D/S Ragnhild - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

Related items on this website:
Empire Ships Transferred to Norway - The 19 ships transferred to Nortraship in 1942.
Guestbook message from someone who served on this ship as well as D/S Cetus during the war (Jack Myers). He's looking for a Canadian shipmate, Ronald Bacon.

Ship's History & Some Convoy Voyages:

Her history was very kindly sent to me by B. Mumford. See her website at Convoy ONS 154. Her source: "W.H. Mitchell & L.A. Sawyer, The Empire Ships - A Record of British-built and acquired Merchant Ships during the Second World War", 2nd edition. Lloyd's of London Pr. Ltd., 1990:

Built by William Gray & Co. Ltd., West Hartlepool in 1942 as Empire Carey. Poop length 33 ft., bridge 82 ft and forecastle 34 ft. Hull length 327.9 ft (oa), 315.5 ft (bp) and breadth 46.5 ft. Engines: T3cyl (10 knots). 2833(?) gt. Launched Oct. 20-1941, completed in Dec.-1942(? I believe this year is a misprint - see next paragraph). Scandinavian-design cargo ship, meaning she was a single-deck general cargo carrier, with high bulwarks in the wells, enabling deck cargoes, especially timber, to be carried without obstruction. All lifting and handling gear was placed on the three islands. Some of these ships were adapted and became crane ships, and were equipped with larger derricks, and many of these were used in the Russian convoys. William Gray & Co. constructed 25 of these ships between 1941 and 1944.

Empire Carey was 1 of 19 ships transferred to Nortraship in 1942. Most of the ‘Empire’-named ships that were transferred from the British to the Norwegian flag during the war years were given the prefix ‘Nor’ while some were named for members of the Norwegian Royal Family, as in the case of Ragnhild, who was one of the King's daughters. "Nortraships flåte" states she was taken over at Clyde on April 30-1942, and this would make no sense if she was not completed until Dec.-1942, unless the transaction took place before completion(?). This book says she was built in 1941. As Empire Carey, she had arrived U.K. in Convoy SC 78. There's a Ragnhild listed as taking part in Convoy ON 92 in May-1942. No nationality is given for this ship on the convoy form, but I'm inclined to suspect that the date given for completion by Mitchell & Sawyer might be an error and that the Ragnhild in Convoy ON 92 is the Norwegian Ragnhild, ex. Empire Carey. In fact, this fits with the information found on Page 1 of the archive documents. This suspicion is further strengthened by the fact that she's listed in other convoys as well, before Dec.-1942, as will be seen below. (There was a Danish ship by this name, but according to R. W. Jordan's "The World's Merchat Fleets 1939" the Danish Ragnhild became Panamanian Leonatus in 1941).

In June-1942, Ragnhild is listed in the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 87, general cargo and flour for Swansea, where she arrived on June 27. She returned across the ocean the following month in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 112*, which left Liverpool on July 13-1942. She was bound for Halifax, where she arrived on July 28, having started out from Milford Haven on July 12. At the end of Aug.-1942, she went back to the U.K. in Convoy SC 98 from Halifax, and at the beginning of Oct.-1942 we find her in the westbound Convoy ON 135* (from Liverpool Oct. 2, to New York Oct. 21). According to Arnold Hague, she subsequently returned to the U.K., with a cargo of steel and lumber, in Convoy SC 109, which left New York on Nov. 9-1942 and arrived Liverpool on the 30th; Ragnhild arrived Milford Haven on Dec. 1. This convoy is not available among the SC convoys included on my own website, but I've linked directly to Hague's listing at the end of this page.

Ragnhild was in the first westbound convoy of 1943, Convoy ON 158, in which the rescue vessel St. Sunniva was lost on her first and only voyage as rescue ship, not due to U-boat activities, but due to the horrendous weather endured by so many convoys that winter. Sunniva was last seen 2 days out of Halifax and was not heard of again according to "Convoy Rescue Ships" by Arnold Hague. He adds that she was believed to have iced up and capsized without warning, a theory supported by the state of another ship from the convoy which arrived Halifax the day before with up to 10 ft thick ice in some parts. Other Norwegian ships in this convoy were Acasta, Iron Baron, Hallfried and Solitaire. ON 158 had originated in Liverpool on Jan. 2-1943 and arrived New York on Jan. 23, but Ragnhild stopped at Halifax, later joining Convoy ON 160 from there to New York on Febr. 1. This convoy had started out in Liverpool on Jan. 11. Ragnhild's final destination was Trinidad on that occasion, and she arrived there from New York, via Guantanamo, on Febr. 20, heading back to New York in March. (See links to convoys NG 342, GAT 44, TAG 48, and GN 48 at the end of this page, and compare to the information found on Page 2).

Ragnhild now joined Convoy SC 126 from Halifax on Apr. 8-1943. She arrived Larne Apr. 23, later returning to Halifax with the westbound Convoy ONS 7 early in May, along with several other Norwegian ships. On June 27, she sailed from Halifax with Convoy SC 135, and in Aug.-1943 she's listed in the westbound Convoy ONS 15*, which originated in Liverpool on Aug. 6 and arrived Halifax on the 21st. Ragnhild, however, joined from Oban and was bound for Quebec, where she arrived on Aug. 24. She returned to the U.K. again in the Sydney (C.B.) section of Convoy SC 142 in Sept.-1943, cargo of steel and lumber for London. See also Page 3.

She now started making voyages in another part of the world. The second external website that I've linked to at the end of this page has her in Convoy OS 58/KMS 32 in Nov.-1943, voyaging from Oban to Gibraltar with coal in station 34. This convoy left Liverpool on Nov. 5 and split up on the 18th, the KMS portion* arriving Gibraltar on Nov. 19, while the OS convoy continued to Freetown. According to the archive document mentioned above, Ragnhild had sailed from Oban on Nov. 6 and arrived Bizerta on the 23rd.

She's also included in Convoy SL 145/MKS 36 at the beginning of the new year. The SL convoy had departed Freetown on Jan. 1-1944, joined up with the MKS convoy from Gibraltar on the 12th (in which Ragnhild took part, and which is also available in my own Convoys section at MKS 36), and arrived Liverpool on Jan. 24. Ragnhild had a cargo of ore and ammunition and was bound for Barrow, where she arrived Jan. 24. The same website also lists her in Convoy OS 68/KMS 42 in Febr.-1944, voyage Milford-Casablanca in station 124. This convoy left Liverpool on Febr. 12 and split up on the 23rd, the KMS portion* arriving Gibraltar on Febr. 25, while the OS convoy continued to Freetown. Ragnhild (in the OS portion) arrived Casablanca on Febr. 25, and later returned to the U.K. with Convoy SL 150/MKS 41. SL 150 left Freetown on Febr. 21-1944, joined up with the MKS portion* from Gibraltar on March 3, and arrived Liverpool on March 14-1944. Ragnhild, on a voyage Casablanca-Mersey, had a cargo of phosphates on that occasion, and had sailed from Casablanca on March 2. (Other Norwegian ships in this convoy were Bestik, Elg, Norvarg and Olaf Bergh).

Ragnhild subsequently joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ONS 32*, which left Liverpool on March 28 and arrived Halifax on Apr. 18. Ragnhild's destination is given as Digby, where she arrived (via St. John, N.B.) on Apr. 21. In May that year we find her in the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 291, cargo of pit props for Garston, with arrival there May 27. (Going back to Page 3, we learn that she had joined from Sydney, C.B.).

She was scheduled for Convoy OS 90/KMS 64 in Sept.-1944, but instead joined Convoy OS 92/KMS 66, departing Liverpool on Oct. 15. This convoy split up on Oct. 25, the Gibraltar portion arriving there the next day. According to Page 4, Ragnhild had started out from Milford Haven on Oct. 16 and arrived Casablanca on the 26th. She returned to the U.K. in the Gibraltar portion of Convoy SL 175/MKS 66, the SL portion of which departed Freetown on Oct. 28, joined up with the MKS convoy* from Gibraltar on Nov. 8, the combined convoy arriving Liverpool on Nov. 15. Ragnhild was on a voyage Almeria-Barrow with iron ore, having sailed from Almeria on Nov. 1, arriving Barrow on the 16th. (The Norwegian Toledo and Heimvard also took part in this convoy, having joined the SL portion). In Dec.-1944 she's listed in Convoy OS 98/KMS 72, voyage Clyde-Lisbon with coal in station 11 of the convoy, which left Liverpool on Dec. 13 and split up on the 17th. Ragnhild arrived Lisbon on Dec. 20, having started out from Clyde on the 12th.

In Jan.-1945, she's listed with a cargo of oranges in Convoy MKS 76*, which left Gibraltar on Jan. 10 and arrived Liverpool on the 21st. The following month, she can be found in Convoy OS 111/KMS 85. She was on a voyage from Liverpool to Gibraltar with coal in station 11 (KMS 85*), as the only Norwegian ship in the convoy, which departed Liverpool on Febr. 17 and split up on the 21st, the KMS portion arriving Gibraltar on the 25th. Note that accordng to Page 5, Ragnhild left Liverpool on Febr. 13 and arrived Malta March 1. Later that month, we find her in Convoy MKS 89*, departing Gibraltar on March 16, arriving Liverpool on the 24th. Arnold Hague has also included her in Convoy OS 122/KMS 97, which left Liverpool on Apr. 12-1945 and split up on the 18th. Ragnhild was bound for Oran, where she arrived on Apr. 22. Follow the link to the website about these convoys for more information. Carrying pyrites, Ragnhild later headed back to the U.K. with Convoy MKS 102*, which left Gibraltar on May 20-1945 and arrived Liverpool on the 28th.

As will be seen when going back to Page 5 above, she got to go home to Norway already in July-1945. See also Page 6.

Please follow the instructions provided at the external link below for information on convoy voyages made in between those mentioned above, and compare these to the details found on the various archive documents.

* All the unlinked ON and ONS convoys mentioned here 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 and the page for ships in all ONS convoys. As will be seen, they all had several Norwegian ships. The MKS and KMS convoys will also be added, but for now, see ships in all MKS convoys and ships in all KMS convoys. (Ragnhild is listed in KMS 32, KMS 66, KMS 85 and KMS 96? - this should probably be KMS 97 [I believe she was also in KMS 72], as well as MKS 66, MKS 76, MKS 89 and MKS 102).

POST WAR:

(from "The Empire Ships"):

Renamed Penelope for John Wilson's Rederi, Norway in 1946. Belonged to Rederi A/B Pandia, Finland in 1950, Lundqvist-Rederierna, Finland in 1955. Sold in Nov.-1972 to Wackatz & Co., Gothenburg, converted to grain store/floating warehouse (engines removed).

Related external link:
The Empire Ships - On the "Mariners" website - alphabetical list.

OS/KMS Convoys - The site also has a section on the returning SL/MKS convoys. As can be seen, Ragnhild is mentioned in OS 58/KMS 32, SL 145/MKS 36, OS 68/KMS 42, SL 150/MKS 41, OS 90/KMS 64, OS 92/KMS 66, SL 175/MKS 66, OS 98/KMS 72 and OS 111/KMS 85, as are many other Norwegian ships. Note also that by going to this section of the site (based on Arnold Hague's database) and clicking on "Ship Search" on the left hand side, using "Ragnhild" as keyword, several convoys that are not mentioned in the above narrative will come up. Ragnhild should be easy enough to spot in the search results, which will also include other ships with a similar name. Here are SC 109, NG 342, GAT 44, TAG 48, GN 48 and OS 122/KMS 97, all mentioned in my text.