D/S Vigør
Updated Dec. 7-2011

To Vigør on the "Ships starting with V" page.

Partial Crew List

A picture of the ship is available on this external page (click in it to make it larger).

Related items on this website:
Guestbook message from the grandson of Captain Asvall. He was later killed when Hallfried was sunk - follow the link for details.
A thread on my Ship Forum started by the grandson of Vigør's Steward Frithjof Svendsen (see crew list below). Some of his pictures have been added further down on this page.

Her voyages are listed on this original document received from the National Archives of Norway.

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

Some Voyages:

A. Hague has included Vigør in the U.K.-Norway Convoy ON 19 in March-1940, saying she joined from Kirkwall. The following month, we find her in Convoy HN 24, which arrived Methil from Norway on Apr. 7; in other words, she got out of Norway just before the German invasion, in fact, she arrived Sunderland that day, Apr. 9. Several Norwegian ships took part in both these convoys, as will be seen when following the links. She remained in Sunderland until May 4, when she proceeded to Rouen, where she arrived, via The Downs, on May 7, heading back to The Downs again on May 9 - the archive document shows her movements in this period. It now looks like she made a voyage to Le Havre later that month (though arrival/departure is not given), and from there to Plymouth, with arrival May 25, departing Plymouth again for Nantes on May 30, arriving May 31. Departure Nantes for Casablanca is given as June 7.

Interned - 1940:

Vigør was 1 of the 26 Norwegian ships interned in North and West Africa (follow the link for the names of the other 25). A French visitor to my website has told me that she sailed from Le Verdon under French escort on June 12-1940 in Convoy 64-X (external link - Europe, Inger Lise and Oria are also named) and was in Casablanca about June 19. Seized in Port Lyautey in July-1940. Under French flag at Port Lyautey from Aug. 7-1941 as Ste Marcelle. Sailed from Port-Lyautey on ?-41 in convoy. At Casablanca on ? Sailed from Casablanca on Sept. 15-1941 in convoy. At Oran Sept. 18.

"Nortraships flåte" states she was interned on June 22-1940, later requisitioned. "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig" agrees with the internment date, adding she was moved to Port Lyautey around Sept. 11-1940*, requisitioned and renamed on Aug. 7-1941. R. W. Jordan's "The World's Merchant Fleets 1939" says she was seized in Casablanca in June-1940 (all sources agree she was renamed Ste Marcelle).

Here are some pictures, received from Brith Kirkeby, Norway, whose grandfather, Didrik Fridtjof Svendsen served as steward on Vigør. See also this thread on my Ship Forum. If anyone recognizes the people in these first 2 pictures (taken at an internment camp), please let me know - my contact address has been provided at the bottom of this page.

Partial Crew List:
"Sjømann - Lang vakt" by Guri Hjeltnes, says Vigør had a crew of 18, all Norwegian, 3 escaped, 1 went home (judging from this poem, Captain Asvall escaped, but from Dakar - this does not seem correct).
What follows appears to be a list of those who were left in Africa at the time of the Allied invasion in Nov.-1942.

Captain* Abraham Asvall	Able Seaman Edvin Kvam	Able Seaman Johnny Andreassen	Able Seaman Arnold Jonassen	Able Seaman John H. Olsen	Able Seaman Bjarne Richvoldsen
2nd Engineer Edvin Kalstø	Donkeyman Karl Haugen	Stoker Karl Brandstrøm	Stoker Einar Haltbak	Stoker Jacob Fris	Steward Frithjof Svendsen
Mess Boy Trygve Rigels	Mess Boy Alf Kaare Larsen	originally 18	* Captain Asvall later lost his life in the sinking of Hallfried. See also this Guestbook message

I have a book entitled "Nordmenn i fangenskap" by Kristian Ottosen which lists Norwegians who were kept as prisoners during the war, and will look up the above names as soon as I can, to see if there's any more information on where they were kept.

Final Fate - 1942 (as Ste Marcelle):

Reported on March 14-1942 as having been torpedoed and sunk by a British submarine in the western Mediterranean when on a voyage from Marseilles to Tunisia. According to J. Rohwer Ste Marcelle was torpedoed and sunk by the Italian submarine Mocenigo (Monechi), 25 n. miles from Cape Carbonaire on that date. See also this thread on my Ship Forum.

Back to Vigør on the "Ships starting with V" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume II (Norwegian Maritime Museum), and misc. others as named within the above text for cross checking facts - (ref. My sources).