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D/S Galtesund To Galtesund on the "Ships starting with G" page. Manager: A/S Arendals Dampskibsselskab, Arendal Delivered in 1905 from Burmeister & Wains Skibsværft, Copenhagen (238) as Skandia to A/S D/S paa Bornholm af 1866, Rønne, Bornholm. Steel hull, 170,1’ x 27,6’ x 18,2’, 623 gt, Tripple Expansion (B&W) 140nhp. Sold in 1917 to C. M. Engholm, Copenhagen. Sold again that same year to A/S Christiansholms Fabriker, Copenhagen. Sold in Jan.-1919 to Dampskibsselskabet af 1912 (A. P. Møller), Copenhagen, then to an unknown German yard before being sold in Aug.-1919 to Arendals Dampskibsselskab, Arendal, temporarily renamed Skandia II. Converted for coastal service at Porsgrunds Mek. Verksted, Porsgrunn and entered coastal service Skien-Brevik as Galtesund in Jan.-1920. In 1927 she was placed in Hurtigruten service Oslo-Kristiansand (express passenger/cargo). Captain: Karl Knudsen.
Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives: Please compare the above with Arnold Hague's convoy info below.
(Received from Don Kindell - His source: The late Arnold Hague's database). Follow the convoy links provided for more information on each. Errors may exist, and the record is incomplete.
Seized in Flekkefjord on March 15-1942 and taken to the U.K. by an armed Norwegian group of 6 men under the leadership of the 25 year old Odd K. Starheim (operated under the false name Ola Svendsen). They were members of what was known as "Kompani Linge", a British group based in the U.K. (with Norwegian volunteers). In the group was Einar Skinnarland, whom it was very important to get across to England. He was employed at a dam in Telemark and in his possession he had information about Norsk Hydro's heavy water installations at Vemork near Rjukan. The capture of Galtesund took place at the time when the British were preparing the sabotage operations against these installations (see also Hydro). Galtesund arrived Aberdeen, Scotland two days later after having encountered ferocious weather on the crossing - see also Page 1 of the archive documents. (The same procedure was attempted with Tromøsund the following year, with disasterous results). 1st mate on Galtesund at the time was Didrik S. Taraldsen, 2nd mate was Frithjof Halvorsen. Galtesund's complement consisted of 21 men and women, who were taken to London for extensive questioning, before Galtesund was included in Nortraship. Some of the officers continued serving on board, while the majority of the crew was replaced, as was the captain. Armament was installed, and for a while, from Aug.-1942, she was in cargo/passenger service between Scrabster, Scotland and the British base at Scapa Flow, on "bare-boat" charter to MoWT. In Nov.-1942 she was sent to Birkenhead (Liverpool) and carried supplies and relief crews to the gun installations in the Irish Sea, before being stationed in Reykjavik in June-1943, carrying personnel and cargo for the military bases on the coast of Iceland. In Aug.-1943 she went back to Liverpool (Convoy RU 85) where she was overhauled (arrived Liverpool Aug. 15). During a voyage from Greenock to the Faroe Islands in Nov.-1943 with 81 passengers from Royal Air Force she was extensively damaged in the heavy weather, and had to return to Loch Ewe where the passengers were landed, whereupon she continued to Ardrossan for repairs. (Tordenskjold had also been on that voyage with her). Completed in Jan.-1944, anchored up as stand-by with full crew in the Clyde, but crew was paid off in Sept.-1944 and she was laid up in buoys near Greenock with 4 men as guards on board.
A full crew was placed on board on June 14-1945. Passengers embarked in Greenock and were taken to Methil, before Galtesund proceeded in convoy(? surely not?) to Kristiansand and then on to Oslo - see Page 2. This was her first time back in Norway since March 1942. Returned to owners on June 19-1945 and placed in coastal service Oslo-Stavanger with mail. Replaced by the company's Bjørgvin in May-1947 and entered Hurtigruten service Oslo-Kristiansand. Rebuilt and modernized at Pusnes Mek. Verksted, Tromøya in Arendal in the fall of 1947, 605 gt, converted for oil fuelling. Re-entered service on Febr. 5-1948, placed in the night time Oslo-Kristiansand run, replacing the company's Kristiansand which went to a yard to be modernized. Galtesund was later used in Hurtigruten's Kristiansand-Oslo service every summer together with Kristiansand. Otherwise functioned as "reserve vessel", occasionally used in the Oslo-Bergen coastal route. Sold in 1955 to Alfred I. Thommesen, Arendal, hired back to Arendal Dampskibsselskab on time charter. Continued as "reserve". In the summer of 1956 she was hired by Det Stavangerske Dampskibsselskab, Stavanger for use between Stavanger and Oslo, replacing Kronprinsesse Märtha while she was being rebuilt and repaired. Sold in Oct.-1956 to NV Holland Scheepswerf & Maschinehandel, Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, Holland for breaking up. Related external links: Norwegian heavy water sabotage Skinnarland (and others in the group) were awarded Back to Galtesund on the "Ships starting with G" page. The text on this page was compiled with the help of: Info on this vessel partly comes from Arendal's Seamen's Association's 150th Anniversary Book by Kristen Taraldsen, partly from T. Eriksen, Norway - his sources: Article about Arendals Dampskibsselskab by Dag Bakka Jr. in the Norwegian magazine "Skipet", 1.2000 and article about Alfred I. Thommesen by Thoralf Nilsen in "Skipet", 2.90.
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