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D/S Rutenfjell To Rutenfjell on the "Ships starting with R" page. Manager: Olsen & Ugelstad, Oslo Built by Nylands mek. Verksted, Oslo (324). Launched Oct. 3-1935 for A/S Rudolf (Olsen & Ugelstad), Oslo, completed in Nov.-1935. Captain: J. T. Selgård. Related items on this website: 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 (It'll be noticed that some of the listings are incomplete).
Rutenfjell was 1 of the 26 Norwegian ships interned in North and West Africa 1940-1942; my page Interned Ships lists all of them. Renamed Ste Brigitte (managed by Cie. Delmas-Vieljeux). A French visitor to my website has given me the following details with regard to her movements in that period (presumably from French archives) - see also A. Hague's Voyage Record above and Page 1 of the archive documents:
Rutenfjell lost 3 crew to Malaria in Oct.-1940, several others were sick. Guri Hjeltnes' "Sjømann - Lang vakt" says she had a crew of 19, 18 of whom were Norwegian, 14 escaped. She was at Dakar after the allied invasion (Operation Torch, Nov.-1942) and was returned to Nortraship's register in Febr.-1943. According to Page 1, she arrived Bathurst on Febr. 26.
According to the external website that I've linked to at the end of this page, Rutenfjell was scheduled to sail to the U.K. in Convoy SL 127 from Freetown at the end of March-1943 but put in to Dakar (Apr. 4), later joining the next convoy from there, SL 128, which had originated in Freetown on Apr. 20 and arrived Liverpool on May 14, having joined up with Convoy MKS 12* from Gibraltar on May 4. She had a cargo of groundnuts and Kapok and also carried 2 passengers, voyage is given as Kontaour/Bathurst for Greenock. She had sailed from Dakar on Apr. 23 and stopped at Loch Ewe May 14. The Norwegian Kristianiafjord, Toledo and Evviva are also listed in this convoy. Rutenfjell now spent a long time in Port Glasgow - again, see Page 1; perhaps an overhaul was necessary following her long internment? Together with Gudrun, Norefjord, Sirehei and Troubadour, she's later listed in Convoy OS 54/KMS 25, voyaging from Clyde to Bathurst with a general cargo in station 104. This convoy left Liverpool on Aug. 27-1943 and split up on Sept. 8, the KMS portion* heading to Gibraltar, while the OS convoy proceeded to Freetown. As already mentioned, Rutenfjell was bound for Bathurst, where she arrived on Sept. 15, having sailed from Clyde on Aug. 28 (OS portion). She's mentioned in Convoy SL 142/MKS 33 in Dec.-1943, but there's a note saying she did not sail (ref. link provided at the end of this page). However, there seems to be some disagreement on this; according to Arnold Hague, she did sail in this convoy, joining from Dakar. I've linked directly to his listing in the table above; Spurt is also named. The SL portion originated in Freetown on Dec. 2, joined up with Convoy MKS 33* from Gibraltar on the 14th, the combined convoy arriving Liverpool on Dec. 28; Rutenfjell arrived Avonmouth on Dec. 29, having sailed from Dakar on Dec. 5 (SL convoy), according to Page 1. She subsequently spent a long time at Barry (see Page 2 and Voyage Record). She was scheduled for Convoy OS 71/KMS 45 in March-1944 but is again listed as "did not sail" (ref. link at the end of this page). She appears again, along with Bestik and Lago, in Convoy OS 73/KMS 47, which departed Liverpool on Apr. 3. She was bound for Bathurst with mail, coal and general, arriving there on Apr. 23 (OS convoy), having started out from Clyde on Apr. 3. From Bathurst, she proceeded to Dakar the following month, then returned to the U.K in Convoy SL 158, which had originated in Freetown on May 11 and arrived Liverpool on June 4, having joined up with Convoy MKS 49* from Gibraltar on May 21. Bestik is again included in the combined convoy, while Topdalsfjord is listed in SL 158, but did not follow the convoy to the U.K. (bound for Dakar). Rutenfjell, cargo of groundnuts, had sailed from Dakar on May 14 and stopped at Loch Ewe on June 4, before continuing to Methil Roads and Hull. Again, follow the external links provided within the Voyage Record. In July that same year we find her, together with Geisha, Grey County, Kaia Knudsen, Mosli, Norden, Noreg, Norse Lady, Reinholt (Commodore Vessel), Skaraas, Sommerstad, Sørvard and Velma, in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 243*, which originated in Liverpool on July 3 and arrived New York on the 18th; Rutenfjell, however, was bound for Sydney, C.B., where she arrived on July 14, having sailed from Loch Ewe on July 3. Some of these ships, including Rutenfjell, returned across the Atlantic in the large Convoy HX 301, which originated in New York on July 25 but Rutenfjell, carrying a cargo of lumber for Bristol, joined from Sydney C.B., arriving Bristol on Aug. 10. Reinholt had again served as the Commodore Vessel, while the Vice Commodore was in Samuel Bakke. The following month, Rutenfjell joined the westbound Convoy ON 251*. This was also a large convoy, which originated in Liverpool on Sept. 1 and arrived New York on the 19th, and also included Bernhard, Elg, Evanger, Ferncliff (returned), Fjordheim (sunk - follow link for details), Germa, Grey County, Heimgar, Henrik Ibsen, Snar, Thorhild, Tungsha (Commodore Vessel), Veni and Vera, as well as the Panamanian Norbris (Norwegian managers). Rutenfjell was again bound for Sydney, C.B., where she arrived on Sept. 15, later returning to the U.K. with the slow Convoy SC 158, cargo of lumber for Boston (Lincs.). This convoy originated in Halifax on Oct. 4, but Rutenfjell again joined with the Sydney, C.B. portion and arrived her destination, via Oban and Methil Roads, on Oct. 26. It'll be noticed, when going back to Page 2, that she subsequently spent quite a long time at Hull, where she had arrived from Boston (Lincs.) on Nov. 5; departure is given as Dec. 8, and a few days later we find her in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ONS 38*, which originated in Liverpool on Dec. 13 and arrived Halifax Jan. 2-1945. Brønnøy, Norelg and Stirlingville are also listed. With a cargo of pulp for London, Rutenfjell headed back in the other direction in the slow Convoy SC 165 from Halifax on Jan. 16-1945. Her subsequent voyages are shown on Page 3 and Page 4; convoy information for some of these can be found in A. Hague's Voyage Record above. From Page 5 we learn that she went home to Norway in Oct.-1945 (this document shows her voyages to Apr.-1946).
In 1949, she was owned by Skips A/S Varp (W. Tynæs), Oslo. Sold to Kristiansands Tankrederi A/S (Einar Rasmussen), Kristiansand in 1950 and renamed Polyriver. Sold in 1959 to Moa Navigation Corp, Monrovia and renamed Muskegon (Liberian flag). According to this posting to my Ship Forum, she was sold again in 1960 to Naviera Maritima Fluvial, S.A., Callao (just outside Lima, Peru) and renamed Iquitos, the posting adding she was abandoned on fire on Nov. 28-1961, 315 miles off the Mexican Coast, in position 11 48N 97 16W, while on a voyage from Callao to Acapulco with fish meal, found drifting, sunk by U. S. Navy destroyer on Apr. 9-1962, 100 miles SE of Christmas Island. Related external link: Back to Rutenfjell on the "Ships starting with R" page. Other ships by this name: The company had previously had another ship by this name, built 1875, 1844 gt - struck a mine (laid by UC 21) and sank off Belle Île on Febr. 19-1917. Another Norwegian Rutenfjell was built as Ugelstad in 1917, scrapped in 1931. Historical Index of the Great Lakes has some details on this vessel, as well as a picture. To find it, type "Ugelstad" in the search field for 'vessel', then on the page that comes up, click in the little box with the item number. The next page has technical details on the ship and a picture thumbnail - clicking on the thumbnail will bring up a larger photo. I believe Olsen & Ugelstad also had a Rutenfjell built in Porsgrunn in 1933, but don't know what happened to it, whether it was sold or lost. I've also been told the company had a ship by this name later on, built in Sunderland in 1953, sold about 1958. The text on this page was compiled with the help of: Misc. sources as named in narrative.
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