Site Map | Search Warsailors.com | Merchant Fleet Main Page | Warsailors.com Home |
|
M/T Strix To Strix on the "Ships starting with S" page. To Log of lifeboat voyage/Clan Macnab
Owner: Skibs-A/S Dieseltank Built by Götaverken A/B, Gothenburg in 1930. Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives: Please compare the above voyages with Arnold Hague's Voyage Record below.
(Received from Don Kindell - His source: The late Arnold Hague's database). Follow the convoy links provided for more information on each. Errors may exist, and some voyages may be missing.
As can be seen when going to Page 1 of the archive documents, Strix arrived Port Said on Apr. 5-1940, 4 days before war broke out in Norway. Her 1941 voyages also start on this document.
With a cargo of about 9000 tons aviation fuel, Strix had departed Freetown in Convoy SL 68 on March 13-1941 - ref. link provided within the Voyage Record above; Fernbank, Høegh Scout and Stiklestad are also listed. In 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. To his horror, he suddenly saw the British Clan Macnab on their port side altering course to starboard instead (built 1920; 6076 gt., Captain P. G. de Gruchy). 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 realized what had happened when they saw the ship bumping up against her. Strix was examined and found to be damaged, but could continue, while Clan Macnab sank the following day. Please continue to this Log of the lifeboat voyage kept by survivors of Clan Macnab for more information. The first external website that I've linked to below has a casualty list. 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. Related external links:
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 (it'll be noticed that several of the ships in this convoy had come from SL 68), but she instead joined Convoy HX 122 on Apr. 20. The Advance Sailing Telegram gives her destination as Avonmouth, cargo of benzine, station 82, and from the archive document, we learn that she arrived there on 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, along with Havtor and Tijuca, in Convoy OB 326, originating in Liverpool on May 22-1941, dispersed May 29, Strix arriving New York June 9. She remained there until Aug. 16, when she proceeded to Halifax in order to join Convoy HX 146 back to the U.K. on Aug. 21, returning across the ocean the following month with the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 17. She arrived Curacao on Oct. 11, the convoy having been dispersed Sept. 29. Her subsequent voyages are listed on Page 2. As can be seen, she spent 3 weeks in Sydney in the spring of 1942, followed by several months in Los Angeles. Also, in his Voyage Record, when in Alexandria, A. Hague mentions her repairing collision damage of Apr. 25-1943 - on that date, she was on her way from Bandar Abbas to Aden, Convoy PA 34 (external link); no further info on this collision is available. She had arrived Alexandria on May 12, and departure is given as May 20. See also Page 3 and Page 4 (showing a long stay in Baltimore in the fall of 1944); convoy information can be found in the Voyage Record. 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. Egerø, Ferncourt and Norsktank are also listed in this convoy. At the end of Jan.-1945, we find her in the slow Convoy SC 166 from Halifax, bound for Barton, where she arrived Febr. 16/17, subsequently returning across the Atlantic with Convoy ON 287*, which left Southend on Febr. 25, arrived New York March 14 and also included Buenos Aires, Norsktank, Roald Amundsen, Solfonn, Sophocles, Thorshov, Tiradentes and Østhav. According to A. Hague, Strix had been involved in a collision on March 8 - no further details are available, but she did remain in New York for a month, so perhaps repairs were necessary? Later on, she also spent a month in Boston, before proceeding to Halifax on May 22, and A. Hague has now included her, with Geisha (listed as British, but this was a Norwegian ship), Germa, Hardanger, Heimgar, Lago, Orwell, Sir James Clark Ross, Slemmestad, Sommerstad and Velma, in Convoy SC 177*, which left Halifax on May 26 and arrived Liverpool June 8 - again see Page 4 for a listing of her voyages in this period. Page 5 shows the rest of her 1945 voyages, as well as some 1946 voyages.
According to this external page, she was managed by Olsen & Ugelstad, Oslo from Nov.-1950. Sold in June-1955 to T.W. Ward Ltd., Briton Ferry, U.K. for breaking up. Back to Strix on the "Ships starting with S" page.
|
