D/S Troubadour - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

Misc. Convoy Voyages:

Please follow the links provided for more information on the convoys mentioned here; the Commodore's notes are also available for some of them, and several Norwegian ships took part. Much more convoy information will be added for Troubadour.

Troubadour crossed the Atlantic 48 times, and also had some voyages to the Mediterranean, as will be seen in this narrative. When Norway was invaded by the Germans on Apr. 9-1940, she was in New York, later proceeding to Rio de Janeiro, Santos, Rio Grande and Buenos Aires - see Page 1.

In July-1940, she had made a voyage to Montreal, then headed to Halifax, where she joined Convoy HX 61 on July 27. She was bound for Belfast with a cargo of grain and lumber, station 94 (she had been cancelled from the previous convoy, HX 60). Her arrival Belfast is not given on the archive document, but she left Belfast Lough on Aug. 27 in order to go back to Montreal, where she arrived Sept. 8; no convoy information is available for this voyage, it looks like she had sailed independently. She returned to the U.K. again later that month in the Sydney, C.B. portion of Convoy HX 75, then headed back to Montreal the following month, arriving Nov. 3. She subsequently joined the Sydney, C.B. portion of Convoy HX 89 back to the U.K. - the Commodore says that the "Norwegian Troubadour was excellent both at signalling and station keeping and so good example to all other ships".

Early in 1941, we find her in Convoy OB 271, which originated in Liverpool on Jan. 8 and dispersed on the 12th. Her destination is not given, but from Page 1, we learn that she arrived Portland, Me on Jan. 22, having sailed from Milford Haven on Jan. 8. She headed back to the U.K. on Febr. 23 in Convoy HX 111 from Halifax (having been cancelled from HX 110). Towards the end of March, she joined convoy OB 303, which originated in Liverpool March 28 and dispersed Apr. 3. Again, no destination is given for Troubadour, but she arrived St. John, N.B. on Apr. 11, having started out from Clyde March 28, according to Page 2. On May 6 that year, we find her in station 93 of Convoy HX 125(A) from Halifax. Cruising order/Commodore's notes are also available for this convoy. (Troubadour had been cancelled from the previous convoy, HX 124). In June, she shows up in Convoy OB 331, originating in Liverpool June 8, dispersed on the 19th; Troubadour started out from Clyde June 8 and arrived Montreal June 23. The external website that I've linked to at the end of this page has more on the OB convoys mentioned here.

According to Arnold Hague, she returned to the U.K. in Convoy HX 145 in Aug.-1941, joining from Sydney, C.B. In the middle of Sept.-1941, she joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 17, and arrived Hampton Roads on Oct. 5 (the convoy having been dispersed on Sept. 29). She headed back to the U.K. in Convoy HX 156 from Halifax on Oct. 22, later returning across the Atlantic with the westbound Convoy ON 38*, which left Liverpool on Nov. 19 and dispersed on the 30th. Her destination is given as St. John, N.B., where she arrived Dec. 7.

In Jan.-1942, she appears among the ships in Convoy HX 169, then went back to St. John in Convoy ON 65*, leaving Liverpool on Febr. 8-1942, dispersed on the 19th, Troubadour arriving her destination on Febr. 24, according to Page 2. Not long thereafter, she returned to the U.K. in Convoy HX 179, departing Halifax on March 9, and subsequently sailed back across the ocean with the westbound Convoy ON 85*, which originated in Liverpool on Apr. 10. Her destination is given as Halifax on that occasion, and she arrived there on Apr. 22, having sailed from Belfast Lough on Apr. 11 - see Page 3. There's also a Troubadour listed as Panamanian in my documents for Convoy HX 189 in May, but this must have been the Norwegian Troubadour (the info fits with the details found on the archive document, and besides, the Panamanian ship, which should be spelt Troubador, had sailed in Convoy SC 79, departing Halifax on Apr. 11). The following month, we find her in the westbound Convoy ON 103* (convoy left Liverpool June 12). She arrived Halifax on June 24, and having made a voyage to Father Point and Montreal, she returned to the U.K. in Convoy HX 199 on July 19.

Troubadour took part in Operation Torch as military transport. At the end of Nov.-1942, she was on a voyage from the U.K. in a convoy which, after having passed Gibraltar was attacked twice by German aircraft on Nov. 20 and several ships were hit, but Troubador made it safely to Algiers on Nov. 24. The Norwegian Kong Sverre was credited with hitting one of the planes, which crashed in the sea behind them. Examining all the information available to me, I believe this must have been Convoy KMS 3* (convoy left Liverpool on Nov. 7-1942; Troubadour sailed from Clyde Nov. 8/9), in which Prins Harald and the British Grangepark were sunk by U-263 on Nov. 20. Many details in J. R. Hegland's "Nortraships flåte" account of the aircraft attack on Kong Sverre on that day leads me to this conclusion. Among other things, Hegland mentions that 3 ships on the starboard side of the convoy were hit, one ship started to burn (Prins Harald?), the other's after part broke off, while a third received a torpedo in the net defences, where it exploded. Eye witnesses on board Troubadour had a hard time determining whether the torpedoes came from an aircraft or a U-boat, but the details fit in with a footnote in J. Rohwer's book stating "two ships were seen sinking and one burning. One torpedo (from U-263) exploded in the net defences of Ocean Pilgrim." (The British Trentpark was sunk by aircraft while in KMS 3 on Nov. 24). Troubadour returned to the U.K. the following month with Convoy MKS 3X, joining from Algiers (left Dec. 6, according to Page 3).

In Jan.-1943, she's listed in Convoy KMS 8*, departing Clyde on Jan 21. Troubadour was bound Oran. The following month, she's said to have made a voyage from Algiers to Oran with Convoy MKS 8 (this voyage is not noted on the archive document mentioned above), and in March, we find her in Convoy MKS 9 - scroll down in the table on my page for that convoy. She had sailed from Gibraltar on March 8 and arrived Balfast on the 18th. From Belfast, she now joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 174*, which originated in Liverpool on March 20-1943 and arrived New York on Apr. 8, Troubadour, however, arrived Halifax Apr. 5, according to Page 4. In May, she shows up in Convoy HX 238, which originated in New York on May 7. Troubadour joined from Halifax on May 10, and was bound for London with general cargo; note that she's mentioned under May 21 in the Commodore's narrative for this convoy. In the middle of the following month she joined the westbound Convoy ON 189*, originating in Liverpool on June 16, arriving New York on July 1; Troubadour stopped at Halifax; date is difficult to read on the archive document, but it looks like June 28 (she had joined the convoy from Loch Ewe). She headed back to the U.K. in Convoy HX 249, which also originated in New York (July 23-1943), but Troubadour again joined from Halifax, general cargo for Liverpool, station 23.

The external website below now has Troubadour in Convoy OS 54/KMS 25*, voyaging from Liverpool to Freetown, Durban and Mauritius with general cargo in station 113 of the convoy, which left Liverpool on Aug. 28-1943. The same website has her returning in Convoy SL 146/MKS 37 in Jan.-1944, together with the Norwegian Boreas, Norfalk and Tiradentes. The Gibraltar portion is also available on my own website at Convoy MKS 37 - note that she's listed in both tables on that page; she had started out from Port Said on Jan. 10 in Convoy MKS 37, which joined up with the SL convoy off Gibraltar, before proceeding to the U.K. as a combined convoy. In March that same year, we find her going in the other direction again in Convoy OS 72/KMS 46*, on a voyage Oban-Mombasa with general cargo in station 43, then in July-1944 she's listed in station 62 of Convoy MKS 56* (Port Said-Gibraltar), which joined up with SL 165 from Freetown on July 30, continuing to the U.K. as the combined Convoy SL 165/MKS 56, in which Troubadour had station 91 - general cargo. For departure/arrival dates and further information on these convoys, please follow the link provided, then compare with details found on Page 4 and Page 5 of the archive documents.

In Sept.-1944, she joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 252* (left Liverpool Sept. 7, arrived New York on the 22nd). She was scheduled to return to the U.K. in Convoy HX 312 from New York on Oct. 5, but instead joined the next convoy on Oct. 10, HX 313; destination is given as Barry Dock, general cargo - Troubadour acted as Commodore vessel on that occasion (Commodore F. H. Taylor R.N.). The following month she made a voyage from Milford to Alexandria in station 22 of Convoy OS 96/KMS 70* (this convoy departed Liverpool on Nov. 23-1944) - again, refer to the external website at the end of this page. She arrived Alexandria on Dec. 7, having sailed from Milford Haven on Nov. 24. From Alexandria, she proceeded to Haifa - again, see Page 5 of the archive documents.

She's also listed in Convoy OS 110/KMS 84*, which left Liverpool on Febr. 11-1945, voyage in ballast Clyde-Valparaiso via Panama, station 73. There's a note saying she continued her voyage in Convoy ON 286* (left Liverpool on Febr. 21-1945), however, it looks like this convoy designation is a misprint, because she's not listed in this convoy but in ON 284*, which had left Southend on Febr. 10 and arrived New York on March 1; Troubadour joined up with this convoy on Febr. 12 and arrived Cristobal on March 3, having detached from the convoy on Febr. 19. In Apr.-1945, she's listed in Convoy HX 352, which left New York on Apr. 23 and arrived Liverpool on VE Day, May 8. This convoy is not yet available among the HX convoys included in my own Convoys section, but can be found via the external link provided below. See also Page 6 for comparison of the voyages mentioned here.

To obtain convoy information for some of the voyages made in between those already mentioned here, please follow the instructions provided at the external link below, then compare the results with the details found on the various archive documents.

* The ON convoys 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 (and escorts) are named in the section listing ships in ON convoys. As will be seen, they all had several Norwegian ships. See also ships in KMS convoys, as well as ships in MKS convoys. These will also be added to individual pages in my Convoys section.

POST WAR:

Sold on Jan. 19-1953 to A/S Lab and D/S A/S Danto (H. Tanvald-Pedersen, manager), Porsgrunn and renamed Tangholm. Sold again in 1956 to Kam Kee Navigation Co. Ltd., Hong Kong. Renamed Shun Fat in 1958. Arrived Hong Kong on Oct. 24-1960 to be scrapped by Shiu Wing Co. Ltd. Demolition commenced on Jan. 25-1961.

Related external link:
OS/KMS Convoys - The site also has a section for the returning SL/MKS convoys. As can be seen, Troubadour is listed in Convoy OS 54/KMS 25, SL 146/MKS 37, OS 72/KMS 46, SL 165/MKS 56, OS 96/KMS 70, and OS 110/KMS 84, as are several other Norwegian ships. Note also that by going to this section of the same site (based on Arnold Hague's database) and clicking on "Ship Search", using "Troubadour" as keyword, several convoys that are not mentioned in my own text will come up. Here are OB 271, OB 303, OB 331 and HX 352, all mentioned in the above narrative.