D/S Gudrun
Updated Sept. 24-2011

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

Pictures are available on this external page (click in them to make them larger).

Some 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 details on them; several Norwegian ships took part.

Gudrun, in ballast for Methil, is listed in the original Advance Sailing Telegram for Convoy HN 15 from Norway to the U.K. on Febr. 28-1940. In the middle of March, A. Hague has included her in the U.K.-Norway Convoy ON 19, and at the end of that month, shortly before the German invasion of Norway, we find her in Convoy HN 22, bound for Tyne in ballast. According to Page 1 of the archive documents, she left Shields again on Apr. 4, with the intention of heading back to Norway, but went to Methil (Norway was invaded on Apr. 9). As will be seen, she later made some voyages to France.

In July that year, she's listed, with Arosa, G. C. Brøvig, Snar and Varanger, in Convoy OB 190, which originated in Liverpool on July 27 and dispersed on the 31st, Gudrun arriving Sydney, C.B. on Aug. 11, proceeding to Gaspe the next day. Having returned to Sydney, C.B., she joined Convoy SC 2 from there on Aug. 25, in which the Norwegian Gro and others were sunk (follow the links for more info). Gudrun had a cargo of lumber for Preston, where she arrived Sept. 13. She now made some voyages around the U.K., until she on Oct. 13 joined Convoy OB 228. My page about this convoy contains some reports only, but see the external link provided within the above record for the names of other ships - Astra, Brask, Chr. Knudsen, Dokka (sunk - follow link for info), Noreg, Polyana and Topdalsfjord are among them. Gudrun arrived St. Anne des Montes on Oct. 27, the convoy having been dispersed on the 17th. With a cargo of lumber for Methil, she headed back to the U.K. again on Nov. 13 in Convoy SC 12 from Sydney, C.B. - see also Page 2. Her 1941 voyages also start on this document.

In June 1941, she was on her way from London to Southampton with a cargo of grain in a convoy consisting of 8 ships under a very strong escort, and was passing Dover, when the convoy fell victim to continuous fire for 6 hours from the German batteries at Cape Gris Nez. At the same time, it was attacked by aircraft, one of which is said to have been shot down. There are no details re. damage on the ships. A. Hague has her in Convoy CW 37 early in June-1941 (external link), but I don't know if this was the convoy referred to here; it had more than 8 ships. On that occasion, Gudrun arrived Southampton on June 7 (see also Page 3).

The following month, we find her, together with Akabahra, Astra, Balduin, Bjørkhaug, Fido, Hestmanden, Leka, Marga, Maridal, Orania, Siak, Spes and Sveve, in Convoy OB 347, which originated in Liverpool on July 16-1941 and dispersed on the 31st (link in table above), Gudrun arriving Yarmouth, N.S. on Aug. 4. With a cargo of lumber, she went back across the Atlantic again in Convoy SC 41 from Sydney, C.B. on Aug. 24. This convoy, which also included Akabahra, Astra, Audun (from Iceland), Balduin, Blink, Carrier (returned), Einvik (sunk, follow link for details), Evviva, Fagersten, Fanefjeld, Grado, Heien, Hestmanden, Hildur I (the latter 3 from Iceland), Ledaal, Leka, Lom (also from Iceland), Marga, Nesttun (from Iceland), Orania (returned), Reiaas (from Iceland), Siak and Spes, is not yet available among the SC convoys in my Convoys section, but will be added. This was Gudrun's last Trans-Atlantic voyage.

Her subsequent voyages are shown on Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8 and Page 9, while convoy info for some of them can be found in the Voyage Record above.

Skipping now to Aug.-1943, when she appears in Convoy OS 54/KMS 25*. Norefjord, Rutenfjell, Sirehei and Troubadour are also listed in this convoy, which left Liverpool on Aug. 28 and split up on Sept. 8, the OS convoy proceeding to Freetown, while the KMS portion, in which Gudrun sailed, went to Gibraltar. She was bound for Oran with coal in station 73, arriving her destination on Sept. 14 (Page 10), having joined a UGS convoy from Gibraltar the day before, according to A. Hague (the UGS convoys started out in the U.S. and had Port Said as their final destination). A few days later, she made a voyage to Bizerta, having joined Convoy KMS 26*; she left Oran on Sept. 19 and arrived Bizerta Sept. 23. (Anna Odland, Atle Jarl and Fridtjof Nansen are also mentioned in this convoy, but note that they have different voyage information).

I also have a little snippet of information stating that a ship by this name was in Augusta on July 10-1944, leaving that day for Barletta. This agrees with what can be found in the above Voyage Record, which adds that she arrived Barletta on July 12 - for this voyage, A. Hague has her in Convoy AH 54 (external page), along with Bruse Jarl. Again, compare with Page 10, as well as Page 11 (her 1945 voyages also start on this document).

It'll be noticed from the archive documents mentioned above, and from Page 12, that Gudrun did not return to the U.K. again until July-1945 (having been gone since Aug.-1943). From the latter document, we also learn that she went home to Norway in Aug.-1945, and unless some voyages are missing from the record, it looks like she remained there for a long time. She also made some voyages home at the beginning of 1946.

*See ships in KMS convoys, where Gudrun is listed in KMS 25 and KMS 26, as mentioned - these will later be added to individual pages.

POST WAR:

In seasonal lumber trade White Sea-U.K. Sold in July-1959 to Abdallah Nazen Gandour, Tripoli. Broken up in Tripoli in 1979, having sailed under Lebanese flag for 20 years.

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

Haugesund had previously had another steamer by this name, originally delivered as Salamanca for Otto Thoresen in 1897, 947 gt. From 1911 until 1915 she sailed as Tresfond of Stavanger, 1915-1922 as Frierfjord for Den norske Amerikalinje, and in 1921 as Gudrun of Tønsberg. Purchased by A/S Nor (Halvor Kongshavn), Haugesund in Jan.-1927 - lost in a typhoon near Tamatave, Madagaskar on July 27-1927 on a voyage Mauritius-Tamatave with general cargo, condemned.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Våre gamle skip" by Leif M. Bjørkelund and E. H. Kongshavn, "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, and misc.