M/T Fosna
Updated Aug. 20 -2011

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


Source: Bjørn Pedersen's collection.
The Australian War Memorial also has a picture of Fosna, taken in July-1943 (both links are external).

Some Convoy Voyages:

Her Trans-Atlantic convoy voyages only are discussed here. For information on prior voyages, and voyages made in between those mentioned here, please see the documents received from the National Archives of Norway and Hague's Voyage Record above. Follow the convoy links provided for more details - other Norwegian ships also took part.

Fosna often acted as escort oiler, and also carried extra depth charges for the escorts.

"Nortraships flåte" states that Fosna fired upon a suspicious vessel in 08 04N 74 48E on Dec. 9-1940. The ship later turned out to be the British Katie Moller. When going to Page 1 of the archive documents, we learn that Fosna was on her way from Colombo to Aden on that date. According to the same document (as well as Hague's Voyage Record above), she spent quite a long time in New York the following year, from July 20-1941, when she arrived there from Curacao, to Oct. 20, when she left again for Aruba. There's also a long gap in her voyages for the fall of 1942 (see Page 2); she had arrived Los Angeles from Wellington on Aug. 26 that year, and departure date is given as Nov. 16.

Skipping now to May 19-1944, when she was scheduled for the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 292, but instead joined the next convoy on May 27, HX 293, for which Samuel Bakke acted as Commodore Vessel. Together with Brasil, Drammensfjord, Egda, Evita, Lista, Minerva, Solfonn and Spinanger, as well as the Panamanian Norbris and Norlys (both had Norwegian managers), Fosna returned to New York with Convoy ON 241*, departing Liverpool on June 18, arriving New York July 2, heading back to the U.K. again on July 11 in Convoy HX 299. Commodore was in Laurits Swenson, and the Vice Commodore in Høyanger. Fosna's destination is given as Grangemouth, where she arrived, via Loch Ewe, on July 26. A week later, we find her, along with Belinda, Brasil, Heranger, Høegh Scout, Slemmestad, Spinanger, Vanja and Vinga, in the westbound Convoy ON 247*, which originated in Liverpool on Aug. 2 and arrived New York on the 15th, and on the 25th of that month, she joined Convoy HX 305, bound for Swansea, with arrival there on Sept. 9, according to Page 3. Again, the Commodore was in a Norwegian ship, namely Abraham Lincoln.

Fosna subsequently returned to the U.S. in Convoy ON 253*, originating in Liverpool on Sept. 13, arriving New York on the 28th; Fosna joined from Clyde and arrived Philadelphia on the 29th. Dalfonn, Kronprinsessen, Marit II and Tanafjord are also listed. The following month, she's listed in Convoy HX 312, bound for Heysham, with arrival Oct. 21, returning across the Atlantic with Convoy ON 262*; she left Liverpool on Oct. 25 and arrived Baltimore Nov. 11. Other Norwegian ships were Anna Knudsen, Dalfonn, Norma, Skotaas, Somerville and Spinanger. Her last Trans-Atlantic voyage that year started out from New York on Dec. 14, Convoy HX 326. This time, she was bound for Avonmouth, where she arrived Dec. 28. Acanthus is named among the escorts for this convoy - see HX convoy escorts.

She returned to the U.S. with Convoy ON 277 in Jan.-1945, and on that occasion picked up a survivor from the American Jonas Lie which had been torpedoed. Follow the link for more info, as well as the external link provided below (Acanthus was again among the escorts for a while). Fosna headed back to the U.K. again on Febr. 28, joining Convoy HX 341*, together with Belinda, Egda, Fernmoor and Gefion, then in March she sailed to New York in Convoy ON 292*, which also included Egerø, Fjordaas, Gefion, Havfru, Ivaran (Commodore Vessel), Lista, Norsol and President de Vogue. This convoy arrived New York on Apr. 8, and a few days later, on Apr. 13, she joined Convoy HX 350* back to the U.K. - again, see also Page 3. She was again in the company of several other Norwegian ships, namely Egerø, Gefion, Havfru, President de Vogue, Haakon Hauan and Thorshov. In May, we find her in the westbound Convoy ON 300*, along with Carl Oftedal, Gefion, Heranger (Commodore Vessel), John Bakke and Viggo Hansteen (A. Hague has also included Narvik, but this is an error). Fosna's last Trans-Atlantic convoy voyage was made in Convoy HX 358*, which left New York on May 23 and also had Ferncourt, Gefion and Tungsha in its ranks.

Page 4 shows voyages to Febr.-1946.

* The ON convoys will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section in due course, along with further details on each. In the meantime, the ships sailing in them (and escorts) are named in the section listing ships in all ON convoys. The entire HX series will also be updated and completed (including the already existing convoys), but for now, please see ships in all HX convoys.

More information on the other Norwegian ships mentioned on this page is available via the alphabet index below, or go to the Master Ship Index.

POST WAR:

Sold in 1951 to D'Amico Societa di Navigazione SpA, Rome, and renamed Marinella. Laid up at Venice from March 7-1958. Sold to Italian breakers during Aug.-1960.

Related external links:
The loss of Jonas Lie

A casualty - This man, Able Seaman Mons Havnerås is listed as having died in an accident on board on July 29-1943. According to Page 2, Fosna was on her way from Sydney to Abadan on that date. Additionally, I've been told by a visitor to my site that Ordinary Seaman Otto Johannes Nyberg, from Askvoll in Sogn og Fjordane lost his life in an accident in Auckland, New Zealand on Oct. 18-1940, and is buried there. (Source for this information: "Våre falne"). From Page 1, we learn that Fosna had arrived Auckland on Oct. 9.

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

Other ships by this name: Historical Index of the Great Lakes has a lot of information and a picture of a later ship named Fosna, same company - built in Middlesbrough in 1955, 10 880 gt. Type "Fosna" in the field for 'vessel', then on the page that comes up, click in the little box with the item number. The page that comes up has technical details on the ship and a picture thumbnail - clicking on the thumbnail will bring up a larger photo. It also lists all her later names (Eurochemist, Cabatern, Baffin Transport) and owners. Broken up in 1978. Typing 'Norway" in the search field for 'Registry' on the main page will bring up some of the Norwegian vessels listed on the site.
Mowinckels also had a tanker named Fosna delivered to them in Jan.-1976, built in Yokohama, 77 351 gt. Renamed Mega Hawk in 1987, same managers, but owners in Monrovia. From 1988 she sailed as Mega for owners in Nassau (Swedish managers) - delivered for breaking up in China 2000. Yet another Fosna was delivered in Nov.-1992, also a tanker, built in Japan, 52 157 gt. Still in service.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, Roger W. Jordan - and misc.