D/S Iron Baron
Updated Nov. 12-2011

To Iron Baron on the "Ships starting with I" page.

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

According to A. Hague, Iron Baron sailed in the U.K.-Norway Convoy ON 17 at the beginning of March-1940. She must have gotten out of Norway somehow, because she was in allied service during the war. In fact, from Page 1 of the archive documents, we learn that she arrived Blyth from Oslo, Norway on March 21 (Norway was invaded on Apr. 9).

In July-1940, she's listed in Convoy OB 183, which originated in Liverpool on July 13 and dispersed on the 17th, Iron Baron arriving Sydney, C.B. on July 25, remaining there for almost a month (she had started out from Milford Haven on July 12 - Høegh Scout and Sandanger are also listed, ref. link in the table above). With a cargo of pit props for Immingham, she headed back across the Atlantic again on Sept. 2 in the slow Convoy SC 3 from Sydney, C.B., from which the Norwegian Lotos was sunk (follow the link for details). There's a note in one of the original documents for this convoy saying that Iron Baron was "not traced" - I'm not sure whether this means she lost touch with the convoy(?). According to Page 1, she arrived Clyde on Sept. 17, later proceeding to Methil and Immingham, where she arrived on Sept. 28. A. Hague says she arrived in tow after having been damaged; I have no further details on this, but it'll be noticed, when going back to the archive document, that she remained in Immingham for quite a long time - perhaps repairs had been required? Together with Berto, Eastern Star, Erica, Evviva, Granfoss, Regin, Stargard and Trolla, she's later listed in Convoy OB 240, which originated in Liverpool on Nov. 8 and dispersed on the 13th, Iron Baron arriving St. John's, N.F. on Nov. 29 (having sailed from Oban on Nov. 9). According to A. Hague, she arrived with extensive weather damage, and this may have been the reason for her long stay in St. John's - departure is given as Febr. 15-1941, when she proceeded to Halifax.

The following month, we find her in the slow Convoy SC 25, which left Halifax on March 10-1941. She had a cargo of pit props for Cardiff, where she arrived, via Belfast Lough, on Apr. 8. According to Arnold Hague, she later joined Convoy OB 317, which originated in Liverpool on Apr. 30 (link in Voyage Record). Iron Baron is said to have joined from Milford Haven, but he says she returned to port, arriving Clyde on May 2, departing again on May 3, joining Convoy OB 318, in which the Norwegian Eastern Star was sunk (as will be seen when going to my page about this convoy, there's some disagreement as to whether this was the British or Norwegian Iron Baron). OB 318 originated in Liverpool on May 2; A. Hague says she detached to Iceland on May 7, arriving there the next day. Page 1 simply states she left Milford Haven on Apr. 30 and arrived Reykjavik on May 8. From Iceland, she proceeded to Botwood on May 21, with arrival May 28; Hague says this voyage was made independently.

With a cargo of zinc concentrates for Swansea, she headed back across the Atlantic on June 10 in Convoy SC 34 from Sydney, C.B., arriving her destination on June 30, subsequently remaining there for a long time, as can be seen on Page 2. She later joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 4, bound for Quebec, station 24. This convoy, which originated in Liverpool on Aug. 6, was dispersed on Aug. 18, Iron Baron arriving Quebec on Aug. 25, heading back to the U.K. in Convoy SC 44* from Sydney, C.B. on Sept. 11 (Barbro was sunk - follow the link for details). Iron Baron arrived Avonmouth on Oct. 3, proceeding to Sharpness that same day. A month later, she can be found in the westbound Convoy ON 33, originating in Liverpool on Nov. 3, dispersed Nov. 23. Iron Baron started out from Milford Haven on Nov. 2, her destination is given as Sydney C.B./Clarke City, and she had station 13 of the convoy. From the archive document we learn that she arrived Sydney on Nov. 24, but Clarke City is not mentioned. Her last Trans-Atlantic voyage that year was made in Convoy SC 59, departing Sydney, C.B. on Dec. 10, cargo of grain for Ipswich, where she arrived, via various ports, on Jan. 2-1942.

It'll be noticed, when going back to Page 2, that she appears to have spent a long time at Tyne, where she had arrived on Jan. 16-1942; A. Hague gives departure as March 13. Later that month, she's listed in the westbound Convoy ON 78*, which originated in Liverpool on March 21 and arrived Halifax Apr. 9; Iron Baron, however, was bound for Galveston, where she arrived on Apr. 18, having detached from the convoy on Apr. 4 (she had started out from Loch Ewe on March 21). On May 14, we find her in station 32 of the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 84, general cargo for Hull, where she arrived June 1, and at the end of June, she joined the westbound Convoy ON 108* (originated in Liverpool June 30, Iron Baron sailed from Loch Ewe that day). She arrived Halifax on July 16, proceeding to Sydney, C.B. the next day - her voyages in this period are shown on Page 3. With a cargo of grain for London, she was scheduled for the Sydney, C.B. portion of Convoy SC 95 on Aug. 5, but instead joined the Sydney section of the next convoy on Aug. 12, SC 96. (She had arrived Sydney, C.B. from Montreal on Aug. 5, but it's possible she had arrived too late to join SC 95). In Oct.-1942, she's listed in the westbound Convoy ON 136*, which originated in Liverpool on Oct. 3 and arrived New York on the 26th, but Iron Baron joined from Loch Ewe and stopped at Halifax on Oct. 24. The following month, A. Hague has her in Convoy SC 109*, originating in New York on Nov. 9, arriving Liverpool on the 30th; Iron Baron left Halifax on Nov. 12 and stopped at Loch Ewe on the 29th.

She was in the first westbound convoy of 1943, Convoy ON 158, in which the rescue vessel St. Sunniva was lost on her first and only voyage as rescue ship, not due to U-boat activities, but due to the horrendous weather endured by so many convoys that winter. The rescue vessel was last seen 2 days out of Halifax and was not heard of again according to "Convoy Rescue Ships" by Arnold Hague. He adds that she was believed to have iced up and capsized without warning, a theory supported by the state of another ship from the convoy that had arrived Halifax the day before with up to 10 ft thick ice in some parts. Other Norwegian ships in this convoy, which had departed Liverpool on Jan. 2 and arrived New York on the 23rd, were Acasta (oiler), Ragnhild, Hallfried and Solitaire. Iron Baron, whose destination is given as Halifax, joined from Loch Ewe taking station 91, right in front of Hallfried. According to the Commodore's notes it looks like the Halifax portion was ordered to proceed to Portland - Iron Baron became a straggler on Jan. 15 and arrived Halifax on the 22nd. No other ships were lost, but other Norwegian ships went down later on due to the continuous storms raging in the North Atlantic that winter (one of them being Kollbjørg).

A. Hague now has her returning to the U.K. with Convoy SC 119*, which originated in New York on Febr. 3-1943 and arrived Liverpool on the 22nd; Iron Baron, cargo of flour, again joined from Halifax (Page 3). She's subsequently listed in Convoy ON 171*, departing Liverpool on March 4, arriving Halifax on the 23rd, returning in station 11 of Convoy SC 128 from Halifax on Apr. 25, together with Romulus, Mathilda and Norbryn. Page 4 gives her destination as London (she arrived Gravesend May 17). Following another long stay at Tyne in June, she proceeded to Oban, and from there, she joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ONS 12*, which originated in Liverpool on July 3 and arrived Halifax July 18; Iron Baron sailed from Oban on the 4th and stopped at Sydney, C.B. on the 17th, later continuing to Quebec and Rimouski, then returned to Sydney, C.B. in order to join the Sydney portion of the Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 140 on Aug. 22. She had a cargo of steel and lumber for Tyne, where she arrived on Sept. 7 (again spending quite a long time there). The following month, we find her in Convoy ONS 20*, which left Liverpool on Oct. 9 and arrived Halifax Oct. 26 - Iron Baron again joined from Oban and arrived Sydney, C.B. on Oct. 25. On Nov. 19, she headed back to the U.K. in Convoy SC 147 from Halifax, cargo of pit props for West Hartlepool, with arrival Dec. 8.

Her next Trans-Atlantic voyage took place in Febr.-1944. From Loch Ewe, she had joined the westbound Convoy ONS 27* (originated in Liverpool Jan. 13 - Commodore in Suderøy), but put back to Clyde, later joining Convoy ONS 29* from there (Commodore in Geisha). Acanthus, Eglantine and Rose are named among the escorts for this convoy (see ONS convoy escorts), which originated in Liverpool on Febr. 12 and arrived Halifax Febr. 29, but Iron Baron was bound for New York, and arrived there on March 3. At the end of that month, she joined the slow Convoy SC 156 from Halifax, in which the Norwegian Ruth I and South America were sunk (follow the links for more details) - her destination is given as Belfast Dock, cargo of steel and lumber. See also Page 5 (it'll also be noticed from this document that she later spent over a month in Glasgow).

She now made some voyages around the U.K., before heading back across the Atlantic in Convoy ON 248S*, departing Liverpool on Aug. 10 (convoy arrived New York Aug. 27). Iron Baron arrived Digby, N.S. on Aug. 26, then the following month, she's listed in Convoy HX 309 (Vice Commodore in Laurits Swenson). This convoy originated in New York, but Iron Baron joined with the Halifax portion, and was bound for Tyne with lumber. She later joined Convoy ONS 35*, which started out in Liverpool on Oct. 29 and arrived Halifax Nov. 15. Iron Baron, however, sailed from Loch Ewe on Oct. 29 and arrived Montreal on Nov. 18, according to Page 6. She had time for one more Trans-Atlantic voyage before that year was over, and this was made in the Sydney, C. B. portion of the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 162, bound for Leith Dock, carrying a cargo of flour - she arrived Leith on Dec. 19.

Iron Baron later joined the westbound Convoy ONS 40*, which originated in Liverpool on Jan. 12-1945 and arrived Halifax on the 30th, and according to A. Hague, she returned in Convoy SC 168*, departing Halifax on Febr. 25. In May, she's listed in Convoy ONS 49*, originating in Liverpool on May 2, arriving Halifax May 18 - in other words, VE Day was celebrated at sea. Again, see also Page 6.

Page 7 has the rest of her 1945 voyages as well as some early 1946 voyages.

* The ON convoys and ONS convoys will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section in due course, with more information on each. In the meantime, the ships sailing in them (and escorts) are named in the section listing ships in all ON convoys and ships in all ONS convoys. The entire SC series will also be updated and completed - see ships in all SC convoys. They all had several Norwegian ships.

More information on the other Norwegian ships mentioned here is available via the alphabet index at the end of this page, or go to the Master Ship Index.

POST WAR:

Sold in 1952, renamed Vittorio Z. Sank following a collision with the Dutch Prins Mauritz in the north Sea in Nov.-1955. (See also this external page).

Back to Iron Baron on the "Ships starting with I" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: Roger W. Jordan - and misc.