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M/S Hai Lee To Hai Lee on the "Ships starting with H" page. Manager: Bruusgaard, Kiøsterud & Co., Drammen Built by Akers mek. Verksted, Oslo in 1934. Captain: Johan L. A. Nilsen. Used as Allied troopship from 1940.
Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives: Please compare the above voyages with Arnold Hague's Voyage Record below.
(Received from Don Kindell - His source: The late Arnold Hague's database). Follow the convoy links provided for more information on each. Errors may exist, and several voyages are missing.
As can be seen when going to Page 1 of the archive documents, Hai Lee arrived Singapore from Hong Kong on Apr. 10-1940, the day after the German invasion of Norway. Her 1941 voyages start on Page 2 and continue on Page 3 and Page 4. As soon as the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (on Dec. 7-1941) was made known, Hai Lee quickly left Hong Kong and headed for Manila, but continued from there to Singapore as the Japanese bombardments of Manila had already begun. In Febr.-1942, she' said to have transported 150 survivors from the battle cruisers Prince of Wales and Repulse from Singapore to Tanjong Priok, Batavia. The battle cruisers had been sunk in a massive Japanese air attack off the coast of Malaya on Dec. 10-1941. Over 2000 out of the about 2800 on board had been rescued by escorting destroyers. The external links provided below have more on these events. In the spring of 1943, Hai Lee is listed in Convoy SL 130/MKS 14. The SL portion of this convoy, in which Hai Lee sailed, left Freetown on May 30, joined up with the MKS section from Gibraltar on June 11, the combined convoy arriving Liverpool on June 21. She was on a voyage from Lagos to Mersey - her voyages in this period are shown on Page 5. Several other Norwegian ships are also listed in this convoy; see the external link provided within the Voyage Record. A. Hague says she had 189 troops on board and detached from the convoy on June 18 in a fast portion designated SL 130F, which arrived Liverpool June 20, but according to the archive document, Hai Lee arrived on the 21st, subsequently spending a long time there for refit and repairs; departure is given as Sept. 29. See also Page 6, where we learn that she made a voyage to Thorshavn the following month. In Apr.-1944, she made a voyage from Oran to Algiers with Convoy KMS 46*, according to A. Hague. Just for info, this convoy had started out in the U.K. on March 23 as part of the combined Convoy OS 72/KMS 46, which split up Apr. 5, the Gibraltar bound ships (KMS convoy) arriving there Apr. 6, while the OS convoy proceeded to Freetown, with arrival Apr. 14. Ships that were not bound for Gibraltar, including Hai Lee, then continued to their respective destinations, still in Convoy KMS 46, which arrived Port Said on Apr. 16. According to A. Hague, Hai Lee had sailed from Oran on Apr. 7 and arrived Algiers the next day. This voyage is not included on Page 6 (in fact, no 1944 voyages are listed). Billy McGee, England has told me that Steward Donald Bunting is commemorated at Tower Hill, Panel 54. Further details on him can be found on this page on The Commonwealth War Graves Comm. website (external link), where he's said to have died on July 20-1944 - I have no information on what caused his death; going back to Hague's Voyage Record, we find that Hai Lee was on her way from Naples to Gibraltar on that date. In Aug.-1944, she made a voyage from Algiers to Augusta, having joined Convoy KMS 58*. She left Algiers on Aug. 4 and arrived Augusta on the 8th. (This convoy had also originated in the U.K. as the combined Convoy OS 84/KMS 58 - ref. external link below). Hai Lee's voyages to Apr.-1946 are shown on Page 7.
According to this this external page, she was returned to Bruusgaard, Kiøsterud & Co, Drammen in Oct.-1945. From Dec.-1966 she was owned by Lorinda Shipping S.A., Panama, renamed Rebecca. From 1972, by A/S Blue Marine (Far East Ltd.), Panama, renamed Selina. In Aug.-1973, to Tung Ho Steel Enterprises Co. Ltd., Kaohsiung, Taiwan for breaking up, arriving Aug. 26-1973. Related external links: Force Z Survivors Association - Includes the story of Prince of Wales and Repulse, as well as a Forum and a list of Prince of Wales Crew Members. The sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse The Fall of Malaya and Singapore OS/KMS convoys - Convoy OS 72/KMS 46 and OS 84/KMS 58 are included, but Hai Lee is not listed, because she was not present from the U.K. Back to Hai Lee on the "Ships starting with H" page. There was later another ship by the name Hai Lee. This was the ex Wilh. Wilhelmsen ship Taiko, 12 546 gt, launched Sept. 18-1967 (Japan?) and completed in Jan.-1968. Sold on May 20-1985 to Thoresen & Co. (Bangkok) Ltd. (Brussgaard Kiøsteruds Skibs-A/S, managers), Thailand and renamed Hai Lee. Management ceased in 1986 and she was sold in 1993 to Indian shipbreakers. (Wilh. Wilhelmsen fleet list). The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, Roger W. Jordan - and misc. other as named in the text.
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