D/S Far
Updated Sept. 11-2008

To Far on the "Ships starting with F" page.

Pre war picture, when named Ravnefjell, taken at Camden NJ on Aug.-1937 - received from Phil Cohen.

Far in Boston, U.S.A., 1938.
Received from the daughter of 1st Mate Reimert Pedersen
(here's her posting to my Ship Forum, she's interested in obtaining more information).

Misc. Convoy Voyages:

(More convoy information will be added).

For information on voyages made before and in between the ones noted here, please go to the documents received from the National Archives of Norway. Follow the convoy links provided for more details on them; some also include the Commodore's notes.

Far was scheduled for the slow Sydney [C.B.]-U.K. Convoy SC 54 on Nov. 10-1941 but instead joined SC 55 on Nov. 16, pulp wood for Manchester, where she arrived on Dec. 7. Later that month she joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 51*, which originated in Liverpool on Dec. 27 and dipsersed Jan. 11 (Far joined from Milford Haven and arrived Hampton Roads on Jan. 20-1942). Beth, Carrier (returned), Fjordheim, Ingerfire and Sirehei are also listed.

She headed back to the U.K. again on March 24-1942 with Convoy SC 76 from Halifax, cargo of phosphates for Ipswich, with arrival there, via Loch Ewe and Methil Roads, on Apr. 17. At the end of June that year she shows up in the westbound Convoy ON 108*, together with Don, Inger Lise, Senta, Star, Grado, Iron Baron, Lido, Ramø, Selbo and Sneland I. ON 108 originated in Liverpool on June 30, but Far had joined from Loch Ewe and arrived Halifax on July 15. On Aug. 5 we find her in the slow Convoy SC 95, cargo of lumber for London, joining with the Sydney, C.B. portion of the convoy, which had started out in Halifax on Aug. 4. The following month she's listed in station 32 of the westbound Convoy ON 128, Far arriving Halifax on Sept. 21 (see Page 3), and according to Arnold Hague, she returned to the U.K. with the Halifax portion of Convoy SC 105 on Oct. 15 (convoy originated in New York on Oct. 11). This convoy is not availble among the SC convoys listed on my own website, but I've linked directly to it at the end of this page, and as can be seen, the Norwegian Bonde, Don, Herma, Kirsten B, Norelg, Polarland, and Ramø are also included. Far had a cargo of grain and lumber, and sailed in station 102.

Towards the end of Nov.-1942, she joined the westbound Convoy ON 148*, which originated in Liverpool on Nov. 23 and arrived New York Dec. 13 (Far joined from Milford Haven). She was again in the company of other Norwegian ships, namely Don, Inger Lise, Ramø and Solsten (Ramø returned to port, Herma joined from Iceland later, while Ada joined from Halifax). Far, in station 11 of the convoy, was bound for Boston, where she arrived on Dec. 17.

Skipping now to Sept. 3-1943, when she's listed in station 55 of the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 141. In Nov.-1943 she shows up, with Hjalmar Wessel, Ledaal, Ragnhild and Roald Amundsen, in Convoy OS 58/KMS 32 (see external link below), voyaging from Oban to Sicily with coal in station 23. This convoy started out in Liverpool on Nov. 5, split up on the 18th, with the KMS portion* heading to Gibraltar, while the OS convoy continued to Freetown.

In Jan.-1944 she made a voyage from Augusta (Jan. 5) to Bizerta (Jan 8) with Convoy MKS 36, and later that month she's listed as bound for Augusta in Convoy KMS 39*. She had left Algiers on Jan. 30 and arrived her destination on Febr. 3 (see Page 5). On Febr. 26 she left Bizerta for Bone, joining Convoy MKS 41*, and arrived Bone the next day, leaving Bone on March 9, Convoy KMS 43*, arriving Augusta on the 12th. In May she made a voyage from Algiers to Augusta with Convoy KMS 50* (she left Algiers May 17, arrived Augusta May 21).

She was loading ammunition at Barletta, Italy some time in May(?)-1944 (did this take place in July? - again, see Page 5 above) when an explosion occurred in one of the cases of ammunition, but the crew, lead by the captain, the 1st and 3rd mates as well as a British lieutenant Terry were able to extinguish the resulting fire before further explosions occurred, thereby saving not only the ship, but the city from destruction. 2 other ships with the same kind of cargo were right behind Far, so the situation was quite dramatic for a while. The ruined cargo was then unloaded and new ammunition taken on board, before she continued to Ancona, which was in ruins at the time. After having unloaded there for 2 days she moved further out, and shortly afterwards a diver found a magnetic mine in the spot were Far had been discharging her cargo.

According to an article I have found, Far was at Bari in the fall of 1944(?) unloading (loading?) ammunition. A Liberty ship was next to her unloading bombs. Far missed the convoy she was scheduled to leave with, but the captain decided to try to catch up with it instead of waiting for the next convoy. About 4 n. miles out she was shaken by an enormous explosion occurring in Bari harbour; those who were below decks thought they had had an explosion on board. It turned out the Liberty ship had exploded, with the loss of her 80 crew as well as several hundred other lives, and again Far had narrowly avoided disaster. I'm a little suspicious here and wonder if the dates and events have become somewhat confused, so that what happend at Bari during the aircraft attack in Dec.-1943 when the Liberty ship S/S John Harvey blew up (see my text for Bollsta), has been mixed with the events of the spring of 1945 when the ammunition ship S/S Charles Henderson exploded during the unloading of cargo (D/S Knoll was set on fire at that time, follow link for more). I don't know enough about the Liberty ships to confirm whether a separate incident did occur at Bari in the fall of 1944, as stated in this article.

Far is listed as sailing in Convoy KMS 65* in Oct.-1944, voyaging from Oran (Oct. 12) to Bizerta (Oct. 15).

She continued in the supply service in the Mediterranean until Nov.-1945. As will be seen when going to Page 6 of the archive documents, she got to go home to Norway the following month.

POST WAR:

Ran aground on January 8, 1950, off Flekkefjord, and broke up during a storm, when on a voyage from the Tyne to Copenhagen. No casualties.

Related external link:
OS and OS/KMS Convoys - As can be seen, Far is listed in Convoy OS 58/KMS 32. Other Norwegian ships are also included. Another section of the site also has information on Convoy SC 105.

Back to Far on the "Ships starting with F" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, article in "Krigsseileren", Issue No. 2 for 1988, written by Søren Brandsnes, and misc. (ref. My sources).