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M/S Duala To Duala on the "Ships starting with D" page. Owner: A/S Castillo Built by Götaverken A/B, Gothenburg, Sweden in 1938. Captain: Ole Thommesen 1st engineer on this ship from Jan. until July-1943 was Adolf K. Lines. He had previously been on board Langanger until she was requisitioned and later served on Gabon (1944). Some more crew members are named in the narrative further down on this page. Related items on this website:
(Received from Don Kindell - His source: The late Arnold Hague's database). Follow the convoy links provided for more information on each. Compare Arnold Hague's info with these original images from the Norwegian National Archives:
According to the first external website that I've linked to at the end of this page, Duala sailed in station 34 of Convoy OA 55 in Dec.-1939. This convoy departed Southend on Dec. 18, joined up with Convoy OB 55 from Liverpool on Dec. 20, the combined convoy forming Convoy OG 11, which arrived Gibraltar on Dec. 26 (see ships in all OG convoys). Note that A. Hague has not included Duala in OA 55 (external link); However, he has a British Diala in station 34, perhaps there's a mix up here? (I have no way of knowing which is correct). Duala was one of 26 Norwegian ships interned in West and North Africa - See this page for a list of all 26. As usual, different sources give different dates and information. "Nortraships flåte" says she was interned in Dakar on June 24-1940, later requisitioned and renamed St. Sabine. Returned to Nortraship on March 3-1943 as Duala (following the Allied invasion). A French visitor to my website has given me the following from French records: She sailed from Casablanca on May 31-1940 in convoy 1-K* under French escort. At Brest early June-1940. Sailed from Brest on June 13-1940 in convoy 50-BF** under French escort (compare to A. Hague's info in the Voyage Record). Arrived Casablanca on June 19. Seized in Dakar in July-1940. Under French flag at Dakar in 1941 as Ste Sabine. According to Guri Hjeltnes ("Handelsflåten i krig") Duala had 28 Norwegian crew, 1 of whom went home while 20 managed to escape; I have the names of 7 of them (from "Krigsseileren", Issue No. 4, 1984, which has an article about a reunion of the 7, 43 years after the event). They were Deckboys Sverre Solberg and Otto Kristian Jørgensen***, (both 16 years old at the time), Cook Ingvald Heimgård, Ordinary Seamen Anker Thorbjørnsen and Leif Kristiansen, Engineer Assistant Lars Gjelstad, and Messboy Harry Hansen.
Follow the convoy links provided for more information on them; some also include the Commodore's notes. Duala was a fruit carrier, but like so many of the other fruit carriers she transported meat during the war, as well as fish. As can be seen in the Voyage Record, she's said to have made a voyage to Freetown and Gibraltar following her release from internment, then sailed to Liverpool in Apr.-1943, arriving there on Apr. 12. A couple of months later, A. Hague has included her in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 188*, departing Liverpool on June 10. The Norwegian Abraham Lincoln, Bajamar, Bañaderos, Belinda, Evita, G. C. Brøvig, Gylfe, Kaia Knudsen, Kaldfonn, Montevideo, Mosdale, Skandinavia, Strinda, Thorhild, Vav, and Velma are also listed. Duala returned to the U.K. the following month with Convoy HX 247, which had originated in New York on July 7, but Duala joined from Halifax on July 11. Her cargo is given as general and meat, destination Cardiff, where she arrived (via Belfast Lough) on July 22. About a week later, she joined the westbound Convoy ON 195*, originating in Liverpool on July 31; Duala joined from Milford Haven. She was bound for St. John, N.B., arriving there via Halifax on Aug. 18. Abraham Lincoln, Bajamar, Bañaderos, Vav and Velma had again been in company, as had Christian Michelsen, Egerø, Gallia and Washington Express. Duala headed back to the U.K. again at the end of that month in Convoy HX 254, general cargo and mail, destination Bristol, station 116, having joined with the Halifax portion (HX 254 had originated in New York on Aug. 27-1943). She arrived Bristol on Sept. 12, and later that month she joined the westbound Convoy ON 203*, together with California Express, Dageid, Gefion, Lista, Norholm, Polartank, Skaraas, Trondheim, Vav and Vinga, as well as the Panamanian Norlys, which had Norwegian managers and is included under the N's on this site. ON 203 had originated in Liverpool on Sept. 22, but Duala again joined from Milford Haven and arrived Halifax on Oct. 7, subsequently joining Convoy HX 261 from there about a week later, in order to head back to the U.K., arriving Liverpool on Oct. 25. On Nov. 6 we find her in the westbound Convoy ON 210*, with Buenos Aires, California Express, Gallia, Heranger, Marit II, Pan Scandia and Vinga. This convoy left Liverpool on Nov. 6 and arrived New York on the 23rd, but Duala's destination was Halifax, where she arrived on Nov. 20, subsequently joining Convoy HX 268 from there shortly thereafter, arriving Liverpool on Dec. 10. These 2 unlinked HX convoys are not included among the HX convoys listed on my own website, but I've linked directly to them in the table above, and as can be seen, they both had several Norwegian ships, namely Bajamar, Elisabeth Bakke, Norsol, Pan Scandia, Tai Shan and Vav in HX 261, which had originated in New York on Oct. 11-1943, while John Bakke, Pan Scandia, Reinholt and Strinda are listed in HX 268 (originated in New York on Nov. 26). 1943 was rounded off by heading back to Halifax in the westbound Convoy ON 217*, departing Liverpool on Christmas Eve, Duala arriving Halifax on Jan. 8-1944. Other Norwegian ships in this convoy were Brimanger, Fagerfjell, John Bakke, Norheim, Pan Scandia, and Reinholt. The new year started like it had ended, with another Trans Atlantic crossing, having joined Convoy HX 275, bound for Liverpool with meats and general, again in the Halifax portion of the convoy, which had originated in New York on Jan. 13-1944. She arrived Liverpool on Jan. 28, and on Febr. 7 she left with the westbound Convoy ON 223*, together with Fagerfjell, Frithjof Nansen, Idefjord, Norheim and Tigre. Duala was again bound for Halifax, arriving there on Febr. 22, returning to the U.K. the following month in Convoy HX 282, again joining from Halifax and bound for Bristol with meat. Another Trans Atlantic voyage was commenced at the end of March, when she joined the westbound Convoy ON 230*, which also had Morgenen, Pan Scandia and Villanger among its ranks. A. Hague says she arrived New York on Apr. 15, but according to Page 2 of the documents received from the Norwegian archives, she arrived Halifax that day, continuing to Boston the following day. Later that year she was in service from San Francisco for the troops in Honolulu for a year, returning to San Francisco every 3 weeks. The men on Duala were in the lucky position to have the company of several women working on board as messgirls (American). Duala's captain was Ole Thommesen according to a personal story sent to me. While on charter to the American Navy she made many voyages to the Pacific, also to Pearl Harbor. She also followed the invasion forces to Saipan, Guam and Tinian. Christian S. Christensen, the radio operator on board who has told this story, says that Duala was in the harbour of Tinian when the aircraft which dropped the first atom bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6-1945 took off from the island. "We knew nothing about this historic event until the plane returned, and then we understood something out of the ordinary had happened". The harbour area was strictly guarded the whole time and the use of radio was prohibited. (Note that this info does not quite fit with the details found in her Voyage Record, where Tinian is not mentioned until Sept. 1-1945 - it's possible, of course, that some voyages could be missing). Christensen has also added the following:
Related external links: Back to Duala on the "Ships starting with D" page.
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