M/S Tijuca
Updated Sept. 16-2012

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


Received from Sverre Johansen, Norway (postcard collection).

Misc. Convoy Voyages:

For information on voyages made in between those mentioned here, please see the documents received from the National Archives of Norway and A. Hague's Voyage Record above. Follow the links provided for more convoy information - several Norwegian ships took part.

As will be seen when going to Page 1 of the archive documents, Tijuca was on her way from Oslo, Norway to South Africa and China when war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9-1940. She arrived Table Bay on Apr. 13.

In Nov.-1940, she's listed among the ships in Convoy HX 86 from Halifax, bound for Belfast with a cargo of steel and general, arriving Belfast Nov. 25, later proceeding to Avonmouth, where she remained for over a month.

Wilh. Wilhelmsen's fleet list states that Tijuca struck a mine in the Bristol Channel on Jan. 12-1941 when outward bound from Avonmouth for Trinidad(?), but was able to proceed to Barry. According to Page 1, she had left Avonmouth on Jan. 9. "Nortraships flåte" says she was on her way to Barry when this occurred and was damaged enough that she had to be towed in afterwards. Barry and the ports in the Bristol Channel had been closed earlier that day while the area was being swept.

She did not leave Barry again until May 19-1941, arriving Milford Haven the next day, and from there she joined Convoy OB 326, which originated in Liverpool on May 22 and dispersed May 29, Tijuca arriving Galveston June 12 (where she remained for over 3 weeks). Havtor (for Iceland) and Strix are also listed (see the external link provided in the Voyage Record above). Her subsequent voyages are shown on Page 1 and Page 2.

Skipping now to Apr.-1942, when she's listed in station 62 of Convoy SL 106/SLF 106, which departed Freetown on Apr. 9. Her destination is given as Belfast, and she had a cargo of general, wool and cotton. According to A. Hague she had started out, together with Rio Branco, in the slow portion and was detached to the fast portion on Apr. 24, and also had 2 passengers and mail on board. She arrived Belfast Lough on Apr. 28/29, later proceeding to Avonmouth from there, with arrival May 3, remaining there for over a month, before proceeding to Milford Haven on June 9. We now find her in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 103, originating in Liverpool on June 12. She was bound for New York, where she arrived June 26, having sailed from Milford Haven June 11. This convoy will be added to an individual page in my Convoys section in due course, along with further details; in the meantime, the ships sailing in it are named in the section listing ships in all ON convoys. Ferncourt, Frontenac, Garnes (from Halifax), Idefjord, Kaia Knudsen, Kong Haakon VII (Commodore Vessel), Lista, Maud, Mirlo, Noreg, Scebeli, Sommerstad, Thorshøvdi and Troubadour are also listed, as is the Panamanian Norvinn (Norwegian managers).

Tijuca now remained in New York for 3 weeks; her subsequent voyages are listed on Page 2 - convoy information for some of these can be found in the Voyage Record.

Christmas that year was celebrated while in Convoy HX 219, which left New York on Dec. 13 and arrived Liverpool on the 29th; Tijuca stopped at Loch Ewe the day before. She was bound for Hull with general cargo, including pig iron, wheat and mail, and had station 23 of the convoy. In his notes, the Commodore names her captain as F. Fredriksen, and says he fired a snowflake at 03:00 on Dec. 28 adding, "his reason being that another ship of the convoy was too close to him. This is a gross misuse of appliances supplied and also endangered the safety of the convoy". Via Methil, Tijuca arrived Hull on Jan. 5-1943, and did not leave again until Febr. 4. A. hague has later included her, together with Kaia Knudsen and Vinga, in Convoy UC 1, originating in Liverpool on Febr. 15, arriving Curacao March 6 (Tijuca had sailed from Belfast Lough on Febr. 15). See ships in all UC convoys - will later be added to an individual page (several ships were torpedoed, ref. external link at the end of this page).

The rest of her 1943 voyages and some 1944 voyages are shown on Page 3, with convoy information in A. Hague's Voyage Record above (it'll be noticed that she occasionally had long stays in port).

In May-1944, she made a voyage from Bone to Port Said, having joined Convoy KMS 50, which left Gibraltar on May 15 and arrived Port Said May 25; Tijuca had started out from Bone on May 18. This convoy will also be added to an individual page in my Convoys section, but for now, please see the section naming ships in all KMS convoys. Boreas, Cetus, Far, Liss, Polarsol, Snar and Thorshavn are also named. Tijuca later made a voyage to Melbourne, spending 3 weeks there - see Page 4. This document also shows a long stay in Bombay, where she had arrived on Aug. 30-1944; departure is given as Nov. 5. A. Hague indicates she had been in need of repair from weather damage. Her 1945 voyages are also listed on this document, and it'll be noticed that she also spent a long time in Sydney that spring, and again in Swansea, from July 25-1945 until Dec. 23. According to A. Hague, she had been involved in a collision after arriving Swansea. From there, she proceeded to Marseilles, where she stayed for 3 weeks. This document has her voyages to Apr.-1946.

More details on all the other Norwegian ships mentioned here can be found via the alphabet index at the end of this page, or go to the Master Ship Index.

POST WAR:

Sold on Apr. 8-1952 to Olaf Pedersen's Rederi A/S (Olaf Pedersen, manager), Oslo and renamed Sunny Prince. Sold in 1958 to The People's Republic of China and renamed Hoping Ssu Shi Pa. Deleted from Lloyd's Register 1976-77 in the absence of up to date information about her continued existence.

Related external link:
Ships hit from convoy UC 1

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

This was the 1st of the company's 4 ships by this name.