D/S Hadrian
Updated Sept. 30-2011

To Hadrian on the "Ships starting with H" page.


Picture received from Jean-Pierre Charest, Québec - original source: A family album.
He's not entirely sure this is the Hadrian discussed here - can anyone confirm?
(My contact address is at the bottom of this page).
He adds that the photo shows her berthed at the pulpwood loading berth of the Hammermill Paper Co. in Matane, a small village located on the south shore of the lower St. Lawrence river, about 400 kilometers east of Québec city.
Another picture is available on this external page (click in it to make it larger).

(Received from Don Kindell - His source: The late Arnold Hague's database).

Interned - 1940:

Hadrian was 1 of the 26 Norwegian ships interned in North and West Africa in 1940-1942. My page Interned Ships has a list of all 26.

When it comes to these ships, there's always some disagreement in my various sources as to dates etc.; so also with Hadrian. According to "Nortraships flåte", she was interned in Dakar on June 22-1940, requisitioned by the Vichy French on July 9-1941 and renamed St. Clementine. R. W. Jordan's "The World's Merchant Fleets 1939" agrees with this date, but says she was renamed Ste Germaine, as does the external website that I've linked to at the end of this page.

A posting to my Ship Forum by Laurent Rizzotti states that Hadrian had arrived Ziguinchor, Senegal on Apr. 7-1940, coming from Dakar (info from French archives - agrees with info on archive document). A French visitor to my website has told me that according to his records Hadrian sailed from Casablanca on Apr. 24-1940 in convoy 91 KS under French escort (convoy is available via the external link provided in the table above). At Le Verdon on Apr. 30*. Seized in Dakar in July-1940, under French flag at Dakar 1941 as Ste Germaine. Sailed from Dakar on July 12-1941 in convoy - this agrees with details found on the archive document (Skotfoss, now renamed Ste Lucille was also in this convoy). At Casablanca on July 21. Sailed from Casablanca in convoy on July 29-1941. At Oran Aug. 2.

* From France, she proceeded to Sunderland and London in May (again, see the archive document) and is subsequently listed, along with Bjerka, Bruse, Ferncourt and Kaia Knudsen, in Convoy OA 150, which left Southend on May 18-1940 and joined up with Convoy OB 150 on May 20, the combined convoy forming the Gibraltar bound Convoy OG 30, arriving Gibraltar on May 26. Hadrian, however, was bound for Bordeaux, where she arrived on May 22, so must have parted company at some point. According to the archive document, she left Bordeaux again the next day, presumably for Verdon - left Verdon May 24 and arrived Dakar June 4. OG 30 is not yet available in my Convoys section, but will be added - for now, the ships sailing in it are named on the page listing ships in all OG convoys.

When she was requisitioned, the crew was placed on board Duala, another Norwegian ship at Dakar.

Guri Hjeltnes' "Sjømann - Lang vakt" says she had a crew of 18, 17 of whom were Norwegian, 1 died, 16 escaped. In fact, Captain Bernt Breivik, Chief Engineer Edvard Magnussen Njøten, and Able Seaman Hugo Mattson (Swedish) from Hadrian took part in the daring escape of M/S Lidvard from Dakar on July 26/27-1941 - follow the link for more info. The book and movie "Flight from Dakar" are based on this incredible escape.

R. W. Jordan adds that Hadrian was in German service from 1942 as Helga (possibly not Helga until 1944?), and that she was bombed and sunk by Russian aircraft off Sevastopol on May 11-1944. She may also briefly have had the name Nora VI in 1942 and Hagen and Helga in 1944. When bombed on May 11, there was an explosion in the ammunition. (See also this external page).

Back to Hadrian on the "Ships starting with H" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Våre gamle skip" by Leif M. Bjørkelund and misc. other as named within the above text.