Owner: R. W. Jordan's "The World's Merchant Fleets 1939", gives owner as D/S A/S Forto during the war.
Manager: Leif Erichsen, Bergen
Tonnage: 1593 gt

Built at Laxevaags Maskin- & Jernskibsbyggeri, Bergen (126) as Kaparika for D/S A/S Kap (Carl Wildhagen & Co.), Sandefjord in 1919. 1501/832 rt, 2400 tdw, triple exp. engine. Sold in May 1927 to Agdesidens Rederi A/S (Arnt J. Mørland), Arendal, renamed Kvernaas. Sold in Febr-1929 to D/S A/S Erica (Leif Erichsen), Bergen and renamed Erica.

Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives:
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6 | Page 7 | Page 8 | Page 9 | Page 10 | Page 11 | Page 12 | Page 13 | Page 14 | Page 15

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

Follow the convoy links provided for more information on each (please note that some listings are incomplete).

Errors may exist - this could also mean that she may not have sailed in all the convoys mentioned here. Also, several voyages are missing.

According to A. Hague, Erica sailed in Convoy HN 8 from Norway to the U.K. in Jan.-1940. Early in March, he has her in the U.K.-Norway Convoy ON 17A, and later that month, she's listed in the original document for Convoy HN 21 from Norway, bound for Manchester with a cargo of pulp. This convoy arrived Methil on March 25; A. Hague says Erica was detached from the convoy the day before, but her arrival Manchester is not known. It'll be noticed, when going to Page 1 of the archive documents, that she left Partington on Apr. 5 with the intention of returning to Norway but was diverted to Kirkwall, where she arrived Apr. 7 (Norway was invaded Apr. 9). It's possible she had been scheduled for Convoy ON 25(?).

In Aug.-1940 she's listed, together with Grey County, Inga 1, Jamaica, Nova, Sandar and Varangberg, in Convoy OB 197, which originated in Liverpool on Aug. 13 (Erica sailed from Clyde that day) and dispersed on the 16th. Erica's destination is given as Sydney, C.B.; going back to the archive document, it looks like she stopped at Port aux Basques before proceeding to St. John, N.B., where she arrived Aug. 30. From there, she headed to Sydney, C.B. on Sept. 13 in order to join the slow Convoy SC 5 on Sept. 18, cargo of lumber for Preston, where she arrived on Oct. 4. The following month, we find her in Convoy OB 240, departing Liverpool on Nov. 8, dispersed on the 13th. This time, Berto, Eastern Star, Evviva, Granfoss, Iron Baron, Regin, Stargard and Trolla had been in company. Direct links to both these OB convoys have been provided within the Voyage Record above. No destination is given for Erica, but from Page 1, we learn that she arrived St. John's, N.F. on Nov. 30. She headed back to the U.K. again on Dec. 15 in the slow Convoy SC 16 from Halifax, cargo of timber for King's Lynn.

She had made a voyage to Iceland in Apr.-1941, and from there she's said to have made an independent voyage to Louisburg and Rimouski. She subsequently proceeded to Halifax in order to join the slow Convoy SC 32 on May 19, cargo of lumber for Portishead, where she arrived June 11. She's now listed, together with Corvus, Gezina, Ingerfire and Sandanger, in Convoy OB 340, which originated in Liverpool on June 27 (Erica joined from Milford Haven) and dispersed on July 13 - link in the table above. Again, no destination is given for Erica, but from Page 2 of the archive documents, we learn that she arrived Sydney, C.B. on July 15. According to Arnold Hague, she later went back to the U.K. with a cargo of lumber in Convoy SC 43, which left Sydney, C.B. on Sept. 5 and arrived Liverpool on the 20th. This convoy is not yet available among the SC convoys included in my Convoys section, but will be added - see ships in all SC convoys. The Norwegian Astrell, Atle Jarl, Bernhard, Bjørkhaug, Bonde (returned), Fjord, Fjordheim, Galatea, Ingerfem, Solstad, Torfinn Jarl and Vigsnes are also named.

In Oct.-1941, she was briefly in Convoy OG 76. This was a Gibraltar bound convoy, but Erica was only bound for Liverpool, where she arrived (via Holyhead) on Oct. 30, having left Milford Haven Oct. 26. This convoy will also be added to an individual page in my Convoys section; in the meantime, the ships sailing in it (and escorts) are named on the page listing ships in all OG convoys - Blink (returned following collision), Hildur I, Lago and Lisbeth are also included.

Her subsequent voyages are shown 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 I have her in Convoy RU 76 from Reykjavik to the U.K., together with Nandi, Heien and Lyra. In Sept.-1943 she sailed in Convoy RU 91, bound for Liverpool with herring meal - Page 9 lists her voyages in this period.