M/T Gard
Updated Sept. 1-2011

To Gard on the "Ships starting with G" page.

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Misc. Convoy Voyages:

For information on voyages made in between those mentioned here, please see the documents received from the National Archives of Norway and A. Hague's Voyage Record above. Follow the convoy links provided for more information; some also include the Commodore's notes and/or narrative and several Norwegian ships took part.

As can be seen when going to Page 1 of the archive documents, Gard was on her way from Table Bay to Abadan when war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9-1940.

In Aug.-1940, she sailed in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 65 and arrived Clyde on Aug. 26 (as will be seen when following the link, this convoy lost several ships). The following month, we find her, along with Alfred Olsen, Hørda, Lyra, Siremalm (returned) and Torborg, in Convoy OB 215, which originated in Liverpool on Sept. 17 and dispersed on the 21st, Gard arriving New York on Oct. 2. According to A. Hague, she later joined Convoy BHX 86, which left Bermuda on Nov. 3, probably with the intention of joining up with HX 86 from Halifax, but the convoy returned to Bermuda on Nov. 5, Gard being among the ships that returned - please read my notes about this convoy on the page for HX 86. The Bermuda portion is included, and it'll be noticed that she's not mentioned in the original convoy documents, but going back to the archive document mentioned above, we learn that she did leave Bermuda on that date. She later proceeded to Halifax, and was scheduled for Convoy HX 92 from there at the end of that month, but did not sail. In fact, judging from the archive document, she remained in Halifax for quite some time.

On Jan. 15-1941, she appears in Convoy HX 103 from Halifax, bound for Liverpool, and can subsequently be found in Convoy OB 287, which departed Liverpool on Febr 16 and dispersed on the 21st, Gard arriving Curacao on March 17 (she had been cancelled from the previous convoy, OB 286). She was scheduled to return in Convoy HX 118 from Halifax at the end of March, but instead joined the next convoy on Apr. 6, HX 119B, and arrived Bowling, via Clyde, on Apr. 26 (Page 1). In May that year, she joined Convoy OG 61, which originated in Liverpool on May 5 and arrived Gibraltar on the 19th; Gard, however was bound for Trinidad, where she arrived May 27, having detached from the convoy on May 10. (OG 61 will be added to an individual page in my Convoys section, in the meantime, the ships sailing in it are named on the page listing ships in all OG convoys - Berto, Bonde, Leka and Vestland are also listed).

From Trinidad, she proceeded to Bermuda on June 1, and was scheduled for the Bermuda portion of Convoy HX 132 on June 8, but did not sail. She was also cancelled from HX 133 (in which Soløy and Vigrid were sunk, and Kongsgaard was torpedoed and damaged - follow the links for details), but finally got away with BHX 134, leaving Bermuda on June 18. See also the Commodore's report on passage, which continues on this page. The following month, she's listed, together with Benwood, Gallia, Lise, Thode Fagelund, Tore Jarl and Vav, in Convoy OB 349, originating in Liverpool on July 21-1941, dispersed Aug. 1, Gard arriving New York on Aug. 6. More information on the OB convoys mentioned here is available via the links provided within the table above.

Her subsequent voyages are shown on Page 2, as well as in A. Hague's Voyage Record above.

Skipping now to Jan.-1944, when she's listed in Convoy MKS 37, voyage Augusta-Bizerta - see also Page 3. There's now a long gap in her voyages, from arriving Gibraltar on Jan. 26 to leaving again for the U.S. on Aug. 3, arriving New York Aug. 17. This voyage had been made in Convoy GUS 47, which had originated in Port Said on July 24 and had several Norwegian ships. There's now another long gap; she did not leave New York again until Jan. 6-1945. According to A. Hague, she had major engine problems in this period, which had required repairs.

I've received a story about an Atlantic crossing from the British Radio Officer on M/T Gard, Don Hunter. It so happens he had previously served on M/T Thorshov, which is the ship my father joined after he had finished Radio School in London in the fall of 1944. In fact, they must have just barely missed meeting each other, as this man payed off shortly before my father took over the job. I'm not sure exactly when or where Don joined Gard, she made no voyages to the U.K. in this period, so perhaps he joined her in New York after her repairs at the end of 1944? Checking Thorshov's voyages, we find that she had arrived the U.S. from Liverpool at the end of Oct.-1944. My father had joined her as 2nd radio operator at the beginning of that month, probably in Liverpool, and this indicates that both may have been on board on this voyage to the U.S.(?)

Don says the following:

"I was a short time ago reading the replies posted on your website, because I was searching for any information concerning the Norwegian ship M.V. Gard, an oil tanker. I served as Radio Officer on her after I left the S.S. Thorshov until after the war ended. We carried high octane aviation fuel across from America, on the Atlantic convoys to Italy for the American and British Air offensive against the Germans who had continued the battle after the Italians surrendered (I always liked the Italians who really did not want to be in the War). On one trip across the Atlantic we ran into a hurricane and lost all our American new fighters which had been lashed on our decks, during one night. We had been overloaded with fuel in America and were out in mid-Atlantic. The storm lasted 3 days. That particular night we lost the planes we all thought we would not live to see the dawn, because in that sea, and being overloaded it was not uncommon for a tanker "to break its back", that is break in half. If that had happened our chance of survival was nil. Incidentally I was the only Englishman on the ship among the all Norwegian crew and I was treated very well indeed. When we left New York with our full load we were worried about the overload and when we arrived at the Ambrose light (which marks the channel in and out of New York) the sea was then gently lapping over our tanks. Apart from the well known threat of the U-boat, there was the weather. Sailing in convoy and meeting unexpected fog patches made the ever present danger of collision with the adjacent ships in your convoy very possible, also the North Atlantic weather was very unpredictable, especially during the winter months, the weather could change and deteriorate quite rapidly".

Her 1945 voyages start on Page 3, while convoy info for some of them can be found in the Voyage Record. It looks like she did not get to head home to Norway until Febr.-1946 - see Page 4.

POST WAR:

Laid up in Bøvågen, Avaldsnes (Norway) from June 26-1959 until March-1961, when she was sold to Norsk Skipsopphugging, Oslo/Grimstad (breakers), towed to Grimstad and broken up in the fall of 1961.

Back to Gard on the "Ships starting with G" page.

The same shipping firm had another ship by the name Gard (Bulk) from 1976 till 1978, sold to Liberia and renamed South Beauty. Sold and renamed several times after that. Norway had also had a Gard in the 1930's, originally delivered in 1921 as Songelv for owners in Kristiansand, 2496 gt. Renamed Matti in 1926 (of Tvedestrand), then sold in 1932 to A/S Gard, Oslo and renamed Gard. This ship was lost in 1937 (ran aground).

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Våre motorskip" by Leif M. Bjørkelund and E. H. Kongshavn and misc. (ref. My sources).