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M/T Trondheim To Trondheim on the "Ships starting with T" page. Owner: A/S Tank Built by Eriksbergs Mekaniske Verkstads A/B, Gothenburg in 1939. This ship had a female, Canadion radio operator, Mary McDermott Milne. She was on board from the fall of 1943 until Sept.-1945 (I believe she was 2nd RO). I'm not 100% sure, but I think she later served on D/S Ravnefjell (1946). My page about M/S Mosdale has a list of other female Canadian radio operators on Norwegian ships during the war. Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives: Please compare the above voyages with Arnold Hague's Voyage Record below.
(Received from Don Kindell - His source: The late Arnold Hague's database). Follow the convoy links provided for more information on each. Errors may exist, and some voyages are missing.
As will be seen when going to Page 1 of the archive documents, Trondheim occasionally had long stays in port in the course of 1940/1941. At the end of Sept.-1941, she joined the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 152 (station 95), together with the Norwegian Drammensfjord (106), Beth (44), Evita (93 - returned), Høegh Giant (92), Salamis (84), and Storanger (83). Trondheim arrived Belfast on Oct. 13, and from Belfast Lough, she later joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 29*, which originated in Liverpool on Oct. 22 and dispersed Nov. 5 and also included Akabahra (returned), Astra, Bjørkhaug, Boreas, Marga, Spero (returned) and Spica. Eglantine and Montbretia are named among the escorts - see ON convoy escorts. According to A. Hague, Trondheim became a straggler from this convoy on Oct. 29, but she arrived Halifax safely on Nov. 9. A. Hague says she arrived with engine defects, and it'll be noticed, when going to Page 2, that she subsequently remained there for a long time. She left Halifax again on Febr. 19-1942, joining Convoy HX 176, arriving Liverpool on March 6, continuing to Stanlow. With Brant County, Grey County, Hallanger, James Hawson, Meline, Norefjord, Noreg and Stigstad, she returned across the Atlantic with Convoy ON 79*, which departed Liverpool on March 23 and arrived Halifax Apr. 7; Trondheim arrived New York that day (it looks like her destination was initially Port Arthur - see Page 2). Later that month, we find her in Convoy HX 186 from Halifax; she arrived Avonmouth, via Belfast Lough, on May 4/5, subsequently joining the westbound Convoy ON 95*, originating in Liverpool on May 15. A. Hague gives her destination as Port Arthur; she arrived New York on May 30, having started out from Milford Haven on the 14th. Abraham Lincoln, Daghild, Fernwood, Hardanger, Helgøy, Morgenen, N.T. Nielsen Alonso, Norbryn, Solstad and Stigstad are also listed in this convoy. Trondheim now made some voyages around the U.S. (convoy info in Voyage Record) until July that year, when she can be found in Convoy HX 199 from Halifax, station 82. She arrived Heysham on July 30, then together with Belinda, Scebeli, Sir James Clark Ross and Tungsha, she returned with Convoy ON 119*, departing Liverpool on Aug. 5, arriving New York Aug. 20. Again, see the archive document referred to above for info on her subsequent movements (with convoy information in the table above). In Sept.-1942, she's listed in station 73 of Convoy HX 209 from New York, for which Skiensfjord served as Commodore Vessel. Trondheim was bound for Belfast and Heysham - she arrived Belfast Lough on Oct. 8/9, Heysham on Oct. 13 (Page 2). Just a few days later, she joined Convoy ON 139*, which left Liverpool for New York on Oct. 16, but she returned to port, arriving Clyde Oct. 21, later joining Convoy ON 141* from there. This convoy originated in Liverpool on Oct. 24 and arrived New York Nov. 10. Both these convoys also had other Norwegian ships, namely Fernmoor (returned), Idefjord, Norsktank, Reinholt (returned) and Tungsha, as well as the Panamanian Vestfold (Norwegian managers) in ON 139, and Albert L. Ellsworth, Anna Odland, Aun, Fagerfjell, Fernmoor, Fernwood, Gallia, Herbrand, Jenny (returned), Pan Aruba, Reinholt, Salamis, Samuel Bakke (Commodore Vessel), Skiensfjord and Ørnefjell in ON 141. There's now a gap in her voyage information - the last entry on Page 2 shows her leaving New York on Nov. 15-1942, returning to port that same day, and the first voyage on Page 3 shows her departing New York for Key West on Jan. 30-1943 (convoy info in Voyage Record above). According to A. Hague she had suffered engine defects. On Febr. 28-1943, we find her in station 112 of the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 228, in which Brant County and several others were sunk - follow the links for more info. See also the cruising order/Commodore's notes, as well as these reports and the analysis of attacks. Trondheim arrived Heysham, via Belfast Lough, on March 16, leaving again on March 18, subsequently joining the westbound Convoy ON 174*, which left Liverpool on March 20, and arrived New York Apr. 8. Fagerfjell, Norbryn, Nueva Granada and Troubadour are also listed. Having remained in New York for over 3 weeks, Trondheim joined Convoy HX 237 back to the U.K. on May 1 (Brand and Sandanger were sunk - follow the links for details). Trondheim's destination is given as Swansea, where she arrived (again via Belfast Lough) on May 18. A few days later she joined Convoy ON 186*, which originated in Liverpool on May 24 and arrived New York June 7; Trondheim arrived Baltimore on June 8, having started out from Milford Haven May 23. B. P. Newton, Herbrand, Meline, Norholm and Spinanger are also named in this convoy. Trondheim now had a long stay in Baltimore, before proceeding to Philadelphia, then on to New York, where she arrived July 8. She had been scheduled for Convoy HX 247 on July 7, but instead joined the next convoy on July 15, HX 248. The Commodore's report is also available for this convoy. Her destination is given as Grangemouth on that occasion, and she arrived there, via Loch Ewe, on July 31 (Page 3). With Athos, California Express, Fjordaas, Gefion, Hardanger, Montevideo (Commodore Vessel), Mosli, Oregon Express, Roald Amundsen and Skotaas, she now joined the westbound Convoy ON 196*, originating in Liverpool on Aug. 8-1943, arriving New York on the 21st, and about a week later, she's listed in station 46 of Convoy HX 254, again bound for Grangemouth. She stopped at Loch Ewe on Sept. 10, continuing to Grangemouth the next day. Together with California Express, Dageid, Duala, Gefion, Lista, Norholm, Polartank, Skaraas, Vav, Vinga and the Panamanian Norlys (Norwegian managers), she headed in the other direction again with Convoy ON 203*, originating in Liverpool on Sept. 22, arriving New York Oct. 10, and according to Arnold Hague, she returned to the U.K. in Convoy HX 262*, which left New York on Oct. 18 and arrived Liverpool Nov. 2. He has also included California Express, Fjordaas, Gallia and Strinda (returned following a collision). Her last Trans-Atlantic convoy voyage that year was made, along with Bañaderos (for Clyde only?), Elisabeth Bakke (Commodore Vessel), Herbrand, Norholm, Vanja and Østhav, in Convoy ON 211*, departing Liverpool on Nov. 13, arriving New York on the 29th. From the U.S., she headed to Augusta the following month - again, see Page 3 (which shows a long stay in Baltimore at the beginning of 1944), as well as Page 4. Convoy information for her subsequent voyages can be found in the Voyage Record. Skipping now to June-1944, when I have Trondheim in Convoy GUS 44, which originated in Port Said on June 24. This convoy was bound for Hampton Roads (arrival July 18), but several ships parted company along the way, while others joined (some Norwegian); in fact, Trondheim is said to have joined from Augusta on June 29, and she was only bound for Casablanca, where she arrived July 5. Note that she's also mentioned in connection with Convoy GUS 45; she arrived New York on July 28, having sailed from Casablanca July 13. Further voyages are listed on Page 4 (showing another long stay in Baltimore in the fall of 1944) and Page 5, with convoy details in the Voyage Record. From Page 5, we learn that she headed home to Norway from Curacao in Dec.-1945, arriving Bergen early Jan.-1946.
Sold in 1952 to "Mare Nostrum" SpA, Genoa, Italy, renamed Punta Ronco. Sold to Italian breakers and arrived Spezia Apr. 13-1965 to be broken up. Back to Trondheim on the "Ships starting with T" page.
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