D/T Torborg
Updated June 8-2008

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

Further to the above:

(Please note that only a few of her voyages are mentioned here - for voyages in between those noted below, please go back to the Voyage Record).

Torborg, bound for Texas, is listed among the ships in Convoy OA 139 in the spring of 1940, together with the Norwegian Grey County, Lynghaug, Nueva Granada, and Snar. This convoy left Southend on May 1 and dispersed on the 4th, Torborg arriving Port Arthur independently on May 21. She returned to the U.K. the following month with Convoy HX 49, in which Eli Knudsen and Randsfjord were sunk. Torborg was bound for Manchester with crude oil and joined the convoy from Bermuda.

In Sept.-1940 she's listed in Convoy OB 215, which left Liverpool on Sept. 17 and was dispersed on the 21st., Torborg arriving Aruba independently on Oct. 6. Other Norwegian ships in this convoy were Alfred Olsen, Gard, Hørda, Lyra, and Siremalm (returned). Torborg headed back to the U.K. later that month with Convoy HX 81, again joining from Bermuda, cargo of fuel oil for Manchester. At the beginning of Dec.-1940 she shows up, with Alaska, Gallia and Sandanger, in Convoy OB 255, leaving Liverpool on Dec. 7. Her destination is given as Aruba / Las Piedras, however, she returned to port and subsequently joined Convoy OB 258 on Dec. 12 (together with Suderholm). See the external links provided within the above table for more on the OA and OB convoys.

In Jan./Febr.-1941 we find her in station 93 of Convoy HX 106, again joining from Bermuda (having previously been cancelled from HX 103), and in March she appears, with Brant County, Ferncourt, Kongsgaard, Ranja, and Taurus, in Convoy OB 301, originating in Liverpool on March 23; her destination is given as New York, where she arrived independently on Apr. 9, the convoy having dispersed on March 27. She headed back to the U.K. again in May in Convoy HX 128, cargo of crude oil for Ardrossan, station 44. (She had previously been cancelled from HX 126, in which John P. Pedersen was sunk, as well as from HX 127). As will be seen when following the links, she was again in the company of other Norwegian ships. Torborg, bound for Curacao, subsequently joined Convoy OB 337, originating in Liverpool on June 20-1941. This convoy, which also included Buccinum, Facto, Ila, Inger Elisabeth, and Sirehei, dispersed on June 28, and she arrived her destination independently on July 12 (again, ref. the external link provided within the above table for more OB convoy information).

Many independent voyages now followed (they are noted in the Voyage Record), until she in Oct.-1942 shows up in Convoy PA 6, departing Bandar Abbas for Aden on Oct. 15 - ref. link provided. This was followed by a few more independent sailings. Further details on her voyages in the period Nov.-1942 to Apr.-1943 are not available to me at this time, and there's also a gap from Apr.-1943 to the end of Aug.-1943. In Sept.-1943 I have her in a document for Convoy PA 54 / PB 57, together with Havkong, Norfjell, Norfold, Ima and Europe. At the end of the following month she made a voyage from Malta to Bizerta with Convoy MKS 29, and was bound for the U.S.A. - scroll down to the second table on the page about MKS 29. As can be seen from the information in the above table, she later joined Convoy GUS 20 from Bizerta in order to complete her voyage to the U.S., and arrived Baltimore on Nov. 25.

Another gap in my information now follows, until she in Apr.-1944 was scheduled for the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 288, but instead joined the next convoy, HX 289. At the beginning of June she joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 239* (originated in Liverpool June 3). This convoy, which also included Evanger, Henrik Ibsen, Idefjord, John Bakke, Mui Hock, O. B. Sørensen, Thalatta, Vav and Vinga, arrived New York on June 22, but Torborg is said to have stopped at Baltimore, later proceeding independently to New York, where she arrived on July 1, then joined Convoy HX 298 2 days later in order to return to the U.K. Together with Frontenac, Gylfe, Høegh Hood, Høyanger, Kaia Knudsen, Laurits Swenson, Lista, Maud, Minerva, Norden, Norma, Skaraas, Skiensfjord, and Velma she headed in the other direction again the following month with the westbound Convoy ON 249*, wich originated in Liverpool on Aug. 18 and arrived New York Sept. 2.

Some 1944 and 1945 voyages (from an article in "Tilbakeblikk" written by A. K. Thommessen):
She left New York again on Sept. 15-1944 and arrived Philadelphia on the 17th to pick up a cargo of fuel oil, before heading to Hampton Roads where she anchored up on Sept. 20. Gunners at this time were Arne K. Thommesen (see Topdalsfjord), Wilhelm Hansen, Reidar H. Berntsen and Ingolf Ingvaldsen. Her armament consisted of a 4" gun and four 20 mm Oerlikons, as well as some rifles. She was also fitted out to supply the escort vessels with oil while at sea. On Sept. 22 she joined a convoy for Gibraltar (Convoy UGS 55), arriving on Oct. 8. Most of the ships in the convoy continued to various Mediterranean ports while Torborg stayed in Gibraltar to unload the fuel oil, before departing for Baltimore on Oct. 12 with arrival on Oct. 29 (Convoy GUS 54). After having been at a yard there until Nov. 14 she proceeded to Norfolk for another cargo of fuel oil, then headed back to Hampton Roads for convoy, but remained there until Nov. 21 before orders came for her to go out and meet a Mediterranean convoy (Convoy UGS 61). After having passed Gibraltar she was ordered to Augusta (still in convoy according to Thommessen, while A. Hague says she left the convoy on Dec. 7), arriving there early in the morning of Dec. 11-1944, but was ordered to Naples that same day, with arrival Dec. 12, enduring a number of air attacks while there. 3 of the gunners were now needed for other vessels and left the ship, and when Markus Jacobsen joined her on Dec. 15, he and A. Thommessen were the only gunners on board for the trip out from Naples on the 16th, after part of the fuel oil had been discharged there. She arrived Oran in a small convoy on Dec. 19 (A. Hague says she sailed independently), and the remainder of the fuel oil was unloaded before she on Christmas Eve left for Gibraltar then back to the U.S (with Convoy GUS 62).

She reached Baltimore on Jan. 11-1945 at which time she went back to the yard. Gunner Jacobsen left and was replaced by Leif M. Pedersen on Jan. 17. On Jan. 23 she sailed alone for Curacao with arrival Febr. 1, took on board a cargo of crude oil, and departed the next day for New York, again alone. She did not arrive New York until Febr. 11, and did not stop, but continued to Halifax (Convoy BX 146 - Boston is not mentioned in Thommessen's article - perhaps she joined this convoy at sea?) to join a convoy for the U.K., with departure on Febr. 25. This was Convoy SC 168, in which the Norwegian Ferncliff, Iron Baron, Kristianiafjord, Lago Marie Bakke, Peik, and Vera also took part - see link provided above. Due to her slow speed she lost the convoy and ended up alone on the ocean after 3 days, but arrived Mumbles (near Swansea) safely on March 14. Again new orders were received and she proceeded into the channel, with arrival Gravesend on March 20 (Convoy BTC 97?). While unloading the crude oil they could clearly hear the V2 bombs over London. When leaving the harbour she collided with another tanker, though received only minor damages and was able to continue towards Belfast to meet a convoy for the U.S. This time it was a slower convoy so she had no problems keeping up with the speed and reached Baltimore on Apr. 16, having sailed in the westbound Convoy ON 293*, which originated in Liverpool on March 27 and included the Norwegian Egda, Katy, Samuel Bakke, Skaraas, Tungsha and Velma. For the third time she went to a yard for repairs of a leaking cylinder which, it appears, didn't get fixed properly the first two times.

* All the ON convoys mentioned here are available and will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section in due course, along with further details on each. In the meantime, the ships sailing in them are named in the section listing ships in all ON convoys.

For more information on all the other Norwegian ships mentioned on this page, please see the alphabet index below, or go to the Master Ship Index.

POST WAR:

Sold in 1947? Sold in 1948 to Neste O/Y (A/B Henry Nielsen O/Y) Helsingfors, renamed Neste. Owned from 1953 by Polskie Linie Oceaniczne, Gdynia as Wspolpraca. Broken up in Bremerhaven by Eisen und Metall KG Lehr & Co in 1956 (from a posting to my Ship Forum by Maurice Voss).

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