Posted by Roger W Jordan rogwj@aol.com on October 20, 2001.

The Blue Star Line refrigerated cargo vessel Adelaide Star (12,636 gross tons) was under construction by Burmeister & Wain at Copenhagen and was launched on 30 December 1939. It is reported that on 8 April 1940 representatives of Blue Star Line were in Copenhagen and they signed documents for the acceptance of the vessel on that day, and it was due to sail for London on 9 April.
However, German forces invaded and occupied Denmark on 9 April and one of the "casualties" of the invasion was Adelaide Star, which was seized intact. The vessel saw service under the German flag until 1944 when it was sunk in the Baltic. Well into the postwar years it was raised and became the Polish-owned Dzierzynski, and was a total loss in 1963.
Thus, the vessel never became an effective part of the Blue Star Line fleet, but it is also reported that in 1947(?) at a court hearing in The Hague, judgment was given against Blue Star Line, which had to compensate B&W for the construction of the vessel.
I would be interested to learn if anyone can confirm the report that Blue Star did accept the vessel in April 1940 and anything relating to the postwar court case, particularly the sum of compensation paid.
Roger W Jordan
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