D/S Olaf Bergh
Updated Sept. 4-2010

To Olaf Bergh on the "Ships starting with O" page.

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 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.

Early in the war in Norway, on May 14 and 15-1940, Olaf Bergh, with a cargo of ore, was at Fiskefjord near Tjeldsund, and was attacked by German bombers both days. She did not receive bad damages but the crew was sufficiently shaken up to request an escort for the voyage out. The British forces had no warships to spare just then, but the Norwegian Kvitøy took on the job of escorting Olaf Bergh to Harstad, where Svalbard II took over on May 17 for part of the way out, then Olaf Bergh continued west on her own and went to a British port. According to Page 1 of the archive documents, she arrived St. John's, N.F. on May 28; departure Harstad looks like May 21. She had previously arrived Norway from the U.S. in March, visiting misc. Norwegian ports.

With a cargo of scrap steel for Middlesbrough, she was scheduled for the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 57 on July 11, but did not sail. She was also cancelled from HX 58 and HX 59, but eventually got away in Convoy HX 60 on July 23. Destination is now given as Manchester and she arrived there on Aug. 13. The following month, she's listed in Convopy OB 217, leaving Liverpool on Sept. 21, dispersed on the 25th, Olaf Bergh arriving Montreal on Oct. 4. The Norwegian Tancred is also listed; ref. external link provided within the Voyage Record. Later that month, she joined the Sydney, C.B. portion of Convoy HX 82, cargo of grain for Methil, but went into St. John's, N.F. on Oct. 25, then headed to Halifax on Nov. 13, later joining Convoy HX 89 from there on the 17th. She arrived Methil Roads on Dec. 5, according to Page 1.

In Febr.-1941 she's listed, along with Abraham Lincoln and Vav, in Convoy OB 285, which originated in Liverpool on Febr. 11 and dispersed on the 17th. Her destination is not given, but from the archive document mentioned above, we learn that she arrived Halifax on Febr. 28, having started out from Loch Ewe on the 13th. It'll be noticed on the same document that she later spent a long time in New York. According to A. Hague, she had run aground off Ocean City on March 7 but was refloated on the 16th and sailed to Philadelphia, where she arrived March 17. 3 days later she was towed to New York, arriving March 21 and did not leave again until July 8, when she proceeded to Halifax in order to join Convoy HX 140 from there on July 22 (having been cancelled from HX 139 on July 16). Other Norwegian ships were Madrono, Boreas, Brasil, Velox, Velma, Alaska, Stiklestad, Vardefjell, Evita, Thorshov, Skiensfjord, Ferncastle, Thorshavet, Bonneville and Helgøy. Beth and Petter were also initially in this convoy but left due to engine problems. A. Hague has also included Bur and Chr. Th. Boe, joining from Iceland. Olaf Bergh had a cargo of steel and scrap for Swansea, where she arrived Aug. 8 (possibly 9th? Number on the archive document difficult to decipher). At the end of that month we find her in station 26 of the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 11, bound for Hampton Roads. According to Page 2, she arrived New York on Sept. 15, the convoy having been dispersed on Sept. 11.

Arnold Hague now has her returning to the U.K. with a cargo of steel in Convoy HX 155*, leaving Halifax on Oct. 16-1941, arriving Liverpool on the 31st - Olaf Bergh later proceeded to Manchester, where she arrived Nov. 4. Her last Trans-Atlantic convoy voyage that year was made with Convoy ON 42*, which left Liverpool on Dec. 1 and dispersed on the 14th, Olaf Bergh arriving New Orleans on Dec. 25. Both these convoys had several Norwegian ships, namely Fenja, Hada County, Høegh Scout, Slemdal, Stiklestad and Suderøy in HX 155, and Eidanger, Glittre, Kaldfonn, Kollbjørg, Norefjord, Nueva Granada, Slemdal, Tankekspress and Thorshov in ON 42.

She remained in New Orleans for about a month, before proceeding to Halifax on Jan. 27-1942 and was scheduled for Convoy HX 175 from there on Febr. 13, but instead joined Convoy HX 176, which left Halifax on Febr. 19 and arrived Liverpool on March 6; Olaf Bergh stopped at Belfast Lough that day. At the beginning of the following month she's listed as bound for Mobile, Alabama in the westbound Convoy ON 83*, which departed Liverpool on Apr. 4 and also included Emma Bakke, Katy (returned to port), Kong Haakon VII, Lynghaug, Norheim, Norsol, Polartank (all 3 returned), Siljestad and Tabor. Olaf Bergh arrived New York on Apr. 20; her arrival Mobile is not given on Page 2 of the archive docs. She headed back to the U.K. again on May 10 in Convoy HX 189 from Halifax and arrived Swansea, via Belfast Lough, on May 25.

About a month later, she's listed in station 12 of Convoy OS 32, voyaging from Milford to Freetown and The Middle East. This convoy started out in Liverpool on June 21 and arrived Freetown July 8 - follow the link provided in the table above for more convoy details. From Freetown, Olaf Bergh continued to Table Bay, Durban, Aden and Safaga; again, please see Page 2 of the archive documents.

According to this posting to my Ship Forum Olaf Bergh rescued the surviving crew from the British Llandilo on Nov. 7-1942 and landed them in Trinidad. This ship had been sunk by U-172 on Nov. 2 - ref. external link at the end of this page for more details. Here's a more recent forum posting, which includes the names of Llandilo's casualties (the thread starts with this query and has several responses). From Page 3, we learn that Olaf Bergh was on her way from Table Bay to Trinidad at the time. Her subsequent voyages are shown on the archive document; convoy information for some of these can be found in the Voyage Record.

Skipping now to the fall of 1943, when she's mentioned in Convoy SL 137 / MKS 26, bound for Loch Ewe, cargo of linseed and general. SL 137, in which Olaf Bergh took part, left Freetown on Sept. 23, joined up with Convoy MKS 26 from Gibraltar on Oct. 5 and arrived Liverpool on Oct. 17. The Norwegian Drammensfjord and Jenny are also listed. She's also listed, along with Astrid, Belnor (returned), Norvarg, San Andres and Sirehei, in Convoy OS 63 / KMS 37*, voyaging from Belfast to Freetown. This convoy originated in Liverpool on Dec. 25 and split up on Jan. 7-1944, the Gibraltar portion arriving there that same day, while the OS convoy continued to Freetown, with arrival Jan. 17 - again, see Page 3 above, as well as Page 4. She left Freetown again for Dakar on Febr. 11, arriving Dakar on the 15th, having sailed in Convoy SL 149 (with Bosphorus - Commodore Vesssel - and Kong Haakon VII), then shows up in Convoy SL 150 / MKS 41*. The SL convoy had originated in Freetown on Febr. 21 and joined up with the MKS convoy from Gibraltar on March 3, the combined convoy arriving Liverpool on March 14. Olaf Bergh stopped at Loch Ewe that day, having joined from Dakar, cargo of groundnuts, also carrying 1 passenger. As will be seen when going to Page 4, she had sailed from Dakar on Febr. 24. Bestik, Elg, Norvarg and Ragnhild are also named in the latter convoy. Links to all these convoys are available within the Voyage Record above.

The following month, she started making some voyages between the U.S. and U.K again. Together with Atlantic, Elg, Ferncliff, Kaia Knudsen, Norsktank, Slemmestad and Thorhild, she's named among the ships in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 233*, which originated in Liverpool on Apr. 20 and arrived New York May 8. She headed back to the U.K. on June 24 with Convoy HX 297 from New York (Commodore in Brimanger), bound for Methil and London with a cargo of sugar, later returning across the Atlantic with the westbound Convoy ON 248(S)*, along with Gausdal, Glarona, Hardanger, Iron baron, Lago, Norvarg, Peik, Solstad, Vav, Villanger and Vinland (departure Liverpool Aug. 10, arrival New York Aug. 27). Her destination is given as Sydney, C.B.; according to Page 4 of the archive documents, she arrived Sorel on Aug. 23, having started out from Loch Ewe on the 10th. She subsequently joined Convoy HX 306, which originated in New York on Aug. 31, but Olaf Bergh, cargo of grain, joined from Sydney, C.B. a few days later and arrived Belfast Sept. 17. We now find her, together with Abraham Lincoln (Commodore Vessel), Egerø, Fagerfjell, Ferncourt, Katy, Montevideo, Norsktank, Sørvard and Thorsholm in the westbound Convoy ON 256*, departing Liverpool Sept. 28, arriving New York Oct. 12; Olaf Bergh, however, arrived Montreal that day, having sailed from Belfast Lough on Sept. 28. Early in Nov.-1944 she shows up in the Sydney, C.B. portion of Convoy SC 160, bound for Avonmouth with grain. Buttercup, which came under the Norwegian flag following the loss of Tunsberg Castle, is named among the escorts (ref. SC convoy escorts). Olaf Bergh arrived her destination on Nov. 18, according to Page 5.

The following month she's listed in Convoy OS 97 / KMS 71*, voyage Milford-Oran for Marseilles with coal in station 21 (link in Voyage Record). This convoy left Liverpool on Dec. 3 and split up on the 7th. Olaf Bergh arrived Oran on Dec. 12, left again on the 14th and arrived Marseilles on Dec. 17.

In March-1945 we find her in Convoy MKS 87*, departing Gibraltar on March 6, arriving Liverpool on the 14th. Alaska, Boreas and Elg are also listed.

As will be seen when going back to Page 5 of the archive documents, she got to go home to Norway in the summer of 1945. See also Page 6.

* All the ON convoys are available and 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. Note also that the entire HX series will eventually be updated and completed, including the already existing convoys (some have already been updated); but for now, see ships in all HX convoys. The MKS and KMS convoys will also be added; see ships in all MKS convoys and ships in all KMS convoys.

More details on the other Norwegian ships mentioned on this page can be found with the help of the alphabet index below, or go to the Master Ship Index.

Related external link:
The attack on Llandilo

Back to Olaf Bergh on the "Ships starting with O" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Skip og menn", Birger Dannevik, and misc. - (ref. My sources).