M/S Tai Yang - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

In Nov.-1927, Wilhelmsen made an agreement with Barber Steamship Company, New York to provide tonnage for Barber's regular service between the New York area and the Far East, in co-operation with the Liverpool firm, James Chambers & Company. Each company was to have 5 ships available. Existing tonnage was used at first, but between 1929 and 1930, 10 almost identical motor liners were built, specially adapted for transportation of vegetable oil and reefer cargo. 5 of the ships were given Chinese names, beginning with the prefix "Tai". Tai Yang was the first in the series (Troja was the 10th and last). Tai Yang was launched on July 14-1928 by Deutsche Werke A.G., Kiel (Yard No. 220), completed March 18-1929. 7084 gt, 3903 net, 12 400 tdwt, 461.4' x 60.6' x 29.0', two 8 cyl. 4 scsa oil engines totalling 7000 ihp by the shipbuilders, driving twin screws. Service speed 14.5 knots.

Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives:
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3

Some Convoy Voyages:

As will be seen when going to Page 1 above, Tai Yang had departed Padang on Apr. 2-1940 and arrived Aden on Apr. 13, 4 days after the German invasion of Norway - it looks like her original destination was Oslo, Norway. From Aden, she sailed to Suez, Malta and Gibraltar the following month, and on May 20, I have her in Convoy HGF 31 from Gibraltar, bound for London with general cargo, arriving London on May 29. According to Arnold Hague, she later joined Convoy FN 224 in order to sail to Methil (Selvik is also listed in this convoy), and from there she proceeded in Convoy OA 187, which departed Methil on July 20 and dispersed on the 25th, Tai Yang arriving New York on Aug. 1 (the Norwegian Asgerd and Selvik are also listed in OA 187).

Her subsequent voyages are listed on Page 1; it'll be noticed that there's a big gap in her voyages, from Aug. 1-1940 (when she arrived New York) to Febr. 9-1941, when she left New York again. I'm not sure whether she had remained in New York that long, or whether her voyages in the interim are just missing. See also Page 2 (this document also shows a big gap, from Apr. 11-1942, when she arrived Port Said, to Aug. 5 that same year, when she's said to have departed Port Said for Suez, and again from Nov. 1-1942, when she arrived Sydney from Melbourne, to July 14-1943, when she departed Sydney for Newcastle, N.S.W.).

In Oct.-1943, she's listed in Convoy MB 52, departing Colombo on Oct. 25, arriving Bombay Oct. 30, and the following month, we find her in Convoy BM 74, which left Bombay on Nov. 11 and arrived Colombo on the 16th; Tai Yang, however, proceeded to Melbourne, where she arrived on Dec. 2.

Tai Yang otherwise usually sailed independently.

Her 1944 voyages are listed on Page 2 above, while the rest of her voyages (to Febr.-1946) are shown on Page 3, and again, there's a long gap, from Oct. 27-1944, when she arrived Sydney from Bombay, to Apr. 4-1945, when she left Sydney for Melbourne. She also appears to have spent a long time in Sydney from July-1945 to Nov.-1945.

The convoys mentioned here are available via the external website that I've linked to below.

POST WAR:

From 1952 she had two 5 cyl. 2 scsa oil engines totalling 8000 ihp by Howaldtswerke A.G., Hamburg, driving the twin screws. Service speed 15 knots, 8 passengers. Sold on Febr. 22-1962 to Cia. Nav. Mousse S.A. (Achilles Frangistas, manager), Lebanon and renamed Mousse. Sold in 1969 to Mousse Shipping Co. Ltd., Cyprus. Sold to Chinese shipbreakers in 1970. Delivered at Shanghai on March 16-1970 for demolition.

Related external links:
Convoy FN 224 - The site (based on Arnold Hague's database) also has information on OA 187 (incomplete listing), MB 52 and BM 74.

Stavern Memorial commemoration - 3rd Engineer Ole Kvalnesvik is listed as having died at sea on Aug. 19-1942 because of illness. According to Page 2 of the archive documents, Tai Yang was en route from Suez to Aden on that date.

(Tai Yang is Chinese for "the sun").