M/T Strix
Updated March 19-2009

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

To Log of lifeboat voyage/Clan Macnab

I've been told that the picture found on this external page is the ship discussed here.

Dave Napier, England came across a gravestone for a Norwegian seaman named Trygve Borgen. He took this picture of it and sent it to me. I looked the name up in "Våre Falne" ("Our Fallen"), a series of 4 books listing all Norwegian casualties during WW II, and found that Trygve Borgen from Sandefjord served as able seaman on Strix when he became ill and died of Meningitis on May 15-1941, in other words, about a week after Strix had arrived her destination when in Convoy HX 122. He's buried in Arno's Vale Cemetery, Bristol. If a relative sees this and would like a larger, better quality picture, I'd be glad to pass it on, just contact me via the following address:

In Collision - 1941:

Strix departed Freetown on March 13-1941 with a cargo of about 9000 tons aviation fuel, in Convoy SL 68 consisting of 58 ships (according to Arnold Hague, "The Allied Convoy System"). On the evening of the 17th, Able Seaman Hans Kr. Hov was on his way aft when he noticed the convoy was about to alter course to port. Suddenly, to his horror he saw the British Clan Macnab on their port side (built 1920; 6076 gt., Captain P. G. de Gruchy) altering course to starboard instead. Several ships in the convoy had already been torpedoed by this time and some of the men had retired for a rest, but as the 2 ships turned together with great force they all came running up on deck, then dashed up to the boatdeck to lower the boats, thinking Strix had received a torpedo, though they soon saw the vessel bumping up against her and realized what had happened.

Upon examination Strix was found to be damaged, but could continue, while Clan Macnab sank the following day. Here is a Log of the lifeboat voyage kept by survivors of Clan Macnab after their collision with Strix. The external website that I've linked to at the end of this page has a casualty list and more details on the convoy. According to Charles Hocking ("Dictionary of Disasters at Sea during the Age of Steam 1824-1962") the collision took place in the neighbourhood of the Cape Verde Islands, 14 died, 1 injured - number varies according to source. Captain de Gruchy was among the survivors. "The World's Merchant Fleets 1939" (R. W. Jordan) gives the position as 17 13N 21 22W.

Further Convoy Voyages:

More convoy information will be added.

When Convoy SL 68 was dispersed on March 21, the captain of Strix decided to head for Halifax (see Page 1) where she was temporarily repaired before joining a convoy for the U.K. She had been scheduled for Convoy HX 120, which departed Halifax on Apr. 10-1941, but instead joined Convoy HX 122 on Apr. 20, in the company of several other Norwegian ships. The Advance Sailing Telegram gives her destination as Avonmouth, cargo of benzine, station 82, and from the archive document mentioned above, we learn that she arrived Avonmouth May 9. Cruising order/Commodore's notes are also available for this convoy, and Strix is mentioned in the notes, saying "On May 6 Strix had difficulty in keeping up a speed of 9 knots, when lying No. 7 in the Barry Roads column, but she kept up all right at 8.8 knots".

Later that month, we find her in Convoy OB 326, originating in Liverpool on May 22-1941, dispersed May 29, Strix arriving New York June 9. She headed back to the U.K. on Aug. 21 in Convoy HX 146, returning across the ocean in the middle of the following month with the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 17, and arrived Curacao on Oct. 11, the convoy having been dispersed Sept. 29.

Her subsequent voyages are listed on Page 2, Page 3 and Page 4; convoy information for some of these can be obtained by following the instructions provided at the external link at the end of this page.

Skipping now to Nov. 17-1944, when I have her in the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 161. The following month, she's listed in the westbound Convoy ON 272*, departing Southend on Dec. 14, arriving New York Jan. 1-1945 - according to Page 4 above, Strix had sailed from Belfast Lough on Dec. 14 and arrived New York Jan. 3, proceeding to Beaumont that same day.

At the end of Jan.-1945, she shows up in the slow Convoy SC 166 from Halifax, bound for Barton, where she arrived Febr. 16/17, subsequently returning across the Atlantic with the westbound Convoy ON 287*, which left Southend on Febr. 25-1945 and arrived New York March 14. It looks like she had been involved in a collision on March 8 - no further details available. According to Arnold Hague, she went back to the U.K. again in Convoy SC 177, which left Halifax on May 26 and arrived Liverpool June 8. This convoy is not yet available among the SC convoys included in my own Convoys section, but I've linked directly to Hague's listing at the end of this page.

Page 5 has the rest of her 1945 voyages, as well as some 1946 voyages.

Again, to obtain convoy information for voyages made in between those already noted in this narrative, please follow the instructions provided at the external link below, then compare the results with the details found on the various archive documents.

POST WAR:

Sold to Olsen & Ugelstad??

Related external link:
SL Convoys - SL 68 is included, and names of casualties from Clan Macnab are provided. Note also that by going to this section of the site (based on Arnold Hague's database) and clicking on "Ship Search" on the left hand side, using "Strix" as keyword, several convoys that are not mentioned in my own text will come up. Here are OB 326 and SC 177, both mentioned in the above narrative.

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