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D/S Måkefjell To Måkefjell on the "Ships starting with M" page. Owner: A/S Luksefjell Built by Porsgrund Mek. Verksted, Porsgrunn, Norway in 1932. Captain: Øywind Meitzner (according to this Guestbook message, his first name should be Erwin). Related items on this website: Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives: Please compare the above voyages with Arnold Hague's Voyage Record below.
(Received from Don Kindell - His source: The late Arnold Hague's database). Follow the convoy links provided for more information on each (where the "Convoy" column is left blank, it means convoy is not known). Errors may exist, and some voyages are missing.
Måkefjell is listed among the ships in Convoy HN 9A from Norway to the U.K. in Jan.-1940; she's said to have lost touch on Jan. 28, the day after departure, and according to A. Hague, she returned to Norway. The following month we find her in Convoy HN 10B, in ballast for Tyne, where she arrived Febr. 15, later making some voyages to France, according to A. Hague's record. As will be seen when going to Page 1 of the archive documents, she also made some voyages to France that spring and summer; in fact, it looks like she was in Boulogne when war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9, having arrived there on Apr. 7. In July that year she's listed, together with Havtor and Nesttun, in Convoy OA 186, which left Methil on July 18 and dispersed on the 21st, Måkefjell arriving Halifax on Aug. 3 (ref. external link provided in the Voyage Record). She headed back to the U.K. on Aug. 25 in the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 2, in which the Norwegian Gro and others were sunk - follow the links for more details. Måkefjell had a cargo of lumber for Sharpness, where she arrived on Sept. 13. According to "Nortraships flåte", Captain Øywind Meitzner reported having collided with a German U-boat northwest of Ireland on Sept. 9. This is parallelled by U-47/Prien's own report that he was almost hit by a cargo ship in Convoy SC 2. U-47 had sunk Gro, as well as the British José de Larrinaga and Neptunian 2 days earlier, and also sank the Greek Possidon on the 9th. It'll be noticed, when going to Uboat.net's page about the attack on this ship (external link) that the text includes: "The U-boat then had to avoid another merchant of the convoy that passed on collision course in only 50 metres distance without noticing the enemy" - this was probably Måkefjell. The following month she's listed as bound for St. John, N.B. in station 43 of Convoy OB 232, which originated in Liverpool on Oct. 21 and dispersed on the 26th, Måkefjell arriving her destination on Nov. 8. Heien, Lysaker IV, Polyana, Rimfakse, Siak, Skiensfjord (Commodore Vessel) and Tyr are also listed (again, see the external link in the table above for more on this convoy). With pit props for Sunderland, she was scheduled to return to the U.K. with the slow Convoy SC 13 from Sydney, C.B. on Nov. 22 (going back to Page 1, we see that she was at Newcastle, N.B. on this date), but instead joined the next convoy on Nov. 30, SC 14 - her subsequent voyages are shown on Page 2. Skipping now to July-1941 when she's listed as bound for Iceland in Convoy OB 343, which left Liverpool on July 6 and also included Arosa, Evviva, Fanefjeld, Ferncourt (bombed, follow link for details), Grado, Henrik Ibsen, Idefjord, Nesttun, Slemdal, Spurt, Star, Suderholm and Taborfjell. According to Page 3 of the archive documents, Måkefjell arrived Reykjavik on July 12, having sailed from Loch Ewe on the 8th. Having made some voyages around Iceland, she returned to Reykjavik, leaving again on July 31, joining the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 1, which had originated in Liverpool on July 26. She arrived Sydney, C.B. on Aug. 12, the convoy having been dispersed on the 9th. From Sydney, she proceeded to Pictou the next day, later returning to Sydney, C.B. in order to join a convoy back to the U.K. The Memorial for Seamen in Stavern, Norway (ref. link at the end of this page), states that Måkefjell was in port in Newcastle during an air raid there on Sept. 2-1941 and that the cook died in the attack. However, the book "Attack & Sink - The Battle of the Atlantic Summer 1941" by Bernard Edwards places Måkefjell with a cargo of lumber in Convoy SC 42, which did not arrive Liverpool until Sept. 15. Page 3 confirms that she did indeed sail from Sydney, C.B. on Aug. 30, the date this convoy departed, so she could not have been in Newcastle on Sept. 2 that year. She arrived Loch Ewe on Sept. 18. Please follow the link to SC 42 for details on the battle for this convoy and the names of ships sunk (incl. the Norwegian Stargard). Page 4 also shows some of Måkefjell's 1941 voyages, as well as some 1942 voyages, which continue on Page 5; convoy details for some of them can be found in the Voyage Record above In Apr.-1942 she's listed in the Reykjavik-U.K. Convoy RU 20, in ballast for Clyde, and in May she appears, with destination Sheet Harbour, in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 98*, originating in Liverpool on May 26, arriving New York on June 12; Måkefjell, however, arrived Halifax on June 11, Sheet Harbour on June 13, having started out from Clyde May 26. Fana and Fjordheim are also listed in this convoy. With a cargo of paper pulp for Rochester, Måkefjell headed back to the U.K. on June 26 in the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 89. She arrived her destination on July 15, and together with Aun, Borgfred, Fjordheim, Solitaire and Suderøy, she later returned across the Atlantic in the westbound Convoy ON 120*, which originated in Liverpool on Aug. 8 and dispersed on the 27th, Måkefjell arriving Halifax that same day, continuing to Chatham, N.B. on the 28th. The following month, she joined Convoy SC 101, which started out in Halifax on Sept. 19 and arrived Liverpool Oct. 5, but Måkefjell joined from Sydney, C.B. and stopped at Loch Ewe on Oct. 4. Her subsequent voyages are shown on Page 6 and Page 7, with convoy info in the table above. In June-1943 she's listed as bound for Bougie in Convoy KMS 16* (departure Gibraltar June 16). She had also been present from the U.K. when the convoy started out as the combined Convoy OS 49/KMS 16, which split up on June 13, the KMS portion arriving Gibraltar on June 15, while the OS convoy continued to Freetown, with arrival there on June 23 (ref. external link provided in the table above - Corvus, Elg, Jan and Somerville are also named). Måkefjell arrived Bougie on June 19 - again, see Page 7. Early the following month she joined Convoy MKS 16A, voyage from Algiers to Oran - scroll down to the third table on my page about this convoy. She arrived Oran on July 5, having left Algiers on the 3rd. In Sept.-1943 she made a voyage from Philippeville to Bizerta in Convoy KMS 25*. She arrived Bizerta on Sept. 15, having departed Philippeville 2 days before. (For info, this convoy had started out from Liverpool on Aug. 27 as the combined convoy OS 54/KMS 25 which split up on Sept. 8, the KMS portion arriving Gibraltar on Sept. 10, while the OS convoy continued to Freetown, with arrival there on Sept. 17. Note, however, that Måkefjell was not present from the U.K. this time, but joined from Philippeville, as mentioned). From Bizerta, she proceeded to Malta about a week later, then on to Naples and back to Malta (Page 8). A regular visitor to my Ship Forum (Platon Alexiades) has sent me a little snippet re. an order for the Italian corvette Pomona to escort Måkefjell, which had sailed from Taranto at 07:18 on Nov. 2-1943 for Brindisi (ETA 14:00 Nov. 3). She had previously arrived Taranto from Malta on Oct. 28; note that A. Hague has listed her (with Atle Jarl and Brisk) in Convoy AH 6 for this voyage, and has included her (with Lysaker V, Vest and Vesta) in Convoy AH 7 for the voyage to Brindisi; again, ref. links in the table above and Page 8. In March-1944 we find her in Convoy MKS 43*, which arrived Gibraltar on March 22, having originated in Port Said, but Måkefjell had started out from Algiers on March 19. This convoy joined up with Convoy SL 152 from Freetown, the combined Convoy SL 152/MKS 43 arriving Liverpool on Apr. 4, but Måkefjell was not present after juncture, so probably did not follow the convoy to the U.K. at that time. She is, however, listed with a cargo of scrap iron and stores in Convoy XK 15, which left Gibraltar on Apr. 2 and arrived Liverpool on the 12th (Lysaker V, Selvik and Sneland I are also included). Going back to Page 8 of the archive docs, we see that Måkefjell arrived Milford Haven on Apr. 11. Måkefjell served as supply ship for the invasion of Normandy in June-1944, arriving June 12, leaving again June 24, according to "Nortraships flåte". According to the external website that I've linked to at the end of this page, she was scheduled for Convoy OS 91/KMS 65 (U.K.-Gibraltar-Freetown), which left Liverpool on Oct. 4-1944, but she did not sail. About a month later she shows up (with Hildur I) in the U.K.-Gibraltar Convoy KX 16, which arrived Gibraltar on Nov. 8, having departed Milford Haven Nov. 1 - again, ref. external link in the table above; see also Page 9. This document also shows some of her 1945 voyages, as does Page 10 (to Febr.-1946, when she was in Norway). Convoy details for some of these can be found in the Voyage Record.
Sold in 1946 to D/S A/S Ibis (Johs. Larsen, Bergen) and renamed Anne Reed. Sold in 1949 to M. Gossens, Liege/ Antwerp and renamed Marie. Sold in 1950 to Kohlen-Import & Poseidon Schiff-farts, Hamburg and renamed Artus. Transferred in 1956 to Poseidon Schiff GmbH, Hamburg and renamed Transmichigan. Sold in 1962 to Soc. Nevegacion Comercial "Las Perlas" Beirut, renamed Margareta. Sold in 1964 to Bekos, Cia. Navegacion, Piræus, Greece and renamed Maria. Sold in 1974 to S. Mariakos, Greece and renamed Achios. Ran aground in 1976 at Akrotini, broken up in 1978. Related external links: Stavern Memorial commemoration - The cook, Oddvar Marius Moen is commemorated, said to have died in an air attack in Newcastle on Sept. 2-1941 (see text on this page). "Våre falne", a series of 4 books naming Norwegians who died in the war, also gives the date as Sept. 2-1941, but as noted above, Måkefjell is listed as being en route to the U.K. in Convoy SC 42 at that time, so the date here must be an error. Back to Måkefjell on the "Ships starting with M" page. The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "The World's Merchant Fleets 1939", R. W. Jordan and misc. other. Post War info was received from P. O. Kittelsen, Norway.
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