Owner: A/S Asplund
Manager: Rønneberg & Galtung, Moss
Tonnage: 5069 gt

Launched as Varjag for Br. Nobel, St. Petersburg. Delivered in Sept.-1916 from Göteborgs Mek. Verkstads A/B, Gothenburg (334) as Hamlet to Bruusgaard Kiøsteruds D/S A/S, Drammen, Norway, 5069 gt, 7210 tdwt, 355.1 x 55.2 x 29.4 ft., 2 x 6 cyl. Atlas Diesel, 3200 bhp, 2 propellers. Sold in March-1937 to Prebensens Tankrederi A/S (J. W. Prebensen), Oslo and renamed Credo (registered in Risør).

World War II:

Purchased in Jan.-1940 by A/S Asplund (Rønneberg & Galtung), Moss and renamed Realf II. Laid up in Gothenburg from 1940. My page about Ships in Sweden has more information on the Norwegian ships there. (I have a document from the Norwegian National Archives saying she was at Landskrona on Apr. 28-1940).

I've received some information and the following 2 pictures indicating she was used as training vessel while in Sweden. Both pictures were taken by Arnfinn Grande, a friend of Knut Wold's (see Knut Wold's story - Norwegian text) and were received from Karl H. Henriksen, Norway, whose grandfather was the captain of Vinni during the war.

Caption on the back of this picture says "Line-up on the training vessel Realf 2 in the Göta Canal near Lödöse 1943 - chief Hellem from Trondheim.

Caption for this photo says "Aboard Realf 2, training vessel in the Göta Canal, summer of 1943.
From left: Chief Engineer Hybert, Mrs. Svensson, Arne Grøtvik, Knut Wold.

POST WAR:

Returned to Norwegian owners in 1945. (A document from the Norwegian Archives, showing some of her 1945 voyages, states she left Gothenburg on Sept. 18-1945 and arrived Methil Roads on the 24th, later proceeding to Willemstad, then back to the U.K., and on to Curacao and Trinidad. In Febr.-1946, she was in Oslo, Norway). Sold in Febr.-1947 to Transoceanica Italiana Esportazione S/A, Rome and renamed Ariete. Owned from 1953 by Soc. Marittimi Petroli, Rome, renamed Sabotino. Arrived Savona on May 17-1955 for breaking up.