M/S Norne
Updated Aug. 9-2010

To Norne on the "Ships starting with N" page.

A picture is available on this external page (click in it to enlarge).

Her voyages are listed on this original document received from the National Archives of Norway.

Voyage Record From May-1940 to Aug.-1940:

	Departure	From	To	Arrival	Convoy	Remarks
1940	May 18	Baltimore	New York City	May 21	Independent	Had arrived Baltimore from Norway, Apr. 18 (see archive document).
	May 28	New York City	Fernandina	June 1	Independent	–
	June 11	Fernandina	New York City	June 14	Independent	–
	July 24	New York City	Wilmington, NC	July 26	Independent	–
	Aug. 8	Wilmington, NC	Bermuda	Aug. 12	Independent	–
	Aug. 15	Bermuda	–	–	BHX 66	See link to HX 66 (and narrative below).
	Aug. 20	Bermuda portion joined main convoy	–	–	HX 66	Sunk - See "Final Fate" below

Notes:

According to the archive document, Norne arrived Baltimore from Narvik, Norway on Apr. 18-1940, continuing to New York a month later.

Final Fate - 1940:

Norne departed Wilmington N.C., on Aug. 8-1940, bound for Grangemouth, via Bermuda, with a cargo of scrap iron. She arrived Bermuda on Aug. 11 (or 12, depending on time zone), then left again on Aug. 15, joining the Bermuda portion of Convoy HX 66*. Please follow the link for more convoy information, the Commodore's notes and a report by the Commanding Officer in HMS Mackay are also available.

*Norne had originally been scheduled for Convoy HX 53 from Halifax on June 25, but did not sail, and had also been cancelled from HX 54 on June 29 - from the archive document, we learn that she was in New York when these convoys sailed, having been there since June 14, and did not leave New York for Wilmington until July 24.

On Aug. 29, the ships that were going to the east coast were detached from the convoy, escorted by HMS Hibiscus. (Rohwer calls this portion HX 66A - again, follow the link to HX 66 for more details; the original document also adds HMS Jason as escort for this group and gives the splitting date as Aug. 28). In the early hours of Aug. 30 Norne was hit by a torpedo from U-32 (Jenisch), position 58 48N 06 49W (east of Stronsay). On the bridge at the time were the captain, the 2nd mate and the helmsman, Able Seaman Mikkelborg (all perished). Following 2 explosions on the port side forward of the engine room, she sank very quickly while some crew members were trying to launch the starboard lifeboat. The boat was crushed, and everyone on deck was pulled under with the ship; only 11 came back up.

About 3 hours later they were rescued from the debris and the raft they were clinging to by HMS Hibiscus, which landed them in Scotland on Aug. 31. Mess Boy Jensen was admitted to a hospital (near Burntisland) suffering from blood poisoning of an injured finger. The survivors were fitted out with clothes etc. before being sent to Newcastle on Tyne where an inquiry was held on Sept. 5-1940 with the radio operator, the 1st engineer, Ordinary Seaman Ericsson and the boatswain appearing.

Jenisch had torpedoed two other ships in quick succession, the British S/S Mill Hill, and S/S Chelsea, just before Norne was hit.

For info, U-32 had also been responsible for the attacks on Jern, Luna, Altair and Eli Knudsen, and later sank Tancred.

Crew List:
All the survivors were picked up from a raft, except the radio operator and Ordinary Seaman Vikan, who were in the water.

Survivors
Radio Operator Ole August Torkildsen	Carpenter Marner Hansen	Boatswain Helge Mortensen	Able Seaman Martin Liverød	Ordinary Seaman Paul Vikan	Ordinary Seaman Eskil Gustav Birger Ericsson (Swedish)
1st Engineer Hilmar Lundekvam	Oiler Nils Nilsen	Oiler Odd Tvedt	Steward Harald Albertsen	Mess Boy Kalmar Jensen
Casualties
† Captain Leif Hauge	† 1st Mate Fridtjof Müller	† 2nd Mate Frithjof Busch	† 3rd Mate Selmer Hansen	† Able Seaman Kaare Østby	† Able Seaman Konrad Mikkelborg
† Ordinary Seaman Knut Johannesen	† Jr. Ordinary Seaman Bernt Lund	† 2nd Engineer Mikal Pedersen	† 3rd Engineer Odd Svendsen	† Assistant Thorbjørn Hornhauer	† Mechanic Gunnar Byrknes
† Mechanic Bernhard Pedersen	† Oiler Dagfinn Nilsskog	† Repairman Frithjof Pedersen	† Cook Theodor Holdøy	† Galley Boy Hilmar Jensen

Related external links:
Stavern Memorial commemorations - Some of the names are spelt a little differently at this memorial for seamen in Stavern, Norway (for instance, the cook is listed as Theodor Holbø, the galley boy as Henry Jenssen).

Operations information for U-32

U-32 | Hans Jenisch

Back to Norne on the "Ships starting with N" 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, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Norwegian Maritime Museum, Volume II, and misc. (ref. My sources).