M/S Tai Shan

To Tai Shan on the "Ships starting with T" page.


Source: Wilh. Wilhelmsen's fleet list (w/permission).

WW II picture, received from Markus Berger, Switzerland.

Related items on this website:
Ships in Sweden
Odd's ships

Breakout from Sweden - 1941:

Tai Shan was in Sweden at the outbreak of war in Norway. Escaped, along with Elisabeth Bakke, John Bakke, Taurus and Ranja on Jan. 23-1941. (My page "Ships in Sweden" has a list of, and information on the other Norwegian ships that were there at the time of the invasion of Norway - ref. link above). Please follow this link to Elisabeth Bakke to read more about "Operation Rubble". Captain at the time of the escape was Einar Fredrik Isaachsen*, who had just recently transferred from M/S Taurus, which had arrived Malmö from Copenhagen on Apr. 8-1940. Chief engineer was Reidar Otto Paulsen, while the radio operator was British, his last name was Bell. Tai Shan arrived Kirkwall on Jan. 25 with a cargo of raw iron, steel rods for aircraft, and 4 crates of carborators, all in all a valuable cargo for the RAF. Final destination was Gourock, where they were met by representatives for British Ministry of Supply and Nortraship. Tai Shan was the flag ship in this operation (George Binney was on board). 147 men and 1 woman (wife of Chief Enginner Hans G. Hansen of John Bakke) had taken part in the breakout, 58 were British, 57 Norwegian, 31 Swedish and 1 Latvian. Here is a Picture from the breakout (not great quality) - Photo by Herbert Baasch, author of "Handelsschiffe im Kriegseinsatz". It shows Taurus, barely visible and Tai Shan on the way. Received from the owner of Baasch's photo collection.

* There's a slight disagreement with regard to Captain Isaachsen - "The Blockade Busters" says he was in fact formerly the 1st mate on Tai Shan, and had never commanded a ship up until that time, although he did have a certificate to do so. This source also states that chief engineer was the Swedish Tage Mark.

A visitor to my website, George Monk has told me that the following men received ungazetted awards for services in Operation Rubble (his source: Seedies List of awards to the British Merchant Navy which includes awards to Allied merchant seamen):
Captain Einar Isaachsen -Hon OBE (Civ),
1st Mate Hugo A. Fallberg - Hon MBE (Civ),
Chief Engineer Reidar Paulsen - Hon MBE (Civ),
Steward K. Overland (Øverland?) - BEM (Civ).

Misc. War Voyages:

(Voyage Record will be added)

Please note that in addition to the two ON convoys mentioned below, Tai Shan was in several other westbound North Atlantic convoys, namely ON 40 (Nov.-1941), ON 69 (Febr.-1942), ON 117 (July-1942), ON 137 (Oct.-1942), ON 179 (Apr.-1943), ON 192 (July-1943), ON 201 (Sept.-1943), ON 263 (Oct.-1944), ON 281 (Jan.-1945), and ON 296 (Apr.-1945). These will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section in due course, but in the meantime, the ships sailing in them are named in the section listing ships in all ON convoys. By looking at the dates, and comparing them to the dates for her eastbound voyages with HX convoys, it should be possible to get a pattern of her Atlantic crossings. Note also that she's listed in the fast westbound Convoy UC 34 in Aug.-1944, together with Hegra and Reinholt - see ships in all UC convoys.

Tai Shan was attacked by Focke Wulf aircraft on Apr. 26-1941 (59 17N 10 06W), but not hit. Her returning fire damaged the aircraft, but it's not clear whether it crashed.

She's listed as sailing in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 138 in July-1941, bound for Mersey with general cargo. Already on Aug. 16 we find her, with destination Halifax, in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 8. Later that year, in Oct.-1941 she was in Convoy HX 154 along with the Norwegian Ranja, Hilda Knudsen (as well as another ? Knudsen vessel), Samuel Bakke, Emma Bakke, Polarsol, Skiensfjord, N. T. Nielsen-Alonso, Toronto, Noreg and an unnamed Norwegian tanker.

In Jan.-1942 she sailed in Convoy HX 168, together with the Norwegian Fernmoor, G. C. Brøvig and N. T. Nielsen Alonso. (Brimanger was also scheduled for this convoy, but did not sail). In May that year she's listed among the ships in Convoy HX 188, and in Sept. she was in Convoy HX 206.

Early the following year, in Jan.-1943, she was in Convoy HX 222, in which Vestfold was sunk. Tai Shan was bound for Belfast Dock and Cardiff with general cargo, and also had passengers on board. She returned the following month with the westbound Convoy ON 166, in which the Norwegian Stigstad, Ingria, N. T. Nielsen-Alonso and Glittre were sunk. Other Norwegian ships in this convoy were Molda, Skandinavia, Tropic Star and Brasil. The external website that I've linked to below now has her returning to the U.K. with Convoy HX 230, which left New York on March 18-1943 and arrived Liverpool on Apr. 2. This convoy is not available among the HX convoys on my own site, but I've linked directly to it below. That summer she shows up in Convoy HX 244, which originated in New York on June 15, however, Tai Shan joined from Halifax, bound for Liverpool with general cargo. A couple of months later, on Aug. 7-1943, she left New York in Convoy HX 251 with general cargo as well as 10 passengers. Her destination was Liverpool, station 141. A large number of Norwegian ships took part. Going back to the external site already mentioned, we also find her in Convoy HX 261, departing New York on Oct. 11-1943, arriving Liverpool on the 26th - follow the link provided.

In Sept.-1944 she sailed in Convoy HX 308, which originated in New York on Sept. 13, but Tai Shan, bound for London with general cargo, joined from Halifax. In Dec. that same year she was in Convoy HX 328, bound for Cardiff with general cargo.

The following spring she's listed in Convoy HX 343, leaving New York on March 9-1945, arriving Liverpool on the 24th - again, see the external link below.

Follow the links for more details on these convoys, and see the list of ON convoys further up on this page to get an idea of her westbound North Atlantic voyages in between the eastbound HX convoy voyages mentioned here.

POST WAR:

Sold on March 17-1960 to Nichimen Co., Osaka, Japan for scrapping. Arrived at Mihara on July 23-1960 and demolition commenced on the 25th at Kihara, Mihara-shi.

Related external link:
Misc. convoys - By clicking on "Ship Search", using "Tai Shan" as keywords, some convoy voyages that are not mentioned in my own text above will come up. Here are HX 230, HX 261, HX 343.

Back to Tai Shan on the "Ships starting with T" page.

(Tai Shan is one og the five sacred mountains of China, West Shantung province).

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, Wilh. Wilhelmsen fleet list and misc. (ref. My sources).