M/T Solstad - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

Owner: Skibs-A/S Solstad Manager: A. F. Klaveness & Co., A/S Oslo Tonnage: 5952 gt	Source: Roger W. Jordan collection.
Built by Odense Staalskibsværft ved A. P. Møller, Odense, Denmark in 1927. Captain: Victor Young Halvorsen Crossed the Atlantic 49 times with the above captain	From Bjørn Milde's postcard collection

Misc. Convoy Voyages – 1939-1945:

Solstad is listed among the ships in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 14 in Dec.-1939, station 71, cargo of lub. oil.

In Jan.-1940 she's listed as sailing in Convoy OB 79 (station 13), bound for Daytona in ballast. This convoy left Liverpool on Jan. 25 and was dispersed on the 28th. The OB convoys are available at the external website that I've linked to at the end of this page. In March-1940 she can be found in station 43 of Convoy HX 26 from Halifax, lub. oil for Manchester, then in Apr. she shows up in Convoy OB 124, which left Liverpool on Apr. 6-1940 and is also available at the external website below. The following month we find her, with lub. oil for Mersey, in station 46 of Convoy HX 42 (Bermuda portion), subsequently joining Convoy OB 175, leaving Liverpool on June 27, dispersed June 30 - her destination is given as Houston. She was scheduled for the Bermuda portion of Convoy HX 64 in Aug. that year, but did not sail (she had also been cancelled from HX 63). She shows up again in the Bermuda portion of Convoy HX 67 later that month, again with a cargo of lub. oil for Mersey, station 72. In Oct. she's listed in Convoy OB 223, which left Liverpool on Oct. 3, dispersed on the 8th. Note, however, that there seems to be some disagreement as to the nationality of the Solstad in this convoy, as will be seen in my text connected to the external link at the end of this page. She now joined Convoy HX 90 in Nov.-1940 (Bermuda section), but returned to port, and was also cancelled from HX 93, joined HX 94, but again returned to port. She was scheduled for Convoy HX 101, but did not sail - however, she finally got away with HX 102 from Halifax in Jan.-1941. It looks like she must have had some sort of a problem in this period.

A couple of months later we find her listed as her bound for New York in station 63 of Convoy OB 302, which left Liverpool on March 24-1941 and dispersed 6 days later (again, see the external website below - several Norwegian ships are included). Solstad was scheduled for Convoy HX 133 in June (this was the convoy in which Soløy and Vigrid were sunk, and Kongsgaard was torpedoed and damaged), but instead joined the next convoy, HX 134, towards the end of that month, bound for Glasgow in station 42. In Aug. she made a voyage to New York with the westbound Convoy ON 5, and must have gone back to the U.K.*, because in Oct. she's listed as bound for Curacao in the westbound Convoy ON 22*, leaving Liverpool on Oct. 2, dispersed on the 15th. She headed back to the U.K. the following month in the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 54, bound for Clyde, and in Dec. she joined the westbound Convoy ON 46* (departure Liverpool Dec. 13), however, she returned to port on that occasion, later joining ON 48* (left Liverpool Dec. 19), but again returned to port.

* In fact, the external website that I've linked to at the end of this page has her in Convoy SC 43, which left Sydney, C.B. on Sept. 5-1941 and arrived Liverpool on the 20th. This convoy is not available on my own site.

She shows up again, with destination Houston, in Convoy ON 56*, which left Liverpool on Jan. 12-1942, dispersed on Jan. 16 (according to the external site below she had been scheduled for Convoy OS 16, which left Liverpool on Jan. 5, but did not sail). A couple of months later we find her in Convoy SC 77, leaving Halifax for the U.K. on March 30 (she had been cancelled from the previous convoy, SC 76). However, she had to return to port with a leaking main engine, then shows up again in Convoy SC 79, which left Halifax on Apr. 11, returning across the Atlantic (to New York) the following month with the westbound Convoy ON 95*, which left Liverpool on May 15. She headed back to the U.K. again in June in Convoy SC 88, and at the end of July we find her in the westbound Convoy ON 117* (departure Liverpool July 31, dispersed Aug. 15), again bound for New York. Going back to the external site below, she's listed in Convoy SC 103, which left New York on Sept. 26 and arrived Liverpool on Oct. 14 (not included on my own site). In Dec.-1942, she's listed in station 71 of the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 153, bound for Philadelphia in ballast.

The external site below now has her in Convoy SC 117, leaving New York on Jan. 12-1943, arriving Liverpool on Febr. 3. Later that month she joined the westbound Convoy ON 169 (Liverpool-New York), returning to the U.K. in Apr.-1943 with Convoy SC 127. In May she joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ONS 9*, which left Liverpool on May 28 and arrived Halifax on June 9 - Solstad, however, was bound for New York. Later that month she can be found in Convoy SC 135, returning across the Atlantic with Convoy ONS 14*, leaving Liverpool on July 26, arriving Halifax on Aug. 9; Solstad's destination is again given as New York. In Sept. she's listed in Convoy SC 142, subsequently returning to New York with the westbound Convoy ONS 20*, which left Liverpool on Oct. 9 (arrived Halifax Oct. 26), and in Nov. she again went back to the U.K., Convoy SC 146. At the end of that month she joined the westbound Convoy ONS 24* in order to return to New York (departure Liverpool Nov. 30, arrival Halifax Dec. 18) and New Years Eve that year was spent while sailing in the other direction in Convoy SC 150.

At the end of Jan.-1944 she's listed as bound for New York in the westbound Convoy ONS 28*, which left Liverpool on Jan. 28, arrived Halifax on Febr. 15. She subsequently returned to the U.K. with the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 155 in March-1944. This convoy arrived Liverpool on March 29, and about a week later she joined the westbound Convoy ON 231* together with 14 other Norwegian ships, namely Bernhard, Ferncourt, Haakon Hauan, Spinanger, Vav, Østhav, Idefjord, President de Vogue, Heranger, Kong Haakon VII, Thorsholm, Skaraas, Høyanger and Nordanger, all listed on this website. This convoy departed Liverpool on Apr. 7-1944 and arrived New York on the 24th. Early in June-1944, she's listed in Convoy HX 294, returning later that month with the westbound Convoy ON 242*; departure Liverpool June 25, arrival New York July 11, and then joined the large New York-U.K. Convoy HX 300 a few days later in order to head back to Birkenhead and Barton. Already on Aug. 10 we find her in the westbound Convoy ON 248(S)* which arrived New York on Aug. 27, and she was scheduled for Convoy HX 306 a few days later, but instead joined HX 309 in Sept. At the end of the following month she shows up, with destination New York, in the westbound Convoy ONS 35*, which departed Liverpool on Oct. 29 and arrived Halifax on Nov. 15. In Dec. that same year she sailed in the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 162.

She now appears in the westbound Convoy ONS 40*, leaving Liverpool on Jan. 12-1945, arriving Halifax on the 30th - Solstad was again bound for New York, and must have gone back to the U.K.* at some point because in May she's listed as bound for New York in the westbound Convoy ONS 50* (departure Liverpool on May 11, arrival Halifax May 29).

* All the ON and ONS convoys mentioned here 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 these convoys in the section listing ships in all ON convoys and ships in all ONS convoys.

* The external site below has her in Convoy SC 172, leaving Halifax on Apr. 6-1945, arriving Liverpool on the 22nd.

Related external links:
OB convoys - OB 79, OB 124, and OB 302 are included, as is OB 223, but note that the Solstad listed in OB 223 in this section of the site is said to have been the Swedish one. The site also has several other convoy series, including OS/KMS Convoys, and as can be seen Solstad is mentioned in OS 16. Note also that by going to this section of the same site and clicking on "Ship Search", using "Solstad" as keyword, several convoys that are not mentioned in my own text will come up, including some local U.K. convoys, as well as several local U.S. convoys. (Be aware that some of the ships in the search results refer to a Swedish ship by this name). Here are OB 175, OB 223 (listed as Norwegian in this section), SC 43, SC 103, SC 117, and SC 172, all mentioned in my text above.

see also this chronological list of
OB and OA convoys - The site also has the SL and HG convoys in chronological order, as well as several others.