M/T Finnanger - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945 (original) (raw)

M/T Finnanger Updated Aug. 15-2011

Manager: Westfal-Larsen & Co. A/S, Bergen
Tonnage: 9551 gt, 14 530 tdwt.
Call Sign: LCAH

Delivered in Sept.-1928 from Nederlandsche Scheepsbouw Mij., Amsterdam, 9551 gt, 14 350 tdwt, 473.6' x 64.3' x 36.6', 4T Werkspoor 4000 ihp, 10.5 knots.

Captain: Bernt Thorbjørnsen

In Admiralty service (Royal Fleet Auxiliary) from 1941.

Related item on this website:
A Guestbook message from the son of one of Finnanger's casualties, Gunner William Whitmore.

Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives:
Page 1 | Page 2

Please compare the above voyages with Arnold Hague's Voyage Record below.

Voyage Record
From March-1940 to March-1942:

(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.

For information on voyages made in between those discussed here, please see the documents received from the National Archives of Norway and A. Hague's Voyage Record above. Follow the convoy links provided for more details; the Commodore's notes are also available for most of them and several Norwegian ships took part.

According to Page 1 of the archive documents, Finnanger was on her way to Aden when war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9-1940.

In May, she's listed in station 52 of Convoy HG 29 from Gibraltar to the U.K. (having previously been cancelled from Convoy HGF 29 on May 4). HG 29 left Gibraltar on May 7 and arrived Liverpool on the 17th. Finnanger, however, was bound for Avonmouth and left the convoy for her destination on May 15, arriving Milford Haven the next day, Avonmouth on the 19th. The Norwegian Katy and Buesten are also listed in this convoy.

The external website that I've linked to below has her, with destination Trinidad, in Convoy OB 168 a month later, leaving Liverpool on June 15-1940, joined up with OA 168 from Southend 2 days later, forming the Gibraltar bound Convoy OG 34F, which arrived there on June 24. However, Arnold Hague has not included her in this convoy, but in OB 170, which left Liverpool on June 18 and dispersed on the 23rd, Finnanger arriving Trinidad on July 5 (she had started out from Milford Haven on June 19). A direct link to A. Hague's listing for this convoy has been provided within the Voyage Record; Solsten and Ørnefjell are also listed. From Trinidad, she proceeded to Bermuda a few days later in order to join the Bermuda portion of Convoy HX 59 on July 18, bound for Clyde with Admiralty fuel, station 36. Her subsequent movements are shown on Page 1.

In Jan.-1941, she's listed in station 45 of Convoy OB 275, which left Liverpool on Jan. 18 and dispersed Jan. 23. She joined from Glasgow and her destination is given as Bermuda, where she arrived Febr. 6, continuing to Aruba that same day. Other Norwegian ships in this convoy were Hidlefjord, Maridal and Mosli. (Note that Finnanger had originally joined an earlier convoy, OB 273, but returned to port - ref. external link in Voyage Record). In March, she was scheduled for the Bermuda portion of Convoy HX 114 to the U.K. (Hidlefjord was sunk - see also Kaia Knudsen), but did not sail. She was also cancelled from the next convoy, HX 115, but joined the slow Convoy SC 27 from Halifax on March 30, from which Favorit was sunk. The escort's report is also available for this convoy. Finnanger's destination is given as Milford Haven and Devonport; via Belfast Lough, she arrived Milford Haven on Apr. 22, Plymouth on the 26th. At the end of May, we find her, together with Belpareil, Bjerka, Bruse Jarl, Christian Krohg (sunk - follow the link for details), Garonne, O. A. Knudsen, Sirehei (returned) and Veni, in Convoy OB 329, which originated in Liverpool on May 31 and dispersed June 5, Finnanger arriving Curacao on June 23 (again, see the link provided in the table above).

From Curacao, she proceeded to New York 2 days later, arriving July 5, and it'll be noticed, when going to Page 2 that she subsequently spent a long time there. Departure is given as Oct. 19 when she sailed to Sydney, C.B. in order to join the slow Convoy SC 51 on Oct. 23. She arrived Clyde on Nov. 8. She later made another voyage to Curacao. With Arthur W. Sewall, Charles Racine (collided, returned), Egda, Evita, Fernmoor, Rio Novo, Slemdal, Storanger, Tai Shan and Velox (to Clyde), she initially joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 40*, originating in Liverpool on Nov. 25, but returned to port, and instead joined Convoy OS 13, originating in Liverpool on Nov. 30. K. G. Meldahl, Siljestad and Velox are also named (link in table above). Finnanger joined from Clyde and arrived Curacao on Dec. 22, having been detached from the convoy on Dec. 10.

She later joined Convoy HX 169 from Halifax on Jan. 8-1942, but returned to port a few days later, subsequently joining Convoy SC 65, which departed Halifax Jan. 17. The following month, we find her in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 67*, which originated in Liverpool on Febr. 14. This was to be her last voyage, as will be seen in the next paragraph.

* Both 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.

Related external link:
OB (& OA) convoys - Finnanger appears in OB 168, but as mentioned it looks like she did not sail, see narrative above.

Finnanger had arrived Clyde on Febr. 2-1942 in Convoy SC 65, as mentioned. She left Clyde again on Febr. 14, joining the westbound Convoy ON 67 in order to return to Curacao (according to the external website at the end of this page, she had originally been scheduled for Convoy OS 19). Belinda, Eidanger (sunk - follow link for details), Glittre, Hamlet, Idefjord, Nueva Andalucia, Sama (sunk), Skandinavia, Strinda and Thorhild are also listed in the ON convoy.

A. Hague says Finnanger was detached from the convoy on Febr. 26. On March 1-1942, when in position 38 40N 58 38W, she was torpedoed, later shelled and sunk (after 4 hrs. 45 mins. according to J. Rohwer) by U-158 (Rostin), with the loss of 39 men, no survivors. See also my text for Eidanger and Sama, as well as the external links about this convoy battle provided at the end of this page.

Charles Hocking states that Finnanger left Clyde on Febr. 14-1942 in convoy for Halifax and Curacao. The convoy became dispersed and Finnanger was last seen by the Norwegian tanker Belinda on the 26th, about 300 miles south of Cape Race.

"Nortraships flåte" credits the sinking of Finnanger to U-558 and indicates she was missing for a long time along with the British M/T Anadara and D/S White Crest until they were all officially listed as sunk by U-boats (this source also indicates U-558 sank both British vessels - while Rohwer lists U-587 for Anadara and U-162 for White Crest). Rohwer says Finnanger was British, possibly because she was in Admiralty service. Arnold Hague agrees with U-158, but gives the date as Febr. 24 (the date being an error). Roger W. Jordan says she was torpedoed on Febr. 24 by U-558 and sunk in 43 45N 42 15W, and has probably based his information on J. Rohwer's 1st edition of his book, which is incorrect. All agree on the convoy number, though Rohwer and Jordan calls it ONS 67, while Hague calls it ON 67, because the true ONS series was not established until 1943, starting with ONS 1, but the slower ON convoys were often referred to as ONS in signals and contemporary documents even before that year. The correct term is ON 67. (The ONS convoys will be added to this site - in the meantime, see this page listing ships in all ONS convoys).

For info, U-158 was also responsible for the loss of Nidarnes and Moira later that year - follow the links for details.

Casualty List - No Survivors: Steward Amundsen had previously survived the attack on Simla (see crew list for that ship). He had also served on Morgenen.

* James Clifford can be found in the Canadian Merchant Navy War Dead Database - the date for his death is given as Febr. 26 - perhaps because this was the date the ship was last seen. Also, Billy McGee, England has told me that Finnanger's 19 year old Galley Boy Bernard Stephens from Hanwell, Middlesex is commemorated at Tower Hill, Panel 49 - his death date is given as Febr. 24-1942. Further details on him can be found on this page on The Commonwealth War Graves Comm. website. I also found James Clifford and W. Whitmore mentioned there, but not the saloon boy. (All these links are external).

Related external links:
OS/KMS Convoys - As can be seen, Finnanger is mentioned in OS 19 (but instead sailed in ON 67).

Stavern Memorial commemorations - Norwegians only are commemorated at this memorial in Stavern, Norway. This agrees on the whole with what I've listed above, though some of the names are spelt a little differently (Frank Torgersen is listed twice).

ON 67 is discussed in detail at the end of
Chapter 3 of the the book "Joining the war at Sea" which is available on the Internet.

Convoy ON(S) 67 - Has a list of ships sunk.U-158 | Erwin Rostin

Operations information for U-158

Back to Finnanger on the "Ships starting with F" page.

Other ships by this name: Another Finnanger was delivered to Westfal-Larsen from Kockums, Malmö in July-1954, 10 600 gt. Sold in Dec.-1966 to Agenor Shipping Co. Ltd., Famagusta, Cyprus, renamed Master Papalios. Broken up in China in 1969. In March-1977 another Finnanger was delivered from Kaldnes Mek. Verksted, Tønsberg, 21 267 gt. Both were tankers. (Info from Westfal-Larsen fleet list). See also this external page (scroll down to Finnanger).

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume I (Norwegian Maritime Museum) and misc. others as named within the text above - ref. My sources.