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

M/T Nueva Granada Updated Aug. 20-2010

Manager: The Texas Company (Norway) A/S, Oslo - This company was controlled by The Texas Co., US, and its ships managed by Haakon Chr. Mathiesen, Oslo.
Tonnage: 9968 gt

Delivered on Apr. 15-1937 from Deutsche Werft A/G, Hamburg (181) as Nueva Granada to The Texas Company (Norway) A/S, Oslo. 9968 gt, 5782 net, 14 150 tdwt, 503.8' x 67.4' x 34.3', two 8 cyl. 2T single acting DM (MAN A/G, Augsburg), 5100 bhp.

One of Nueva Granada's crew members, Sverre Johansen, disappeared on Oct. 24-1942, believed to have fallen overboard. (Source: "Våre falne"). As can be seen when going to Page 3 below, Nueva Granada was on her way from New York to Key West on that date.

Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives:
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6

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

� Voyage Record
From March-1940 to Sept.-1945: �

(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 mentioned 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 further details; the Commodore's notes are also available for some of them and several Norwegian ships took part.

Nueva Granada was in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 27 in March-1940, together with South America and Inger Lise. Nueva Granada's destination is given as Bordeaux, station 62 and she arrived there on March 27; according to Page 1, this voyage had started out in Aruba and the document indicates she remained in Bordeaux for almost a month, before proceeding to Plymouth. In May she's listed in Convoy OA 139, which originated at Southend on May 1 an dispersed on the 4th, Nueva Granada arriving New York on May 15, having sailed from Plymouth on May 2. A direct link to this convoy has been provided in the Voyage Record, Grey County, Lynghaug, Snar and Torborg are also included. It'll be noticed, when going back to the archive document, that there's quite a big gap in her voyage information for that fall.

She was scheduled for Convoy HX 115 from Halifax to the U.K. on March 17-1941, but instead joined HX 117 on March 27; she was bound for Avonmouth, where she arrived Apr. 17. Later that month she's listed in Convoy OG 60, which left Liverpool on Apr. 26 and arrived Gibraltar on May 10, but Nueva Granada was bound for Curacao, where she arrived May 14 (having started out from Milford Haven Apr. 25); according to A. Hague she had parted company with the convoy on May 6 in order to proceed to that destination. (OG 60 will be added to an individual page in my Convoys section, but for now, see the page listing ships in all OG convoys). She headed back to the U.K. on June 6 in Convoy HX 131 from Halifax, later joining a convoy which A. Hague has designated OB 341A, originating in Liverpool on July 2. As can be seen when following the link in the table above, escorts only are named - she has been included among the ships in Convoy OB 341, which originated in Liverpool on June 30 and dispersed July 6, but it looks like the ships in these 2 convoys have been combined on the same page (it'll be noticed that there are too many ships). OB 341A had Halifax as its final destination, but according to A. Hague, Nueva Granada was detached from this convoy on July 16 and arrived New York on the 19th (she had sailed from Clyde on July 3 - again, see Page 1).

She returned to the U.K. at the end of the following month in station 104 of Convoy HX 147, along with the Norwegian Bralanta (in station 102), Bello (114), Solør (54), Sandanger (103, which means she was the 3rd ship in the 10th column, right behind Bralanta and in front of Nueva Granada), Slemmestad (95), Strinda (63), G. C. Brøvig (44) and O. A. Knudsen (112). According to the archive document, Nueva Granada was bound for Swansea, where she arrived on Sept. 14, subsequently joining the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 21*, originating in Liverpool on Sept. 28, but she returned to port (Oban, Sept. 30 - see Page 1), later joining Convoy ON 22*, which had originated in Liverpool on Oct. 2 and dispersed Oct. 15, Nueva Granada arriving Houston on Oct. 24 - see Page 2. Both these convoys had several Norwegian ships, namely Bello (returned), Brisk, Hallanger, Kolsdal, Lyra and Taborfjell in ON 21, and Bello, Bernhard, Daghild, Gefion, Helgøy, James Hawson, Kollbjørg, Lise, Orwell, Slemmestad, Solstad, Thorsholm and Vivi in ON 22. In Nov.-1941 she took part in Convoy HX 159 from Halifax, and together with Eidanger, Glittre, Kaldfonn, Kollbjørg, Norefjord, Olaf Bergh, Slemdal, Tankexpress and Thorshov, she returned across the Atlantic with Convoy ON 42* (from Liverpool Dec. 1, dispersed Dec. 14). She arrived New Orleans on Dec. 25, having started out from Clyde Dec. 2.

Arnold Hague has now included her in Convoy HX 170 in Jan.-1942, and the following month, we find her, together with the Norwegian Arthur W. Sewall, Bralanta, Cetus, Egda, G. C. Brøvig, Hardanger, Kaldfonn, Kollbjørg, Mirlo, N. T. Nielsen Alonso, Stiklestad, Tankexpress, Troubadour and Vav, in the westbound Convoy ON 65*, which originated in Liverpool on Febr. 8 and dispersed Febr. 19, Nueva Granada arriving New Orleans on March 4. She headed back to the U.K. on Apr. 2 in Convoy HX 183 from Halifax, subsequently joining Convoy ON 89*, which originated in Liverpool on Apr. 23 and arrived Halifax May 5; Nueva Granada, however, arrived New York on May 7, having sailed from Milford Haven on Apr. 22 (via Belfast Lough). Brønnøy, Cypria Haakon Hauan, Hamlet, Pan Aruba, Samuel Bakke and Torvanger are also listed in this convoy. Her subsequent voyages are shown on Page 2; convoy info for some of them can be found in the Voyage Record above.

In June that same year she can be found in Convoy HX 195 back to the U.K., and in July she's listed, with Bralanta, Bronxville, Hjalmar Wessel (returned), Kosmos II, Lynghaug and Pan Aruba, in the westbound Convoy ON 111*, which originated in Liverpool on July 10-1942 and dispersed on the 24th, Nueva Granada arriving New York the next day. The Norwegian corvettes Acanthus, Montbretia and Potentilla are named among the escorts for this convoy (see ON convoy escorts). She now made some voyages around the U.S. (again, see Page 2, as well as Page 3 and A. Hague's record) and on Sept. 6 we find her in station 23 of Convoy HX 206, oil for Glasgow. Later that month, she's listed in the westbound Convoy ON 133*, which also included Anna Knudsen, Athos, Bello, Brimanger, Emma Bakke, Garonne, Grey County, Kosmos II, Minerva, Molda, Noreg, Petter II (returned), Polarsol, Polartank, Sandanger, Skandinavia, Thorshavet, Thorshov and the Panamanian Norbris (departure Liverpool Sept. 25, arrival New York Oct. 11).

As mentioned further up on this page, one of Nueva Granada's crew members, Sverre Johansen, disappeared on Oct. 24-1942, believed to have fallen overboard. From Page 3, we learn that she was on her way from New York to Key West on that date (convoy details in the table above). The following month, she was in Convoy HX 216 from New York and Christmas that year was celebrated while in the westbound Convoy ON 153, which arrived New York on Dec. 31 - Nueva Granada is mentioned among the ships noted for very good signalling (Bello was sunk - follow the links for more details).

She headed back to the U.K. again early in Jan.-1943 with Convoy HX 222 (Vestfold was sunk - follow link for info), returning to New York the following month with Convoy ON 164, arriving New York on Febr. 19. On Febr. 28 she again headed for the U.K. with Convoy HX 228, in which Brant County and others were sunk. Cruising order/Commodores notes are also available for this convoy, as well as several reports and analysis of attacks. Nueva Granada had a cargo of Admiralty fuel and sailed in station 104, bound for Clyde, where she arrived on March 15, before proceeding to Bowling (Page 3), and a few days later she went in the other direction again with Convoy ON 174*, originating in Liverpool on March 20, arriving New York Apr. 8 - Fagerfjell, Norbryn, Trondheim and Troubadour also took part.

From New York, she subsequently made a voyage to Gibraltar, where she stayed for about a month before returning to the U.S. (convoy information in Voyage Record). She was scheduled for Convoy HX 249 from New York to the U.K. on July 23, but instead joined the next convoy on July 30, HX 250. According to the Commodore's notes, she was among several ships that were detached from the convoy on Aug. 6, forming a fast portion. Her destination is given as Avonmouth, and from Page 4 we learn that she arrived there on Aug. 12. She later joined the westbound Convoy ON 198*, which originated in Liverpool on Aug. 21 and arrived New York Sept. 4. She had again been in the company of several other Norwegian ships, namely Ferncourt, Katy, Norsktank, Petter, Skiensfjord, Vanja and Vinga.

Arnold Hague has now included her, along with Kaldfonn, Marit II, Skiensfjord, Spinanger and Stiklestad, in Convoy HX 257*, departing New York on Sept. 16-1943, arriving Liverpool Sept. 30 - Potentilla and Rose are named among the escorts (see HX convoy escorts). With Brimanger, Skiensfjord (Commodore Vessel) and Stiklestad, she later joined the westbound Convoy ON 206*, which started out in Liverpool on Oct. 11 and arrived New York on the 27th. This time, however, she was bound for Halifax, where she arrived on the 24th, having sailed from Avonmouth Oct. 10. (Potentilla and Rose are again listed among the escorts - ref. ON convoy escorts). The following month, Nueva Granada headed across to the Mediterranean again - the rest of her 1943 voyages, and most of her 1944 voyages, are shown on Page 4, with convoy details for some of them in the Voyage Record above.

Skipping now to Oct. 15-1944, when we find her in Convoy HX 314 from New York, for which Emma Bakke served as Commodore Vessel. Nueva Granada's destination is given as Thameshaven, where she arrived Oct. 30. A few days later, she joined the westbound Convoy ON 264*, departing Southend on Nov. 3, arriving New York on the 21st. Brasil, Egerø, Ferncourt, Kronprinsessen, Lista, Solfonn, Stiklestad and Thorsholm are also named in this convoy. More voyages to North Africa etc. now followed, as detailed on Page 5 and in the table above; see also Page 6, showing some of her 1946 voyages.

* The ON convoys 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 all ON convoys. Note also that the entire HX series will eventually be updated and completed, including the already existing convoys (some have already been updated), but for now, see ships in all HX convoys.

More info on the other Norwegian ships mentioned here is available via the alphabet index below, or go to the Master Ship Index.

Sold in March-1952 to Carl Olsens Tankrederi A/S, Arendal and renamed Buccinum. Sold in Sept.-1958 to Piræus Shipping Co. Ltd., Piræus and renamed Parnassos. Sold for breaking up in 1961.

Another Nueva Granada was delivered to this company in Apr.-1955. Renamed Texaco Nueva Granada in 1960. Sold for breaking up around 1975.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, E-mails from Roger W. Jordan - and misc.