Owner: D/S Neptun A/S
Manager: Henrik Østervold, Bergen
Tonnage: 1536 gt

Built by Murdoch & Murray Ltd., Port Glasgow in 1917. Previous names: Grangetown until 1921, Grangewood until 1936.

Some War Voyages:

(More will be added).

Libra was one of several Norwegian ships sailing in Convoy HN 8 from Norway to the U.K. in Jan.-1940; click on the link for the names of the others. The following month we find her in Convoy OA 92, which left Southend on Febr. 15-1940 and dispersed on the 18th; her destination is given as Lorient, station 34.

Together with the Norwegian Dagrun, she's listed in Convoy OA 206, which left Methil on Aug. 29-1940, but Libra was only bound for Clyde on that occasion - see external link below. The following month she's included among the ships in Convoy OG 42, departing Liverpool on Sept. 4-1940, arriving Gibraltar on the 16th; Libra was bound for Lisbon. This convoy will be added to an individual page in my Convoys section in due course, but in the meantime, the ships sailing in it are named on my page listing ships in all OG convoys. As will be seen, the Norwegian Ask, Avance I, Fagerbro, Kongshaug, Ophir, and Roy are also listed, and all of them also show up in Convoy HG 45 from Gibraltar to the U.K. (departure Oct. 9-1940). Libra, carrying a cargo of pit props, was bound for Blyth - again, follow the link for more convoy details.

Libra was in convoy FS 421, which was attacked by aircraft off Harwich on Febr. 27-1941 (convoy is available via external link below). She's reported to have been damaged, presumably by a bomb which fell in the sea close by.

That fall she's listed in station 86 of the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 10, which left Liverpool on Aug. 27-1941 and dispersed on Sept. 11. Libra, being bound for Reykjavik, had already left the convoy by then (she arrived Reykjavik on Sept. 2). Going back to the external website already mentioned, we find her in the slow, eastbound North Atlantic Convoy SC 45, which had originated in Sydney, C.B. on Sept. 18-1941 and arrived Liverpool on Oct. 4, but Libra joined this convoy from Iceland on Sept. 30 and arrived Kirkwall on Oct. 2. The Norwegian Bjerka, Nea, Orania, Rio Verde, Snar, Solhavn, Trolla, and Varanger are also included.

Libra was otherwise mostly in service around the U.K. By following the instructions provided at the external link below, more information on her war voyages up until the end of May-1945 is available. According to this, she was in Sunderland on VE Day, having arrived there on May 8-1945 from Southend with Convoy FN 1705.

More details on all the other Norwegian ships named here can be found with the help of the alphabet index at the end of this page, or go to the Master Ship Index.

Related external link:
OB (& OA) convoys - Convoy OA 206 is included. Note also that by going to this section of the same site and clicking on "Ship Search", using "Libra" as keyword, several convoys that are not mentioned in my own text will come up, including a long list of local U.K. convoys (be aware, however, that there was also a Dutch Libra, which will also show up in the search results). Here are FS 421, SC 45, and FN 1705, all mentioned in my narrative. OA 92 is also available, but Libra is not listed in this convoy at this site.