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

T/T Kirkenes Updated Nov. 28-2011

Manager: Nortraship
Tonnage: 10 172 gt

Completed in Jan.-1945 by Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Co., Mobile (319) as Kirkenes after transfer to Norway (launched as Ash Hollow). Kirkenes was 1 of 10 ships transferred to Nortraship's fleet in 1944. She was taken over in Alabama on Dec. 30-1944. See my page "Ship Statistics & Misc." under gains 1944 for a list of all 10.

Kirkenes had 2 Canadian, female radio operators, namely Joan (Aiers) Henriksen from Jan.-1945 till Apr.-1946 (here's a Guestbook message from her son), and Betty (Lake) Ottersen, who served from Jan.-1945 till Feb.-1946 (she had previously served on M/T Garonne). A list of names of other female, Canadian radio operators, along with the names of their ships, can be found on my page about M/S Mosdale.

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 Jan.-1945 to Oct.-1945:

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

Follow the convoy links provided for more information on each.

For information on voyages not mentioned here, please see the documents received from the Norwegian archives and A. Hague's Voyage Record above. Follow the convoy links provided for more details on them.

As already mentioned, Kirkenes had been taken over in Alabama on Dec. 30-1944. From there, she proceeded to New Orleans*, then on to New York, where she arrived on Jan. 9-1945 (see Page 1), and the next day, she's listed in the fast New York-U.K. Convoy CU 54, together with the Norwegian Hegra. Kirkenes arrived Avonmouth on Jan. 23. Both ships returned with the westbound Convoy UC 54A*, which departed Liverpool on Jan. 28 and arrived New York on Febr. 9. Kirkenes was scheduled for Convoy CU 58 a couple of days later, but did not sail. Instead, she made a voyage from New York to Casablanca, departing Febr. 14, arriving Febr. 24. She now appears in a Casablanca to Gibraltar convoy, namely Convoy CG 150 (see external link provided within the Voyage Record), which left Casablanca on Febr. 26 and arrived Gibraltar the next day; Kirkenes, however, was bound for Algiers, where she arrived on Febr. 28. She left Algiers again on March 2, arriving Gibraltar on the 3rd, and from there, she joined Convoy GUS 75, in order to proceed to Aruba. This convoy had originated in Oran on March 3 (arrived Hampton Roads March 20) - again, ref. external link provided in the table above; the Norwegian Gallia, Høegh Silvercloud, Ida Bakke and Marathon are also included. Kirkenes arrived Aruba on March 15, heading back to New York 2 days later, with arrival there on March 22.

*Note that she's said to have been completed as Kirkenes in Jan.-1945 - did she sail to New Orleans as Ash Hollow, or is the completion date incorrect?

Together with Elisabeth Bakke and Washington Express, she now shows up in the eastbound North Atlantic Convoy CU 63 from New York on March 23; according to Page 1, her destination was Shellhaven. She later returned with Convoy UC 63A*, which left Liverpool on Apr. 7 and arrived New York on the 19th, and a few days later, we find her in Convoy CU 67 to the U.K., departing New York on Apr. 24, arriving Liverpool on May 5; Kirkenes, in station 101 of the convoy, had a cargo of aviation gas and arrived Thameshaven on May 7. California Express, Honningsvaag, Ida Bakke and Martin Bakke are also listed. Kirkenes and Honningsvaag headed in the other direction again shortly thereafter in Convoy UC 67A*, which left Liverpool on May 9 and arrived New York on the 19th. Kirkenes subsequently joined Convoy CU 72, departing New York on May 25, arriving Liverpool on June 3; Kirkenes arrived Avonmouth June 4. This time the Norwegian Hammerfest and Karsten Wang were in company.

Her subsequent 1945 voyages are listed on Page 1 and Page 2. As can be seen, she made some voyages to Okinawa and Leyte Gulf, among other ports. The latter document also shows her voyages up to and including most of June-1946.

* All the UC convoys mentioned here will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section in due course; in the meantime, the ships sailing in them are named on the page listing ships in all UC convoys.

Sold to Norway in 1947 and renamed Hidlefjord for Skips A/S Hidlefjord (Kornelius Olsen), Stavanger. Sold in 1959 and renamed Oswego Transporter (Canterbury Investments, Ltd., Nassau, N.P.). Adrift with engine trouble in the Pacific Ocean on Febr. 22-1960 in 10 30S 78 41W when on a voyage from Callao (a little port just outside Lima, Peru; at least, it was small when I was there in 1974) to Talara. Taken in tow the next day by tanker Andromeda. Arrived Callao in tow on Febr. 25-1960, where the main generator and turbine were found to be damaged, with casing buckled and torn owing to failure of governor, which caused racing. There was also severe boiler damage due to use of salt water. The damage was found to be beyond economical repair and she was sold to breakers. She left Callao on July 23-1960 in tow of the Dutch tug Clyde and arrived Antwerp in Sept.-1960 to be broken up. (This info received from R. W. Jordan).