelfjell arrived Sydney, C.B., via Halifax, on Aug. 27, having started out from Clyde on Aug. 12.

Having made another voyage to Montreal, she returned to Sydney, C.B., and according to A. Hague, she now headed back to the U.K. on Sept. 30-1942 in the Sydney portion of the slow Convoy SC 103*, which had sailed from New York on Sept. 26. Ada, Boreas (for Halifax only), Ingerfire, Jan, Rio Branco, Rolf Jarl, Solitaire, Norfalk, Pan Aruba, Solhavn, Solstad and Vinland are also listed. Carmelfjell had a general cargo, sailing in station 132. Going back to Page 3, we see that she arrived Glasgow on Oct. 14. At the end of that month she joined the westbound Convoy ON 142*, this time bound for New York, and was again in the company of several other Norwegian ships, namely Bestik (returned), Fjordheim, Jenny, Kirsten B (joined from Halifax), Norvarg, Primo (also from Halifax), Rio Verde, Sevilla (from Halifax), Solitaire, Temeraire and Vinland. Carmelfjell had joined from Clyde and arrived New York on Nov. 21, later proceeding to Boston.

Arnold Hague has also included her in the slow Convoy SC 116*, which left New York on Jan. 4-1943 and had Liverpool as its final destination (arrived Jan. 29), however, Carmelfjell only followed this convoy as far as St. John's, N.F., where she arrived Jan. 12, later travelling from there to Greenland. Bencas (from Halifax to St. John's), Chr. Th. Boe, Fernbank, Gezina, Herma (New York to St. John's), Orwell and Stigstad are also listed in SC 116, and Acanthus and Eglantine are named among the escorts (see SC convoy escorts). According to Page 3, Carmelfjell left St. John's on Jan 18, bound for Bluie West (convoy info in Voyage Record) - see also Page 4. Following her voyage to Greenland and back, she joined the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 125 at the end of March, but went into St. John's with engine defects on Apr. 6. Eglantine is again named among the escorts, as are Potentilla and Rose. From St. John's, Carmellfjell later joined Convoy SC 127 (convoy had originated in Halifax on Apr. 16), stopping at Reykjavik on May 1. Later that month she's listed in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ONS 7, and arrived New York on May 28, having sailed from Reykjavik on May 10.

The rest of her war voyages are shown on Page 4, Page 5 and Page 6, while convoy information for some of them can be found in the Voyage Record above. As will be seen (Page 6), she went home to Norway in Dec.-1945.

* All the ON convoys mentioned here will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section in due course, along with further details on each. In the meantime, the ships sailing in them (and escorts) are named in the section listing ships in all ON convoys. Additionally, the entire SC series will be updated and completed (including the already existing convoys - some have already been updated), see ships in all SC 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.

POST WAR:

Sold in 1950 to A/S Standard (manager J. B. Stang, Oslo) and renamed Stalheim. Sold in 1958 to K/S A/S Motore & Co. (manager Nils Hugo Sand, Oslo). Renamed Seawake in 1959. Sold in 1960 to F. Meotto, Italy, and renamed Giudecca. Sold in 1962 to Captain Salvatore Lofaro, Torre del Greco, Italy, and renamed Rosario Lofaro (source: R. W. Jordan).

Back to Carmelfjell on the "Ships starting with C" page.