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

Compare the above voyages with the convoy information provided on this page.

Misc. Convoy Voyages – 1939-1945:

Follow the links for further dates and info. More convoy information will be added.

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 shows up in Convoy OB 124, which left Liverpool on Apr. 6-1940 and dispersed on the 10th - also available at the external website below. No destination is given for Solstad, but according to Page 1 of the archive documents, she arrived Houston on Apr. 29. 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; again, please see Page 1 of the archive docs. 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.-1940 she's listed in Convoy OB 223, which left Liverpool on Oct. 3 and 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. Her destination is given as Baytown, and this does, in fact, agree with the info found on Page 1 of the archive docs, which states she arrived Baytown on Oct. 27, having started out from Manchester on Oct. 1. She now joined the Bermuda portion of Convoy HX 90 (which sailed on Nov. 19). She's said to have returned to port, but going back to the archive document referred to above, we see that she arrived Halifax on Nov. 26, so it looks like this statement simply means that she put into Halifax, not that she returned to Bermuda. This convoy lost several ships; follow the link for more info; the Commodore's report and escort's report are also available. Solstad was later cancelled from HX 93 from Halifax, then joined HX 94 on Dec. 6, but returned to Halifax with a broken cylinder cover, according to this report of proceedings. She was scheduled for Convoy HX 101, but did not sail - however, she finally got away with HX 102 from Halifax on Jan. 11-1941, and arrived Loch Ewe on Jan. 27.

A couple of months later we find her listed as bound for New York in station 63 of Convoy OB 302, which originated in Liverpool on March 24-1941 and dispersed 6 days later (again, see the external website below - several Norwegian ships are included). She arrived New York on Apr. 11, having started out from Loch Ewe on March 26. Solstad was scheduled to return to the U.K. with Convoy HX 133 (this was the convoy in which Soløy and Vigrid were sunk, and Kongsgaard was torpedoed and damaged), but instead joined the next convoy on June 20, HX 134, bound for Glasgow in station 42 - the Commodore's account is also available for this convoy; see also this page, where Solstad is mentioned under July 8 (N.U.C. means "not under control"). In Aug.-1941 she made a voyage to New York with the westbound Convoy ON 5, and according to Arnold Hague, she later joined Convoy SC 43, which left Sydney, C.B. on Sept. 5 and arrived Liverpool on the 20th. This convoy is not available among the SC convoys included on my own website, but I've linked directly to Hague's listing at the end of this page. See also Page 2. The following month she's listed as bound for Curacao in the westbound Convoy ON 22*, leaving Liverpool on Oct. 2, dispersed on the 15th, Solstad arriving Curacao on Oct. 24. She headed back to the U.K. on Nov. 10 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 (Clyde), later joining ON 48* (left Dec. 19), but again returned to Clyde.

She shows up again, with destination Houston, in Convoy ON 56*, which left Liverpool on Jan. 12-1942, dispersed on Jan. 16. It looks like Solstad joined from Greenock (see Page 2 of archive docs), and arrived Houston, via Galveston Febr. 10/March 8, on March 8 (according to the external site below she had been scheduled for Convoy OS 16, which left Liverpool on Jan. 5, but did not sail). At the end of March 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 the following month with the westbound Convoy ON 95*, which originated in Liverpool on May 15. Solstad arrived New York on May 30, having joined from Loch Ewe - see Page 3. She headed back to the U.K. again on June 19 in Convoy SC 88 from Sydney, C.B., 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, with arrival there on Aug. 16, having joined from Loch Ewe. A. Hague now has her in Convoy SC 103, which left New York on Sept. 26 (not included on my own site - ref. external link below). Christmas that year was spent at sea; she's listed as bound for New York and Philadelphia in ballast in station 71 of the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 153 , in which Bello was sunk. Solstad arrived Philadelphia, via New York, on Jan. 5-1943 - see Page 4.

A. Hague now has her in Convoy SC 117, leaving New York on Jan. 12-1943, arriving Liverpool on Febr. 3 - again, ref. external link to Hague's listing below. Later that month she joined the westbound Convoy ON 169 (Liverpool-New York), returning to Liverpool in Apr.-1943 with Convoy SC 127 from Halifax. 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, where she arrived on the 14th. On June 27 she can be found in Convoy SC 135 from Halifax, arriving Liverpool on July 11, returning across the Atlantic with Convoy ONS 14*, which left Liverpool on July 26 and arrived Halifax on Aug. 9; Solstad's destination is again given as New York. She stopped at Boston on Aug. 11, before proceeding to New York Sept. 4, with arrival next day. On Sept. 15 she joined Convoy SC 142 from Halifax, subsequently returning to New York with the westbound Convoy ONS 20*, which left Liverpool on Oct. 9 (arrived Halifax Oct. 26). Solstad arrived New York on Oct. 29, and on Nov. 6 she again headed back to Liverpool with Convoy SC 146 from Halifax. 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 - Solstad arrived New York Dec. 20, see Page 5) 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; Solstad arrived New York Febr. 18. 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. At the beginning of June, she's listed in Convoy HX 294 from New York, 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 on Sept. 16. 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; Solstad joined from Clyde and arrived New York on the 19th. The last eastbound voyage of that year was made in the slow Convoy SC 162 from Halifax. See also Page 6.

She now appears in the westbound Convoy ONS 40*, originating in Liverpool on Jan. 12-1945, arriving Halifax on the 30th - Solstad was again bound for New York, where she arrived Febr. 2, and it looks like she had joined from Belfast Lough (see Page 6 of the archive docs). According to A. Hague she later returned with Convoy SC 172, leaving Halifax on Apr. 6-1945, arriving Liverpool on the 22nd (ref. external link provided below), and in May she's listed as bound for New York in the westbound Convoy ONS 50* (departure Liverpool May 11, arrival Halifax May 29; Solstad arrived New York on May 30).

Please go back to Page 6 of the archive documents for info on some of her other 1945 voyages - the rest of her voyages, up to and including Apr.-1946, are listed on Page 7. As will be seen, she got to go home to Norway in the fall of 1945.

* 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, the ships sailing in them (and escorts) are named in the section listing ships in all ON convoys and ships in all ONS convoys.

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 the 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 the above narrative.

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.