M/T Solsten - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

Misc. Convoy Voyages:

Follow the links provided for more convoy details. More convoy information will be added.

Solsten is listed in the Bermuda portion of Convoy HX 45 in May-1940 (having been cancelled from the previous convoy, HX 44). She had a cargo of petrol for Ardrossan, where she arrived on June 11. She now shows up, with destination Aruba, in Convoy OB 170, which originated in Liverpool on June 18 and dispersed on the 23rd, Solsten arriving Aruba on July 7 (she had joined from Clyde). Finnanger and Ørnefjell are also listed - ref. external link at the end of this page.

In Nov.-1940 she was scheduled for the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 11 (in which Bruse and Salonica were sunk), but did not sail, and does not show up again till Convoy SC 14 at the end of that month, bound for London.

According to A. Hague, she later joined Convoy OB 279, which originated in Liverpool on Jan. 28-1941 and dispersed Febr. 2. The website about the OB convoys that I've linked to below does not show Solsten in this convoy, but see the link to Hague's listing. No destination is given for her, but going to Page 1 of the archive documents, we see that she arrived Aruba on Febr. 21, having started out from Loch Ewe on Jan. 30. She returned to the U.K. in March with Convoy HX 113, again joining from Bermuda. On this occasion she had a cargo of gasolene and kerosene and was bound for Milford Haven and Plymouth, taking station 42 of the combined convoy. She now appears in Convoy OG 59, departing Liverpool on Apr. 15-1941, arriving Gibraltar on the 28th. Solsten, however, was bound for Aruba again, where she arrived on May 9 (had started out from Milford Haven on Apr. 15), so probably left the convoy at some point in order to proceed to this destination. (OG 59 will be added to an individual page in my Convoys section, but for now, see ships in all OG convoys). She joined the Bermuda* portion of Convoy HX 129 later that month, but did not follow this convoy all the way to the U.K. She's said to have put back to Halifax on June 1, later joining Convoy HX 131 from there on June 6, bound for Manchester with gasoline in station 62.

* See also cruising order & notes for HX 129, where she's crossed out even from the Bermuda portion, but I believe this is incorrect; it may simply mean that she did not join the main convoy(?). According to Page 1 of the archive documents she did leave Bermuda on May 25, but put back to Halifax on June 1.

The following month, we find her in Convoy OB 345, which left Liverpool on July 11 and arrived Halifax on the 26th; again, ref. external link below. Her destination is not given, but when going back to Page 1 of the archive documents, we see that she arrived New York on July 28. According to Arnold Hague, she later returned with Convoy SC 46, which departed Sydney, C.B. on Sept. 24-1941 and arrived Liverpool Oct. 10 (Solsten stopped at Belfast Lough). 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; several Norwegian ships took part, namely Alaska, Bestik, Bonde, Bruse Jarl, Fidelio, Gezina, Loke, and Senta. Later that month, we find Solsten in station 34 of the westbound Convoy ON 30, which originated in Liverpool on Oct. 26 and dispersed on Nov. 9. Her destination is given as Halifax, where she arrived on Nov. 11, having started out from Milford Haven on Oct. 25 - see Page 2. The Commodore's narrative is also available for this convoy. Already on Nov. 16 she's listed as returning to the U.K. with the slow Convoy SC 55 from Sydney, C.B., subsequently joining the westbound Convoy ON 52* at the end of Dec.-1941. She arrived Galveston on Jan. 29-1942, having sailed from Loch Ewe on Dec. 31 (the convoy had been dispersed on Jan. 11).

In Febr.-1942 she was in Convoy SC 72, which departed Halifax on Febr. 28 and arrived Liverpool on March 17; but Solsten again stopped at Belfast Lough (she may have been cancelled from the previous convoy, SC 71, but not sure). At the end of March she's listed as bound for Aruba in the westbound Convoy ON 81*, arriving Aruba on Apr. 20, the convoy having been dispersed on Apr. 9. From Aruba, she proceeded to Freetown (ref. Page 2 of archive docs), and the first external website that I've linked to below has her in station 83 of Convoy SL 111/SLF 111, which departed Freetown on May 24-1942 and arrived Liverpool on June 16. The SLF section detached on June 8 and arrived Liverpool on the 13th, but Solsten, cargo of gasolene, was in the slow portion. Other Norwegian ships listed are Havkong, Sandanger, Skandinavia and Petter II.

In the middle of July that year she joined the westbound Convoy ON 113*, bound for New York, where she arrived on Aug. 2. There's an article about this convoy available at the second external website below. According to this article, Solsten disrupted an attack from U-552 "with accurate gunfire which forced 'a sharp blast of air' in the faces of the sub's bridge crew". The Norwegian Harpefjell is also mentioned in the article, which has a lot of details on this convoy. ON 113 had departed Liverpool on July 17-1942 and lost 3 ships, namely the British Broompark, Empire Rainbow and Pacific Pioneer, while British Merit was damaged. Several Norwegian ships took part

A. Hague later has Solsten in Convoy SC 102, departing New York on Sept. 19-1942, arriving Liverpool Oct. 6 - again, see the external link at the end of this page to Hague's listing, which includes Aragon, Aun, Bestik, Borgfred, Fjordheim, Nea (returned), Norvarg, Orwell, and Solitaire. Solsten subsequently joined the westbound Convoy ON 140* (departure Liverpool Oct. 17, arrival New York Nov. 7) - her destination is not given, but it does not look like she crossed the Atlantic on that occasion; see Page 3. She shows up again, with destination New York, in Convoy ON 148*, which left Liverpool on Nov. 23-1942; Solsten arrived New York on Dec. 14, having joined from Loch Ewe.

At the end of May-1943, she's listed in station 43 of Convoy SC 132 from Halifax to the U.K., returning the following month with the westbound Convoy ON 189*; she arrived New York on July 1, having started out from Clyde on June 16 (the Norwegian corvettes Acanthus, Potentilla and Rose are named among the escorts for this convoy, in which several Norwegian ships took part). She went back to the U.K. again at the end of July with Convoy SC 138 from Halifax. At the end of Aug.-1943 she's listed as bound for New York with the westbound Convoy ON 199* (left Liverpool on Aug. 26, arrived New York on Sept. 9; Solsten had joined from Loch Ewe). On Oct. 11 she appears in Convoy SC 144 from Halifax, arriving Liverpool on Oct. 27, and on Dec. 1, I have her in Convoy RU 99 from Reykjavik to the U.K. Her destination is given as Manchester, cargo of herring oil.

In March-1944 she sailed in the westbound Convoy ONS 31*, which left Liverpool on March 13 and arrived Halifax on the 30th, however, Solsten was bound for New York, where she arrived on Apr. 1 - see Page 4. Later that month, she joined the slow Convoy SC 157 from Halifax (her destination is given as Modewheel), then in May she's listed in the westbound Convoy ON 236*; departure Liverpool May 11, arrival New York May 27 - Solsten arrived New York, via Delaware Capes, on May 30. Just 3 days later, she's listed as bound for Heysham in the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 294, arriving Heysham (via Belfast Lough) on June 19, returning across the ocean later that month with Convoy ON 242*, which originated in Liverpool on June 25 and arrived New York July 11.

Again, see Page 4 of the archive documents for information on some more 1944 voyages. Page 5 has the rest of her 1944 voyages, as well as her early 1945 voyages, while Page 6 shows her voyages up to and including Apr.-1946. Convoy information to match some of them will be added.

* All the ON 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. ONS 31 is also available - see this page listing ships in all ONS convoys. As will be seen, they all had several Norwegian ships.

Related external links:
SL/MKS Convoys - Solsten is listed in SL 111/SLF 111. There's also a portion for the OB convoys and OB 279 is included, but Solsten is not mentioned here. Another section of the site (based on A. Hague's database) has OB 170, OB 279 (Solsten is included), OB 345, SC 46, and SC 102, all mentioned in the above narrative.

The Battle for Convoy ON 113 - A very detailed description of this convoy battle (a section of Rob Fisher's Home Page).