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Star Whale Catchers Managed by Johan Rasmussen & Magnus Konow, Sandefjord Note that my page about the Hval catchers also has info on some Star catchers. |
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Delivered in July-1929 from Nylands Verksted, Oslo (299) as Star XIV to Hvalfanger-A/S Rosshavet, Sandefjord. Steel hull, 115.1'(lpp) x 23.8' x 13.3', 247 gt, Tripple Expansion. WW II: A document received from the National Archives of Norway says she was in port at Fremantle on Apr. 13-1940. Sailed from Montevideo for South Georgia on Nov. 11 that year. Captured by Pinguin Jan. 14-1941. Became Kriegsmarine's UJ 1107 (ii), then UJ 1215 (ii), later V 6503. Please go to my page Norwegian Victims of Pinguin for more details on what happened on the herding grounds that day. See also the crew lists for the captured whale catchers (incl. Star XIV). Additionally, a thread on my Ship Forum has some details on this ship, starting with this query. One of the responses states: "STAR XIV actually was (after rebuilding in Antverpen) UJ.1215 (24.4.42-1.5.44), NH.03 (1.5.44-15.5.44) and V.6503 (15.5.44 - til end of war)." POST WAR: Returned to owner in 1945, but not fitted out for whale catching. Sold "as-is" in 1946 to Halvor Berntsen, Tau in Ryfylke, converted to freighter, 122.7' x 23.8' x 13.3', 257 gt, 320 tdwt, 2 x 6cyl 4t General Motors each 150bhp, entered service in July-1948 as Lovima, registered in Stavanger. A 6cyl 2tev Normo 300bhp motor was installed in 1952 at Frydenbø Slipp, Bergen. Owned by Bernt Berntsen, Tau in 1957. Rebuilt in 1960 by Br. Bjørnevik, Buøy in Stavanger (new poop, bridge and interior), 280 gt. In 1962 a 4cyl 2tev Wichmann 400bhp motor was installed. Sold in May-1968 to Sverre Bertheussen, Evenskjer near Harstad, renamed Stein-Berg, in sand trade. Remeasured in 1969, 273.12 gt. Sold in Oct.1972 to Ingvald Wang, Harstad (sand trade). Sold in Oct.-1973, renamed Siv-Linda. Sold in May-1984 to Yngve Eide, Bogen in Kvæfjord (sand trade), renamed Caila in Oct.-1984. Sold in Febr.-1987 to Nilsen & Lyså e.a. (Arne Johan Lyså), Bogen in Kvæfjord (sand trade). Sold in Aug.-1991 to Sveis, Rør & Skipsopphugging A/S, Hol in Tjeldsundet, converted to barge. Deleted from Norwegian register on July 2-1992. (Majority of info from T. Eriksen, Norway, misc. sources, incl. Skipet). |
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Built in Oslo 1930. Delivered in May-1930 from Akers Mek. Verksted, Oslo as whale catcher Star XVI to Hvalfanger-A/S Rosshavet, Sandefjord. Steel hull, 116'(lpp) x 23.9' x 13.2', 249 gt. Tripple Expansion (Akers) 800ihp. During the 1939/1940 whaling season she was hired out to Hvalfanger-A/S Suderøy (Knut Knutsen O.A.S.), Haugesund to catch for the company's factory Suderøy. WW II: Departed Haugesund for the Antarctic on Oct. 2-1939 with the whale factory Suderøy, whale catchers Suderøy I, II, IV, V, and VI, sailing north to Runde, then westwards between the Faroe Islands and Iceland before heading south (this was in order to avoid the minefields and U-boat danger in the North Sea). Stopped by a British cruiser on Oct. 3, but was soon allowed to proceed. The factory headed to Curacao for bunkers, while the catchers continued to Fenando Noranna, Brazil to wait for her. Last stop before arriving the herding grounds was Montevideo. On completion of the 1939/1940 season in March.-1940, Suderøy, with catchers Suderøy IV, V, VI and Star XVI headed for Montevideo (the other 2 catchers probably went straight to Cape Town to be laid up till the next season), then to Curacao, arriving Willemstad for bunkers in Apr., leaving again on Apr. 6 together with Kaia Knudsen (same company) which they had met at Curacao. The latter was en route to Norway with fuel oil. The ships had been ordered by Naval authorities at Kingston, Jamaica to follow the U.S. and Canadian coast to New Foundland before turning east across the Atlantic towards Finnmark. Upon hearing of the German invasion of Norway on Apr. 9, Suderøy's Captain Øistein Kolstø conferred with the skippers of the 4 whale catchers and the captain of Kaia Knudsen, and they decided to head to Hampton Roads* to await turn of events. On arrival there they contacted British authorities who sent them to Halifax for further orders, together with the Norwegian Pelagos and the James Clark Ross expeditions. Came under Nortraship control shortly afterwards. Suderøy and the whale catchers arrived Halifax on Apr. 23-1940, and the majority of the crew paid off (later trained at Lunenburg, Nova Scotia and subsequently served in the Norwegan Navy or in the merchant fleet as gunners).
Hired by Royal Canadian Navy from 1941 to Nov.-1945 for use as a minesweeper. POST WAR: Returned to owners in 1945 and fitted out for whale catching again, catching for the factory Thorshammer in the 1945/'46 season, and the following 3 seasons for Ross. Sold in May-1949 to Blomvaag Hval A/S, Herdla (Joh. A. Hojem, Bergen), renamed Hval III. Catching on the coast for the whaling station at Blomvåg during the summers of 1949 and 1950. Sold in June-1951 to Cia Industrial, Valparaiso, Chile, renamed Indus 9, catching from Quintay until 1960. Sold in 1962 to Soc. Pesquera Ruiz Ltd., Valparaiso, Chile, renamed Ruiz II, in use as trawler. She was still in Lloyd's register in 1992, but probably already broken up long ago. (Info received from T. Eriksen, Norway - His sources: "Hvalfangsten, -Eventyret tar slutt" by Dag Bakka jr. 1992 and an article about Suderøy's war years by Leif M. Bjørkelund in Skipet 4.91). |
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Built 1930. Some of her voyages are listed on this original document received from the National Archives of Norway. The document adds "deleted Norwegian register 27.11.42 - sold to U.S. government". According to the external site that I've linked to below, Star XVIII was used by the U.S. Coast Guard as Bronco (WYP 340) from Dec. 7-1942 to June 30-1945, stationed at Balboa, Canal Zone and used for patrol duty - sold Nov. 20-1946. POST WAR: Sold in 1948 to Arctic Fishing & Sealing Co, Panama (Bronco). Sold in 1949, renamed Finbak. Later owned by Olsen Whaling & Sealing Co Ltd, St John's, Newfoundland, then by Earle Brothers Fisheries Ltd, Canada. Grounded and sank on July 26-1961 off Comfort Head, Labrador; crew saved. Related external link: |
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Built 1930. A document received from the National Archives of Norway says she sailed from Montevideo for South Georgia on Nov. 11-1940. Captured by Pinguin - scuttled by the Germans on March 13-1941 when intercepted by HMS Scarborough in 44 50N 22W while en route to France. (Some Norwegian sources say March 28 but this appears to be an error. I've seen a transcript of a document sent from London to Roosevelt on March 14-1941, announcing (among other news) that Scarborough intercepted 2 Norwegian whalers sent as prize by German raider in South Atlantic, 350 miles of Cape Finisterre, March 13, adding that both whalers scuttled themselves. 1 German officer, 7 ratings and 22 Norwegians were picked up). See Norwegian Victims of Pinguin for more details and crew list. |
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Built 1930. A document received from the National Archives of Norway says she sailed from Montevideo for South Georgia on Nov. 11-1940. Captured by Pinguin, became UJ 1107 (iii), then UJ 1215, then UJ 1217 (ii). Returned 1945. See link to "Norwegian Victims of Pinguin" above for more details and crew list. What follows is from a posting to my Ship Forum: "UJ.1107=Star XX (249 grt, 1930), from 7/5/42 in 11 UJ-flotilla, 14/1/43 in 0600 hours 2 sm SW Rotvaer sink in collision with DESSAU, on depth 200 m, written-off. 4 men died - all of them Maschinenpersonal." Erling Skjold says in his posting: "The Star XX was given to 11. UJ-flotilla 1.1.42 in Antwerp, commissioned 7.5.42, and arrived Norway 7.8.42. She was rebuilt to an UJ at Beliard & Chrighton, Antwerp. During her service in Norway the 11. UJ-flotilla was based in Hammerfest. When lost, she was at anti-submarine position off Rotvær, when a convoy with the Dessau, Norwegian D. Kora and escorted by NN-02 Widder (this was a typo - later corrected to NN-03) arrived in the darknes. 21 survivors (including the CO - Leutnant zur See Schmidt) were rescued by the Kora and landed in Lödingen. I have 16 dead from the UJ-1107." |
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Built 1935. A document received from the National Archives of Norway says she sailed from Montevideo on Nov. 11-1940, and arrived South Georgia on Nov. 16. Captured by Pinguin. Became UJ 1216, lost by enemy action at Vik on Aug. 26-1942. See Norwegian Victims of Pinguin for more details and crew list. |
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Built 1936. A document received from the National Archives of Norway says she sailed from Montevideo for South Georgia on Nov. 11-1940. Captured by Pinguin - became Auxiliary Anti Submarine vessel UJ 1217, torpedoed and sunk by Russian submarine M-107 (Kofanov) at Syltefjord on Sept. 11-1943, 70 38N 30 26E (another source says in collision and sank in the Gulf of Finland on March 14-1943). See link to "Norwegian Victims of Pinguin" above for more details on the capture and crew list. |
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Built 1936. A document received from the National Archives of Norway says she sailed from Montevideo for South Georgia on Nov. 11-1940. Captured by Pinguin - became Auxiliary Anti Submarine vessel UJ 1218, then UJ 1112 (iii). Returned 1945. See link to "Norwegian Victims of Pinguin" above for more details and crew list. |
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Built 1937. A document received from the National Archives of Norway says she sailed from Montevideo for South Georgia on Nov. 11-1940. Captured by Pinguin - scuttled at the same time as Star XIX, and for the same reason. See Norwegian Victims of Pinguin for more details and crew list. |
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Built 1930. Not included in Nortraship's fleet - no further details available. |
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Norway had a Star I after the war, 533 gt, built in Oslo as Tirol for the Kriegsmarine, delivered in July-1941. Taken over by the Norwegian State in 1945 (A/S Kosmos/Anders Jahre, Sandefjord) and renamed Kos 25. Sailed as Star I for Hvalfanger A/S Rosshavet, Sandefjord from 1947. Sold in 1955 to Tønsberg Hvalfangeri, Tønsberg and renamed Busen 6. From 1960 she sailed as R 7 for Albion Star (South Georgia) Ltd. Rebuilt in 1968, having been sold to owners in Ålesund, renamed Hareidingen (618 gt). Sailed as Flømann for A/S Flømann, Ålesund from 1971. Renamed Hundvåkøy in 1999 for owners in Bergen, then Hundvåkøy I in 2001, Torbas in 2002 (owners in Hammerfest, Norway). Still in use? The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, E-mails from Roger W. Jordan, England, E-mails from T. Eriksen, Norway and misc. (ref. My sources).
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