M/S Ivaran
Updated Sept. 21-2009

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. It can be found by running a search via their collection search page (both are external links).

Misc. Convoy Voyages:

For information on voyages made in between those mentioned here, please see the documents received from the Norwegian archives and Hague's Voyage Record above. Follow the convoy links provided for more details on them; the Commodore's notes 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 that document and continue on Page 2, which also shows some of her 1942 voyages.

According to "Nortraships flåte" a U-boat was observed 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 war ship approached, nothing further happened, and she was escorted into Port of Spain by the war ship, 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.

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.

In Oct.-1942, Ivaran started making voyages to the U.K. She's listed as sailing in Convoy HX 210, departing New York City on Oct. 1. 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 Louch on Oct. 18. She returned across the Atlantic in the westbound Convoy ON 143*, which originated in Liverpool on Nov. 1 and arrived New York on the 16th. Going back to Page 3 of the archive documents, 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 Lough on Dec. 21, Cardiff on Dec. 23.

Early in Jan.-1943, she took station 11 of the westbound Convoy ON 159 - see also the Commodore's narrative; Commodore was in Laurits Swenson. Ivaran headed back to the U.K. on Jan. 30 with Convoy HX 225 from New York, general cargo for Liverpool, station 72. In March, she joined the westbound Convoy ON 170 to New York, returning 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, later joining Convoy HX 244 from there 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 the westbound Convoy ON 192*, 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. 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*, which left Liverpool on Oct. 31 and arrived New York Nov. 17, and Hague has now included her in Convoy HX 269*, departing New York on Dec. 2. These 2 convoys are not yet available among the HX convoys listed in my Convoys section, but will be added. 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 headed 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, then the following month, we find her in Convoy HX 279 from New York, general cargo for Liverpool (Vice Commodore in Emma Bakke). 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. She returned to New York with Convoy ON 235*, departing Liverpool on May 4, arriving her destination on the 18th, and on June 2, she's listed in Convoy HX 294 (for which Abraham Lincoln served as the Commodore's ship, while the Vice Commodore was in Geisha). In July, she joined Convoy ON 246* back to New York (from Liverpool July 25, to New York Aug. 9), 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), returning in Convoy HX 315 on Oct. 20, acting as Commodore Vessel. Another westbound voyage was made in Nov.-1944, when she joined Convoy ON 267*, which arrived New York on Dec. 5. Ivaran now served as the Commodore Vessel for Convoy HX 327 from New York later that month, bound for Liverpool with general cargo. She arrived her destination on Jan. 2-1945, having left New York on Dec. 19.

She returned to the U.S. later that month with the westbound Convoy ON 279, then headed back to the U.K. again the following month with Convoy HX 340*, which left New York on Febr. 23. She subsequently joined the westbound 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, 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 later returned to the U.S., and made another voyage to Norway later that year, arriving Oslo on Oct. 12, according to the archive doument mentioned above. Some early 1946 voyages are also shown on that 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. As will be seen, they all had several Norwegian ships. The HX series will also be updated and completed - see ships in all HX convoys.

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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