M/T Havkong
Updated Oct. 6-2011

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


Source: Roger W. Jordan collection.
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Some Convoy Voyages:

For information on voyages made in between those mentioned here, please see the documents received from the Norwegian archives and A. Hague's Voyage Record above. Follow the convoy links provided for more details on them; several Norwegian ships took part.

As will be seen when going to Page 1 of the archive documents, Havkong was on her way from Nagasaki to Los Angeles when war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9-1940. Her 1941 voyages alo start on this document.

In July-1941, she's listed as sailing in Convoy HX 141, which left Halifax on July 27 and arrived Liverpool Aug. 11. Havkong later proceeded to Stanlow, with arrival Aug. 14. She returned across the Atlantic in Convoy ON 9, leaving Liverpool on Aug. 20 (Inger was sunk - follow the link for details). Havkong arrived New York on Sept. 3, the convoy having been dispersed Aug. 25. On Sept. 16, she headed back in the other direction again with Convoy HX 150 from Halifax (station 84) along with the Norwegian Fenris, Solfonn, Heina, Garonne, Thorshavet, Topdalsfjord, Varanger (returned), Braganza and Boreas. Havkong arrived Avonmouth, via Belfast Lough, on Oct. 3. Some of the ships from HX 150, including Havkong, subsequently joined the westbound Convoy ON 26 later that month, Havkong sailing in station 34, arriving Houston on Nov. 8 - see Page 2. On Nov. 21, we find her in Convoy HX 161, together with the Norwegian Solfonn, Stigstad, Havprins, Vav, Nueva Andalucia, and others. Havkong arrived Avonmouth on Dec. 9. She made one more Trans-Atlantic voyage that year, and this was made with the westbound Convoy ON 48*, which originated in Liverpool on Dec. 19-1941 and dispersed on the 31st, Havkong arriving New Orleans and Baton Rouge on Jan. 8-1942.

On Jan. 26-1942, she's listed among the ships in Convoy HX 172 from Halifax, and arrived Swansea, via Belfast Lough, on Febr. 11. She now appears in station 25 of Convoy OS 20, voyaging from Milford to Houston in ballast. See the external link within the above record for more convoy details. This was a Freetown bound convoy, which originated in Liverpool on Febr. 22 and arrived Freetown March 12 (Charles Racine was sunk - Høegh Scout, Jenny and Sandar are also listed), but Havkong had parted company on March 1 in order to proceed to the U.S. According to Page 2, she arrived Galveston on March 17, remaining there for a month before proceeding to Corpus Christi on Apr. 16, then on to Freetown. From there, she joined Convoy SL 111/SLF 111 on May 24, together with Petter II, Sandanger, Skandinavia and Solsten. Again, see the link in the table above. She was in the fast section of the convoy (SLF) which detached on June 8 and arrived Liverpool on the 13th; Havkong, cargo of gas oil, stopped at Belfast Lough that day, before continuing to Heysham. She subsequently joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 107*, which departed Liverpool on June 26 and dispersed July 9, Havkong arriving New York the next day.

The rest of her 1942 voyages are shown on Page 2 and Page 3. The latter document also has her 1943 voyages; convoy information for some of them can be found in A. Hague's Voyage Record. As can bee seen, she appears to have spent quite a long time in Cape Town at the beginning of 1943; she had arrived there on Febr. 28 and did not leave again until Apr. 9 (for Durban). The reason for this long stay is not known. She also spent almost a month in Durban. Similarly, there's quite a long gap in her voyages for that summer. According to Page 3, she had arrived Port Said on June 16 and departure is given as Aug. 26. For this period, A. Hague has a note saying "After repairs to auxiliaries".

In Sept.-1943, I have her in Convoy PA 54 / PB 57, in station 62 of the PA convoy. Other Norwegian ships in this convoy were Torborg, Norfjell, Norfold, Ima and Europe. Going back to Page 3 we learn that she had left Bandar Abbas on Sept. 24 and arrived Aden Oct. 1. Later that month, she shows up in Convoy AP 50 / AB 18 (station 42 of AP 50), together with Egerø, Heimvard and Kong Sverrre. She arrived Abadan on Nov. 3. According to A. Hague, she went into dry dock in Bombay at the end of that year, departing Bombay again on Jan.-21-1944.

Skipping now to March-1944, when she's mentioned in Convoy GUS 33, which had left Port Said on March 5 and arrived Hampton Roads on Apr. 4, but many ships had other destinations and left the convoy, while others joined along the way. In fact, Havkong is said to have joined from Algiers and arrived New York Apr. 3 (she had previously arrived Algiers from Augusta with Convoy MKS 42*) - see also Page 4. According to A. Hague, she arrived New York following a collision; I have no further details on this, but she subsequently spent 2 months in New York, possibly for repairs? She had been scheduled for the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 293 on May 27 (Commodore in Samuel Bakke), but instead joined the next convoy on June 2, HX 294 (serving as Escort Oiler, also carrying 60 depth charges), and arrived Loch Ewe on June 19, continuing to Scapa Flow the next day. The Commodore for this convoy had been in Abraham Lincoln, while the Vice Commodore was in Geisha. Havkong headed back to New York again a few days later, having joined Convoy ON 242*, which originated in Liverpool on June 25 and arrived New York July 11 (Havkong joined from Loch Ewe, and again served as Escort Oiler - Vice Commodore was in Samuel Bakke). She returned across the ocean the following month in Convoy HX 302 from New York (Escort Oiler, 60 depth charges), bound for Clyde, arriving Aug. 16, later proceeding to Bowling, where she arrived on the 19th. A few days later, she joined the westbound Convoy ON 250*, in order to sail to Philadelphia, where she arrived Sept. 8 (convoy had originated in Liverpool on Aug. 24 and arrived New York Sept. 7, Commodore in Samuel Bakke - Havkong joined from Clyde, and had again acted as Escort Oiler).

On Sept. 13, we find her in Convoy HX 308 from New York, bound for Falmouth, Southampton and Portsmouth - again, see Page 4. Vice Commodore was in Villanger. Havkong later joined the westbound Convoy ON 258*, which started out from Southend on Oct. 6 and arrived New York Oct. 24; Havkong sailed from Milford Haven Oct. 8 and arrived Philadelphia on the 25th, starting on her return voyage on Oct. 30 in Convoy HX 317 from New York, bound for Swansea and Clyde, again acting as Escort Oiler and carrying depth charges on board. She arrived Swansea on Nov. 12, Clyde on the 15th - see Page 5. She left Clyde again already on Nov. 19, joining the westbound Convoy ON 267*, arriving New York Dec. 5 (Escort Oiler), and just 4 days later, she's listed in Convoy HX 325 (Escort Oiler, 60 depth charges). She arrived Bowling, via Clyde, on Dec. 26. Before that year was over, she commenced on another voyage to New York, having joined Convoy ON 275*, and arrived New York on Jan. 13-1945 (Escort Oiler), subsequently remaining there for a month.

She joined the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 338 on Febr. 12-1945, but returned to New York and was scheduled for the next convoy on Febr. 17, HX 339, but again did not sail. She does not show up again until Convoy HX 344* on March 14, for which Topdalsfjord served as Commodore Vessel. Havkong again acted as Escort Oiler, also carrying 60 depth charges, and arrived Portsmouth on March 29, returning to New York with Convoy ON 294*, which originated at Southend on Apr. 1 and arrived New York Apr. 20. Acanthus and Buttercup are named among the escorts (see ON Convoy Escorts), and Havkong served as Escort Oiler. Already on Apr. 23, we find her in Convoy HX 352* from New York. She arrived Londonderry on May 9, departing again on May 12, joining Convoy ON 302*, which had sailed from Liverpool May 12 and was dispersed on the 27th, Havkong arriving New York that same day. When she went back to the U.K. a few days later, no convoy was necessary.

Page 5 shows the rest of her 1945 voyages as well as some early 1946 voyages, while others are listed on Page 6.

* The ON convoys mentioned here also had several other Norwegian ships. The convoys will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section in due course, along with further details on each. In the meantime, the ships sailing in them are named in the section listing ships in all ON convoys. The entire HX series will also be updated and completed, but for now, please go to ships in all HX convoys for the names of other ships sailing in HX 344 and HX 352 mentioned above. Names of other ships in MKS 42 can be found at ships in all MKS convoys (will also be added to its own individual page).

For more information on all the other Norwegian ships named here, please see the alphabet index at the end of this page, or go to the Master Ship Index.

POST WAR:

Sold in 1955 to H. Angel Olsen, Oslo, owned from Jan.-1957 by Skips-A/S Alida (H. Angel Olsen), Harstad, renamed Angela. Sold to Frank Rijsdijk's Industriel Ondernemingen, Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, Netherlands, and arrived Rotterdam on June 3-1959 in tow of the Dutch tug Elbe on way up-river to the Rijsdijk yard (for breaking up).

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