D/S Pronto
Updated Oct. 10-2010

To Pronto on the "Ships starting with P" page.

A picture is available on this external page (click in it to enlarge).

Some Convoy Voyages:

Only a few of her voyages are mentioned here. For information on voyages made in between those noted below, please see the documents received from the National Archives of Norway and A. Hague's Voyage Record.

As will be seen when going to Page 1 of the archive documents, Pronto was in Singapore when war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9-1940, leaving for Shanghai that same day, with arrival Apr. 14. Her 1941 voyages also start on this document and continue on Page 2 and Page 3, which also shows her 1942 voyages as well as an entry for 1943 (it'll be noticed that she appears to have spent quite a long time in Alexandria in the fall of 1942). The rest can be found on Page 4 (which shows another long stay in Alexandria at the beginning of 1943 and again at the end of that year). Convoy info for some of these voyages can be found in the table above.

In March/Apr.-1944 she made a voyage from Port Said to Benghazi with Convoy MKS 45*, which had left Port Said on March 30. Pronto arrived her destination on Apr. 4, according to Page 5. (From Gibraltar, this convoy later joined up with the Freetown Convoy SL 154 on Apr. 11, before proceeding to the U.K. as a combined convoy, but note that Pronto was no longer present at that time). She later made a voyage from Alexandria to Augusta, having joined Convoy MKS 48*; she had sailed from Alexandria on Apr. 30 and arrived Augusta May 5 (the convoy had started out in Port Said Apr. 29, arrived Gibraltar May 10, then joined up with Convoy SL 157 from Freetown, before proceeding to the U.K. as a combined convoy, but again, note that Pronto was not bound for the U.K.).

She's also listed, along with other Norwegian ships, in Convoy GUS 44, which left Port Said on June 24-1944. This convoy was bound for Hampton Roads (arrival July 18), but several ships parted company along the way, while others joined; in fact, Pronto is said to have joined from Augusta on June 29, and parted company for Bone on July 1. She now shows up in Convoy KMS 56*, which left Gibraltar on July 13 and arrived Port Said on the 23rd. Pronto, however, was on a voyage from Bone to Augusta, leaving Bone on July 16, arriving Augusta July 19. (Just for info, this convoy had started out from the U.K. on July 1 as the combined convoy OS 82/KMS 56 and split up on July 11, the KMS portion arriving Gibraltar on July 13, while the OS convoy continued to Freetown - ships not bound for Gibraltar would then continue from Gibraltar to their various destinations, convoy still designated KMS 56 - ref. external link at the end of this page for more information on the combined convoys mentioned here). I also have her in Convoy GUS 48, which started out in Port Said on Aug. 3; Pronto again joined from Augusta (Aug. 8) and was bound for Algiers, where she arrived Aug. 11 - see Page 5. (Meanwhile, the convoy proceeded to Hampton Roads).

Later that year, we find her in Convoy KMS 64*, departing Gibraltar Oct. 2-1944, arriving Port Said on the 12th; Pronto joined from Oran and was bound for Augusta, arriving there on Oct. 8, having sailed from Oran on the 3rd. (this convoy had originally started out from the U.K. on Sept. 24 as the combined convoy OS 90/KMS 64 and split up on Oct. 1, the KMS portion arriving Gibraltar the next day, while the OS convoy continued to Freetown - ships not bound for Gibraltar would then continue from Gibraltar to their various destinations, still in Convoy KMS 64).

Again, see Page 5 for a listing of her subsequent voyages. Page 6 has some more 1944 voyages as well as 1945 voyages, while the rest are shown on Page 7 (to Apr.-1946).

* The KMS and MKS convoys mentioned here 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 KMS convoys and ships in all MKS convoys. Other Norwegian ships also took part.

POST WAR:

Sold in Oct.-1955 to Far East & Panama Transport Corp, Panama (manager Wheelock, Marden & Co. Ltd, Hong Kong) and renamed Doris (Panamanian flag). Transferred in 1957 to Panamanian Oriental SS Corp, Panama (managers still Wheelock, Marden) and renamed South Deal (Panamanian flag). Sold to Hong Kong breakers and arrived there on March 12-1960 for breaking up. (R. W. Jordan).

Related external links:
OS/KMS convoys and SL/MKS convoys - The convoys mentioned above are included.

Back to Pronto on the "Ships starting with P" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Våre gamle skip" by Leif M. Bjørkelund & E. H. Kongshavn, E-mail from Roger W. Jordan, and misc.