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D/S Rio Novo To Rio Novo on the "Ships starting with R" page.
Another picture is available on this external page (click in it to enlarge). Owner: A/S Sobral Built by Sir John Priestman & Co., Sunderland in 1937. Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives: Please compare the above voyages with Arnold Hague's Voyage Record below.
(Received from Don Kindell - His source: The late Arnold Hague's database). Follow the convoy links provided for more information on each. Errors may exist, and as can be seen, the record is incomplete.
Judging for the information found on Page 1 of the archive documents, it looks like Rio Novo had been to Norway just before war broke out there on Apr. 9-1940. She arrived Norfolk on Apr. 28, proceeding to St. Thomas the next day. Her 1941 voyages start on Page 2 and continue on Page 3. It'll be noticed that she spent quite a long time in Baltimore that fall, before proceeding to Sydney, C.B., and together with the Norwegian Atlantic, Bur, Fjordaas, Geisha, Lysaker V and Marianne, Arnold Hague has now included her in the slow eastbound North Atlantic Convoy SC 50, departing Sydney, C.B. on Oct. 17-1941, arriving Liverpool on Nov. 4 - Rio Novo stopped at Belfast Lough on Nov. 3, continuing to Avonmouth a couple of days later. She had a general cargo and also carried 2 passengers. This convoy is not yet available among the SC convoys included in my Convoys section, but will be added; see Ships in all SC convoys. Later that month she's listed as bound for Norfolk, VA with a cargo of china clay in station 12 of the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 40*, which originated in Liverpool on Nov. 25 and dispersed on Dec. 4. The Norwegian Arthur W. Sewall, Charles Racine (returned following a collision), Egda, Evita, Fernmoor, Finnanger (returned), Slemdal, Storanger, Tai Shan and Velox are also listed. Rio Novo arrived Hampton Roads on Dec. 18. She returned to the U.K. in Jan.-1942 in Convoy HX 171 from Halifax, for which Acanthus and Rose acted as escorts for a while. At the beginning of March we find her in station 13 of the westbound Convoy ON 73*, which departed Liverpool on March 5 and dispersed on the 16th. Her destination is given as Boston on that occasion; Gausdal and Leiv Eiriksson also took part, and Acanthus and Rose are again named among the escorts, as are Eglantine and Potentilla, see ON convoy escorts. According to Page 3, Rio Novo arrived Boston on March 19, having started out from Milford Haven on the 4th. The following month, she can be found among the ships in Convoy HX 184 from Halifax, having been cancelled from the previous convoy, HX 183, then headed back across the Atlantic at the beginning of May with Convoy ON 91* (left Liverpool May 1, dispersed May 15), together with Bello, Geisha, Heranger, Kronprinsen, Laurits Swenson, Salamis and Skaraas. Rio Novo was bound for New York and had station 12 of the convoy, arriving her destination on May 16. On May 31-1942, she joined Convoy HX 192 from Halifax, arriving Bristol, via Belfast Lough, on June 13 (Page 3), returning to New York with Convoy ON 107*, which originated in Liverpool on June 26 and dispersed off Halifax on July 9, Rio Novo arriving New York the next day - see Page 4. She had again been in the company of several other Norwegian ships, namely Fernmoor, Garonne, Glittre, Havkong, Polartank and Samuel Bakke. Rio Novo went back to the U.K. again at the beginning of Aug.-1942 in Convoy HX 201 - see also this report on its passage (Rio Novo had been cancelled from HX 200, for which Montbretia, Acanthus and Potentilla served as escorts). She arrived Newport, via Belfast Lough, on Aug. 15, returning to New York at the end of that month with Convoy ON 125, for which Samuel Bakke served as the Commodore Vessel (Vice Commodore in Skiensfjord?). According to the Commodore's notes for ON 125, Rio Novo had a man overboard on Sept. 11. He was picked up, but subsequently died. This must have been Radio Operator Finn G. Hauff who's said to have died in an accident at sea on Sept. 11-1942 at the Stavern Memorial website - ref. link below. Rio Novo arrived New York on Sept. 12. She now started making voyages between the U.S. and Progreso, as will be seen on Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8 and Page 9, continuing in this service for the rest of the war.
According to this external page, she was converted to tanker in 1949, 3479 gt, 2041 net, renamed Ultragaz. Renamed Gasbras Sul in 1954, Mundogas Sul in 1961. Owned from Aug.-1963 by Pansubco S.A., Panama. Laid up as storage ship in Dec.-1963. Sold for breaking up in Jan.-1967. Related external link: Back to Rio Novo on the "Ships starting with R" page. The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "The World's Merchant Fleets 1939", Roger W. Jordan - and misc.
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