D/S Gudrun
Updated June 30-2009

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

Some Convoy Voyages:

For information on voyages made in between those mentioned here, please see the documents received from the National Archives of Norway as well as 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 Convoy HN 15 from Norway to the U.K. in Febr.-1940. In the middle of March, we find her in the U.K.-Norway Convoy ON 19, and at the end of that month, shortly before the German invasion of Norway, she joined Convoy HN 22, bound for Tyne in ballast. She left Shields again on Apr. 4, with the intention of heading back to Norway, but went to Methil - this according to Page 1 of the archive documents.

In July that year, she's listed 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, according to the archive document mentioned above. 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 in Oct.-1940 joined Convoy OB 288 (link goes to reports only, see external link within the above record for names of ships in the convoy - see also Dokka), which left Liverpool on Oct. 13 and dispersed on the 17th, Gudrun arriving St Anne des Montes on Oct. 27. She headed back to the U.K. again on Nov. 13 in Convoy SC 12 from Sydney, C.B., bound for Methil with lumber - see also Page 2.

In June 1941, she was in a convoy consisting of 8 ships under a very strong escort, en route from London to Southampton with a cargo of grain, and 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 was shot down. No details on 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.

The following month, we find her in Convoy OB 347, which originated in Liverpool on July 16-1941 and dispersed on the 31st, Gudrun arriving Yarmouth, N.S. Aug. 4 (see Page 3). With a cargo of lumber, she went back across the Atlantic again on Aug. 24 with Convoy SC 41* from Sydney, C.B. This convoy is not yet available among the SC convoys included in my Convoys section, but will be added - Einvik was sunk, follow the link for details (the page also has the names of other Norwegian ships sailing in this convoy). This was Gudrun's last Trans-Atlantic voyage.

Skipping now to Aug.-1943, when she appears in Convoy OS 54/KMS 25*, voyaging from Liverpool to Oran with a cargo of coal in station 73, arriving Oran on Sept. 14 (Page 10). 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.

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. Again, compare with Page 10 above, as well as Page 11.

As will be seen from the archive documents that I've linked to above, and from Page 12, Gudrun did not return to the U.K. again until July-1945. From the latter page, we also learn that she went home to Norway in Aug.-1945.

* The SC convoy series will be completed in due course, but for now, please see the section listing ships in all SC convoys. They all had several Norwegian ships. See also 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.