Site Map | Search Warsailors.com | Merchant Fleet Main Page | Warsailors.com Home |
|
M/S Fernbank To Fernbank on the "Ships starting with F" page. Owner: A/S Glittre Built by Deutsche Werft AG, Betrieb Finkenwärder, Hamburg, Germany in 1924. Captain: Johan Severin Nygaard. 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 (please note that some listings are incomplete). Errors may exist, and some voyages are missing.
Fernbank is listed among the ships in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 25 in March-1940, sailing in station 33 with a cargo of pig iron. According to A. Hague, she arrived Swansea on March 21. 3 of Fernbank's former crew members were travelling as passengers on D/S Navarra when that ship was sunk on Apr. 6-1940 - follow the link for more information. Around the same time, Fernbank joined Convoy OB 124, which originated in Liverpool on Apr. 6. She started out from Milford Haven on Apr. 7 and had station 64 of the convoy, which is available via the external link provided within the Voyage Record. A. Hague has also included the Norwegian Janna, Marstenen (for Barry only) and Solstad. Fernbank arrived Halifax independently on Apr. 19, the convoy having been dispersed on the 10th - in other words, she was at sea when war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9. Her voyages at this time are shown on Page 1 of the archive documents. On May 4-1940, we find her in station 72 of Convoy HX 40 from Halifax, bound for London with a cargo of lumber, arriving there on May 18. The following month, she shows up, together with Avance I, Benwood, Ledaal, Nea, Svint and Topdalsfjord, in Convoy OA 168GF, which left Southend on June 15 and joined up with OB 168GF from Liverpool 2 days later, the combined convoy forming Convoy OG 34F, which arrived Gibraltar on June 24. Fernbank, however, was only bound for Falmouth on that occasion, where she arrived on June 18. A few days later, she joined Convoy OA 172, along with Bonde, Evviva, Trolla and Vestland, and this time she was bound for Sydney, C.B., where she arrived independently on July 6, the convoy having been dispersed on June 25. She continued to Montreal that same day, arriving July 11. Again, ref. external links in the table above. Fernbank returned to the U.K. in Aug.-1940 with Convoy HX 65, cargo of paper for Mersey. As will be seen when following the link, this convoy lost several ships. It'll also be notied that Fernbank is included among the ships in the Advance Sailing Telegram for the Sydney, C.B. portion, but it looks like she joined from Halifax - again, see Page 1 (HX 65 started out in Halifax on Aug. 12). She later joined Convoy OB 230, departing Liverpool on Oct. 17, dispersed on the 20th, Fernbank arriving Durban independently on Nov. 22 (link above). According to A. Hague, she arrived with engine defects, and she remained in Durban for about 2 months, before leaving again for Capetown on Jan. 20-1941. With Høegh Scout, Stiklestad and Strix (collided, follow link for details), A. Hague later has her in Convoy SL 68 from Freetown on March 13-1941. This convoy, which lost several ships, is also available via the external link provided in the table above. Fernbank arrived Halifax independently on Apr. 9, the convoy having been dispersed on March 21. From Halifax, she headed to the U.K. on Apr. 19 in the slow Convoy SC 29, cargo of iron ore for Immingham, where she arrived on May 14, according to Page 1. In the original Advance Sailing Telegram for this convoy there's a note in connection with her name saying she had previously been in Convoy SL 68 (some of the other ships also have this note). Escorts' reports are also available for SC 29. Having made a voyage to Hull, she returned to Imminham, then left Immingham for Loch Ewe in ballast in the evening of May 29-1941, joining a convoy the following morning, but lost sight of it in heavy fog on the 31st (this must have been Convoy EC 26, in which she's listed, together with Loke - external link, incomplete listing). At 00:03 on June 1, when off Peterhead (this is about half an hour's drive from Aberdeen, Scotland), 3 aircraft attacked with machine guns and bombs. The first aircraft fired with machine guns along the starboard side, and when it was about level with the masts it dropped several bombs which fell off her side on the starboard quarter. 2 more aircarft were then observed, 1 of which came in low, again firing with machine guns before dropping 3 bombs which exploded alongside. The auxiliary machinery and the electric installation were put out of action, the main motor stopped and the main steam valve on the boiler burst and steam poured into the engine room. Pipe lines and valves in the engine room and tunnel were broken, so that water and diesel oil sprayed on the electric installation, the auxiliary machinery and the main motor. No. 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 tanks were leaking. Fernbank had a complement of 30 and 4 British gunners at the time. During the second attack, 2nd mate Karl Adolf Fallang, who was on watch on the bridge, as well as the 3rd mate and one of the British gunners defended the ship with her own 3 machine guns before being ordered to the lifeboats along with the rest of the crew. The port boat had been shaken loose from the tackles and fell down, full of water, but they managed to get away in the starboard boats. When all became quiet again the captain, the 1st and 2nd mates and the engine room staff went back on board whereupon an auxiliary motor and the ballast pump were started at 01:10 so that the tunnel and engine room could be pumped. The boats were hauled back on board and after some temporary repairs had been undertaken they left the scene at 03:05. At 06:30, two tugs came out to assist and at 09:30 Fernbank moored in Aberdeen harbour. (Source: "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig" - The Norwegian Maritime Museum, 2003. This incident is also recorded in J. R. Hegland's "Nortraships flåte", which adds that 17 bombs were dropped around her and says that Fernbank did not have any anti aircraft armament at this time). The maritime hearings were held in Newcastle on Tyne on June 26-1941 with Captain Nygaard, Chief Engineer Leif Bjarne Mørch (on duty in the engine room at the time of attack), the 2nd mate (named above), Able Seaman Arne Pettersen (helmsman) and Able Seaman Arthur Johannes Pedersen (lookout) appearing. 1st mate at the time was Ø. Nilssen. From an Australian visitor to my website I've received the following (his sources: Lloyds War Losses published in 1989, and the Admiralty records of British and Foreign Merchant Ships sunk or damaged by enemy action):
As mentioned, Fernbank proceeded to Tyne for repairs, arriving there on June 13, and did not leave again until Dec. 18, arriving Oban, via Methil, on Dec. 23 - see Page 2. She left Oban again on Christmas Eve and can now be found in station 25 of Convoy OS 15, bound for Freetown with war stores, arriving Freetown on Jan. 14-1942. Dagfred, Estrella and Hallanger are also named in this convoy, as is Dageid, but this appears to be an error (follow the link to Dageid). With a cargo of W.A. produce, Fernbank is later listed, together with Santos, in Convoy SL 104, which left Freetown for the U.K. on March 23 (direct links to both these convoys can be found in the Voyage Record above). According to the external website that I've linked to at the end of this page, she was scheduled to go in the other direction with Convoy OS 28 on May 12, but instead joined the next convoy, OS 29, which left Liverpool on May 22 and arrived Freetown on June 11. Fernbank, however, was bound for Durban on that occasion, arriving there on July 1 - again, see the Voyage Record above. Arosa, G. C. Brøvig, Hallanger, Havsten, James Hawson, Meline and Tanafjord are also included in this convoy. Her subsequent voyages are shown on the archive document, with convoy info for some of them in the table above. Skipping now to Jan. 4-1943, when she's listed in the slow Convoy SC 116 from New York to the U.K. 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. Bencas (Halifax to St. John's only), Carmelfjell (to St. John's), Chr. Th. Boe, Gezina, Herma (to St. John's), Orwell and Stigstad are also listed, while Acanthus and Eglantine are named among the escorts (see SC convoy escorts). Fernbank had a cargo of bauxite, sailing in station 84, and arrived Newport on Jan. 31, remaining there for quite a long time (Page 2). In Apr.-1943, we find her in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ONS 3, arriving Halifax on Apr. 28 - Page 3 has her voyages at this time. In June that year, she's listed in the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 134, cargo of steel and lumber for Tyne. She headed back across the Atlantic again at the beginning of Sept.-1943 with Convoy ONS 17, which originated in Liverpool on Aug. 31 (Fernbank sailed from Oban Sept. 1) and also included the Norwegian Evanger (Commodore Vessel), Grey County and Suderøy, and this time, Potentilla and Rose are named among the escorts (see ONS convoy escorts). Fernbank's destination is given as Quebec, and she had station 83. She stopped at Sydney, C.B. on Sept. 15, proceeding to Montreal that same day. (This convoy will also be added to an individual page in my Convoys section, but for now the ships sailing in it, and escorts, are named on my page listing ships in all ONS convoys). With a cargo of steel and lumber for Garston, she returned to the U.K. again the following month in the slow Convoy SC 144 from Halifax, arriving Liverpool on Oct. 27, Garston on Oct. 28, having left Halifax on the 11th. Christmas of 1943 was celebrated while in Convoy OS 62/KMS 36, which left Liverpool on Dec. 15 and split up on Jan. 2-1944, the KMS portion* arriving Gibraltar on Jan. 3, while the OS convoy continued to Freetown. Fernbank was in the KMS convoy and according to Page 3, she arrived Port Said on Jan. 13. Boreas, Ingertre (returned) and Mathilda are also included. In June that year, Fernbank is listed, along with Hjalmar Wessel, Mathilda, Snar, Solør and Vito, in Convoy MKS 53*, departing Port Said on June 18 (but note that some of the other ships joined from other ports). This convoy joined up with Convoy SL 162 from Freetown on June 30, the combined convoy arriving Liverpool on July 12 - Fernbank stopped at Loch Ewe that day. Gausdal and Mathilda are also listed in the combined convoy. Going back to Page 3, we see that Fernbank subsequently spent a long time at Tyne, from July 28 to Sept. 30. The external website that I've linked to at the end of this page now lists her as scheduled for Convoy OS 91/KMS 65* at the beginning of Oct.-1944, but she did not sail. A. Hague instead has her in Convoy OS 92/KMS 66, which originated in Liverpool on Oct. 15 and split up on Oct. 25, with the Gibraltar portion (KMS 66*) arriving there on Oct. 26, while the OS convoy continued to Freetown. Bosphorus, Hardanger, Hermelin and Ragnhild are also listed. Fernbank was bound for Alexandria, where she arrived on Nov. 4, having joined from Milford Haven. Her voyages in this period are shown on Page 4. On Dec. 5, we find her leaving Gibraltar with Convoy MKS 69*, which joined up with SL 178 from Freetown on the 6th, the combined convoy (SL 178/MKS 69) arriving Liverpool on Dec. 15. Her voyage information is given as Haifa-Mersey, general cargo, incl. grapefruit (she had sailed from Haifa on Nov. 16). Mathilda is again listed. At the beginning of 1945, she joined Convoy OS 106/KMS 80*, departing Liverpool on Jan.-22. Fernbank was on a voyage from Liverpool to Gibraltar with coke and coal in station 12, later proceeding to Malta, with arrival there on Febr. 2. Norbryn also took part. On March 1, Fernbank shows up, along with Kong Haakon VII, in Convoy MKS 86* from Gibraltar, and arrived Cardiff on March 9, cargo of fruit. The following month, she joined Convoy OS 121/KMS 95, which split up on Apr. 14, the KMS* portion arriving Gibraltar on Apr. 16, the OS convoy continuing to Freetown. Fernbank arrived Port Said on Apr. 24, having started out from Milford Haven on the 8th. Direct links to all these convoys have been provided within the table above. Further voyages are listed on Page 4 and Page 5 of the archive documents. As will be seen (Page 4) she got to go home to Norway in Oct.-1945.
According to this external page, she was sold in 1948 A/B Atlanta, later Finland- Sydamerikalinjen A.B. Finland, renamed Arabia. Broken up in Holland in March-1960 by N.V. Holland/Hendrik Ido Ambacht. Related external links: Commemorative Roll Database - (Australian War Memorial). By using "Pacey" as keyword, J. T. Pacey will show up in the search result - died Nov. 16-1941, on the fishing vessel Fernbank mentioned above. Back to Fernbank on the "Ships starting with F" page. Fearnley & Eger later had another Fernbank, delivered in 1976, built in Moss, 9375 gt. Renamed Helios for Helge R. Myhre, Stavanger in 1977, then Vira Gas in 1984 (A/S Sigurd Sverdrup, Oslo). Had various owners until 1994, when she was renamed Clipper Victoria for Skibs-A/S Solvang, Stavanger. This external page has information on another Fernbank, built in 1955.
|
