D/S Lysaker IV - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

D/S Lysaker IV

To Lysaker IV on the "Ships starting with L" page.

Received from Ron Beaupre. Picture was taken by James M. Kidd on June 15-1952.

Manager: Ludvig Lorentzen, Oslo
Tonnage: 1551 gt

Built in 1924 by Furness Shipbuilding, Haverton Hill (123) as Vale of Mowbray for Vale S.S. Co., Middlesbrough (until 1935).

Misc. War Details:

(A Voyage Record will be added)

Lysaker IV, in ballast for Dunstan, is listed as sailing in Convoy HN 15 from Norway to the U.K. in Febr.-1940 (she had initially been in the previous convoy, HN 14, but put back), returning to Norway in the middle of March with Convoy ON 20. At the end of March she's mentioned in the Advance Sailing Telegram for Convoy HN 23B, however, it looks like she may have been among the ships returning to port, because she's also listed in Convoy HN 24 at the beginning of Apr. This convoy arrived Methil Roads on Apr. 7, that is, just 2 days before the German invasion of Norway, and hence this ship ended up in allied service. Follow links for more info, several Norwegian ships took part.

Lysaker IV shows up among the ships in Convoy OA 167, which left Southend on June 13-1940 and dispersed on the 16th. She had a cargo of coal and was bound for Rochefort at the time. Other Norwegian ships included in this convoy are Heina, Troja and Tungsha. (Svint was also scheduled, but did not sail). At the end of Aug.-1940 she was scheduled for the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 2, but instead joined the next convoy, SC 3, cargo of lumber for Sunderland. In Oct. that same year she's listed as bound for Sydney C.B. in Convoy OB 232, which left Liverpool on Oct. 21-1940 and dispersed on the 26th (see the first external link below for more on the OA and OB convoy mentioned here), then returned to the U.K. at the end of the following month with the slow Convoy SC 13, cargo of pit props for Hull.

In service on the coast of the U.K. and also to Iceland. In May-1942 she can be found in Convoy RU 24 from Reykjavik, bound for Tyne with vehicles and stores. In July-1942 we find her in Convoy RU 32; cargo of fish meal for Liverpool. Lyra and Jan Mayen are also listed in this convoy.

She rescued 27 men from the British Empire Bell in 1942. This ship had been torpedoed and sunk by U-442 on Sept. 25, Convoy UR 42 from the U.K. to Iceland (external link).

Information on further voyages can be found by following the instructions provided at the first external link below.

POST WAR:

(According to the Riversea International website):

Renamed Chicago in 1953 (Norwegian), Italian Gennaro Ievoly in 1954, Villanova in 1958 (still Italian). Broken up at La Spezia in Febr.-1966.

Related external links:
OB (& OA) convoys - OA 167 and OB 232 are included. Note also that by going to this section of the same site and clicking on "Ship Search", using "Lysaker IV" as keyword, several convoy voyages that are not mentioned in my own text above will come up

OA & OB convoys

The loss of Empire Bell

Riversea International - I haven't linked directly to the info on Lysaker IV, because this site only keeps the pages up for a brief period of time.

Back to Lysaker IV on the "Ships starting with L" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Våre gamle skips", Leif M. Bjørkelund & E. H. Kongshavn, Captain Anker Thøversen's report, "Krigsseileren" No. 4, 1991 and No. 1, 1995, "Sjøfolk i krig", Leif M. Bjørkelund. (ref. My Sources).