M/T Innerøy - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives:
Page 1 | Page 2

Please compare the above voyages with Arnold Hague's Voyage Record below.

Voyage Record
From Apr.-1940 to Jan.-1942:

(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 some voyages are missing.

	Departure	From	To	Arrival	Convoy	Remarks
1940	Apr. 11	Port Said	Alexandria	Apr. 12	Independent	See also Page 1
	May 8	Alexandria	Port Said	May 9	Independent	–
	May 12	Suez	Abadan	May 25	Independent	–
	May 27	Abadan	Karachi	June 1	Independent	–
	June 4	Karachi	Bombay	June 6	Independent	–
	June 17	Bombay	Abadan	June 21	Independent	–
	June 21	Abadan	Melbourne	July 24	Independent	–
	July 30	Melbourne	Singapore	Aug. 15	Independent	Missing voyages? (Page 1).
	Sept. 11	Singapore	Colombo	Sept. 20	Independent	–
	Sept. 20	Colombo	Abadan	Oct. 1	Independent	–
	Oct. 3	Abadan	Capetown	Oct. 30	Independent	–
	Nov. 17	Capetown	Abadan	Dec. 10	Independent	–
	Dec. 17	Abadan	Capetown	Jan. 11-1941	Independent	–
1941	Febr. 2	Capetown	Freetown	Febr. 17	Independent	–
	March 1	Freetown	Clyde	March 25	SL 67	Convoy available at SL 67 (external link) Missing movements, Page 1
	Apr. 17	Clyde	–	–	OB 311	For NYC. Dispersed 61N 32 40W, Apr. 25. Convoy available at OB 311 (external link)
	Apr. 25	Dispersed from OB 311	New York City	May 5	Independent	–
	June 17	New York City	Halifax	June 20	Independent	–
	June 26	Halifax	Oban	July 11	HX 135	–
	July 13	Oban	Methil	July 15	WN 152	Convoy available at WN 152 (external link) Missing movements, Page 1
	July 26	Methil Roads	Loch Ewe	July 29	EC 50	Convoy available at EC 50 (external link - incomplete)
	July 30	Loch Ewe	–	–	ON 2	For NYC. Dispersed Aug. 8.
	Aug. 8	Dispersed from ON 2	New York City	Aug. 12	Independent	–
	Sept. 6	New York City	Halifax	Sept. 9	Independent	–
	Sept. 10	Halifax	Liverpool	Sept. 25	HX 149	Missing movements, Page 2
	Oct. 8	Liverpool	–	–	ON 24	For Providence, RI. Dispersed 58N 28W, Oct. 15. Convoy will be added. See ships in ON convoys
	Oct. 15	Dispersed from ON 24	Providence, RI	Oct. 25	Independent	–
	Nov. 2	Providence, RI	Halifax	Nov. 4	Independent	–
	Nov. 8	Halifax	Belfast Lough	Nov. 23	HX 159	–
	Nov. 25	Belfast Lough	Barry	Nov. 27	BB 104	Convoy available at BB 104 (external link - incomplete) Again, see also Page 2
	Dec. 22	Barry	Milford Haven	Dec. 22	Independent	–
	Dec. 23	Milford Haven	–	–	ON 50	For Aruba (via Belfast Lough - see Page 2). Dispersed Jan. 3-1942. Convoy will be added. See ships in ON convoys
1942	Jan. 3	Dispersed from ON 50	Aruba	Jan. 12	Independent	–
	Jan. 13	Aruba	Bermuda	Jan. 19	Independent	–
	Jan. 19	Bermuda	–	–	Independent	Sunk - See "Final Fate" below

Misc. 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; the Commodore's notes are also available for some of them, and several Norwegian ships took part.

According to Page 1 of the archive documents, Innerøy was in Port Said when war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9-1940, having arrived there from Sourabaya that same day. Her destination is given as Alexandria, where she arrived Apr. 12. Her 1941 voyages also start on this document.

In March-1941, she's listed, with Harpefjell, Henrik Ibsen and Solfonn, in Convoy SL 67, which left Freetown on March 1 and arrived Liverpool on the 26th; Innerøy stopped at Clyde the day before (this convoy lost several ships, see the external link below). The following month, we find her in Convoy OB 311, which originated in Liverpool on Apr. 16 and dispersed on the 25th, Innerøy arriving New York May 5 (she had started out from Clyde on Apr. 18). Cetus, Fido and Norefjord are also listed (link in Voyage Record). Having remained in New York for several weeks, Innerøy proceeded to Halifax on June 17, joining Convoy HX 135 on June 26, bound for Grangemouth with diesel oil in station 82 of the convoy, arriving her destination, via Oban and Methil Roads, on July 15. She subsequently returned across the Atlantic with Convoy ON 2, originating in Liverpool on July 27, dispersed Aug. 8, Innerøy arriving New York on Aug. 12, having sailed from Loch Ewe on July 30 (Page 1).

She again remained in New York for quite a long time, before proceeding to Halifax on Sept. 6, in order to join Convoy HX 149 on Sept. 10, together with the Norwegian Daghild, Brasil, Thorsholm, Aristophanes, Thorshov, Somerville, Glittre, Lise, Harpefjell, Brant County, Abraham Lincoln, President de Vogue, Ringstad and Kollbjørg, as well as the Panamanian Norvik (Norwegian managers and, therefore, included on this website). Some of these ships, including Innerøy, went back in the other direction the following month with Convoy ON 24*, departing Liverpool Oct. 8, dispersed on the 15th, Innerøy arriving Providence, RI on the 25th - see also Page 2. On Nov. 8, she's listed in station 72 of Convoy HX 159 back to the U.K., later joining the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 50*, which originated in Liverpool on Christmas Eve and dispersed on Jan. 3-1942. Her destination on that occasion was Aruba, where she arrived on Jan. 12, continuing to Bermuda the next day, arriving Jan. 19, embarking on her last voyage that same day.

* The ON convoys will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section, with more info on each; in the meantime, the ships sailing in them (several of which were Norwegian) are named in the section listing ships in all ON convoys.

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

Related external link:
Ships hit from Convoy SL 67

Final Fate - 1942:

Torpedoed, starboard side by U-553 (Thurmann) on Jan. 22-1942, when en route from Aruba via Bermuda to Halifax (to join an eastbound convoy) with a cargo of 11 000 tons Pool Motor Spirit for the U.K. As already mentioned above, she had sailed from Aruba on Jan. 13, from Bermuda on Jan. 19 (Page 2). According to a report presented at the subsequent maritime hearings, the position was 41 16N 60 32W (Jürgen Rohwer gives the position 42 30N 59 54W).

The explosion occurred near No. 7 tank aft, and ripped the ship open so that flaming petrol gushed out, setting her on fire. The radio operator was able to send out an SOS using the emergency transmitter, but due to the heat of the fire he had to leave the radio station before the position could be transmitted. Able Seaman Hans Tuft and 1st Mate Rolf Bjerkøy managed to lower a raft from the foredeck on the port side but it disappeared in the flames as the engine was still running and the ship moving. The 1st Mate and 4 others then succeeded in launching the motorboat from the bridge deck. The captain, who had been in his cabin when the torpedo hit, was seen on the bridge on the port side, and they shouted for him to jump overboard, but he did not do so, and they had to row for life to get away from the spreading flames.

About half an hour later the U-boat was seen going slowly around their ship, before taking off in a northwesterly direction. They were eventually able to get the motor started and were rescued by the British S/S Empire Amethyst 15 hours later. This ship had previously passed 2 empty lifeboats from Innerøy. The survivors were landed in Halifax, where the hearings were held on Febr. 5 with all the survivors appearing, except Able Seaman Nilsen.

Able Seaman Tuft's hands were badly burnt and needed medical care. He had been at the wheel when the explosion occurred and when he went out on the starboard wing his coat was set ablaze.

For info, U-553 had also been responsible for the attacks on Ranella and Ila - follow the links for dates and more info.