Site Map | Search Warsailors.com | Merchant Fleet Main Page | Warsailors.com Home |
|
M/T Fenris To Fenris on the "Ships starting with F" page. Owner: A/S Lampas Built by Götaverken A/B, Gothenburg in 1936. Captain: August Clifton Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives:
As can be seen when going to Page 1 above, it looks like she was en route from Teneriffe to Curacao when Norway was invaded on Apr. 9-1940. In May-1940 she's listed in the Bermuda portion of Convoy HX 46. She was bound for Swansea, where she arrived on June 12, having left Bermuda on May 27. In July she joined Convoy OB 184, which originated in Liverpool on July 15 and dispersed on the 18th, Fenris arriving Cape Town independently on Aug. 11 (having joined from Milford Haven). The Norwegian Balduin, Fana, Haakon Hauan and Polartank are also listed in this convoy, which is available via the external link provided below. In Sept.-1941 she was in Convoy HX 150 (in station 83) along with the Norwegian Heina (64), Solfonn (44), Havkong (84), Garonne (62), Thorshavet (33), Topdalsfjord (34), Varanger (66?) and Braganza (66?). Fenris was again bound for Swansea, with arrival there on Oct. 6. Later that month we find her going in the other direction with the westbound Convoy ON 26, which originated in Liverpool on Oct. 14-1941 (Fenris joined from Milford Haven). Her destination is given as Curacao, and she had station 64 of the convoy, surrounded on almost all sides by Norwegian ships, namely Leiv Eiriksson in station 63, Meline in 73, Thorshøvdi in 74, President de Vogue in 53 and Mirlo in 83. Garonne sailed a little further in front in station 32, while Belinda had station 23 and Havkong station 34. Fenris arrived Curacao independently on Nov. 6, the convoy having been dispersed on Oct. 29. (More information on all the other Norwegian ships mentioned here can be found with the help of the alphabet index at the end of this page). For information on her subsequent voyages, please see the documents received from the National Archives of Norway. Related external link:
In the evening of Febr. 21-1944, Fenris was torpedoed amidships by U-168 (Pich), in position 08 32S 65 35E, and damaged but able to reach Bombay. According to "Nortraships flåte" the radio was damaged, but repairable so that a message could be sent. It was received by Bombay Radio which forwarded it to the high command of the British forces. It appears Fenris was sailing as a fleet oiler, and that she was not supposed to be in that area in the first place. New orders had been sent to her a few days earlier, but obviously not received. After she had been torpedoed she was at first ordered to Addu Atoll, but when she notified authorities that she was able to do 11 knots she continued to Bombay for repairs. 90' of her port side hull had been ripped away by the explosion. (Japanese and German subs torpedoed 29 ships in the Indian Ocean in the course of the first 3 months of 1944). Skipping now to the spring of 1945, when she's listed in Convoy HX 347, departing New York on March 29. (Fenris had previously arrived the U.S. from Augusta at the end of Nov.-1944 - see Page 3 of the archive documents). This convoy is not available among the HX convoys listed on my own website, but I've linked directly to it at the end of this page, and as will be seen, the Norwegian Brasil, Buenos Aires, Dalfonn, Lektor Garbo, Marit II, Roald Amundsen, Sophocles, Sverre Helmersen and Thorsholm are also listed, as is the Panamanian Norlys, which had Norwegian managers and is included under the N's of this website. Fenris had station 44 of the convoy, and carried USN fuel as well as air craft, serving as escort oiler. She returned to the U.S. the following month with the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 298. This convoy, which left Southend on Apr. 21 and arrived New York on May 7, will be added to an individual page in my Convoys section; in the meantime, please scroll down to ON 298 on this page. Dalfonn, Marit II, Morgenen, Reinholt and Thorsholm also took part, as did the Panamanian Norlys. Fenris, which had joined from Clyde, arrived Hampton Roads on May 9. According to A. Hague, she headed back to the U.K. again in Convoy HX 356, together with Dalfonn, Emma Bakke, Lista, Sørvard, and the Panamanian Norvinn. Fenris, in station 53, again served as escort oiler. This convoy left New York on May 13, arrived Liverpool on the 26th, and is also available via the link provided at the end of this page. Further voyages are listed on Page 3 and Page 4 of the archive documents. Crew List - No casualties:
Related external links: The Australian War Memorial has a picture of this ship. It can be found by running a search through their collection search page. Back to Fenris on the "Ships starting with F" page. Norway had previously had a small steamship by this name from 1913, originally delivered in Nov.-1884 as Ituna for London & Solway S. S. Co. Ltd., London, 457 gt. When purchased by Jacob Kielland & H. O. Warloe, Trondheim in 1897 she came from owners in Grangemouth, still Ituna. From 1898 she belonged to A/S D/S Ituna (Albr. W. Selmer), Trondheim. Purchased by Ole L. Waage, Kopervik in 1907. Aground on Jan. 8-1908 on Langeland in heavy storm with snow on a voyage Hadersleben, Germany (now Haderslev)-Rostock in ballast. Condemned, then sold in 1909 to O. A. A. Hirsch, Moss, repaired and sold in 1913 as Fenris to Johan T. Østbø, Stavanger, purchased by D/S A/S Fenris (O. Emil Lea), Haugesund in June-1915, then sold in 1916 to Erik Evanger, Fosnavåg/Ålesund. Managed by Ingv. Bjørnebos Rederi, Kristiansand in the period 1917-1919, from 1919 she belonged to Skibs-A/S Crescendo (Thor Hals), Christiania. Sold in Aug.-1920 to Malta (T. Gasan) and renamed Ituna again. Struck a mine and sank on March 26-1921 near Santa Maria on a voyage Piræus-Malta via Korfu with cargo of flour. ("Våre gamle skip"). The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume I (Norwegian Maritime Museum) - ref. My sources.
|