D/S Solhavn
(Updated Dec. 25-2007)

To Solhavn on the "Ships starting with S" page.


Picture shows Kapland, anchored in the St. Lawrence River (Matane)
Received from Jean-Pierre Charest, Québec (via message in my Guestbook).

Some War Voyages:

Solhavn sailed in the Norway to U.K. Convoy HN 8, which left Norway on Jan. 19-1940 and arrived Methil on the 22nd. The following month she appears in the U.K. to Norway Convoy ON 11, and in March she's listed in Convoy HN 19 from Norway, bound for Glasgow with general cargo. She subsequently joined Convoy ON 25 in Apr. in order to return to Norway, but due to the German invasion on Apr. 9, 17 of the ships turned back for Kirkwall, and Solhavn must have been among those since she was in Allied control for the rest of the war.

According to the last website that I've linked to at the end of this page (the Memorial for Seamen in Stavern, Norway), Solhavn took part in the evacuations from Dunkirk in 1940 and was hit by shrapnel. 1 man was injured and later died at a hospital (he's said to have been buried in Rouen). Stoker Jon Lemvik is commemorated. If you read Norwegian there are 2 articles about him (written by Hermund Kleppa) at this external site. One can be found on this page, the other on this page. There's also a picture of Solhavn in the first article.

Later that summer she's listed in Convoy OB 180, which left Liverpool on July 7-1940, dispered on the 10th. Her destination is given as Sydney, C.B., and she returned to the U.K. at the end of that month in Convoy HX 62, bound for Cardiff with pit props (she's not included on the A 1 form, but scroll down to the Advance Sailing Telegram for this convoy). At the end of Aug. we find her in Convoy OB 205, leaving Liverpool on Aug. 29, dispersed the next day. No destination is given for Solhavn on that occasion, but she must have gone back across the Atlantic again, because at the end of the following month she shows up, with a cargo of lumber for London, in the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 6. In Nov. she's listed, again with no voyage information, in Convoy OB 252, leaving Liverpool on Nov. 30, dispersd Dec. 4.

(As will be seen by following the instructiosn at the external link provided at the end of this page, Solhavn made many voyages locally around the U.K. throughout the war).

In Febr.-1941 she sailed in the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 23, cargo of lumber for London. That summer she's listed, again with a cargo of lumber for London, in Convoy SC 34, which left Sydney, C.B. on June 10-1941. In Aug.-1941, she was 1 of 14 Norwegian ships in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 4 - follow the link for names of the others. Solhavn was bound for St. John's, station 95. The external site below now has her returning to the U.K. with Convoy SC 45, which left Sydney, C.B. on Sept. 18-1941 and arrived Liverpool on Oct. 4. This convoy is not available on my own site.

In Febr.-1942 we find her in Convoy RU 12 from Reykjavik to the U.K., in ballast for Clyde. In June she joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 106*, which left Liverpool on June 23-1942 and arrived Halifax, Solhavn's destination, on July 8. She subsequently headed back to the U.K. towards the end of that month in Convoy SC 93, cargo of lumber for Grimsby, returning to Sydney, C.B. the following month with the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 124. Going back to the external site already mentioned, we now find her in Convoy SC 103, departing New York on Sept. 26-1942, arriving Liverpool on Oct. 14 - not available on my own site. Solhavn joined this convoy from Sydney, C.B.

In Oct.-1943 she shows up in Convoy RU 94 from Reykjavik to the U.K. She was bound for Bristol with U.S. Government stores on that occasion.

* All the ON convoys 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, please go to Convoy ON 106 in the section listing ships in all ON convoys.

POST WAR:

Sold in Jan.-1959 to Johan Amundsen & Søns Rederi A/S, Haugesund, then in Oct.-1961 to A/S Bokn (Erik Bakkevig), Haugesund. Sold in Dec.-1964 to Astronomer Cia. Mar., Panama and renamed Daidalos. Sold again in 1970 to Cia. Mar. Bulgare, Varna, renamed Bor. Towed to Spezia, Italy, arriving July 16-1970 for breaking up.

Related external links:
Misc. convoys - Clicking on "Ship Search", using "Solhavn" as keyword, will bring up several convoys that are not mentioned in my own text, including a lot of local U.K. convoys, as well as some convoys to and from Iceland. Here are OB 180, OB 205, OB 252, SC 45, and SC 103, all mentioned in my text above.

Stavern Commemoration - As mentioned in my text above, Stoker Jon Lemvik is commemorated.

Back to Solhavn on the "Ships starting with S" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: Pre war and post war details are from "Våre gamle skip", Leif M. Bjørkelund & E. H. Kongshavn, and misc.