D/S Nova
Updated Aug. 5-2010

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

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Earlier, before Norway had capitulated, Nova had been used as troop transport in the North of Norway, after the Allied forces had landed. She had unloaded her cargo at Hammerfest and was ordered north to Tromsø by the Norwegian Navy in order to be made ready to take on board German prisoners. She then proceeded to Narvik where 32 prisoners (from the navy) were embarked. Nova also transported the crew of a German trawler which had been seized by the Norwegian Navy, renamed Honningsvåg and used as patrol vessel. (This trawler also took part in the evacuations of the allied troops from the north of Norway on June 7, arriving Thorshavn on June 12, and was later used as patrol vessel in Iceland). The prisoners were taken to a place off Hammerfest. After Narvik had been retaken by the allies on May 28 Nova transported 80 prisoners to Troms.

Nova had 82 German prisoners on board at the time of departure Kågsund for Thorshavn on June 7. German bombers followed them and kept firing at Nova with machine guns for a long time but no bombs were dropped (perhaps the pilots knew she had Germans on board?). The Norwegian gunboat Frithjof Nansen escorted them on this voyage. The prisoners were landed at Thorshavn, but on arrival only 81 prisoners were on board; what had happened to the 82nd man nobody ever figured out. Nova continued to Glasgow soon afterwards - see also Page 1.

Some later voyages:

Nova is listed among the ships in Convoy OB 182, which originated in Liverpool on July 11-1940, dispersed July 14 and also included Brant County, Idefjord, Ila, Mexico and Stigstad. No destination is given for Nova, and all we learn from Page 1 of the archive documents is that she sailed from Greenock on July 11. The following month we find her, with destination Montreal, in Convoy OB 197, which originated in Liverpool on Aug. 13 and dispersed on the 16th, Nova arriving Montreal Aug. 26, having sailed from Glasgow on the 12th. Erica, Grey County, Inga 1, Jamaica, Sandar and Varangberg are also listed. From Montreal, she made a voyage to Port Alfred before proceeding to Sydney, C.B., and from there she joined Convoy HX 73, bound for Liverpool with a cargo of paper and aluminium in station 73 of the convoy. According to the archive document, she arrived Preston on Sept. 29 and now appears to have remained there for several months before proceeding to Liverpool - departure Preston is given as Apr. 2-1941.

The following month she's listed, together with Egda, Grey County, Kaia Knudsen, Polartank and the Panamanian Norvinn (Norwegian managers), in Convoy OB 319, which left Liverpool on May 7 and dispersed May 13, Nova arriving Reykjavik the next day, returning the the U.K. later that month (Page 1). In June that same year, she's listed in Convoy OB 334, originating in Liverpool on June 11, arriving Halifax on the 25th; Nova, however, was again bound for Reykjavik, where she arrived on June 18, having started out from Greenock on the 12th. Bur, Chr. Th. Boe, Morgenen, Petter, President de Vogue, Stigstad and Vardefjell are also named in this convoy. All the OB convoys mentioned on this page are available via the external links provided in the table above.

Nova had returned to the U.K. in July, making another voyage to Iceland and back that month (again, see Page 1), and at the end of Aug.-1941 she's listed in station 46 of the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 11. Nova, which had sailed from Eastham on Aug. 29, arrived Reykjavik on Sept. 4(?), according to A. Hague, heading back to the U.K. on Sept. 18 - see Page 2. She's also listed in station 36 of the westbound Convoy ON 37, which left Liverpool on Nov. 15. The Commodore's narrative is also available. Together with the Norwegian Lyra and other ships, Nova was detached from the convoy on Nov. 21, escorted by Hugh Walpole and Northern Spray, and arrived Reykjavik the next day.

Skipping now to July 21-1944, when I have her, together with the Norwegian Ørnefjell, in the Iceland-U.K. Convoy RU 128, bound for Leith with Naval stores, arriving Leith (via Loch Ewe) on July 26.

According to Page 3, which shows her 1945 voyages, she left Leith on Aug. 7 for Bergen, Norway. New York is mentioned at the top of Page 4, but I believe this must be an error; she arrived Bergen on Aug. 10-1945, making several more voyages home before that year was over, in fact, it looks like Christmas was celebrated in Norway (the latter document shows her voyages to Apr.-1946).

POST WAR:

Converted to oil fuelling in Antwerp, delivered in Jan. 1948. Ran aground on Dec. 19-1949 between Obrestad and Vig (near Stavanger), voyage Antwerp-Stavanger with 38 passengers and general cargo. Wreck sold in Apr.-1950 to Stavanger Skibsophugning which broke up parts of the wreck that summer.

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

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Bergenske, byen og selskapet", Dag Bakka Jr., "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, and a personal story found in "Sjøfolk i krig", Leif M. Bjørkelund - (ref. My sources).