Site Map | Search Warsailors.com | Merchant Fleet Main Page | Warsailors.com Home |
|
M/S Marie Bakke To Marie Bakke on the "Ships starting with M" page.
Manager: Knut Knutsen O. A. S., Haugesund Delivered on May 14-1926 from Odense Staalskibsværft, Odense, Denmark as Marie Bakke to Skibs-A/S Marie Bakke, Haugesund (Knut Knutsen O.A.S.). 391.3' x 52.5' x 24.7', 2 x 6 cyl. 4 tev B&W, 1780 bhp, 11.75 knots, 2 props. In service between South and North America (Pacific). According to R. W. Jordan she was under British management 1940-1945. Captain: Johan Skaare (from June-1943 to Aug.-1943, Captain Knut O. Bringedal - see O. A. Knudsen). 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. Errors may exist, and several voyages are missing.
As will be seen when going Page 1 of the archive documents, Marie Bakke was at Talara when war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9-1940, departing that day for Callao (just outside Lima, Peru). Her 1941 voyages start on Page 2 and continue on Page 3 and Page 4; the latter document also shows her 1942 voyages. According to "Nortraships flåte" she had an unnerving experience in a convoy on Jan. 9-1942 when a heavy storm was encountered near Greenland. The sea washed over Marie Bakke at one point, taking with it all the lifeboats, the dinghy and 5 aircraft which had been tied to the deck. The lumber cargo shifted, resulting in such a heavy list that only one of the engines could be used. While working to right the ship, the men thought they saw 2 U-boats, one of them shining a bright light on them, the other firing a torpedo. They were able to avoid it and arrived Halifax on Jan. 20. J. R. Hegland, the author of this book, hastens to add that this report is rather doubtful, because (he says) the number of U-boats in the convoy route was at that time very low. I can find no report of an unsuccessful attack by U-boat in J. Rohwer's book for the date in question, but the info otherwise fits in with the fact that Marie Bakke is listed, with a general cargo for Liverpool, in the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 63 early in Jan.-1942, and is said to have returned to port with weather damage; in fact, several other ships in this convoy also returned due to the bad weather, as will be seen when following the link (it'll also be noticed that 2 ships were sunk by U-boat). She did not leave Halifax again until March 9, when we find her among the ships in Convoy HX 179. She stopped at Belfast Lough on March 22 before proceeding to Avonmouth, with arrival March 25, and subsequently spent close to 4 months there (possibly undergoing repairs?). She's now listed, together with Astrid, Berto, Bonneville (Commodore Vessel), Ingertre, Marga, Norhauk, Titanian and Torfinn Jarl, in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 114*, which originated in Liverpool on July 19 and dispersed Aug. 4, Marie Bakke arriving New York on Aug. 5. Her subsequent voyages are shown on Page 4; convoy information for some of these can be found in the above Voyage Record. In Nov.-1942 she was chased by a Japanese submarine tender in the Indian Ocean while on a voyage from New York to Suez, but escaped. (Two armed merchant cruisers operated in the southern Indian Ocean at this time, Hokoku Maru and Aikoku Maru, as well as 5-6 submarines). The Japanese vessel gave up the chase after about an hour and a half without having fired, and the captain of Marie Bakke believed that the reason they were let go so easily was the fact that his ship had the company's two red rings painted on the black funnel, possibly leading the Japanese into thinking that she was a Russian ship. In Apr.-1943 she's listed as sailing in the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 126, returning across the ocean with the westbound Convoy ONS 7 early in May; Marie Bakke arrived New York on May 28. The following month we find her in station 105 of the slow Convoy SC 135, leaving Halifax on June 27, and with Bestik, Acasta, Boreas, Karmt, Norhauk, Snar, Solstad and Tercero, she's listed in the westbound Convoy ONS 14*, which left Liverpool on July 26 and arrived Halifax on Aug. 9; Marie Bakke, however, was bound for New York again, where she arrived on Aug. 12 - see Page 5, which also has her 1944 voyages. Skipping now to Sept. 28-1944, when she appears in Convoy SL 172 from Freetown (ref. external link provided within the Voyage Record, as well as the link at the end of this page). This convoy joined up with Convoy MKS 63* from Gibraltar on Oct. 9, the combined convoy arriving Liverpool on the 16th. Voyage information is given as Rio de Janeiro/Bahia (Sept. 13)-Falmouth, station 34. She had a general cargo consisting of rice, cased meats, cotton, coffee, pinewood, piassava and sundries. About a month later, she made another voyage to New York, joining Convoy ONS 36*. Evanger, Geisha (Commodore Vessel), Grey County, Heimgar, Henrik Ibsen, Minerva, Snar, Sommerstad, Tropic Star, Velox, Veni and Vinga are also listed in this convoy, which departed Liverpool on Nov. 13 and arrived Halifax Dec. 3; Marie Bakke arrived her destination on Dec. 5, and appears to have remained there for quite a long time - according to Page 5, she did not leave again until Febr. 19-1945, when she proceeded to Boston, then on to Halifax. Arnold Hague has now included her, along with Ferncliff, Iron Baron, Kristianiafjord, Lago, Peik, Torborg and Vera, in Convoy SC 168*, departing Halifax on Febr. 25-1945, arriving Liverpool March 13 (Marie Bakke, cargo of lumber, stopped at Loch Ewe on the 12th, proceeding to Methil and Immingham 2 days later - see Page 6). With Elg, Frontenac, Rena (Commodore Vessel) and Romulus, she headed back across the Atlantic the following month with Convoy ONS 47* (originated in Liverpool Apr. 11), and arrived Father Point on May 2. The rest of her voyages (to March-1946) are shown on the archive document - as can be seen, she got to go home to Norway that spring, but arrival there is not given.
Went to D/S A/S Varøy (Vibran Shipping-Knut Knutsen), Haugesund in March-1956, in general tramping and seasonal lumber trade. Sold in Nov.-1961 to Matsukura Shoten K.K., Hirao for breaking up, after having been laid up at Bøvågen since Jan-1958. Work commenced on Aug. 27-1962. Related external links: Report of proceedings - Convoy SL 172/MKS 63 SL, HG, MKS and MKF Convoys - In chronlogical order, starting with 1939. The site also has similar listings for several other series, see this page. Back to Marie Bakke on the "Ships starting with M" page. The company later had another ship by the this name, delivered in Oct.-1978, 16 438 gt. Sold to Denmark in Oct.-1982, renamed Frijesenborg. Sold to Valparaiso in Sept.-1987 and renamed Lircay. The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Våre motorskip" by Leif M. Bjørkelund and E. H. Kongshavn, and misc. (ref. My sources).
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
