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M/S Emma Bakke To Emma Bakke on the "Ships starting with E" page. Owner: Skibs-A/S Hilda Knudsen. Delivered in Aug.-1929 from Kockums mek. Verkstads A/B, Malmö as Sveadrott to Stockholms Rederi A/B Svea, Stockholm. Purchased by Skibs-A/S Hilda Knudsen (Knut Knutsen O.A.S.), Haugesund in May-1937 and renamed Emma Bakke. Related item on this website: Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives: Please compare the above voyages with Arnold Hague's Voyage Record below.
(Received from Don Kindell - His source: The late Arnold Hague's database). Follow the convoy links provided for more information on each. See also the external links at the end of this page.
Follow the convoy links provided for more information on them; some of them also have the Commodore's notes and/or reports - several Norwegian ships took part. For voyages in between those discussed in this narrative, some of which were made independently (without convoy), please go to the documents received from the National Archives of Norway and/or Hague's Voyage Record above. Emma Bakke, with general cargo for Glasgow, is listed in Convoy HXF 20, which left Halifax on Febr. 12-1940. The following month, she appears among the ships in Convoy OB 111, departing Liverpool on March 16-1940, dispersed March 20 (according to Arnold Hague, Emma Bakke had already become a straggler by the time the convoy was dispersed). Her voyage information is given as Liverpool - Panama/San Pedro, and she had station 22 of the convoy, which is available via the external link provided at the end of this page, as well as within the above table. As will be seen when going to Page 1 of the documents received from the National Archives of Norway, she was en route from Balboa to Los Angeles when Norway was invaded on Apr. 9-1940. In May/June-1940, we find her in the Bermuda portion of Convoy HX 46, bound for Glasgow with general cargo in station 16. According to Arnold Hague, she also sailed in Convoy HX 77* (Bermuda portion), which arrived Liverpool on Oct. 14-1940, and in which Brandanger and Davanger had been sunk. This convoy is not yet available among the HX convoys included in my Convoys section, but will be added. The Norwegian Dagrun, Heina, and Samnanger are also listed. The following month, she's listed in Convoy OB 241, which left Liverpool on Nov. 9 and dispersed on the 14th. She's also included in Convoy OB 243, originating in Liverpool on Nov. 13, dispersed Nov. 18. Her destination is given as Panama and Vancouver; again, see the external website below. Going back to Page 1, we see that she did leave River Mersey on Nov. 9, but only sailed as far as Belfast Lough, where she arrived on Nov. 11, leaving again on the 13th, so it's possible she had (briefly) been in both convoys, though A. Hague says she had made the voyage to Belfast Lough independently. In Febr.-1941, she sailed in Convoy HX 108, again joining from Bermuda, general cargo and aircraft, station 61, bound for Liverpool. In March she's listed, with destination Panama and Vancouver, in Convoy OB 299, which left Liverpool on March 19 and dispersed on the 25th - ref. external link at the end of this page; several other Norwegian ships are also included (see also Page 2). In June-1941 she was in Convoy HX 133 from Halifax (in which Soløy and Vigrid were sunk, and Kongsgaard was torpedoed and damaged), but lost touch with the convoy in fog, returned to port, then joined the next convoy at sea on June 21, HX 134. She had a general cargo as well as 3 Douglas bombers on board and sailed in station 54, bound for Liverpool. Arnold Hague now has her, with destination Panama, in Convoy OS 1. This convoy originated in Liverpool on July 24-1941 (arrived Freetown on Aug. 10), and is also available at the external website below, but as will be seen, one section of the site (based on original convoy documents) has not included her in this convoy, while the section based on A. Hague's database does list Emma Bakke in OS 1, adding she was detached on Aug. 1 and arrived Cristobal Aug. 12. In Oct.-1941, we find her in station 105 of Convoy HX 154 from Halifax. Other Norwegian ships were Hilda Knudsen, Kaia Knudsen, Ranja, Tai Shan, Samuel Bakke, Polarsol, Skiensfjord, N. T. Nielsen-Alonso, Toronto, Noreg and Svenør. The following month, she joined the westbound Convoy ON 36, destination is given as Panama and Vancouver, station 12. The Commodore's narrative is also available for this convoy; see also Page 3. She can also be found among the ships leaving Halifax in Convoy HX 178 on March 3-1942, subsequently joining the westbound Convoy ON 83* the following month, general cargo for Port Arthur, station 63. This convoy left Liverpool on Apr. 4 and arrived Halifax on the 17th; according to the archive document mentioned above (Page 3), Emma Bakke arrived New York Apr. 20 (Port Arthur is not mentioned). She headed back to the U.K. on May 3 in Convoy HX 188 from Halifax, returning to the U.S. as Vice Commodore vessel for Convoy ON 99 on May 29. According to A. Hague, she subsequently went back to the U.K. at the end of June in Convoy HX 196, and at the end of July, we find her listed as bound for New York with the westbound Convoy ON 115*, carrying 13 passengers. In Aug./Sept. she sailed in HX 205 from Halifax to the U.K., and on Sept. 25 she joined the westbound Convoy ON 133* in order to return to New York, where she arrived Oct. 11. About a month later, she joined Convoy HX 216, which departed New York on Nov. 19. Emma Bakke had a general cargo as well as ammunition, and was bound for Liverpool in station 123, but became a straggler when the convoy encountered a gale on Nov. 25 (she arrived Liverpool on Dec. 3). She later joined the westbound Convoy ON 155 to head back to the U.S. The company's Samuel Bakke was also in this convoy, as were several other Norwegian ships. See also the Commodore's narrative. She went back to the U.K. in Jan.-1943 with Convoy HX 224, bound for Belfast Dock, then Cardiff, station 114 (see Page 3). In the middle of March we find her listed as bound for New York in the westbound Convoy ON 173*, returning to the U.K. the following month with HX 235, bound for Liverpool with general cargo. In the middle of May, she shows up in the westbound Convoy ON 184*, and on June 15 she joined Convoy HX 244 from New York, general cargo for Liverpool, station 42, returning to New York in July with the westbound Convoy ON 192*. On Aug. 7-1943, she joined Convoy HX 251 in New York, again bound for Liverpool with general cargo, station 143 (Laurits Swenson was Commodore Vessel), subsequently joining the westbound Convoy ON 200* at the beginning of Sept.-1943 (see also Page 4). Arnold Hague now has her heading back to the U.K. again on Sept. 28 with Convoy HX 259*, carrying explosives, general cargo and 6 aircraft, again in the company of several other Norwegian ships, and towards the end of Oct.-1943, we find her in the westbound Convoy ON 208* (from Liverpool Oct. 24, to New York Nov. 7). In Dec.-1943, she acted as the Vice Commodore's ship for Convoy HX 269* (Laurits Swenson again served as the Commodore Vessel), returning across the ocean at the end of that month with the westbound Convoy ON 218*, departing Liverpool on Dec. 31, arriving New York Jan. 18-1944. In Febr.-1944, she served as the Vice Commodore's ship for Convoy HX 279 from New York, general cargo for Liverpool, and in the middle of the following month she joined the westbound Convoy ON 228*. In Apr.-1944, we find her in the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 288, again with general cargo for Liverpool (Commodore in Laurits Swenson), returning in May with the westbound Convoy ON 237*. In June that year, she was one of several Norwegian ships in Convoy HX 296 from New York. Emma Bakke was again bound for Liverpool with general cargo, and she went back across the ocean in July with the westbound Convoy ON 245*. In Aug.-1944, she was in Convoy HX 304, again bound for Liverpool with general cargo, and again acting as the Vice Commodore's ship, then in the middle of Sept.-1944, she joined the westbound Convoy ON 254*. In Oct.-1944, she's listed as sailing in Convoy HX 314 from New York, bound for Hull with general cargo, this time as Commodore Vessel (arrived Hull Nov. 1, according to Page 4). She now shows up in the westbound Convoy ON 268* (from Southend Nov. 22, to New York Dec. 10), and was scheduled to return to the U.K. with Convoy HX 328 on Christmas Eve, but instead joined the next convoy a few days later, HX 329 and was used as Commodore Vessel again. She joined the westbound Convoy ON 280* in Jan.-1945 but had a damaged propeller and had to return to port, subsequently joining Convoy ON 283* the following month (left Liverpool Febr. 6, arrived New York Febr. 27). She returned to the U.K. in March, having joined Convoy HX 345* from New York on the 19th, and in Apr.-1945, we find her in the westbound Convoy ON 297*. One more eastbound Trans Atlantic convoy voyage was made in May, with HX 356*, having joined with the Sydney, C.B. portion (this convoy had originated in New York on May 13-1945 and arrived Liverpool on the 26th). Her next voyage back to the U.S. in June could be made without a convoy. Page 5 of the archive documents shows her subsequent voyages, up to and including most of Apr.-1946.
The ship and the company (Skibs-A/S Hilda Knudsen) were transferred to Christian Haaland, Haugesund in Aug. 1947. (This transfer may have had something to do with the fact that Knut Knutsen died in 1946 and Chr. Haaland, his son in law, inherited some of Knutsen's companies and ships). Abandoned on fire after an explosion in the engine room on Oct. 9-1954, 280 n. miles off Cape Verde, on a voyage from New York to Casablanca* with general cargo. The 4th engineer and a mechanic died. Crew and passengers went in the lifeboats and were picked up by the Argentinian Corientes and taken to Lisbon. In my "Find Old Shipmates" Forum there's a posting from an Italian crew member who was on board at the time.
Related external links: See also this chronological Back to Emma Bakke on the "Ships starting with E" page. This company later had another Emma Bakke, delivered in Oct.-1962, 6442 gt, later 8198 gt 1971. Became Hai Meng in 1981 (Panamanian flag, Norw. mgrs.). Sold to Taiwan for breaking up in 1988. The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Våre motorskip", Leif M. Bjørkelund & E. H. Kongshavn, E-mail from R. W. Jordan, Dictionary of Disasters at Sea during the Age of Steam - including sailing ships and ships of war lost in Action 1824-1962", Charles Hocking, and misc. sources as named on each convoy page - (ref. My sources).
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