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Thorshammer
Whale Factory

Updated Sept. 7-2012

To Thorshammer on the "Ships starting with T" page.


Source: Narve Sørensen.
Several more pictures are available at this external website
See also this external page

Owner: A/S Bryde & Dahls Hvalfangerselskap A/S
Manager: A/S Thor Dahl, Sandefjord
Tonnage:
12 215 gt

Built by W. Doxford & Sons Ltd., Sunderland as San Nazario (Eagle Oil), launched June 9-1914 by H. W. Masters, delivered Sept. 5. Torpedoed and damaged on Oct. 15-1917 by U-53 - repaired. Purchased by Bryde & Dahls Hvalfangerselskap (A/S Thor Dahl), Sandefjord on July 23-1928, converted to whaleoil factory at Framnæs mek. Værksted and renamed Thorshammer. Further rebuilt in Rotterdam 1931/'32.

Captain: Einar Torp. Also, Hjalmar Braavold.

Related item on this website:
Norwegian Victims of Pinguin

Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives:
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4


Please compare the above voyages with Arnold Hague's Voyage Record below.

  Voyage Record
From Apr.-1940 to July-1945:  

(Received from Don Kindell - His source: The late Arnold Hague's database).

Follow the convoy links provided for more information on each.

Departure From To Arrival Convoy Remarks
1940 Apr. 4 Rio Trinidad Apr. 17 Independent See also Page 1
Apr. 24 Trinidad New Orleans May 3 Independent
May 13 New Orleans Mobile May 18 Independent
June 11 Mobile Montevideo July 11 Independent Via Caripito
(Page 1)
July 26 Montevideo Halifax Aug. 16 Independent
Oct. 11 Halifax Curacao Oct. 20 Independent
Oct. 21 Curacao Montevideo Nov. 10 Independent
Nov. 13 Montevideo Antarctic Whaling Grounds Independent See also narrative below & Page 1
1941 Apr. 27 South Georgia Montevideo May 4 Independent
May 11 Montevideo Trinidad May 27 Independent
May 27 Trinidad Curacao May 30 Independent
June 1 Curacao New Orleans June 11 Independent A. Hague says:
Notional sailing date
(Page 1 gives June 4).
June 19 New Orleans New York City June 25 Independent
June 26 New York City Halifax June 29 Independent
Sept. 15 Halifax St. John, N.B. Sept. 17 Independent
Sept. 26 St. John, N.B. Halifax Sept. 27 Independent
Oct. 3 Halifax New York City Oct. 5 Independent
Oct. 8 New York City Aruba Oct. 15 Independent
Oct. 16 Aruba Cristobal Oct. 19 Independent
Oct. 24 Balboa Balboa Jan. 16-1942 Independent A. Hague says:
Voyage data unknown
(Page 1 suggests whaling grounds).
1942 Jan. 19 Cristobal New Orleans Jan. 25 Independent
Apr. 21 New Orleans Baytown Apr. 25 Independent
Apr. 26 Baytown Cristobal May 3 Independent
May 5 Balboa Talara Sept. 2 Independent A. Hague says:
Probably via whaling grounds.
Sept. 3 Talara Balboa Sept. 7 Independent
Sept. 11 Balboa Los Angeles Sept. 24 Independent Page 1 says:
with 8 whalers.
Sept. 25 Los Angeles Tacoma Oct. 1 Independent
1943 Jan. 5 Seattle San Francisco Jan. 8 Independent
Jan. 12 San Francisco Honolulu Independent
Jan. 30 Honolulu Los Angeles Febr. 18 Independent Via San Francisco - See Page 2
Febr. 20 Los Angeles San Francisco Febr. 21 Independent
Febr. 23 San Francisco Seattle Febr. 26 Independent
March 3* Seattle San Francisco March 6 Independent *Page 2 gives departure March 5 (error?).
March 9 San Francisco Seattle March 12 Independent
March 16 Seattle San Francisco March 19 Independent
March 21 San Francisco Honolulu Apr. 1 Independent A. Hague says:
Notional sailing date
(Page 2 gives March 22).
Apr. 9 Honolulu San Francisco Apr. 17 Independent
Apr. 22 San Francisco Honolulu May 3 Independent
May 12 Honolulu San Francisco May 20 Independent
May 27 San Francisco Seattle May 30 Independent
June 8 Seattle San Francisco June 11 Independent
July 5 San Francisco Los Angeles July 7 Independent
July 20 Los Angeles Callao Oct. 5 Independent A. Hague says:
Voyage data unknown
Page 2 says:
with eight whalers
(see also Thorgaut).
Nov. 10 Whaling Grounds Balboa Nov. 18 Independent
Nov. 19 Cristobal New Orleans Nov. 26 Independent
Dec. 19 New Orleans Cristobal Dec. 25 Independent
Dec. 26 Balboa Talara Dec. 30 Independent See also Page 2
(left Talara Dec. 30? Error?)
1944 Jan. 30 Talara South Georgia Febr. 22 Independent Page 2 says:
and 8 whalers.
Febr. 24 South Georgia Valparaiso Apr. 15 Independent (8 whalers)
Apr. 16 Valparaiso Balboa Apr. 27 Independent
Apr. 28 Cristobal Gitmo May 2 ZG 66 Convoy available at ZG 66
(external link)
As will be seen when following the link to Convoy ZG 66, several Norwegian whalers are included.
May 4 Gitmo Key West May 6 GK 804 Convoy available at GK 804
(external link)
May 6 Key West Houston May 10 KH 523 Convoy available at KH 523
(external link)
May 24 Galveston Bar Key West May 28 HK 233 Convoy available at HK 233
(external link)
May 28 Key West KN 316 Detached June 2.
Convoy available at KN 316
(external link)
June 2 Detached from KN 316 Boston June 4 Independent
June 8 Boston Halifax June 10 BX 111 Convoy available at BX 111
(external link)
Oct. 3 Halifax Cape Cod Canal Oct. 5 XB 128 Convoy available at XB 128
(external link)
Oct. 5 Cape Cod Canal New York City Oct. 6 Independent
Oct. 6 New York City Aruba Oct. 15 Independent
Oct. 17 Aruba New York City Oct. 25 Independent
Oct. 28 New York City Houston Nov. 5 Independent
Nov. 6 Baytown Cristobal Nov. 13 Independent
Nov. 15 Cristobal Curacao Nov. 18 Independent
Nov. 20 Curacao Cristobal Nov. 24 Independent
Nov. 28 Cristobal Curacao Dec. 1 Independent
Dec. 3 Curacao Cristobal Dec. 5 Independent
Dec. 8 Cristobal Aruba Dec. 10 Independent
Dec. 12 Aruba Cristobal Independent
Dec. 17 Cristobal Aruba Dec. 20 Independent
Dec. 21 Aruba New York City Dec. 30 Independent
1945 Jan. 4 New York City Curacao Jan. 12 Independent
Jan. 13 Curacao Cristobal Jan. 16 Independent
Jan. 22 Cristobal Aruba Jan. 25 Independent
Jan. 26 Aruba Cristobal Jan. 29 Independent
Febr. 1 Cristobal Curacao Febr. 5 Independent
Febr. 7 Curacao Cristobal Febr. 10 Independent
Febr. 12 Cristobal Curacao Febr. 16 Independent
Febr. 18 Curacao New York City Febr. 26 Independent
March 4 New York City Aruba March 12 Independent
March 14 Aruba Cape Henry March 21 Independent
March 25 Cape Henry Aruba Apr. 1 Independent
Apr. 3 Aruba New York City Apr. 11 Independent
Apr. 14 New York City Curacao Apr. 23 Independent
Apr. 25 Curacao Cristobal Apr. 28 Independent
May 1 Cristobal Aruba May 4 Independent
May 5 Aruba Cristobal May 8 Independent
May 12 Cristobal Aruba May 14 Independent
May 15 Aruba Hampton Roads May 23 Independent
May 26 Hampton Roads Curacao June 2 Independent
June 4 Curacao New York City June 12 Independent
June 20 New York City Clyde July 4 Independent Subsequent voyages:
Page 3 & Page 4


 Notes: 

As will be seen when going to Page 1 of the archive documents, Thorshammer was on her way from Rio de Janeiro to Trinidad when war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9-1940.

Thanks to the quick reaction from Globe VIII, Pol VII and Thorarinn, Thorshammer was warned of danger and escaped capture by Pinguin on Jan. 14-1941. Please continue to my page Norwegian Victims of Pinguin for a detailed account on Thorshammer's escape that day (go to Those who escaped capture).

Her 1941 and 1942 voyages are also shown on Page 1, while Page 2 lists her 1943 and some 1944 voyages. The rest can be found on Page 3. According to the Memorial for Seamen in Stavern, Norway (see link at the end of this page), she lost a crew member that year. Electrician Hans Trønnes is listed as having died on Nov. 22.-1944 following an accident on board. From the archive document, we learn that Thorshammer was on her way from Curacao to Cristobal on that date. This document also has most of her 1945 voyages, and as can be seen, she got to go home to Norway already in July-1945, and again in the spring of 1946 (Page 4).

It'll be noticed, when going to the various archive documents, that she occasionally had long stays in port.

 POST WAR: 

Refitted by Framnæs mek. Værksted(?) in 1948, and Harland & Wolff in Liverpool (as per 1949 report). Sold on Sept. 6-1962 to SPA Cantieri Navali, Genoa, Italy for breaking up.

Related external links:
Queen of Bermuda
- The Norwegian whaling fleet is mentioned in Part Five.

Stavern Memorial commemoration - Electrician Hans Trønnes is commemorated.

Thorshammer - This site has a lot of information on this ship's history (including names of captains through the years), as well as several pictures. The site also gives the reasons for her long stays in port (Norwegian text).

Back to Thorshammer on the "Ships starting with T" page.

Other ships by this name: Thor Dahl later had two ships by this name, one M/T, built 1963, sold 1968 (Theodora), the other T/T - built 1969. The Clydebuilt Ships website has some details on the 1963 Thorshammer, as does this site, which also has the 1969 Thorshammer - all links are external.

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