D/S Borgfred
Updated Aug. 7-2008

To Borgfred on the "Ships starting with B" page.


This shows the ship post war when she had the name Tarva, (ref. post war details below) - received from Graham Moore.
(Lillesand Sjømannsforening has another picture of Borgfred - external link.


When named Bitten (see Post War details) - Source: Bjørn Milde's postcard collection.

Further to the above:

(Please note that only a few of her voyages are mentioned here - for voyages in between those discussed below, please go back to the Voyage Record).

Borgfred was scheduled for the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 15 at the beginning of Dec.-1940, cargo of pulp for Ellesmere Port, but did not sail.

She's said to have arrived Halifax from Clarke City and Seven Islands on Jan. 17-1941, and was scheduled for Convoy SC 20 on Jan. 22 (paper pulp for Ellesmere Port), but did not sail. On Febr. 8-1941 she left Halifax in Convoy SC 22, but returned to Halifax on the 11th for engine and dynamo repairs, departing again on Febr. 28 in Convoy SC 24, with arrival Loch Ewe on March 19 (having originally been scheduled for the previous convoy, SC 23), subsequently departing Loch Ewe again the next day, arriving Imperial Wharf, Gravesend on March 28.

Arnold Hague has now included her, with the Norwegian Boreas, in Convoy OB 312, which originated in Liverpool on Apr. 18-1941. He says she arrived Reykjavik on Febr. 24, but this should probably be Apr. 24, and she later joined Convoy OB 318 from there on May 7. This convoy, in which the Norwegian Eastern Star was sunk, had originated in Liverpool on May 2-1941 and dispersed on the 10th, follow the link for more information, including details on ships sunk. Borgfred was placed at the back of the starboard column and was appointed as rescue ship, rescuing 22 survivors from the British Esmond and a total of 16 from Bengore Head (1 died after rescue) - both ships having been torpedoed on May 9 by U-110 (Lemp), which was shortly thereafter captured. As it turned out this was a very important event in the history of the war; read about Kapitänleutnant Fritz-Julius Lemp and also the account on the "secret capture" of U-110 via the external links provided at the end of this page. Borgfred also picked up 12 survivors from the British Gregalia, torpedoed and sunk by U-201.

Borgfred's crew had rescued all the survivors they could see and had already started to speed up again, when someone spotted a young, British man in the water. While Borgfred was still moving, 3 men, among them Boatswain Per Strøm, lowered a lifeboat and picked him up, but in spite of attempts to save him he died from the exhaustion. This was Bengore Head's Assistant Steward William John McGabe, ref. this message in my Guestbook. He was buried in the sea with 3 captains as witnesses; Borgfred's own and the 2 they had rescued (according to a statement by Borgfred's West Indian messboy, Alfred Mendel, 1st Mate Sabo was near the 4" gun when U 110 surfaced nearby. He immediately gave orders to fire, but the gun jammed and the U-boat was shortly thereafter surrounded by the escorts).

Borgfred made it safely to Sydney N.S. on May 18 with her 49 passengers.

Other Norwgian ships in OB 318 were M/S Høyanger and M/T Sommerstad (both made it to Sydney). According to Arnold Hague, the Norwegian Iron Baron also took part, while the source for the information on my page about OB 318 states this was the British Iron Baron. The first external link at the end of this page has a description of the battle.

NOTES on Bengore Head, Esmond and Gregalia
Bengore Head, Captain Maurice Kennedy, on a voyage from Belfast to Montreal with cargo of coal and binder twine, was hit amidships on the starboard side and broke in 2. She had a crew of 41 (all British). The 3rd Engineer and assistant steward died, the latter after rescue, as mentioned. In addition to the 16 being picked up by Borgfred, the remaining 24 were picked up by an escorting corvette (HMS Aubretia).
S/S Esmond, Captain James B. MacCafferty was on a voyage from Loch Ewe/Newcastle to Sydney N.S. in ballast with a complement of 50 (1 Irish). In addition to the 22 rescued by Borgfred, some were picked up by S/S Aelybryn and 1 by Aubretia, no casualties.
S/S Gregalia, Captain Alexander Bankier, on a voyage from Glasgow to Buenos Aires in ballast had a complement of 64 (all British). There were no casualties and in addition to the 12 picked up by Borgfred, 52 were rescued by Aelybryn. The latter was also torpedoed and according to Jürgen Rohwer, reached Reykjavik in damaged condition on May. 17.

Borgfred returned to the U.K. the following month with Convoy SC 34, which left Sydney, C.B. on June 10-1941, and at the end of July she joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 1, leaving Liverpool on July 26-1941 with several Norwegian ships, as will be seen by following the link. According to Arnold Hague, she headed back to the U.K. again in the slow Convoy SC 44, departing Sydney, C.B. on Sept. 11-1941. She had a cargo of lumber, sailing in station 25. This convoy is not available among the SC convoys included on my own site, but I've linked directly to it within the above table. The Norwegian Ada, Barbro (sunk - follow link for details), Bollsta, Borgfred, Carrier, Cetus, Gudvin, Hjalmar Wessel, Iron Baron, Lago, Marita, Rolf Jarl, Sirehei, Sneland I, South Africa, and Spero are also listed.

Skipping now to the beginning of 1942. Borgfred left Liverpool on Jan. 10-1942 and joined Convoy OG 78 (will be added, in the meantime, see the page listings ships in all OG convoys), arrived Gibraltar on Jan. 27 (A. Hague says Jan. 24), then left again on Febr. 6 for Melilla. Departed Melilla on Febr. 8 for Gibraltar with arrival there the same day, leaving again on the 11th for Belfast Lough (Convoy HG 78A) arriving Febr. 21 (Febr. 22?). Left Belfast Lough on Febr. 25 for Swansea, arriving the next day.

In March-1942 she's listed, together with Arosa, Beth, Elg, Sirehei, Thorsholm, Titanian, Tortugas, and Tungsha, in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 74*, originating in Liverpool on March 9, arriving Halifax on March 25, Borgfred proceeding to her destination Boston, where she arrived on March 29. She headed back to the U.K. at the end of the following month with the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 82. In June she joined the westbound Convoy ON 100*, departing Liverpool on June 2. Kirsten B (joined from Halifax), Rio Branco (returned), and Tore Jarl are also listed. Borgfred later went back to the U.K. in the middle of July with Convoy SC 92, cargo of timber - follow the links for further details on these SC convoys. She subsequently returned across the ocean the following month with Convoy ON 120*, which left Liverpool on Aug. 8-1942 and included the Norwegian Aun, Fjordheim, Måkefjell, Solitaire, and Suderøy. According to Arnold Hague she later went back to the U.K. in the Sydney, C.B. portion of Convoy SC 102, which had originated in New York on Sept. 19-1942. Aun, Aragon, Bestik, Fjordheim, Nea, Norvarg, Orwell, Solitaire and Solsten are also included (though Nea and Solitaire returned to port - see the external link provided within the above table). Borgfred's last westbound voyage of that year was made in Convoy ON 144*, which originated in Liverpool on Nov. 7-1942 and arrived New York on Nov. 27. Borgfred, however, was bound for Halifax, where she arrived on Nov. 25. Other Norwegian ships in this convoy were Bencas, Bestik, Cetus, Ingertre, Minister Wedel, Norlom, Orwell, Suderøy, and Titanian, and the Norwegian corvettes Eglantine, Montbretia, Potentilla and Rose were among the escorts. My page about Monbretia has more details on the passage of this convoy.

Some of her subsequent voyages are noted in the above Voyage Record. As mentioned, there are several voyages missing in the record, but see the documents received from the National Archives of Norway. She was chartered by US Army Transport from July-1943 and put into service to New Guinea and other islands in the area. She also transported troops.

POST WAR:

Sold in Nov.-1947 to Skips-AS Tautra (Br. Torkildsen), Trondheim, handed over in Oskarshamn, Sweden and renamed Tarva, used in the North Sea. Sold in Nov.-1955 to Skips-AS Sandbo (M. B. Johansen), Skien, renamed Sandli. The company went bankrupt and the ship was taken over by Skiensfjordens Kreditbank A/S, Skien (bank) in Oct.-1959. Sold in Dec.-1959 to Skips-IS Bitten (Knut E. Møinichen), Oslo, renamed Bitten. Sold in Sept.-1962 to Assuncion Cia de Nav y Commercio SA, Beirut, Lebanon (Ditta Jacomino Onofrie, Napoli, Italy), renamed Immy. Sold in March-1967 to Cantieri Navale del Golfo SpA, La Spezia, Italy for breaking up, work commencing on March 29.

Related external links:
OB-318, 7-10 May 1941 - Note that by going to the page Allied Ships Hit by U-boats on this site and typing in the name of each ship torpedoed in this convoy, more details on the attacks on them are available (some of the info is slightly different from my own).
Fritz-Julius Lemp | The secret capture of U-110

Military History on line - battle of the Atlantic - has info on the Enigma and Ultra, raiders, U-boats, the convoy system, and all aspects of the battle.

Back to Borgfred on the "Ships starting with B" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, E-mail from Tony Cooper, England, and misc. - (ref. My sources). Pre war and post war details received from T. Eriksen, Norway - His sources: Article about Torkildsens Rederi in "Skipet" 2.2003 by Dag Bakka Jr., and article about Sigvald Bergesen in "Skipet" 3.87 by John Magne Gramstad, Hans Pedersen and Per H. Kjærvik.