D/S Don
Updated July 4-2011

To Don on the "Ships starting with D" page.

Lillesand Sjømannsforening's website has a picture of this ship (external link - click in the photo to make it larger).

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; the Commodore's notes and/or narrative are also available for some of them and several Norwegian ships took part.

With a cargo of pit props for Sunderland, Don is listed among the ships in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 58 in July-1940. This convoy left Halifax on July 15 and arrived Liverpool on the 31st, but according to Page 1 of the documents received from the National Archives of Norway, Don stopped at Belfast on the 29th. We later find her in Convoy OA 216, which left Methil on Sept. 18. Ref. external link provided in the table above; the Norwegian Brisk, Cresco and Eikhaug are also listed. Don arrived Hantsport, N.S. independently on Oct. 7. She subsequently returned to the U.K. with Convoy HX 83, departing Halifax on Oct. 24, cargo of lumber for London, station 12.

Early in 1941 she joined convoy OB 272, which originated in Liverpool on Jan. 10 (Don joined from Oban) - again, see the external link provided above, where the Norwegian Brask (sunk - follow link for details), Ferncastle, Gezina, Kongsgaard, Marita, Ravnefjell and Victo are also included. Don arrived Halifax independently on Jan. 26, the convoy having been dispersed on the 14th. She was scheduled to return with the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 23 the following month, but did not sail. She was also cancelled from SC 24, but eventually got away with SC 25 on March 10. Her destination is again given as London, cargo of lumber - follow the links for more convoy info.

In May/June-1941 she's said to have made an independent voyage from Reykjavik to Nova Scotia (having previously arrived Reykjavik from Methil on May 17 - see Page 2), later joining Convoy HX 135 from Halifax at the end of June, in order to sail to Newport with lumber. However, she was unable to maintain the convoy speed so was ordered to Sydney, C.B. to join the slow Convoy SC 36* from there on July 1. The Norwegian Berto (returned), Bollsta, Bjerka, Chr. Knudsen, Einvik, Loke, N. T. Nielsen Alonso, Rena and Rym are also listed. Don returned across the Atlantic the following month with the westbound Convoy ON 7. Don, in station 74 of the convoy, was bound for St. John's, where she arrived independently on Aug. 29, having joined from Loch Ewe (ON 7 had originated in Liverpool on Aug. 15, dispersed Aug. 25). A. Hague later has her heading in the other direction with Convoy SC 47* (left Sydney, C.B. Sept. 29), which also included Berto, Bestik, Danio, Fido, Heimgar, Ingertre, Marit II, Petter II (returned), Spes, Veni and Victo (Eglantine is named among the escorts - see SC convoy escorts).

In Jan-1942 she's listed as bound for Sheet Harbour in station 84 of the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 55*, which left Liverpool Jan. 8. According to Page 3 of the archive documents, Don joined from Loch Ewe. She arrived Halifax independently on Febr. 1, the convoy having been dispersed on Jan. 26. She had again been in the company of other Norwegian ships, namely Para, Senta, Skottland and Vinga. She headed back to the U.K. again on March 24 in Convoy SC 76 from Halifax, steel and wood pulp for Preston, where she arrived on Apr. 12. She's now listed in the westbound Convoy ON 88*, which originated in Liverpool on Apr. 21 and had Akabahra, Brisk, Bruse Jarl, Evviva, Gezina, Henrik Ibsen, Inger Lise, Marga, Senta, Spurt and Star among its ranks. According to A. Hague, Don arrived Halifax on May 6; the archive document adds she arrived Boston on May 8, having departed Preston "for Canada" on Apr. 20. Many of these ships, including Don, subsequently headed back to the U.K. on May 29 in Convoy SC 85 from Sydney, C.B. This convoy did arrive Liverpool on June 12 as stated by A. Hague in the Voyage Record, but it looks like Don, bound for Milford Haven and Southampton with lumber, stopped at Belfast Lough that day, proceeding to Milford Haven the next day with arrival on the 14th, continuing to Southampton on the 15th, arriving June 17 (again, see Page 3 of the archive docs).

At the end of June she's listed in the westbound Convoy ON 108*, again bound for Halifax, where she arrived on July 16, having joined from Milford Haven, taking station 12. Inger Lise, Senta and Star had again been in company, as had Far, Grado, Iron Baron, Lido, Ramø, Selbo and Sneland I. Having made a voyage to Montreal, Don was scheduled for the Sydney, C.B. portion of Convoy SC 95 on Aug. 5, but instead joined SC 96 from Halifax on Aug. 11, cargo of flour for Bristol, station 82. SC 96 arrived Liverpool on Aug. 27, as stated by A. Hague in the Voyage Record, but Don again stopped at Belfast Lough on Aug. 25/26, later proceeding from there to Bristol, where she arrived on Aug. 28 (Page 3). She headed in the other direction again the following month with Convoy ON 130*, which originated in Liverpool on Sept. 12, arrived New York on the 30th, and included Acasta, James Hawson, Lago, Marathon and Mathilda. Don, however, was bound for Halifax again, where she arrived on the 27th (or 28th? - see Page 3 above).

There's a ship by this name mentioned in connection with the U.K.-Iceland Convoy UR 46 on Oct. 18-1942, but this must have been the British Don, because the Norwegian Don was on her way from Halifax to Ardrossan at that time. She's listed in Convoy SC 105*, which originated in New York on Oct. 11 and arrived Liverpool on the 31st; As mentioned, Don started out from Halifax, cargo of steel and pulp, station 95, and arrived Ardrossan on Nov. 1. Other Norwegian ships were Bonde, Far, Herma, Kirsten B (to St. John's), Norelg, Polarland (to St. John's) and Ramø. Together with Far, Inger Lise, Ramø and Solsten, she later joined the westbound Convoy ON 148*, originating in Liverpool on Nov. 23 (Ramø returned to port, Herma joined from Iceland later, while Ada joined from Halifax). Don's destination is given as Barbados, where she arrived, via New York and Trinidad, on Jan. 18-1943 - see her Voyage Record, as well as Page 4.

As can be seen in the Voyage Record, A. Hague has included Don in the Iceland-U.K. Convoy RU 76 at the beginning of June-1943, but according to the original convoy document, this was the British Don. The Norwegian Don was in a different part of the world at that time - again, see Page 4 above. I also have a snippet of information saying that a ship by this name was in Augusta in Aug.-1944, departing for Naples on Aug. 10 - again, this must have been the British Don.

For information on the rest of Don's voyages, please go back to the Voyage Record, as well as the documents received from the Norwegian archives. Her 1944 voyages start on Page 5 and continue on Page 6, which also has a few 1945 voyages. Don got to go home to Norway already in May-1945, departing Dundee on May 17 (Norway's Constitution Day), arriving Stavanger, Norway on May 20, via Methil Roads (see Page 7). She made several more voyages to Norway that summer (Page 8). See also Page 9 and Page 10.

* All the ON convoys mentioned here are available and 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. The entire SC series will also be updated and completed (including the already existing convoys - some have already been updated), but for now, please see ships in all SC convoys.

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

POST WAR:

According to Lillesand Sjømannsforening (external page), she ran aground at Svalbard on Oct. 17-1959 when on a voyage from Harstad to Longyearbyen with a general cargo and lumber.

Back to Don on the "Ships starting with D" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "The World's Merchant Fleets 1939", Roger W. Jordan - and misc.