M/S Ivaran
Updated Nov. 13-2011

To Ivaran on the "Ships starting with I" page.


Source: Sverre Johansen's postcard collection.
The Australian War Memorial has another picture of this ship, taken in 1942 (both are external links).
Another photo is available on this external page (click in it to make it larger).

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 and/or narrative are also available for quite a few of them, and several Norwegian ships took part.

As will be seen when going to Page 1 of the archive documents, Ivaran was en route from Manila to Los Angeles when war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9-1940. Her 1941 voyages also start on this document and continue on Page 2, which also shows some of her 1942 voyages. It'll be noticed that she spent a long time in Los Angeles, where she had arrived on Dec. 18-1941. Departure is given as March 28-1942, when she proceeded to San Francisco.

According to "Nortraships flåte" a U-boat was spotted from Ivaran when off Port of Spain in the early morning hours of Aug. 25-1942. 2 shots were fired from Ivaran, and immediately afterwards yet another U-boat was seen. Shortly thereafter a warship approached, nothing further happened, and she was escorted into Port of Spain by the warship, arriving that same day. Ivaran is said to have been en route from Rio with a cargo for New York when this incident occurred - according to Page 3, she had started out from Montevideo on Aug. 8 and arrived Trinidad on the 26th, continuing to New York 3 days later, with arrival Sept. 12.

The above incident is also mentioned in Tormund Gjertsen's Story (Norwegian text - He had joined Ivaran on Febr. 15-1941). He has given me the names of 4 other crew members in this period, namely Jørgen A. Larsen (Danish), Johnny Gruelund (or possibly Grønlund - Danish), Helge Olsen, and Trygve Martinsen. Helge, Tormund and Trygve paid off in New York in Sept.-1942, the latter 2 heading to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia to become gunners at Camp Norway. The 3 of them met again 47 years later (Helge has since passed away). T. Gjertsen later joined Hallanger and was on board when she was sunk. After that incident he served on Chr. Th. Boe, later Karsten Wang. Tormund Gjertsen died on Dec. 11-2007. (See also this external page).

Ivaran now started making voyages to the U.K. She's listed as sailing in Convoy HX 210, departing New York City on Oct. 1-1942. She was bound for Cardiff, cargo is given as "valuables", and she sailed in station 64 of the convoy, for which the Norwegian Montevideo served as Commodore Vessel. Ivaran arrived Cardiff, via Belfast Lough on Oct. 18. She returned across the Atlantic in Convoy ON 143*, which originated in Liverpool on Nov. 1 and arrived New York on the 16th. Going back to Page 3, it looks like Ivaran had joined from Belfast Lough, and her arrival New York is given as Nov. 17 (this could simply be a matter of different time zones used in the records). On Dec. 5, we find her in station 63 of Convoy HX 218 from New York. Her destination is given as Belfast Dock and Cardiff, cargo of valuables. She arrived Belfast on Dec. 21, Cardiff on Dec. 23.

Early in Jan.-1943, she took station 11 of the westbound Convoy ON 159 in order to go back to New York - see also the Commodore's narrative; Commodore was in Laurits Swenson. With a general cargo for Liverpool, Ivaran headed back to the U.K. on Jan. 30 in station 72 of Convoy HX 225 from New York. According to the Commodore's notes, she was among 4 ships that left the convoy for Liverpool with escort at 04:00 Z on Febr. 12, 56 36N 13 46W; she arrived her destination on the 14th (Page 3). At the beginning of March, she joined the westbound Convoy ON 170 to New York, heading back to Liverpool on Apr. 6 with Convoy HX 233, cargo of explosives and general. She subsequently joined the westbound Convoy ON 182*, departing Liverpool on May 6. She arrived New York, via Halifax, on May 23 - according to A. Hague, she was involved in a collision with a tug, which sank; I have no further details on this. Ivaran later joined Convoy HX 244 on June 15, again bound for Liverpool with general cargo, station 43 (Vice Commodore was in Samuel Bakke).

She now returned to New York in Convoy ON 192* (Commodore in Laurits Swenson), departing Liverpool on July 9, and she was scheduled for Convoy HX 250 on July 30, but instead joined the next convoy on Aug. 7, HX 251, again with Laurits Swenson as Commodore Vessel. Acanthus, Potentilla and Rose are named among the escorts - see HX convoy escorts. Ivaran had a general cargo as well as 700 tons of explosives, destination Liverpool, station 101. The following month, she's listed in Convoy ON 200*, departing Liverpool on Sept. 2, arriving New York on the 18th, and according to A. Hague, she went back to the U.K. in Convoy HX 260*, departing New York on Oct. 5. At the end of that month, she joined the westbound Convoy ON 209* (Commodore in Laurits Swenson), which arrived New York Nov. 17, and Hague has now included her in Convoy HX 269*, departing New York on Dec. 2. Commodore was again in Laurits Swenson, while Emma Bakke served as the Vice Commodore's ship. According to Page 4 of the archive documents, Ivaran arrived Milford Haven on Dec. 15, proceeding to Glasgow the next day.

At the beginning of the new year, Ivaran went back in the other direction again in Convoy ON 219*, which originated in Liverpool on Jan. 8-1944 (Ivaran sailed from Clyde that day) and arrived New York on the 27th. This time, the Commodore was in Elisabeth Bakke. The following month, we find Ivaran in Convoy HX 279 from New York, general cargo for Liverpool (Emma Bakke's captain acted as Vice Commodore). Ivaran subsequently joined the westbound Convoy ON 227*, departing Liverpool on March 8, arriving New York on the 22nd, and on Apr. 5, she's listed as bound for Liverpool with general cargo in Convoy HX 286 from New York. Acanthus is again named among the escorts, as is Eglantine. Ivaran returned to New York with Convoy ON 235*, departing Liverpool on May 4, arriving her destination on the 18th (Commodore was in Reinholt), and on June 2, she's listed in Convoy HX 294, for which Abraham Lincoln served as Commodore Vessel, while the Vice Commodore was in Geisha. Ivaran's destination is given as Liverpool again, but it'll be noticed, when going back to Page 4, that she stopped at Loch Ewe on June 19, proceeding to Methil the next day, then on to London.

In July, she she can be found in Convoy ON 246* back to New York (from Liverpool July 25, to New York Aug. 9 - Commodore in Brimanger), returning on Aug. 25 in Convoy HX 305, general cargo for Liverpool (again with Abraham Lincoln as Commodore Ship). Ivaran now joined the westbound Convoy ON 255* (from Liverpool Sept. 22, to New York Oct. 9 - Commodore in Brimanger), returning with a general cargo for London in Convoy HX 315 on Oct. 20, acting as Commodore Vessel. Another westbound voyage was made in Nov.-1944, when she sailed in Convoy ON 267*, which arrived New York on Dec. 5. She subsequently served as Commodore Vessel for Convoy HX 327 from New York, bound for Liverpool with general cargo, arriving her destination on Jan. 2-1945, having left New York on Dec. 19.

She returned to the U.S. later that month with Convoy ON 279, arriving New York Febr. 5-1945 (Page 4), then went back across the Atlantic again with Convoy HX 340* on Febr. 23 and arrived Liverpool March 10 (Commodore in Tungsha). Ivaran subsequently served as Commodore Vessel for Convoy ON 292*, arriving New York on Apr. 8, and on Apr. 23, she's listed in Convoy HX 352* from New York. From Page 5 we learn that she arrived Clyde on May 8, departing again on the 12th, and this time she joined Convoy JW 67, together with Roald Amundsen and Egerø. This was the last convoy to Russia, sailing from Clyde on May 12 with 26 ships, arriving the Kola Inlet on May 20. Ivaran and Roald Amundsen didn't go all the way to Murmansk, but left the convoy to proceed to Kirkenes, Norway, where she arrived on May 21, according to A. Hague's Voyage Record above. (Egerø is listed in the last returning convoy, RA 67, which departed the Kola Inlet with 25 ships on May 23-1945 - Kronprinsen was also in that convoy).

From Norway, Ivaran returned to the U.S. in July, making another voyage to Norway later that year, arriving Oslo on Oct. 12, again, see Page 5. Some early 1946 voyages are also shown on the page.

* The ON convoys are available and 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. The entire HX series will also be updated and completed - see ships in all HX convoys. As will be seen, they all had several Norwegian ships.

POST WAR:

Sold to Montan Transport GmbH (manager Unterweser Reederei AG, Bremen) in 1955 and renamed Kelkheim. Sold in Febr.-1963 to breakers in Hong Kong.

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