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D/S Nortun Updated Apr. 3-2012 To Nortun on the "Ships starting with N" page. Owner: Viking Corp, Panama (a subsidiary of Viking Tanker Co. Ltd., London, associated with Johan Rasmussen & Co.) Built by Fredriksstad mek. Verksted A/S, Fredrikstad in 1940. Captain: Peder T. Inderberg (previously of Nidarnes until sunk). Related items on this website:
(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 the record is incomplete.
Nortun, general cargo for Mersey, is listed in station 54 Convoy HX 205 from Halifax to the U.K. at the end of Aug.-1942 - follow the link for more details (see also the Commodore's suggestions for improvements of the convoy system). Acanthus, Eglantine, Montbretia and Potentilla are named among the escorts. Nortun returned with the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 134, departing Liverpool on Sept. 26, arriving New York Oct. 17 - the Norwegian Askeladden (joined from Halifax), Bonneville (Commodore Vessel), Glarona, Grado, Granfoss, Hallfried, Hjalmar Wessel, Loke (from Halifax), Mathilda (from Halifax), Maud, Sir James Clark Ross and Veni are also listed in this convoy; see ON 134 on this page (will later be added to an individual page in my Convoys section). At the end of that month we find her, with destination Cristobal, in Convoy NG 318, which left New York on Oct. 31 and arrived Guantanamo Nov. 7, then joined Convoy GZ 11 the next day, which arrived Cristobal Nov. 12. These convoys are available via the external links provided in the table above. NG 318 also had several Norwegian ships, namely Askeladden, Litiopa, Lynghaug, Norholm, Norsol, Polartank, Polycastle, President de Vogue, Thorshøvdi and Velma. It'll be noticed, when going to Convoy GZ 11 that there's a ship listed as Norwegian King of 645 gt, built in 1918, but this must be an error, because as far as I know, there was no ship by that name in the free fleet. Norway did have a D/S King of that tonnage (and built in 1918), but this ship was in the Homefleet, and besides, she had been lost in 1941. In Febr.-1943 Nortun is listed, together with the Norwegian Bust and Norfjell, in Convoy PA 24, which departed Bandar Abbas on Febr. 11 and arrived Aden on the 19th; according to A. Hague, Nortun had arrived Khor Kwai on the 13th.
Nortun was on a voyage from Busreh & Table Bay for Bahia, Trinidad and Philadelphia with a cargo of 5002 tons of chrome ore, 637 tons asbestos, 124 tons of lead and copper concentrates, when she was torpedoed and sunk by U-516 (Wiebe) on March 20-1943, 27 35S 14 22E. A. Hague has included her in Convoy CN 13 (external link), which left Cape Town on March 18 and was dispersed on the 20th; the attack may have taken place after dispersal of the convoy. 8 crew members and two armed guard died, 37 survived. 10 Norwegians are commemorated at the Memorial for Seamen in Stavern, Norway, which I've linked to below. Mangård Charles Krogstad is probably the uncle of the poster of this Guestbook message. The site says that 8 Norwegians died when Nortun was sunk. The following are also commemorated: Again, see also these Forum messages from relatives of someone called Francis Klataske, who appears to have been a gunner on Nortun when lost. The thread starts with this message. One of the responses is from Tom Doran, who survived the sinking. Related external links: Other ships owned by Johan Rasmussen & Co. - Here is the main page. Back to Nortun on the "Ships starting with N" page. The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Lloyd's War Losses, Vol I", "The World's Merchant Fleets 1939", Roger W. Jordan, "Våre falne" - and misc.
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