D/S Romulus
Updated Nov. 22-2010

To Romulus on the "Ships starting with R" page.

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

Some Convoy Voyages:

For information on voyages made in between those mentioned here, please see the documents received from the National Archives of Norway and A. Hague's Voyage Record above. Follow the convoy links provided for further details; several Norwegian ships took part.

As will be seen when going to Page 1 of the archive documents, Romulus was on her way from Los Angeles to Callao when war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9-1940, making several more voyages to Peru in the course of that year. Her 1941 voyages also start on this document (it'll be noticed that she had quite a long stay in Vancouver at the beginning of that year) and continue on Page 2.

With a general cargo for Avonmouth, she's listed in the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 57 on Nov. 28-1941. She also carried 3 passengers on this voyage and arrived Avonmouth on Dec. 17, remaining there until Jan. 10-1942.

We now find her, with a cargo of china clay, in station 12 of the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 57*, originating in Liverpool on Jan. 13-1942, dispersed Febr. 7, Romulus arriving Halifax that same day. She had sailed from Milford Haven on Jan. 13, from Loch Ewe on Jan. 18, according to Page 3. Astrell (ran aground and returned), Boreas, Inger Elisabeth (returned), Ingerfem, Ingrid (wrecked - follow link for details) and Ranja are also listed in this convoy, while Eglantine is named among the escorts - see ON convoy escorts. From Halifax, Romulus proceeded to her destination Portland, Maine a couple of days later, remaining there for a long time before heading to Cape Town on Apr. 2 - again, see the archive document for info on her subsequent voyages.

"Nortraships flåte" mentions an encounter with 2 U-boats off Bahia in Apr.-1942(?). A radio message was immediately sent, but not acknowledged. She opened fire with her 4" gun and left the area at full speed. Though one of the boats fired back, none of them followed her - identity unknown. (As already mentioned, she made a voyage from Portland, Maine to Cape Town in Apr.-1942).

It'll be noticed, when going back to Page 3, that she also spent a long time in Calcutta at the end of that year. Her 1943 voyages also start on this document; convoy information for some of these can be found in the Voyage Record above.

Skipping now to Apr. 25-1943, when she's listed in the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 128, together with Iron Baron, Mathilda and Norbryn. She stopped at Loch Ewe on May 12, continuing to Dundee that same day, returning across the Atlantic later that month with Convoy ONS 9*, which also included Solstad and originated in Liverpool on May 28 and arrived Halifax June 9; Romulus, however, was bound for Baltimore, where she arrived, via New York, on June 17 (having started out from Oban on May 29). In July, she joined Convoy SC 137 from Halifax, general cargo for London, station 14 - her voyages in this period are shown on Page 4. She later headed in the other direction again with Convoy ONS 18 (ON 202), originating in Liverpool on Sept. 12; Romulus sailed from Oban Sept. 14. ONS 18 arrived Halifax Sept. 29, but Romulus was bound for New York, where she arrived Oct. 2 (later proceeding to Kingston, Jamaica). On this voyage, she had rescued 21 survivors from the torpedoed British Fort Jemseg (ref. external link at the end of this page) and 1 of the survivors from Oregon Express - see text at Oregon Express, as well as my page about these convoys for much more information, including the Commodore's report and several other reports. Gunners on Romulus at this time were Hugo Anders Thorleif Jensen, Halfdan Trommestad and Leiv Edgar A. Larsen.

In Nov.-1943, we find her in station 91 of Convoy SC 147 from Halifax, bound for Liverpool with pulp, mail and sugar, and her last convoy voyage that year was made in Convoy ONS 26*, which departed Liverpool on Dec. 29 and also had Elise, Gudvor and Tropic Star in its ranks. A. Hague says she became a straggler from this convoy, but rejoined, only to detach on Jan. 16, arriving Halifax on Jan. 18-1944, later proceeding to New York, then on to Nassau and Kingston. Again, see Hague's Voyage Record above for convoy information for some of her subsequent voyages; see also Page 4.

At the end of March-1944 she joined the slow Convoy SC 156 from Halifax, in which the Norwegian Ruth I and South America were sunk, follow the links for details - her destination is given as Liverpool, cargo of sugar, citrus pulp and mail. According to A. Hague, she also had a passenger on board on this voyage. Together with Abraham Lincoln, Estrella, Fagerfjell, Fernmoor, Garonne, Geisha, Kaldfonn, Leiv Eiriksson, Lista, Molda, Petter, Samuel Bakke, Skiensfjord, Solfonn, Strinda and Vinland, as well as the Panamanian Norlys (Norwegian managers), she now returned in Convoy ON 234*, leaving Liverpool on Apr. 26, arriving New York May 12 (Romulus subsequently had a long stay in New York - see Page 4, Page 5 and Voyage Record above). On July 25, she was scheduled for the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 301 (Commodore in Reinholt, Vice Commodore in Samuel Bakke), but instead joined HX 303 on Aug. 11, with 16 other Norwegian ships, namely Tanafjord, Dalfonn, Noravind, Atlantic, Sommerstad, Skotaas, Geisha (Vice Commodore), Thorhild, Petter, Stirlingville, Rena, Para, Titanian, Mui Hock, Fjordaas and Norse Lady. Romulus' destination is given as Methil and London, and she had a cargo of sugar. At the end of the following month we find her, along with Cetus, Chr. Th. Boe, Dagrun (returned), Drammensfjord, Mui Hock, Para, Peik, Rena and Titanian, in the westbound Convoy ONS 33*, which originated in Liverpool on Sept. 29 and arrived Halifax Oct. 14; Romulus, however, proceeded to New York, with arrival there Oct. 16. In Dec.-1944, she sailed in the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 162, cargo of sugar and mail for Liverpool.

With Danio, Iron Baron, Lago, Norvarg, Orwell, Solstad, Sommerstad (returned), Vera and Vinga, she's also listed in the westbound Convoy ONS 40*, originating in Liverpool on Jan. 12-1945, arriving Halifax Jan. 30; Romulus was again bound for New York, where she arrived Febr. 2, having sailed from Belfast Lough on Jan. 12 (Page 5). Arnold Hague has later included her, along with Askepot, Biscaya, Brønnøy, Brush, Chr. Th. Boe, Frontenac, Geisha (Commodore Vessel), Tercero and Titanian, in Convoy SC 170*, which sailed from Halifax on March 17 and arrived Liverpool March 31; Romulus stopped at Clyde that day. Her last Trans-Atlantic convoy voyage was made (with Elg, Frontenac, Marie Bakke and Commodore Vessel Rena) in the westbound Convoy ONS 47*, originating in Liverpool on Apr. 11, arriving Halifax Apr. 30; Romulus arrived New York on May 2, proceeding to Macoris later that month.

As will be seen when going to Page 6, she got to go home to Norway in Oct.-1945, and again just before Christmas that year. The document shows her voyages to Apr.-1946.

* The ON and ONS convoys 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 on the page for ships in all ONS convoys. Note also that the entire SC series will eventually be updated and completed, including the already existing convoys (some have already been updated); see ships in all SC convoys.

For more information on all the other Norwegian ships mentioned on this page, please see the alphabet index below, or go to the Master Ship Index.

POST WAR:

Sold in Nov.-1953 to Cia. de Muelles de la Poblacion Vergara (Hans R. Samsing), Valparaiso, Chile and renamed Curauma. Sold again the following year to Naviera Chilena del Pacifico S/A, Valparaiso and renamed Roble. Sold for breaking up in 1959.

Related external links:
The attack on Fort Jemseg

Fort Ships of WW II - Alphabetical lists with info on each ship. Also covers the "Ocean" and "Park" ships.

Back to Romulus on the "Ships starting with R" page.

This company later had another Romulus post war, originally delivered as Belevelyn to owners in Oslo in Sept.-1948, 4696 gt. Sold to Wiel & Amundsen A/S (Alf Rød), Halden in 1954 and renamed Romulus. Later names: Majoy 1963, Katerina 1966, Makron 1967, Sea Captain 1968, Marcos Proios 1970. Broken up around 1971.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, E-mail from Roger W. Jordan - and misc.