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T/S Tana To Tana on the "Ships starting with T" page. Manager: Wilh. Wilhelmsen, Tønsberg Launched by Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co. Ltd., Jarrow (Yard No. 917) on March 24-1921, completed Oct. 10. Wilhelmsen's first steam turbine ship. Captain: Jahn K. Jahnsen Related items on this website: Her voyages are listed on this original document received from the National Archives of Norway.
Judging from the information found on the archive document above, Tana appears to have been on her way from New Orleans to Oslo, Norway when war broke out on Apr. 9-1940, but was diverted to Liverpool, where she later arrived on May 1, remaining there for several weeks.
Tana was 1 of the 26 Norwegian ships interned in North and West Africa. As is the case with so many of the other interned ships, there's some confusion with regard to dates and facts, as follows: "Nortraships flåte", J. R Hegland, says she was interned on June 22-1940, later requisitioned as Ste Simone. Sunk in 1943. At the external website that I've linked to at the end of this page (based on A. Hague's database), Tana is listed as bound for Casablanca in Convoy OB 163, which departed Liverpool on June 8-1940 and also included Olaf Fostenes and Sildra. This convoy joined up with Convoy OA 163 on June 9 (Ringstad was in this convoy), the combined convoy forming Convoy OG 33F, which arrived Gibraltar on June 14 (will be added to an individual page in my Convoys section; in the meantime, the ships sailing in it are named on the page listing ships in all OG convoys). The archive document says she left River Mersey (for Panama) on June 8, and was in port in Casablanca on July 2; still in port at Casablanca on Sept. 7, but left for Safi on Jan. 15-1941, arrival date is not given. Wilh. Wilhelmsen's fleet list says Tana was on a voyage from Liverpool to Panama when she was seized by the Vichy French in Safi, Morocco on July 4-1941 and renamed as above (then taken over by the Germans in Nov.-1942 and renamed Tana). It looks like 2 events have been combined here; as mentioned above, she had intended to sail to Panama from Liverpool in June-1940, not July-1941, and headed to Safi much later. It would seem likely she was interned in Casablanca in the summer of 1940, then requisitioned and renamed in Safi in 1941. R. W. Jordan's "The World's Merchant Fleets 1939" says she was seized in Safi on July 4-1941 (agrees with the name Ste Simone), later in German service as Tana (from Nov.-1942), attacked and damaged by allied aircraft near Olbia, Sardinia on May 24-1943. "Sjømann - Lang Vakt" by Guri Hjeltnes says she had a crew of 31, 30 Norwegian, 6 went home. This source says she was interned in Safi. In the book "Våre falne", which lists Norwegians who died during the war, I came across the name Lars Olof Larsen, able seaman on Tana, who is said to have died at a camp on Sept. 3-1941, following illness, and is buried same place. A French visitor to my website says that according to his records Tana sailed from Safi on ? -41 in convoy. At Casablanca on ? Sailed from Casablanca on Aug. 10-1941 in convoy. At Oran Aug. 13 that year. All this probably refers to her movements after she had been seized. In coastal traffic off Tunisia (Bizerta to Sfax) in 1942. More information on the other Norwegian ships mentioned here can be found via the alphabet index below, or go to the Master Ship Index. Partial Crew List:
I will look these names up in Kristian Ottosen's "Nordmenn i fangenskap" (Norwegians in imprisonment) to see if there's more information on where the above men had been kept.
Raised, but foundered on Dec. 10-1946 while in tow for Genoa, position 41 20N 10 57E. Related external link: Back to Tana on the "Ships starting with T" page. Wilh. Wilhelmsen later had another ship by this name from 1956 till 1969, originally delivered as Ringfred in Febr.-1956 and managed by Olav Ringdal, Oslo, 6553 gt. Sold to Wilh. Wilhelmsen in May that same year and renamed Tana. Later names: Johs Presthus of Bergen from 1969, Johs P of Piræus from 1971, Concordia Johs 1971, Johs P again in 1972. Towed to Antwerp and repaired after a fire broke out when east of Dungeness on a voyage Sluiskil-Guayaquil on March 18-1973, renamed Bouboulina Wave 1974, Dalyah 1978. Broken up at Busan 1979. The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume II, Norwegian Maritime Museum, and misc. others as named within above text - (ref. My sources).
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