M/T Maridal
Updated May 27-2010

To Maridal on the "Ships starting with M" page.

Some Convoy Voyages:

For information on voyages made in between those mentioned here, please see the documents received from the National Archives of Norway and A. Hague's Voyage Record above. Follow the convoy links provided for further details; the Commodore's notes are also available for some of them and several Norwegian ships took part.

As will be seen when going to Page 1, Maridal was in Singapore when war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9-1940, having arrived there that same day from Cebu.

Together with the Norwegian Beduin, Salamis and Vivi, she's listed in Convoy SL 50, departing Freetown for the U.K. on Oct. 3-1940. The following month, we find her, together with Beduin, Belray, Carmelfjell, Einar Jarl and Sveve (possibly briefly also Emma Bakke), in Convoy OB 241, which left Liverpool on Nov. 9 and dispersed on the 14th, Maridal arriving Trinidad on Nov. 28, proceeding to Aruba 2 days later. Ref. external links provided within the Voyage Record for more information on these convoys. That year was rounded off by sailing back to the U.K. with Convoy HX 96. Maridal arrived Avonmouth on Dec. 31, having joined the convoy from Bermuda.

She was one of 4 Norwegian ships sailing in Convoy OB 275 in Jan.-1941, voyage Glasgow-Aruba in ballast, station 24. The others were Hidlefjord, Mosli and Finnanger. This convoy, which originated in Liverpool on Jan. 18, was dispersed on the 23rd, and according to Page 1 of the archive documents, Maridal was at St. John's repairing on Jan. 31. Not sure what had happened to her, but departure St. John's is given as March 20, so she remained there for quite a while, and it does not look like she went to Aruba at all. Via New York (where she also stayed for a long time) and Halifax, she headed back to the U.K. on June 6 in Convoy HX 131, bound for Milford Haven and Falmouth with a cargo of benzine in station 72 of the convoy. She arrived Milford Haven (via Belfast Lough) on June 24, Falmouth the next day.

Together with Akabahra, Astra, Balduin, Bjørkhaug, Fido, Gudrun, Hestmanden (for Iceland), Leka, Marga, Orania, Siak and Spes, she later joined Convoy OB 347 (Sveve joined from Iceland), originating in Liverpool on July 16, dispersed July 31, Maridal arriving Baltimore on Aug. 6 (she had started out from Clyde on July 17). From Baltimore, she headed to Halifax 2 days later, joining Convoy HX 145 from there on Aug. 16. She subsequently returning across the Atlantic with the westbound Convoy ON 15, which left Liverpool on Sept. 11 and dispersed on the 16th, Maridal arriving New York on Sept. 25, proceeding to Curacao the next day. The rest of her 1941 voyages are shown on Page 2. The page also shows her 1942 voyages, while 1943 voyages are listed on Page 3 (it'll be noticed that she had some long stops in port that year) - convoy information for some of these can be found in the Voyage Record.

Skipping now to Dec.-1943, when she's said to have made a voyage from Port Said to Malta with Convoy MKS 34 - scroll down to the second table on my page about this convoy. Maridal arrived Malta on Dec. 17, proceeding to the U.S. a few days later, arriving New York on Jan. 16-1944. There's now a long gap in her voyages; departure New York is given as May 5, when she headed to Beaumont - again, see Page 3 above. Page 4 also has some 1944 voyages as well as some early 1945 voyages, which continue on Page 5. Page 6 lists a few 1946 voyages.

A story by Peder Kristoffer Langeland (Norwegian text), who joined this ship in Port Arthur in the fall of 1944, states they were in the Caribbean when the news came that the war in Europe was over. He also mentions a mess boy named Johannes Harkestad who joined the ship in Port Arthur (had previously served on Bertha Brøvig), and adds that they were mainly in service to South America and the east coast of the U.S. Early in 1946 they went from Buenos Aires via Curacao to Philadelphia.

More details on the other Norwegian ships mentioned on this page can be found with the help of the alphabet index below, or go to the Master Ship Index.

POST WAR:

Sold in 1955 for breaking up.

Back to Maridal on the "Ships starting with M" page.

Another Maridal was delivered to A/S Moltzaus Tankrederi (Moltzau & Christensen), Oslo in July-1957, built in Sweden, 12 329 gt. Sold in 1961 to owners in Kristiansand, Norway and renamed Benoil. Sold to Monrovia in 1974, then to Greece in 1976, renamed Stolt Capricorn. Broken up in 1980, following a fire in the engine room while at La Plata in May-1979.