M/S Norse Lady
Updated Aug. 12-2010

To Norse Lady on the "Ships starting with N" page.

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Misc. 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.

Judging from the information found on Page 1 of the archive documents, Norse Lady was in Diego Suarez when war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9-1940. She had arrived there from Kohsichang on March 19, and departure is given as Apr. 20, when she proceeded to Port Elizabeth, arriving there on May 3. It'll be noticed that there are several long gaps in her voyages. A. Hague gives the reason for these as engine defects - in fact, he also says she had arrived Duego Suarez with defects, and this explains her long stay there. (As can be seen, she also spent several weeks in Mobile that fall). Her 1941 voyages also start on this document; convoy info for a couple of them can be found in A. Hague's record above. The document shows another long stay in New York that summer, with a few weeks subsequently spent in Boston, before proceeding to Halifax. Arnold Hague has now included her with a cargo of lumber in station 85 of Convoy HX 146 on Aug. 21. He adds that she was detached to Iceland on Aug. 30, arriving there with major engine defects on Sept. 4 (according to the archive document her original destination had been Barry Roads). On Sept. 27 she ran aground off Reykjavik, but was refloated and returned to Reykjavik where she was beached and repaired, though experienced more problems before she could finally head to the U.K. on Dec. 20, arriving Barry Roads, via Belfast Lough, on Dec. 30.

There's a little snippet of information in connection with Convoy HX 156 and Empire Tern, sailing in that convoy, according to A. Hagues listing. He has a note saying, "with some cargo of Norse Lady". HX 156 had left Halifax on Oct. 22-1941 and arrived Liverpool Nov. 5, but this note indicates that Empire Tern may have joined the convoy from Iceland, having picked up some of Norse Lady's cargo in order to transport it to the U.K.

From Barry Roads, she sailed to Sharpness and later to Cardiff where she stayed for over 2 months, before proceeding to Milford Haven. At the beginning of Apr.-1942, she joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 82*, which originated in Liverpool on Apr. 2 and arrived Halifax on the 18th and also included Boreas, Inger Elisabeth, Kaia Knudsen, Lago, Lista and Ramø. Norse Lady, however, stopped at St. John's, N.F. on Apr. 14, having started out from Milford Haven on Apr. 1 - it looks like she had originally been bound for St. John, N.B., again, see Page 1 as well as Page 2. With a cargo of lumber for Bristol, she headed back across the Atlantic again on June 5 in the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 86 for which Ramø's captain served as Vice Commodore. Norse Lady had another long stay at Cardiff again that summer, then at the end of Aug.-1942 she can be found in station 12 of Convoy ON 126 for New York, where she arrived Sept. 19 (Commodore was in Rena). A. Hague has also included her, together with Astrid, Atlantic, Grado, Hjalmar Wessel, Iron Baron, James Hawson, Mathilda, Ragnhild, Ravnefjell, Thalatta and Veni, in Convoy SC 109*, departing New York on Nov. 9, arriving Liverpool on the 30th - Norse Lady stopped at Oban the day before, cargo of phosphates. She later proceeded to Aberdeen, remaining there for about a month.

In Jan.-1943 she sailed to New York in station 42 of Convoy ON 160. Her subsequent voyages are shown on Page 2, convoy information for some of these is available in the Voyage Record. As can be seen, she later spent a long time in New York, where she had arrived from Ciudad Trujillo on Apr. 13-1943. A. Hague says she needed engine repairs, and departure is given as July 17, when she proceeded to Boston, requiring further repairs. She left Boston again for Halifax on July 26 and was scheduled for Convoy SC 138 from there on July 30, but instead joined the next convoy on Aug. 9, SC 139 - cargo of sugar for Greenock, where she arrived Aug. 25/26, remaining there for a month. With Acasta, Astrid, Bernhard, Hiram, Novasli, Rena (Commodore Vessel) and Titanian, she now joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ONS 19*, which originated in Liverpool on Sept. 26 and had Halifax as its final destination, with arrival there Oct. 14. This time, she was bound for Quebec, where she arrived (via Sydney, C.B.) on Oct. 17, returning to the U.K. the following month in Convoy SC 147, joining from Sydney, C.B. with a cargo of steel and lumber for London (SC 147 originated in Halifax on Nov. 19). Her voyages in this period are shown on Page 3.

Her next Trans-Atlantic voyage was made in Convoy ONS 27*, which started out in Liverpool Jan. 13-1944 and arrived Halifax on the 31st and also had Ferncliff, Fjordheim, Iron Baron (returned), Maud, Orwell, Petter II, Stirlingville, Suderøy (Commodore Vessel - returned) and Vinland in its ranks - Buttercup, which later came under the Norwegian flag after the loss of Tunsberg Castle, is named among the escorts (see ONS convoy escorts). Following a long stay at St. John, N.B. (from Febr. 13 to May 18 - again, see Page 3) Norse Lady proceeded to Halifax, joining the Halifax portion of Convoy HX 294 on June 4, wood pulp for Glasgow, where she arrived June 19 (she had originally been scheduled for Convoy HX 291 in May, but did not sail). Commodore was in Abraham Lincoln, Vice Commodore in Geisha.

With Geisha, Grey County, Kaia Knudsen, Mosli, Norden, Noreg, Reinholt (Commodore Vessel), Rutenfjell, Skaraas, Sommerstad, Sørvard and Velma, she subsequently headed in the other direction again in Convoy ON 243*, originating in Liverpool on July 3, arriving New York on the 18th. Her destination on that occasion is given as Sydney, C.B., where she arrived July 14, having sailed from Clyde July 3. Having made a voyage to Clarke City, she went back to Sydney, C.B. in order to join the Sydney portion of Convoy HX 303. This convoy, which had started out in New York, also included Tanafjord, Dalfonn, Noravind, Atlantic, Sommerstad, Skotaas, Geisha (Vice Commodore), Thorhild, Petter, Stirlingville, Rena, Para, Titanian, Mui Hock, Fjordaas and Romulus. Norse Lady had a cargo of pulp for Immingham, where she arrived, via Loch Ewe and Methil, on Aug. 31.

Along with Brasil, Emma Bakke (Commodore Vessel), Ferncliff, James Hawson, Norefjord, Sommerstad and Stirlingville, she later joined the westbound Convoy ON 254* (departure Liverpool Sept. 16, arrival New York Oct. 5 - Norse Lady arrived Chatham, N.B. on Oct. 2, having joined from Loch Ewe). She returned in Convoy SC 159, which originated in Halifax on Oct. 18, but Norse Lady again joined from Sydney, C.B. Her destination is given as Leith Dock, cargo of lumber; according to Page 3, she arrived Leith on Nov. 5. Later that month, we find her, together with Arosa, Bernhard and Toledo, in the westbound Convoy ONS 37*, which left Liverpool on Nov. 28 and arrived Halifax Dec. 21. Norse Lady arrived St. John, N.B. on Dec. 22, having started out from Loch Ewe on Nov. 29 - see Page 4.

On Jan. 16-1945 she's listed in Convoy SC 165 from Halifax, bound for London with lumber. In March that year she appears, along with Dagrun, Peik and Vera, in the westbound Convoy ONS 45* (originated in Liverpool March 22, arrived Halifax Apr. 11). Carrying a cargo of pulp, she returned to the U.K. with Convoy SC 174*, which left Halifax on Apr. 28 and arrived Liverpool May 14; in other words, VE Day was celebrated at sea. Danio, Gausdal, Hilda Knudsen, Para, Peik, Stirlingville, Veni and Vera are also listed in this convoy. Page 4 and Page 5 show her subsequent voyages (to March-1946).

* The ON and ONS convoys will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section in due course, along with further details on each. In the meantime, the ships sailing in them (and escorts) are named in the section listing ships in all ON convoys and on the page for ships in all ONS convoys. Note also that the entire SC series will eventually be updated and completed, including the already existing convoys (some have already been updated), but for now, see ships in all SC convoys.

More details on the other Norwegian ships mentioned here is available via the alphabet index below, or go to the Master Ship Index.

POST WAR:

Sold in 1947 to Entreprises Chimiques & Electriques SA, Vilvorde, Belgium, renamed Rolla. Sold in 1961 to Oceania Navigation Co Ltd, Hong Kong, and renamed Daiei. Sold to Japanese breakers and arrived at Onomichi on Jan. 26-1965 to be broken up.

Back to Norse Lady on the "Ships starting with N" page.

Odd Godager had another ship by this name after the war, ex Liberty Ship Nathaniel Alexander, built 1942, 7177 gt. Became Norwegian Solfa in Aug.-1947 (H. Rich. Aass, Oslo), from 1948 managed by Einar Rasmussen & Alfred I. Thommesen, Kristiansand S. Became Norse Lady for Odd Godager in 1950, then Danio for Clemeth Dann, Oslo in 1953. Sailed as Troyan under Lebanese flag from 1962 (Wigham Richardson & Co, London). On a voyage Kosseir-Whampoa with cargo of phosphate she arrived Colombo on Aug. 1-1967, leaking and flooded with hull plating fractures. Repaired and continued voyage. Broken up in Singapore in March-1968, having arrived on Oct. 29-1967.