M/S Elg - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

Misc. Convoy Voyages:

More convoy information will be added. Compare the dates and info in this narrative to the information found on the documents received from the National Archives of Norway.

According to Arnold Hague, Elg took part in Convoy SL 39, departing Freetown on July 9-1940. Borgland, Jamaica, Samnanger and Tigre are also listed. Elg had a cargo of wheat, sailing in station 74. She was bound for Avonmouth, where she arrived on July 30 - ref. external link at the end of this page for more on this convoy. In Sept.-1940 she's listed, together with Siremalm and Tigre, in Convoy OB 213, which originated in Liverpool on Sept. 13 and dispersed on the 18th. No destination is given for Elg, but it looks like she sailed to Sydney, C.B., having joined the convoy from Milford Haven; see Page 1 of the documents received from the National Archives of Norway. She returned to the U.K. the following month in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 80, joining with the Sydney, C.B. portion, bound for Tyne with pit props (it looks like she had previously been cancelled from HX 79). Going back to Page 1 above, we see that she arrived Tyne, via Oban and Methil, on Nov. 4, having left Sydney, C.B. on Oct. 13. She now shows up in station 46 of Convoy OB 251*, originating in Liverpool on Nov. 28-1940, dispersed Dec. 1. Elg is said to have joined from Oban; her destination is given as Tampa on that occasion, where she arrived on Dec. 24, according to the archive document. Fernlane and Samnanger are also listed in OB 251, while Varangeberg was scheduled but did not sail. Again, see the first external website that I've linked to at the end of this page for the names of other ships in this convoy.

*Note that there seems to be some disagreement as to whether she was in OB 251 or OB 252 for this voyage, in that Arnold Hague has included her in the latter instead, together with Andrea Brøvig, Brisk, Havørn, Malmanger, Profit, Skrim (sunk) and Solhavn. This convoy left Liverpool Nov. 30-1940, dispersed Dec. 4 (link at the end of page). According to Page 1 of the archive documents, she had left Methil Roads on Nov. 23, arriving Tampa on Christmas Eve, as already mentioned, proceeding from there to Bermuda on New Years Eve, with arrival Bermuda on Jan. 6-1941.

Towards the end of Jan.-1941 she joined Convoy HX 105, having returned to port (Halifax) when in HX 102 (Bermuda portion), cargo of phosphates for Aberdeen, via Loch Ewe, station 33. Follow the links for more convoy details. Elg arrived Loch Ewe on Febr. 8, Aberdeen on Febr. 14. She later made an independent voyage to Takoradi and Freetown in Apr.-1941, and the external website mentioned above now has her in station 94 of Convoy SL 73, which left Freetown on Apr. 27-1941 and arrived Liverpool on May 25; Elg arrived Workington that same day. Again, see Page 1 of the archive documents, as well as the external link provided at the end of this page for more details. Fana, Hardanger, Lysaker V, Novasli and Tanafjord are also listed in SL 73, while Benwood and Corvus were scheduled, but did not sail.

With Barbro, Hardanger, Havsten, Hellen, Ida Knudsen, Solfonn, Torfinn Jarl, Troubadour and Vivi, Elg subsequently joined Convoy OB 331, originating in Liverpool on June 8-1941, dispersed June 19, Elg arriving Quebec independently on June 23, having joined from Clyde. She headed back to the U.K. again in July with Convoy HX 138, bound for London with grain, joining with the Sydney, C.B. portion - see also Page 2. A. Hague now has her in Convoy OS 4 for Freetown (in which Segundo was sunk), originating in Liverpool on Aug. 23-1941; Elg joined from Clyde and arrived Freetown on Sept. 14. Beth, Chr. Knudsen and Ingria are also listed. Together with Belnor, she later joined Convoy SL 88, going in the other direction (departure Freetown Sept. 24-1941, rendezvoused with Convoy HG 74 from Gibraltar on Oct. 8). Elg arrived Barrow on Oct. 20, later joining Convoy OS 11 early in Nov.-1941, voyage from Clyde to Freetown and Takoradi with war stores; arriving Freetown on Nov. 28, Takoradi on Dec. 20 (having departed Freetown again on Dec. 15). Other Norwegian ships taking part were Dagrun, Danio, Fana and Tigre - again, see the external links provided at the end of this page for further dates and info.

At the beginning of 1942 we find her in station 74 of Convoy SL 99, departing Freetown on Jan. 27, arriving Liverpool Febr. 16. Fana had again been in company, as had Norma, San Andres and Vest, though the latter returned to port. Early in March, Elg travelled to Halifax, having joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 74*, which left Liverpool on March 9-1942 and arrived Halfiax on the 25th. This time, Arosa, Beth, Borgfred, Sirehei, Thorsholm, Titanian, Tortugas and Tungsha had been in company.

The day before Tobruk fell Elg had arrived Alexandria with war materials (this does not quite agree with what can be found on Page 2, which states she arrived Alexandria on June 23, having left Port Said on the 21st). June 21 was a Sunday with no unloading of cargo taking place, so some of the crew had gotten the day off to go sightseeing at the pyramides. When the news of Tobruk's fall came, Elg was suddenly ordered to leave the harbour area and anchor outside, only to return the following day. It became increasingly obvious that the British were preparing for a hasty departure when Elg took on board a mixture of uniforms, food and other necessities, as well as oil barrels. Some parts of the ship's engine were still in town for repairs; without them she couldn't leave, so the engineer stopped the first car he could get a hold of and ordered it to take him to the workshop and back, which was done without protest. Not until his errands had been successfully completed did he realize he had ordered a British colonel and a major to chauffeur him around! When the ship was given the order to leave without prior notice, two of her gunners and several of the crew were on shore, but Elg had received on board 11 evacuees from a hospital, and several of them were well enough to offer their help. She was sent to Port Said, where the situation was also so critical that the British didn't want to unload, so she was instead sent on to Haifa. Nobody there seemed to be in any immediate need of Elg's uniforms/food/oil mixture, though part of that cargo was gotten rid of in Beirut, whereupon she was again returned to Egypt.

In Oct.-1942 she made a voyage from Freetown to the U.S., later heading to the U.K. at the end of Dec.-1942 with the slow Convoy SC 115, departing New York on Dec. 27, arriving liverpool on Jan. 16-1943. This convoy is not available among the SC convoys listed in my own Convoys section, but I've linked directly to it at the end of this page, and as can be seen, the Norwegian Bencas, Herbrand and Vinga are also listed. Elg had a cargo of sugar, sailing in station 62.

At the beginning of June-1943 she joined Convoy OS 49/KMS 16, originating in Liverpool on June 4, split up on the 13th, the Gibraltar portion (KMS 16*) arriving there on June 15, while the OS convoy continued to Freetown, with arrival on June 23. Corvus, Jan, Måkefjell and Somerville are also said to have taken part. Elg was bound for Montevideo, where she arrived independently on July 9.

In Sept-1943 she's mentioned in Convoy SL 136/MKS 24. The SL convoy, in which Elg took part, together with Somerville, had departed Freetown on Sept. 3, joined up with the MKS convoy* from Gibraltar on the 14th. Elg, cargo of linseed, arrived Avonmouth on Sept. 27. More convoy info is available at the external website already mentioned.

The following month she crossed the Atlantic again, having joined the westbound Convoy ONS 20*, originating in Liverpool on Oct. 9, arriving Halifax on the 26th. Elg joined from Milford Haven and was bound for St. John's, N.F., where she arrived on Oct. 23. She had again been in the company of several other Norwegian ships, namely Arosa, Bestik, Cetus, Iron Baron, Snar, Solstad, Tercero, Tropic Star and Vinland. At the beginning of Dec.-1943 we find her, with a cargo of steel and pit props for Tyne, in station 11 of the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 148 - follow the link for more info (see also Page 3).

In Jan.-1944 she's listed in Convoy OS 66/KMS 40, voyaging from Oban to Oran with coke and coal in station 124 (listed KMS 40*). The convoy originated in Liverpool on Jan. 24 and split up on Febr. 5, KMS 40 arriving Gibraltar on Febr. 7, while the OS portion continued to Freetown, where it arrived on the 15th. Bestik again took part, as did Novasli and Rena, while Cetus was scheduled but did not sail. Elg arrived her destination Oran on Febr. 8, later returning to the U.K. the following month with Convoy SL 150/MKS 41, again with Bestik in company, as well as Norvarg, Olaf Bergh and Ragnhild. Elg's voyage information is given as Casablanca-Loch Ewe, cargo of phosphates. The SL convoy had started out in Freetown on Febr. 21 and joined up with the MKS convoy* from Gibraltar on March 3 - again, see the external site about these convoys for further details.

The following month, she made another voyage to the U.S., having joined the westbound Convoy ON 233*, which originated in Liverpool on Apr. 20-1944 and arrived New York on May 8. Elg had a cargo of sulphate and mails, and had station 37 of the convoy, which also included Atlantic, Ferncliff, Kaia Knudsen, Norsktank, Olaf Bergh, Slemmestad and Thorhild. In July-1944 she sailed in the large New York-U.K. Convoy HX 300, bound for Greenock with a cargo of sugar and rum, returning across the ocean at the beginning of Sept.-1944 with the westbound Convoy ON 251*, together with Bernhard, Evanger, Ferncliff (returned), Fjordheim (sunk - follow link for details), Germa, Grey County, Heimgar, Henrik Ibsen, Rutenfjell, Snar, Thorhild, Tungsha, Veni and Vera, as well as the Panamaian Norbris, which had Norwegian managers and can be found under the N's on this website. Elg had station 167 of this convoy, which had originated in Liverpool on Sept. 1 and arrived New York on the 19th; Elg arrived Father Point on the 18th, having joined from Clyde. She subsequently headed back to the U.K. at the beginning of Oct.-1944 with the slow Convoy SC 158, cargo of grain and general for Hull. This convoy originated in Halifax on Oct. 4, but Elg joined with the Sydney, C.B. portion. She later returned to the U.S. in Nov.-1944 with the westbound Convoy ON 265*, with Frontenac, Kaia Knudsen, Leiv Eiriksson and Solør. That year was rounded off by sailing back to the U.K. in Convoy SC 162, departing Halifax on Dec. 2, cargo of grain for Liverpool, with arrival Dec. 17-1944. (See also Page 4).

In Jan.-1945 she headed to Freetown again, having joined Convoy OS 105/KMS 79*, which departed Liverpool on Jan. 17 and split up on the 22nd. Elg joined from Milford Haven, cargo of coal, station 61, and arrived Freetown independently on Febr. 2, the convoy having been dispersed on Jan. 26. The Norwegian Mathilda also took part (more details at website below). In March that year she made a voyage from Casablanca to Southend with Convoy MKS 87*, cargo of ground nuts. Other Norwegian ships were Alaska, Boreas and Olaf Bergh. About a month later, Elg made another voyage across the Atlantic, having joined the westbound Convoy ONS 47*, originating in Liverpool on Apr. 11, arriving Halifax on the 30th; Elg, however, was bound for St. John's, N.F., arriving there on Apr. 28, having joined the convoy from Belfast Lough. Frontenac, Marie Bakke, Rena and Romulus are also listed. Elg returned to the U.K. again in May in the slow Convoy SC 176, together with Chr. Th. Boe, Dageid, Garonne, Glarona, Ima, Rena and Vinga. This convoy originated in Halifax on May 16-1945 and arrived Liverpool on May 29, but Elg joined with the Sydney, C.B. portion, cargo of newsprint, station 23. Again, see the external link provided below, as well as Page 5, from which we learn that she got to go home to Norway in Aug.-1945, and again in Jan.-1946.