D/S Corvus - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

D/S Corvus
Updated June 11-2011

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

Crew List

Source: Bjørn Milde's postcard collection.
Another picture is available on Lillesand Sjømannsforening's website (external link, click in the photo to make it larger).

Manager: Det Bergenske Dampskibsselskab, Bergen
Tonnage: 1317 gt, 763 net, 2180 tdwt.
Call Sign: LDFH.

Delivered in Jan.-1921 from Københavns Flydedok & Skibsværft, Copenhagen, Denmark (141), having been ordered by Bergenske D/S in 1916. 241.4' x 36.2' x 16.2', Triple exp. 525 ihp, 9 knots.

Captain: Alexander Wallace.

Related item on this website:
Warsailors stories - The story of someone who was on board Corvus when she was sunk, 3rd. engineer Sverre Skjæveland (text in Norwegian only).

Please compare the above voyages with Arnold Hague's Voyage Record below.

Voyage Record
From Jan.-1940 to Febr.-1945:

(Received from Don Kindell - His source: The late Arnold Hague's database).

Follow the convoy links provided for more information on each (please note, however, that some of them are incomplete). Where the "Convoy" column is left blank, it means that convoy is not known.

Errors may exist, and several voyages are missing.

	Departure	From	To	Arrival	Convoy	Remarks
1940	Jan. 9	Norwegian Waters	Methil	Jan. 12	HN 7	–
	Febr. 13	Methil	Norwegian Waters	Febr. 16	ON 12	–
	March 2	Norwegian Waters	Methil	March 5	HN 16	–
	March 8	Tyne	Southend	March 10	FS 116	Convoy available at FS convoys (external link)
	March 17	Downs	Flushing	March 18	Independent	–
	Apr. 7	Norwegian Waters	Methil	Apr. 12	HN 25	–
	Apr. 14	Methil	Tyne	Apr. 14	MT 51	Convoy available via this page (external link)
	Apr. 17	Tyne	Southend	Apr. 19	FS 148	Convoy available at FS convoys (external link) See also Page 1
	June 1	Downs	Liverpool	June 4	OA 159	Convoy available at OA 159 (external link)
*	June 29	Sharpness	Port Talbot	June 29	Independent	–
	*The month here should probably be September, and this entry belongs further down in the record.
	Aug. 4	Liverpool	–	–	OB 193	Dispersed Aug. 7. Convoy available at OB 193 (external link)
	Aug. 7	Dispersed from OB 193	Sydney, C.B.	Aug. 19	Independent	–
	Aug. 20	Sydney, C.B.	St. John, N.B.	Aug. 22	Independent	–
	Aug. 30	St. John, N.B.	Halifax	Sept. 1	Independent	–
	Sept. 1	Halifax	Sharpness	Sept. 18	HX 70	Via Milford Haven (Page 1).
*	Sept. 29	Sharpness	Port Talbot	Sept. 29	Independent	–
	Voyage inserted from above and date corrected - see also Page 1*.
	Oct. 2	Port Talbot	Milford Haven	Oct. 3	Independent	–
	Oct. 5	Milford Haven	–	–	OB 224	For St. Stephen. Dispersed in 57 58N 24 25W, Oct. 12. Convoy available at OB 224 (external link)
	Oct. 12	Dispersed from OB 224	St. Stephen	Oct. 28	Independent	–
	Nov. 1	St. Stephen	St. John, N.B.	Nov. 1	Independent	–
	Nov. 15	St. John, N.B.	Hantsport	Nov. 16	Independent	–
	Nov. 23	Hantsport	Halifax	Nov. 25	Independent	–
	Nov. 29	Halifax	Cork	Dec. 13	HX 92	Compare w/Page 1 (see also narrative below).
	Dec. 14	Cork	Oban	Dec. 15	Independent	Notional sailing date (again, see also Page 1).
	Dec. 15	Oban	Aberdeen	Dec. 18	WN 54	Convoy available at WN convoys (external link)
	Dec. 19	Aberdeen	Methil Roads	Dec. 20	Independent	–
	Dec. 21	Methil	Kings Lynn	Dec. 24*	FS 367	Convoy available at FS convoys (external link) *Page 1 gives arrival Dec. 26.
1941	Febr. 13	Kings Lynn	Hull	Febr. 15	Independent	Left Hul Febr. 25 (Page 1).
	Febr. 27	Humber	Methil	Febr. 28	FN 418	Convoy available at FN convoys (external link)
	March 3	Methil	Oban	March 5	EN 80 (1)	Convoy available at EN convoys (external link)
	March 8	Oban	–	–	OG 55	For Freetown. Detached March 18. Convoy will be added. See ships in OG convoys
	March 18	Detached from OG 55	Accra	March 31	Independent	–
	Apr. 1	Accra	Lagos	Apr. 2	Independent	–
	Apr. 8	Lagos	Forcados	Apr. 9	Independent	–
	Apr. 10	Forcados	Opobo	Apr. 11	Independent	–
	Apr. 13	Opobo	Port Harcourt	Apr. 16	Independent	Notional sailing date
	Apr. 20	Port Harcourt	Freetown	Apr. 28	Independent	–
	May 10	Freetown	Oban	June 3	SL 74	Convoy available at SL 74 (external link)
	June 3	Oban	Methil	June 6	WN 136	Convoy available at WN convoys (external link)
	June 7*	Methil	Hull	June 11	FS 510	*Page 2 gives departure June 9. Convoy available at FS convoys (external link)
	June 24	Methil	Loch Ewe	June 26	EC 37	Again, see Page 2. Convoy available at EC convoys (external link)
	June 29	Loch Ewe	–	–	OB 340	For Sydney, C.B. Dispersed July 13. Convoy available at OB 340 (external link)
	July 13	Dispersed from OB 340	Windsor, N.S.	July 18	Independent	See also Page 2
	July 28	Windsor, N.S.	Halifax	July 30	Independent	Notional sailing date (agrees w/Page 2).
	Aug. 1	Halifax	–	–	HX 142	A. Hague says: Detached to SC 39, Aug. 14. Convoy will be added. See ships in HX convoys
	Aug. 14	From HX 142, joined SC 39	Belfast Lough	Aug. 18	SC 39	Convoy will be added. See ships in SC convoys
	Aug. 19	Belfast Lough	Bristol	Aug. 21	BB 65	Convoy available at BB convoys (external link) Stop at Belfast Lough not mentioned, Page 2
	Aug. 26	Bristol	Swansea	Aug. 26	Independent	–
	Aug. 29	Swansea	Milford Haven	Aug. 30	Independent	–
	Aug. 31	Milford Haven	–	–	ON 12	Via Belfast Lough (Page 2). Dispersed in 53 34N 36 14W, Sept. 14.
	Sept. 14	Dispersed from ON 12	Halifax	Sept. 22	Independent	–
	Sept. 25	Halifax	New York City	Sept. 28	Independent	–
	Oct. 18	New York City	Sydney, C.B.	Oct. 23	Independent	–
	Oct. 23	Sydney, C.B.	Preston	Nov. 9	SC 51	–
	Nov. 14	Preston	Barry	Nov. 18	Independent	–
	Nov. 26	Barry	Milford Haven	Nov. 27	Independent	–
	Nov. 28	Milford Haven	Liverpool	Nov. 29	Independent	–
1942	Jan. 11	Liverpool	Clyde	Jan. 12	Independent	–
	Jan. 21	Clyde	Oban	–	–	–
*	Jan. 23	Oban	Methil	Jan. 27	WN 235	Convoy available at WN convoys (external link)
*	Jan. 24	Oban	Loch Ewe	Jan. 26	–	–
	* Left Oban Jan. 23, put in at Loch Ewe, Jan. 26, left same day for Methil (as below) - see Page 2.
	Jan. 26	Loch Ewe	Methil	Jan. 29	–	–
	Jan. 31	Methil	Southend	Febr. 2	FS 714	Convoy available at FS convoys (external link) Again, see Page 2 (also, Page 3).
	Febr. 7	Southend	Methil	Febr. 10	FN 625	Convoy available at FN convoys (external link)
	Febr. 16	Methil	Belfast Lough	Febr. 19	EN 47	Convoy available at EN convoys (external link)
	Febr. 25	Belfast Lough	Barry	Febr. 26	BB 142	Convoy available at BB convoys (external link)
	March 1	Barry	Milford Haven	March 1	Independent	–
	March 2	Milford Haven	Liverpool*	March 4	Independent	*Arrived Garston (Page 3).
	March 7	Liverpool*	Holyhead	–	Independent	From Garston Page 3* gives arrival Holyhead March 8.
	March 9	Holyhead	Barry	March 11	BB 147	Convoy available at link above
	March 13	Barry	Milford Haven	March 13	Independent	–
	March 14	Milford Haven	Liverpool	March 15	–	On to Manchester (Page 3).
	March 19	Liverpool*	Clyde	March 21	Independent	*From Manchester (Page 3).
	March 27	Clyde	Oban	March 27	Independent	–
	March 30	Oban	Methil	Apr. 2	WN 264	Convoy available at WN convoys (external link)
	Apr. 3	Methil	Southend	Apr. 5	FS 767	Convoy available at FS convoys (external link) See also Page 3
	Apr. 13	Southend	Methil	Apr. 15	FN 681	Convoy available at FN convoys (external link)
	Apr. 17	Methil	–	–	EN 72	Detached Apr. 19. Convoy available at EN convoys (external link)
	Apr. 19	Detached from EN 72	Belfast Lough	Apr. 21	Independent	–
	May 30	Belfast Lough	Mumbles	May 31	BB 180	Convoy available at BB convoys (external link)
	June 1	Mumbles	Barry	June 2	Independent	–
	June 13	Barry	Milford Haven	June 13	Independent	–
	June 14	Milford Haven	Liverpool	June 15	–	On to Manchester (Page 4).
	June 18	Liverpool*	Holyhead	June 18	Independent	*From Manchester
	June 19	Holyhead	Milford Haven	June 20	BB 188	Convoy available at link above. Compare w/Page 4
	June 22	Barry Roads	Cardiff	June 22	Independent	–
	July 4	Cardiff	Milford Haven	July 4	Independent	–
	July 5	Milford Haven	Liverpool	July 6	–	–
	July 9	Liverpool	Clyde	July 11	Independent	Compare w/Page 4
	July 18	Clyde	Loch Ewe	–	Independent	–
	July 21	Loch Ewe	Methil	July 23	WN 312	Convoy available at WN convoys (external link)
	July 24	Methil	Southend	July 26	FS 863	Convoy available at FS convoys (external link) See also Page 4
	Aug. 1	Southend	Tyne	Aug. 3	FN 775	Convoy available at FN convoys (external link)
	Aug. 14	Tyne	Hull	Aug. 15	FS 881	Convoy available at FS convoys (external link)
	Aug. 20	Humber	Methil	Aug. 21	FN 791	Convoy available at FN convoys (external link) Again, see also Page 4.
	Aug. 22	Methil	Londonderry	Aug. 25	EN 127	Convoy available at EN convoys (external link)
	Aug. 28	Londonderry	Milford Haven	Aug. 30	BB 214	Convoy available at BB convoys (external link) Compare w/Page 4 & Page 5
	Sept. 1	Cardiff	Liverpool	Sept. 3	Independent	–
	Sept. 5	Liverpool	Holyhead	–	Independent	–
	Sept. 6	Holyhead	Barry	Sept. 7	BB 217	Convoy available at link above
	Sept. 11	Barry	Liverpool	Sept. 13	–	On to Manchester (Page 5).
	Sept. 17	Liverpool*	–	–	Independent	A. Hague says: Joined BB 221, Sept. 18. *Again, see also Page 5.
	Sept. 18	Joined off Holyhead	Barry	Sept. 19	BB 221	Convoy available at link above
	Sept. 22	Barry	Liverpool	Sept. 23	–	–
	Sept. 28	Liverpool	Barry	Sept. 30	–	–
	Oct. 3	Barry	Southampton	Oct. 8	WP 228	Convoy available at WP convoys (external link) Missing voyages, Page 5
	Oct. 11	Southampton	Portland	Oct. 13	–	–
	Oct. 14	Portland	Dartmouth	Oct. 14	–	–
	Oct. 15	Dartmouth	Barry	Oct. 16	–	(Also, Page 5).
	Oct. 20	Barry	Liverpool	Oct. 22	–	On to Eastham & Manchester (Page 5 & Page 6).
	Oct. 30	Liverpool	Cardiff	Nov. 1	–	See also Page 6
	Nov. 4	Cardiff	Liverpool	Nov. 6	–	On to Manchester
	Nov. 11	Liverpool	Barry	Nov. 13	–	Also, Page 6.
	Nov. 14	Barry	Liverpool	Nov. 16	–	On to Eastham & Manchester (Page 6).
	Nov. 20	Liverpool	Barry	Nov. 21	–	Again, see Page 6
	Nov. 25	Barry	Liverpool	Nov. 27	–	On to Manchester (Page 6).
	Dec. 3	Liverpool	Barry	Dec. 5	–	–
	Dec. 6	Barry	Liverpool	Dec. 8	–	Missing voyages, Page 6
	Dec. 16	Liverpool	Cardiff	Dec. 18	–	–
	Dec. 22	Cardiff	Liverpool	Dec. 24	–	Again, see Page 6.
	Dec. 30	Liverpool	Barry	–	–	Page 7 gives arrival Jan. 1-1943
1943	Jan. 22	Barry	Liverpool	Jan. 24	–	Missing voyages, Page 7.
	Jan. 27	Liverpool	Newport	Jan. 30	–	–
	Febr. 2	Newport	Liverpool	Febr. 3	–	Missing movements, Page 7.
	Febr. 7	Liverpool	Barry	Febr. 8	–	–
	Febr. 10	Barry	Liverpool	Febr. 12	–	Missing movements, Page 7.
	Febr. 16	Liverpool	Barry	Febr. 18	–	–
	Febr. 20	Barry	Liverpool	Febr. 21	–	Missing voyages, Page 7
	Febr. 25	Liverpool	Barry	Febr. 26	–	–
	Febr. 28	Barry	Liverpool	March 1	–	More missing movements, Page 7.
	March 5	Liverpool	Barry	March 6	–	–
	March 9	Barry	Liverpool	March 10	–	Missing voyages, Page 7
	Apr. 2	Liverpool	Clyde	Apr. 4	Independent	–
	Apr. 20	Clyde	Loch Ewe	Apr. 21	Independent	–
	Apr. 21	Loch Ewe	Methil	Apr. 23	WN 418	Convoy available at WN convoys (external link)
	Apr. 24	Methil	Southend	Apr. 26	FS 1098	Convoy available at FS convoys (external link)
	May 30	Southend	Methil	June 1	FN 1034	Convoy available at FN convoys (external link)
	June 1	Methil	Oban	June 4	EN 237	Convoy available at EN convoys (external link)
	June 5	Oban	–	–	OS 49/KMS 16	Convoy split June 13. Available at OS 49/KMS 16 (external link)
	June 13	Convoy split	Gibraltar	June 15	KMS 16	Convoy will be added. See ships in KMS convoys
	June 22	Gibraltar	Philippeville	June 25	GTX 3	Convoy available via this page (external link)
	July 3	Philippeville	Bizerta	July 4	–	–
	July 14	Bizerta	Sousse	–	–	–
	July 18	Sousse	Bizerta	July 20	–	–
	July 21	Bizerta	Algiers	July 23	–	–
	Aug. 5	Algiers	Bone	Aug. 7	GTX 5	Convoy available via link above
	Aug. 19	Bone	Bizerta	Aug. 20	–	–
	Aug. 22	Bizerta	Sousse	Aug. 24	–	–
	Aug. 29	Sousse	Bizerta	Aug. 30	–	–
	Sept. 5	Bizerta	Bone	Sept. 6	–	–
	Sept. 19	Bone	Bizerta	Sept. 20	–	–
	Oct. 7	Bizerta	Algiers*	*Oct. 10	–	–
	* Arrival date is given as Dec. 10 in Hague's records, which is obviously a typo. I'm also wondering if arrival port should be Augusta, rather than Algiers(?), since she's said to have left Augusta that same day - see also Page 8.
	Oct. 10	Augusta	Catania	Oct. 10	–	–
	Oct. 13	Catania	Augusta	–	–	–
	Oct. 21	Augusta	Taranto	Oct. 23	–	–
	Oct. 24	Taranto	Augusta	–	–	–
	Nov. 7	Augusta	Bizerta	Nov. 14	–	–
	Nov. 17	Bizerta	Bone	Nov. 18	–	–
	Nov. 27	Bone	Bizerta	Nov. 28	–	Left Bizerta for Algiers, Dec. 7 (Page 8).
	Dec. 19	Algiers	Bougie	Dec. 19	–	–
	Dec. 21	Bougie	Philippeville	Dec. 21	–	–
	Dec. 24	Philippeville	Syracuse	Dec. 27	–	Notional sailing date. (Syracuse not mentioned, Page 8). Arrived Catania Jan. 1-1944, Augusta Jan. 4.
1944	Jan. 4	Augusta	Bizerta	Jan. 8	–	–
	Jan. 12	Bizerta	Philippeville	Jan. 12	–	–
	Jan. 14	Philippeville	Bougie	Jan. 14	–	–
	Jan. 15	Bougie	Algiers	Jan. 16	–	–
	Jan. 30	Algiers	Oran	Jan. 31	–	–
	Febr. 8	Oran	Gibraltar		–	–
	Febr. 21	Gibraltar	Liverpool	March 6	XK 14	Convoy available via this page (external link)
	According to a story told by someone who was on board at this time, she now headed to Manchester for repairs which took 4 months - see also Page 9.
	July 7	Liverpool	Clyde	–	Independent	–
	July 18	Clyde	Workington	July 20	Independent	–
	July 21	Workington	Milford Haven	July 22	Independent	–
	July 23	Barry*	Plymouth	July 24	EBC 50	*From Milford Haven. Convoy available at EBC convoys (external link)
	July 27	Plymouth	Milford Haven	July 28	FBC 37	A. Hague says: Onward to Workington, arr. July 31. Convoy available at FBC convoys (external link)
	Aug. 3	Workington	Milford Haven	Aug. 4	Independent	–
	Aug. 5	Milford Haven	Plymouth	Aug. 6	–	–
	Aug. 12	Plymouth	Workington	Aug. 15	–	–
	Aug. 21	Workington	Milford Haven	Aug. 22	–	–
	Aug. 23	Milford Haven	Plymouth	Aug. 24	EBC 81	Convoy available at EBC convoys (external link)
	Aug. 29	Plymouth	Milford Haven	Aug. 30	FBC 66	Onward to Workington, arr. Sept. 1. Convoy available at FBC convoys (external link)
	Sept. 3	Workington	Milford Haven	Sept. 4	Independent	–
	Sept. 6	Milford Haven	Plymouth	Sept. 7	EBC 95	Convoy available at EBC convoys (external link)
	Sept. 12	Plymouth	Workington	Sept. 16	–	–
	Sept. 19	Workington	Milford Haven	Sept. 20	Independent	–
	Sept. 21	Milford Haven	Plymouth	Sept. 22	–	–
	Sept. 27	Plymouth	Falmouth	Sept. 27	Independent	–
	Sept. 28	Falmouth	Workington	Sept. 30	–	–
	Oct. 3	Workington	Milford Haven	Oct. 4	Independent	–
	Oct. 5	Milford Haven	Plymouth	Oct. 6	–	–
	Oct. 12	Plymouth	Falmouth	Oct. 12	Independent	–
	Oct. 13	Falmouth	Falmouth	Oct. 13	–	Put back, weather.
	Oct. 14	Falmouth	Workington	Oct. 16	–	–
	Oct. 19	Workington	Milford Haven	Oct. 21	Independent	–
	Oct. 21	Milford Haven	Plymouth	Oct. 22	–	–
	Oct. 29	Plymouth	Falmouth	Oct. 29	Independent	–
	Oct. 30	Falmouth	Cardiff	Oct. 31	–	–
	Nov. 4	Cardiff	Liverpool	Nov. 6	Independent	–
	Nov. 9	Liverpool	Workington	Nov. 11	Independent	–
	Nov. 16	Workington	Milford Haven	Nov. 17	Independent	–
	Nov. 18	Milford Haven	Plymouth	Nov. 19	–	–
	Nov. 25	Plymouth	Falmouth	Nov. 25	Independent	–
	Nov. 26	Falmouth	–	–	EBF 47	Detached Nov. 27. Convoy available via this page (external link)
	Nov. 27	Detached from EBF 47	Workington	Nov. 29	Independent	–
	Dec. 7	Workington	Milford Haven	Dec. 8	Independent	–
	Dec. 9	Milford Haven	Plymouth	Dec. 10	–	–
	Dec. 18	Plymouth	–	–	–	–
	Dec. 28	Workington	Milford Haven	–	Independent	(Anchored off Mumbles, Dec. 30, Page 10)
	Dec. 30	Milford Haven	Plymouth	Dec. 31	–	–
1945	Jan. 5	Plymouth	Falmouth	Jan. 5	Independent	–
	Jan. 6	Falmouth	Milford Haven	Jan. 7	TBC 28	A. Hague says: Onward to Workington, arr. Jan. 9. Convoy available at TBC convoys (external link)
	Jan. 12	Workington	Mumbles	Jan. 14	Independent	–
	Jan. 14	Mumbles	Plymouth	Jan. 15	BTC 38	Convoy available at BTC convoys (external link)
	Jan. 20	Plymouth	Falmouth	Jan. 20	Independent	–
	Jan. 21	Falmouth	Milford Haven	Jan. 22	TBC 43	Convoy available at TBC convoys (external link)
	Jan. 22	Milford Haven	Workington	Jan. 24	Independent	–
	Jan. 27	Workington	Liverpool	Jan. 27	Independent	–
	Jan. 31	Liverpool	Portishead	Febr. 3	Independent	–
	Febr. 8	Portishead	Swansea	Febr. 9	Independent	–
	Febr. 14	Swansea	Liverpool	Febr. 15	Independent	Missing voyages, Page 10
	Febr. 24	Liverpool	Mumbles	–	Independent	–
	Febr. 26	Mumbles	–	–	BTC 81	Convoy available at BTC 81 (external link, incomplete) Sunk - See "Final Fate" below

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, several Norwegian ships took part.

A. Hague has included Corvus in the Norway-U.K. Convoy HN 7 in Jan.-1940. The following month he has her in Convoy ON 12, which left Methil for Norway on Febr. 13, and in March she's listed in the original Advance Sailing Telegram for Convoy HN 16 from Norway, general cargo for London. She must have returned to Norway, because according to A. Hague, she later joined Convoy HN 25, which left Bergen on Apr. 7, so she got out of Norway just before the German invasion (Apr. 9). See also Page 1 of the archive documents.

That summer, she's listed in Convoy OA 159, leaving Southend on June 1-1940, but she was only bound for Liverpool at the time, cargo of cement. The Norwegian Bello and Thorstrand are also included. Corvus subsequently remained in Liverpool for 2 months, before she joined Convoy OB 193, which left Liverpool on Aug. 4 and dispersed on the 7th, Corvus arriving Sydney, C.B. independently on the 19th. Berto, Ingertre, Loke, Ringhorn, Thermopylæ and Vilja are also listed. Direct links to both these convoys have been provided within the Voyage Record above.

With a cargo of lumber for Newport, she headed back across the Atlantic in station 92 of Convoy HX 70 from Halifax on Sept. 1 (Hird was sunk - follow the link for details), later taking station 33 of Convoy OB 224, which originated in Liverpool on Oct. 5 and dispersed on the 12th, Corvus arriving St. Stephen independently on Oct. 28. This convoy also had other Norwegian ships, namely Inger, Nesttun, Notos and Salonica (ref. link in the table above). Corvus was scheduled to return with the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 91 on Nov. 25, but instead joined the next convoy on Nov. 29, HX 92, cargo of lumber for Kings Lynn, station 21. A report on the passage is also available for this convoy, which lost several ships but none were Norwegian. According to Page 1, Corvus arrived Kings Lynn, via various other ports, on Dec. 26 and unless some movements are missing from the record, she remained there for quite a long time.

In March-1941 we find her in the Gibraltar bound Convoy OG 55*, but Corvus was bound for Accra, where she arrived on March 31, having started out from Oban on March 8; A. Hague says she had detached from the convoy on the 18th. OG 55 had originated in Liverpool on March 7 and also included Arosa, Atle Jarl (returned), Bello, Frontenac, Thyra and Trolla. Corvus, whose final destination was Freetown, had a general cargo and sailed in station 81. Via various other ports, she arrived Freetown on Apr. 28. According to the external website that I've linked to further down on this page she had been scheduled for Convoy SL 73, which left Freetown on Apr. 27, but instead joined the next convoy, SL 74, departing on May 10, cargo of palm kernels. Her voyages in this period are shown on Page 2. Arosa was again in company, as was Taurus (sunk; follow link for more info).

The following month, A. Hague has included her in Convoy OB 340 (station 72), originating in Liverpool on June 27-1941, dispersed July 13, Corvus arriving Windsor, N.S. independently on the 18th, according to A. Hague - her arrival there is not noted on the archive document, which says she arrived Sydney, C.B. the next day (having sailed from Loch Ewe on June 29). Erica, Gezina, Ingerfire and Sandanger are also listed; again, see the link provided within the Voyage Record.

Tony, a visitor to my website has told me that Corvus was scheduled to return to the U.K. with Convoy HX 142* from Halifax on Aug. 1-1941 (together with the Norwegian Nyholt, Siljestad, Kristianiafjord and Morgenen - A. Hague has also added Sama and calls Siljestad British), but was sent to Convoy SC 39* because she was too slow for HX 142. According to A. Hague, Corvus did join, but was detached to the slower convoy on Aug. 14. She had a cargo of lumber. SC 39 had departed Sydney, C. B. on Aug. 1 and had Hallfried, Lysaker V, Solitaire and Star among its ranks. According to Tony's information 63 ships sailed from Halifax in convoy HX 142, while 8 joined from Sydney. Kirkpool and Scottish Musician had engine defects and were sent back to Halifax. Like Corvus, Hercules (Dutch) was also sent to join SC 39 because of her slow speed. Rotterdam, Murena, Hjelmaren and Narragansett went missing in the fog (from HX 142). Empire Sailor did not join HX 142 till Aug. 6. Perth was the rescue ship for this convoy. None of these convoys are currently available among the HX and SC convoys included on my website, but will be added. Page 2 gives her destination as London.

The following is from the Commodore's notes:
Delayed in sailing by fog which persisted during the whole convoy. First count was on August 4th when four ships were missing. On Aug. 5 Sydney portion of 8 ships and SC 39 of 27 ships joined HX 142. SC 39 parted company with HX 142 on Aug. 13.

A. Hague now has Corvus in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 12, which originated in Liverpool on Sept. 1-1941. She arrived Halifax on Sept. 22, the convoy having dispersed on the 14th. The following month we find her in the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 51, bound for Preston with general cargo, arriving there on Nov. 9. Shortly thereafter she lost a crew member; Seaman Svein Alsaker is commemorated at the Memorial for Seamen in Stavern, Norway (link at the end of this page). "Våre falne", a series of 4 books listing Norwegian WW II casualties, states he was on leave in Preston and was reported missing on Nov 13-1941. Later found drowned on Nov. 23.

Her subsequent voyages are listed on Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7 and Page 8, while convoy information for some of them can be found in the Voyage Record above.

Skipping now to June-1943, when she joined Convoy OS 49/KMS 16, which originated in Liverpool on June 4 and split up on the 13th, the Gibraltar portion (KMS 16*), in which Corvus sailed, arriving there on June 15, while the OS portion continued to Freetown, where it arrived June 23 - again, ref. external link provided in the table above; the Norwegian Elg, Jan, Måkefjell and Somerville are also included (Elg was in the OS portion, as was Liss, the latter joining from Dakar).

Please go back to her Voyage Record and the documents received from the National Archives of Norway for information on the rest of her voyages.

Related external link:
SL convoys - As can be seen, Corvus is mentioned in Convoy SL 73; see also the links within the Voyage Record.

Final Fate - 1945:

Corvus had departed Garston on Febr. 23-1945 for Plymouth with a cargo of 1800 tons of coal (see Page 10), via Mumbles to change convoy. Left Mumbles Head in the morning of Febr. 26 and joined Convoy BTC 81 near Scarwater Lightship (station in the rear of the starbord column).

At 10:15 BST on Febr. 27 she was torpedoed by U-1018 (Burmeister), about 7. miles 253° from the Lizzard (49 55N 05 22W). Her starboard side was ripped open, she developed a heavy list and sank within a couple of minutes. Out of a crew of 22 and 3 gunners, 6 crew and 2 gunners were killed or drowned. Some had been able to launch a raft, while others had to jump overboard. Most of the survivors were picked up by the British D/S Baronscourt (registered in Belfast), 1 survivor by the Swedish D/S Wallonia and landed in Falmouth.

On the Norwegian version of my Warsailor Stories section I've included the story of someone who was on board Corvus at the time, 3rd. Engineer Sverre Skjæveland, formerly of D/S Hundvaag and D/S Hallfried. He had joined Corvus on May 26-1943, and says they departed London in convoy for Oban the following day, then joined a very large convoy for the Mediterranean - consisting of 90 ships and escorted by 20 war ships (though the numbers don't quite fit, this would have been Convoy OS 49/KMS 16, mentioned in my narrative further up on this page). For about 10 months Corvus now travelled between North Africa, Sicily and Italy, then in Febr.-1944 she departed Gibraltar for England, arriving Liverpool March 3 according to him (compare with Voyage Record and Page 9), then headed to Manchester for repairs which took 4 months. They were subsequently placed in service between a small town north of Liverpool by the name of Workington and Plymouth. On her last fateful voyage she had departed Garston with coal for Teymouth (Teignmouth?). Skjæveland says they were outside London (can this be right?) before noon on that Tuesday, Febr. 27-1945 and he was asleep in his bed when the torpedo hit in No. 2 Hold, starboard side, just a few meters from his cabin, causing his cabin to cave in around him and he was hit in the head by something. He was unable to open the door but managed to knock out the lower panel in it and ran up on deck. They couldn't get any lifeboats launched because Corvus capsized, but they got a raft out. 8 men were lost, 4 were taken to a hospital. The survivors were sent to London a few days later.

The maritime hearings were held in London on March 12-1945 with the captain, the 1st mate, the 2nd engineer, Able Seaman O. M. Kongestøl (helmsman) and Able Seaman N. P. Østerberg (lookout) appearing. The latter stated that he was injured by depth charges which were dropped by the escort shortly afterwards, and indicates that some of the other survivors who were in the water might have drowned as a result.

Less than 2 hours after Corvus had been torpedoed, U-1018 was sunk by the convoy escort and two survivors were taken prisoners - see the link at the end of this page.

Crew List:
*S. Skjæveland had previous served on Hundvaag and Hallfried.

Survivors
Captain Alexander Wallace	1st Mate Harald Nicolai Nielsen	Able Seaman Johan Løkvik	Able Seaman Olav Martin Kongestøl	Able Seaman Einar Berger Johnsen	Able Seaman Nils Iversen
Able Seaman Ivar Iversen	Able Seaman Nils Pontus Østerberg (Fremantle)	2nd Engineer Elias Joachim Hansen	3rd Engineer Sverre Skjæveland*	Donkeyman Halfdan Sørensen	Stoker Dennis Cahill (British)
Stoker Arild Norman Eidisen	Trimmer Raymond West (British)	Cook Thoralf Løvland	Boy Svein Ingvar Gundersen	Gunner William Kent (British)
Casualties
† 2nd Mate Peder Magnus Årås	† 1st Engineer Nicolai Nygjerde	† Stoker Petris Onzols (Latvian)	† Stoker Arne Leonard Hegg	† Steward Nordal Kristensen	† Mess Boy Thomas Albert Boniface* (British - Age 16)
† Gunner Charles Thomas Sillet* (British)	† Gunner Dennis Baker* (British)

* Billy McGee, England has told me that Corvus' 16 year old Mess Boy Thomas Albert Boniface is commemorated at Tower Hill, Panel 32. He can be found by entering his name in the relevant search field on The Commonwealth War Graves Comm. website. I also found Charles Thomas Sillet, and there's a Dennis E Baker listed as having died on the date Corvus was sunk - I believe this could be the above gunner (all these links are external).

Related external links:
Stavern Memorial commemorations - In addition to the 4 Norwegians named above there's a Seaman Svein Alsaker commemorated at this Memorial for Seamen in Stavern, Norway. "Våre falne", a series of 4 books listing Norwegian WW II casualties, states he was on leave in Preston and was reported missing on Nov 13-1941. As mentioned further up on this page, Corvus had just arrived Preston with Convoy SC 51 - see also Page 2. He was later found drowned on Nov. 23.

U-1018

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

Bergenske D/S had previously had another Corvus which was also wrecked on the Lizard, on Stag Rocks, on March 22-1918. Originally built in Fredrikstad as Königsberg for Vestlandske Lloyd (Erik Rusten), Bergen in 1902, 534 gt. Renamed Corvus for Bergenske D/S in 1911, having been purchased by that company in Febr.-1908. See also Lillesand Sjømannsforening's website - external link.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Bergenske, byen og selskapet", Dag Bakka Jr., "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume I (Norwegian Maritime Museum), and misc. others as named within the text above for cross checking info. - ref My sources.