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 Homefleet Ships starting with W, Y & Ø 
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Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939 - 1945
Ships starting with W

Ships in Foreign Trade (allied service)

Please read this

NS
= the ship was in Nortraship's Fleet
*
= the ship was sunk (or otherwise lost)

D/S
= steam ship
D/T
= steam tanker
M/S
= motor vessel
M/T
= motor tanker
T/T
= turbine tanker

W
Name of Ship
Managed By
Tonnage
  • M/S Washington Express NS
Biørn Biørnstad & Co., Oslo
3643 gt
Built in Gothenburg 1933.

Fruit carrier, operated for Skibs-A/S Fruit Express Line. Captain was Alf. M. Bie. Please follow this link to my page about Washington Express for a picture of the ship and misc. war details, including some convoy voyages in 1944/'45. This was the ship that rescued the 9 survivors from M/S Moldanger who had been on a raft for 48 days (torpedoed June 27-1942).

  • D/S Wilford NS *
Hans Borge, Tønsberg
2158 gt
Built in Oslo 1921. Previous names: Nyland 1921, Nauru Chief until 1936, Rio Rimac until 1936.

Shelled by the Japanese submarine I-18 (Otani) early in the morning hours of June 7-1942 - read more about her loss (incl. a partial crew list).

  • D/S William Hansen NS *
Aksel Molvig, Oslo
1344 gt
Built in Oslo 1939.

D/S William Hansen has info on her final fate as well as a casualty list.

  • M/T William Strachan NS
Willy Oppen & O. Sørensen, Oslo
6157 gt
Built in Belfast 1931.

In service Sumatra, Java and Borneo with oil.

My page M/T William Strachan has more details, including some pictures and post war information. Also has information on, and a picture of the Japanese Hokusen Maru.

  • D/T Willy NS * ?
Victor Jenssen, Oslo
5832 gt
Built in Wilmington, Delaware 1916. Previous name: Gold Shell until 1929.

See D/S Willy (w/crew list).

  • D/S Woolgar NS *
Hans Borge, Tønsberg
3060 gt
Built in Sunderland 1914.

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

In Febr.-1941, she's listed, together with Arena, Fagersten, Kronviken, Norse Lady and Solheim, in Convoy BN 14, which left Aden on Febr. 1 and dispersed on the 3rd. As will be seen when going to Page 1 above, Woolgar arrived Suez on Febr. 7/8. The following month, we find her in Convoy BS 21, departing Suez on March 24-1941, dispersed Apr. 1, Woolgar arriving Colombo on Apr. 12. The Norwegian Corona and Wilford are also listed. Both these convoys are available via the external links below.

Woolgar was bombed and sunk by Japanese aircraft on March 7-1942, about 150 miles southwest of Tjilatjap. The survivors landed at Japanese occupied Port Blair, Andaman Islands after a harrowing 88 days in a lifeboat. Read about Woolgar's fate and about the weeks her survivors spent in the lifeboat, as well as their experiences as prisoners at Port Blair and later in Singapore. (See also Merchant Marine Prisoners of War).

Related external links:
Convoy BN 14 - The site also has BS 21.

  • D/S Wyvern NS
Hans Borge, Tønsberg
4007 gt
Built in Sunderland 1929. Previous name: Hopecrag until 1938.

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

Compare the above voyages with the convoy information that comes up when following the instructions at the external link below.

POST WAR: Sold to Zeta Shipping Co Ltd, Hong Kong in 1953, and renamed Zeta Trader. Sold to Hong Kong breakers during March 1959. Vessel had been laid up at Hong Kong since Jan. 17-1959.

Related external links:
Misc. convoys - By clicking on "Ship Search", typing "Wyvern" as keyword, some of her convoy voyages will come up. She's included in the following convoys (in chronological order):
DN 7, CD 28, DN 57, DKA 2, AKD 4, DKA 7, DKA 12, AKD 18, JC 65 and CJ 42.

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Merchant Marines/Ships/Navies Links

D/S Ringulv's Story:
O. C. Holm | Odd's letters | D/S Ringulv | Evacuation from Le Havre | Labor Camps In Africa | Rudzin's Diary | Messel's Diary

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