Globe Whale Catchers
Updated Oct. 30-2008

Melsom & Melsom, Larvik

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NS = The ship was included in Nortraship's register.
* = the ship was sunk.

These original images from the Norwegian National Archives show some Globe voyages.
Unfortunately, some of the scans have information missing in the margin, so it's difficult in some cases to determine exactly which Globe they belong to
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6 | Page 7

Globe I - 206 gt NS:

Built in Oslo 1925

Signal letters LCLE, belonged to H. Krohn Brekke, Haugesund. Hired by Royal Navy in 1941 for use as minesweeper. Renamed HMS Daylight in June 1942.

See also Page 4 of the archive documents.

POST WAR: Returned to Norway in 1945 and renamed Globe I. Sold in 1947 to AS Sølvøy (H. Krohn-Brekke), Haugesund. Converted to seiner at A/S Stord Verft, Leirvik, Stord. Delivered in 1948 as Hansobe (R-28-H) to A/S Sjøfart (H.Krohn-Brekke), Haugesund. Lengthened in 1955, 242 gt. Owned in 1956 by A/S Krohn-Brekkes Rederi, Haugesund, in 1961 by Skog & Borch (Johs.S.Borch), Breivoll / Hvk. Renamed Nordfalk in 1966. Rebuilt 1967, 271 gt. Sold in 1974 to Helge Skog, Breivoll / Hvk, renamed Karl Haakon, sold again that year to Karl Helmer Pettersen, Hamnvik, then in 1975 to Råkvåg Industri AS, Råkvåg, Tromsø, remeasured, 242 gt (probably converted to freighter). Sold in 1976 to John Hermann Kristoffersen, Bø i Vesterålen, renamed Spjelkvåg, remeasured, 258 gt. Lost on Febr. 15-1977 southeast of Hesnesbrægen, voyage Kristiandsund N – Stavanger with scrap iron, deleted from Norwegian registry in 1978.

Globe II - 206 gt NS:

Built in Oslo 1925

Signal letters LCLF, belonged to Einar M. Gaard, Skåre, Larvik. Hired by Royal Navy in April-1941 for use as a minesweeper; renamed HMS Flash in June-1942.

POST WAR: Returned to Norway in Nov.-1945 and renamed Globe II. Sold in May-1946 to Einar M. Gaard, Skåre, Haugesund, then in 1948 to Harald Falnes, Skudesneshavn, Karmøy, converted to seiner and freighter, 217 gt. Delivered as Hans Falnes in 1949 (R-121-SH). Ran aground and sank on Sept. 28-1953 near Trøndenøholmen in heavy fog on a voyage Herøy-Namsos, no casualties.

Globe V - 249 gt NS:

Built in Moss 1930

Signal letters LDPD, belonged to Hvalfangerselskapet Globus A/S, Larvik. Hired by Royal Navy in April-1941 for use as a minesweeper. Renamed Karmøy, with Norwegian crew, in 1942. (See also the text under Busen 7 on my page about the Busen Whale Catchers). Renamed HMS Fiery Cross, with British RN crew, in Aug.-1944.

Also, see Page 5.

POST WAR: Returned to Norway in Jan.-1947 and renamed Globe V. Later sold and converted to a seiner, renamed Kavholm, No. R-66-A. Changed owners in 1959, Brødrene Vermundsen, Vedavågen, Karmøy (R-66-K, later R-411-K). Condemned in 1980 and sunk in Nedstrandsfjord (her wheelhouse stood on land at Sakkestad, Haugesund into the 1990's).

Globe VI * - 249 gt NS:

Built in Moss 1935

Hired by Royal Navy in April 1941 for use as a minesweeper. Renamed Maaløy, with Norwegian crew, in 1942. Torpedoed and sunk on March(?*) 27-1944 by U-510 (Eick) off Ceylon in 05 25N 77 32E.

* Note that Page 6 of the documents received from the National Archives of Norway shows a catcher named Globe sunk on July 27-1944.

There's a posting to my Ship Forum which differs slightly from the first paragraph above (which was received from R. W. Jordan). The thread starts with this query. The posting is by Tore Setså, Norway, whose source is "Royal Norwegian Navy 1939-1945", and states the following:

09-1935:
Delivered from yard to Melsom & Melsom, Larvik

04-1940:
Requisitioned by Royal Navy.

30.07.41:
Taken over by Royal Norwegian Navy in Cape Town. Refitted as minesweeper.

12.06.42:
Taken over by Royal Navy. Joined 177 M/S Group, Eastern Fleet. Stationed in Karachi.

Globe VII - 249 gt NS:

Built in Moss 1935

Signal letters LJAV, Hvalfangerselskapet Globus A/S, Larvik. Hired by Royal Navy in April-1941 for use as a minesweeper; renamed Hinnøy, with Norwegian crew, in 1942.

POST WAR: Returned to Norway in Jan.-1946 and renamed Globe VII. Sold in Apr.-1951 to Canada (possibly British Columbia Packers Ltd, Vancouver), no name change. Renamed Westwhale 3 in 1962. Broken up in B.C. in 1965.

Globe VIII - 297 gt NS:

Built in Moss 1936

Signal letters LJFY, Hvalfangerselskapet Globus A/S, Larvik. On Jan. 14-1941 Globe VIII narrowly escaped capture by Ernst Felix Krüder in the German auxiliary cruiser Pinguin, who had left his operations in the Indian Ocean in the fall of 1940 and headed for the Antarctic. Three whale factories and 11 whale catchers in all were taken. My page Norwegian Victims of Pinguin has more details on what happened on the herding grounds that day, as well as more facts about Pinguin. I've been told she was hired by Royal Navy from Nov.-1941 to July-1943 for use as a minesweeper. However, the second external site linked to below states that Globe VIII was used by the U.S. Coast Guard (as WYP 380) from Dec. 29-1942 to July 3-1943, having been acquired from the War Shipping Administration. Returned to War Shipping Administration on July 4. She was stationed in San Francisco, California and used for patrol duty. (Picture was received from Nils Westlie).

Arnold Hague has included Globe VIII, together with Baalbek, Globe IX, Ottern, Pol VII, Thorfinn, Thorfjell, Thorgaut, Thoris and Thorshammer, in Convoy ZG 66, departing Cristobal on Apr. 28-1944, arriving Guantanamo May 2. From there, she joined Convoy GN 130 the following day, arriving New York on May 10. Baalbek, Globe IX, Pol VII, Ottern, Thorfjell, Thorgaut and Thoris were again in company, as were Notos and Sevilla. Later that month, she's listed, again with Globe IX, Pol VII, Ottern, Sevilla, Thorfinn, Thorfjell, Thorgaut and Thoris, in Convoy BX 108, departing Boston on May 17, arriving Halifax on the 19th. More info on these convoys is available via the external links provided below. See also the archive documents at the top of this page. More details on the other Norwegian ships mentioned here can be found with the help of the alphabet index below, or go to the Master Ship Index.

POST WAR: Sold in 1955 to P/F Hval, Faroe Islands, renamed Sumba. Sold in 1966 for breaking up in Denmark.

Related external link:
Stavern Memorial commemoration - 3rd Engineer Magnus Trulsen is listed as having died on board Globe VIII on Dec. 27-1941 due to illness.

Globe Eight 1942 - U.S. Coast Guard site.

Convoy ZG 66 - The site also has GN 130 and BX 108.

Globe IX - 304 gt NS:

Built in Moss 1937

Delivered in Sept.-1937 from Moss Værft & Dokk, Moss (74) as whale catcher Globe IX to Hvalfangerselskapet Globus A/S (Melsom & Melsom), Larvik. Steel hull, 130.1' x 25.2' x 13.3', 304 gt, Tripple exp. 210nhp 1300ihp. Laid up in Durban, South Africa between seasons.

WW II: Catching for Thorshammer off Equador and Peru in the 1940-1941 seasons. From Apr. 5-1943 till July 7-1943 she was in service for the U.S. Coast Guard as patrolboat (WYP 381), then catching in the Antarctic for Thorshammer in the 1943-1944* season (having been fitted out in Halifax in Dec.-1943), and with Sir James Clark Ross in the 1944-'45 season. Fitted out at Walvis Bay in 1945 for a new season with Sir James Clark Ross.

* One of my sources states that whaling was stopped as a result of Japan entering the war and that Thorshammer subsequently continued in ordinary tanker service until 1945. (Thorshammer was catching in the Antarctic in Jan.-1941, when Pinguin came on the scene on Jan. 14 - see Norwegian Victims of Pinguin).

For info, other Norwegian vessels used by the Coast Guard at some point during the war are named in this thread on my Ship Forum. They are included in this list on the U.S. Coast Guard website (external link).

Arnold Hague has included Globe IX, together with Baalbek, Globe VIII, Ottern, Pol VII, Thorfinn, Thorfjell, Thorgaut, Thoris and Thorshammer, in Convoy ZG 66, departing Cristobal on Apr. 28-1944, arriving Guantanamo May 2. From there, she joined Convoy GN 130 the following day, arriving New York on May 10. Baalbek, Globe VIII, Pol VII, Ottern, Thorfjell, Thorgaut and Thoris were again in company, as were Notos and Sevilla. Later that month, she's listed, again with Globe VIII, Pol VII, Ottern, Sevilla, Thorfinn, Thorfjell, Thorgaut and Thoris, in Convoy BX 108, departing Boston on May 17, arriving Halifax on the 19th. More info on these convoys is available via the external links provided below. See also the archive documents at the top of this page. More details on the other Norwegian ships mentioned here can be found with the help of the alphabet index below, or go to the Master Ship Index.

POST WAR: Catching for Norhval in the 1946-'47 season, with Antarctic in 1947-'48, Norhval 1948-'49. In use as "buoy boat" in the 1951-'52 season (her duty being to pick up the whales that had been shot and bringing them to the factory), inactive 1953-'54. From the summer of 1954 she was hired out to Br. Brunvold, Skjelnan for catching off Skjelnan - last season 1955-'56, laid up 1956. Sold in May-1959 to Ole Abrahamsen, Vedavågen, Karmøy, then laid up for a while before being converted to freighter. Work on the hull was done by Br. Lothe A/S Flytedokken, Haugesund and she was fitted out by A/S Haugesund Slip, Haugesund, 138.7' x 25.2' x 12', 299.28 gt, 380 tdwt., 4cyl 2t single acting Wichmann 400bhp. In service as Soløy from 1961 (fishery No. R-??-A), fishing for a couple of seasons off Iceland and Jan Mayen, before going into coastal service. Due to municipalities having been combined her fishery No. became R-715-K on Jan. 1-1965, but she was still in use as a freighter only. Sold in July-1972 to P/r Kåre Abrahamsen, Vedavågen, Karmøy. Sold in March 1982 to Sigurd Sørensen, Risør. On hire to unknown company in Nordland. Ran aground in inner Oslofjord on Jan. 19-1983. Collided on March 16-1983 with Lunnevåg in Oslofjord, both ships slightly damaged. Ran aground in inner Oslofjord again on Nov. 4-1983. Placed in forced auction in Febr.-1985. Sold in Aug.-1985 to KS Soløy A/S (Andreas Steinsland / Solheim Skipsservice, Killingøy), Haugesund, in sand trade. Owned from 1986 by KS Soløy A/S (Rolf Terje Berge), Fitjar, and as per Oct.-1986 by P/r Soløy (Frid Lundgren), Laksevåg, Bergen - still in sand trade. Ran aground on Aug. 23-1987 near Blindebukta south of Florø on a voyage Rosendal-Florø with sand. Slipped off and sank in 51-71 meters. Deleted from Norwegian registry on May 12-1992.

Related external links:
Globe 1943 - U.S. Coast Guard. The site says that Globe was assigned to the Westseafron, stationed at San Diego, California and used for patrol duty.

Convoy ZG 66 - The site also has GN 130 and BX 108.

M/S Soløy - History of this ship with a picture. (Nordic Explorers is the main page). Text is in Norwegian.

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The text on this page was compiled with the help of: E-mails from R. W. Jordan, documents received from Ulf W. Gustavsen, Norway, E-mails from T. Eriksen, Norway (His sources: "Hvalfangsten, Eventyret tar slutt" by Dag Bakka jr., Olav Abrahamsen, and an article by Hans Petter Holthe at the above mentioned website, Nordic Explorers), and misc.