D/S Norvarg
Updated Aug. 16-2010

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


This was received from T. Cooper (owner Jerry Mason - originally from USAFHRC / USAF Historical Research Centre). Dated May 12-1942.
Please note that the reference to Nordvard is incorrect. Nordvard had already been taken by the Germans by the date given on the picture, and the reference to the U.S. Coast Guard is also an indication that this is not Nordvard - see also this Guestbook message. The poster of the message thinks that it might show Norjerv, ex Empire Eagle or Norvarg, ex Empire Elk. The second one is more probable, because this name is more likely to have been heard and written erroneously as Nordvard and the ship was taken over earlier by Norway and as can be seen below, she was in American waters in May-1942 (as mentioned, the date on the picture looks like May 12, she arrived New York on the 18th - Norjerv was also in American waters in May-1942, having arrived with the same convoy).
See also this Guestbook message, in which the poster confirms that this is not Nordvard. He also refers to a Norwegian newspaper article where links to severeal pictures could be found (PDF files), but the link to that article no longer works. Additionally, he later posted this message, confirming the picture does indeed show Norvarg. Lillesand Sjømannsforening shows the same picture (external link).

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; several Norwegian ships took part.

As already mentioned, Norvarg was taken over by Nortraship at Glasgow on March 27-1942, having previously arrived from Halifax as Empire Elk in Convoy SC 70 (along with Empire Beaver, which became Nortraship's Norhauk). According to Page 1 of the archive documents, she left Glasgow for Clyde on Apr. 27, and from there, she joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 90*, which originated in Liverpool on Apr. 28 and arrived Halifax May 15; Norvarg, however, was bound for Philadelphia, where she arrived on May 21, having stopped at New York on the 18th. Aun, Bjørkhaug, Borgholm, Heimgar, Lido, Lisbeth (returned), Nea, Norjerv, Rio Verde, Selbo, Snar, Suderøy, Velox and Ørnefjell are also listed in this convoy. At the beginning of July we find Norvarg in the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 90, cargo of steel for Newport, where she arrived July 17, subsequently returning across the Atlantic with Convoy ON 118*, together with Dux, Evanger (Commodore Vessel), Nea, Rio Verde, Spero and Tore Jarl. This convoy originated in Liverpool on Aug. 1 and dispersed Aug. 20, Norvarg arriving New York the next day, proceeding to Hampton Roads a couple of days later.

According to Arnold Hague, she went back to the U.K. with a cargo of steel and general in station 92 of Convoy SC 102*, departing New York on Sept. 19, arriving Liverpool Oct. 6; Norvarg stopped at Belfast Lough, proceeding to Cardiff from there, with arrival Oct. 7. Aragon, Aun, Bestik, Borgfred, Fjordheim, Nea, Orwell, Solitaire and Solsten are also named in this convoy (though Nea and Solitaire returned to port). Together with Bestik (returned), Carmelfjell, Fjordheim, Jenny, Kirsten B (joined from Halifax), Primo (from Halifax), Rio Verde, Sevilla, Solitaire, Temeraire and Vinland, Norvarg later joined Convoy ON 142*, which originated in Liverpool Oct. 30 and arrived New York Nov. 21, and her last Trans-Atlantic voyage that year was made in Convoy SC 113*, which left New York on Dec. 12 and arrived Liverpool Jan. 2-1943 - Norvarg stopped at Loch Ewe the day before. She had again been in the company of several Norwegian ships, namely Askot (from Halifax to St. John's), Hallanger, Henrik Ibsen, Kirsten B (to St. John's only), Lisbeth, O. B. Sørensen, Rio Verde, Ruth I and Titanian. It'll be noticed, when going back to Page 1, that some of the dates are a little different; this can simply be due to different time zones being used in the record.

In Febr.-1943 she joined the westbound Convoy ON 167* (departure Liverpool Febr. 14, arrival New York March 8). Gulhaug (from Halifax), Herbrand, Novasli and Orwell are also listed. Norvarg's destination is given as Philadelphia, where she arrived (via New York) on March 10, having started out from Loch Ewe on Febr. 13. She now remained in Philadelphia for 2 months before proceeding to New York and Boston, then on to Halifax in order to join Convoy SC 132 to the U.K. on May 26. She arrived Newport (via Belfast Lough) on June 13, and in July that year we find her, along with Fana, Garnes, Gausdal, Hjalmar Wessel, Iron Baron, Mui Hock, Para (returned), Petter II, Suderøy and Tropic Star, in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ONS 12*, which originated in Liverpool on July 3 and arrived Halifax on the 18th. Following a month's stay in Halifax, she joined Convoy SC 140 back to the U.K. on Aug. 21. Her voyages in this period are shown on Page 2.

She now made a voyage to Philippeville and Algiers, having joined Convoy KMS 28*, departing Liverpool on Sept. 26-1943 arriving Gibraltar Oct. 7 (Boreas, Gezina, Lisbeth, Lynghaug and Spurt are also listed); Norvarg arrived Philippeville Oct. 11, Algiers Oct. 16, later proceeding to Casablanca (convoy information in Voyage Record above). From Casablanca, she joined Convoy MKS 29 to the U.K. early the following month, together with Sirehei and Belnor. Norvarg's destination is given as Ipswich, and she arrived there (via various other ports) on Nov. 25 - again, see Page 2. A month later, she headed in the other direction again in station 55 of Convoy OS 63/KMS 37, which left Liverpool on Dec. 25 and split up on Jan. 7-1944, the KMS portion* arriving Gibraltar that same day, while the OS convoy continued to Freetown - ref. external link provided in the Voyage Record; Astrid, Belnor (returned), Olaf Bergh, San Andres and Sirehei are also included. According to the archive document, Norvarg had sailed from Loch Ewe on Dec. 25 and arrived Philippeville Jan. 12-1944, continuing to Augusta the next day.

In March-1944 she's listed in the MKS portion* of Convoy SL 150/MKS 41, cargo of lemons, scrap and sulphur, voyage Syracuse-Loch Ewe. SL 150 had started out from Freetown on Febr. 21 and joined up with the MKS convoy on March 3, the combined convoy arriving Liverpool March 14. Norvarg had sailed from Syracuse on Febr. 24 and stopped at Loch Ewe on March 14. Again, see the link provided in the table above; Bestik, Elg, Olaf Bergh and Ragnhild are also named.

As will be seen when going to Page 3, Norvarg now had quite a long stay at Tyne. With Buenos Aires, Fjordaas, Montevideo, Norholm, Rena, Solsten, Sommerstad, Thorshov, Titanian and Vera, she later made another voyage across the North Atlantic in the westbound Convoy ON 236* (from Liverpool May 11-1944, to New York May 27). Having made a voyage to Macoris and back to New York (convoy information can be found in the table above), she returned to the U.K. in July in Convoy HX 298, bound for Clyde with a cargo of sugar. She subsequently joined the westbound Convoy ON 248S*, which left Liverpool on Aug. 10 and arrived New York on the 27th and also had Gausdal, Glarona, Hardanger, Iron baron, Lago, Olaf Bergh, Peik, Solstad, Vav, Villanger and Vinland in its ranks. Having made a voyage to Santiago and back to New York, she proceeded to Boston then on to Halifax, joining Convoy SC 158 from there on Oct. 4, cargo of sugar for Liverpool. It'll be noticed, when going back to the archive document, that she remained in Liverpool for over 2 months.

At the beginning of the new year she joined the westbound Convoy ONS 40*, which left Liverpool on Jan. 12-1945 and arrived Halifax on the 30th. Norvarg, however, was bound for New York, where she arrived on Febr. 2, having sailed from Belfast Lough Jan. 12. Danio, Iron Baron, Lago, Orwell, Romulus, Solstad, Sommerstad (returned), Vera and Vinga are also listed. Her subsequent voyages are shown on Page 3, while convoy information for some of them can be found in the table above. In March we find her, along with Arosa (returned), Evanger, Grey County, Henrik Ibsen, Ima, Morgenen, Norsktank and Vinga, in Convoy SC 171*, departing Halifax on March 27, arriving Liverpool Apr. 10; Norvarg (cargo of sugar) arrived Swansea Bay on the 11th, according to the archive document. Her last Trans-Atlantic convoy voyage was made with Convoy ON 301*, which departed Southend on May 6 and arrived New York May 22; in other words, VE Day was celebrated at sea. A. Hague has also included Egda, Haakon Hauan, Havfru, Høyanger (Commodore Vessel), Skaraas, Temeraire and Thorshov in this convoy. Norvarg's voyages in this period are listed on Page 4. This document has her voyages to Febr.-1946, and it looks like she went home to Norway at that time, but arrival there is not given.

* 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. Additinally, the MKS and KMS series will be completed, see ships in all MKS convoys and ships in all KMS convoys.

For more details on the other Norwegian ships mentioned here, please see the alphabet index below, or go to the Master Ship Index.

POST WAR:

Sailed as Nan Chiang (Wallem & Co., Shanghai) from 1946, then as Northern Glow 1950 (Great Northern Shipping Co. Ltd., Hong Kong) and from 1959 as Hoping Ssu Shi Liu (Government of China). Deleted from registers in 1971. According to the Empire Ships website that I've linked to below, she was seen at Shanghai as Zhan Dou 46 in 1979.

Related external link:
Empire Ships - Empire Elk can be found on this page.

Back to Norvarg on the "Ships starting with N" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: Misc. sources, incl. E-mails from Barbara Mumford - her source: "Empire Ships" by Mitchell & Sawyer.