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M/S Bosphorus To Bosphorus on the "Ships starting with B" page.
Manager: Fred. Olsen & Co., Oslo. Built in Oslo in 1934. Captain: Nils L. Hansen Other crew members are named within the text further down on this page. Related items on this website: In the Norwegian magazine "Krigsseileren, Issue No. 1 for 1975, I came across a letter written by Edward Driscoll, who sailed on board Bosphorus at some point. I mentioned this, in case any of his relatives should happen upon this website, looking for information. A visitor to my website saw this note and has since located him in Wales. He also sailed on 7 other Norwegian ships, namely Frode, Fjordheim, Sola, Skotaas, Daghild, California Express and Cetus, all listed on this website except Sola (I believe this should be Solør). Edward has now sent me his WW II sea story, which I've added to my Warsailor Stories section. If any of his old shipmates should see this and would like to get in touch, I'd be glad to pass on his contact information. My address can be found at the bottom of this page Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives: Please compare the above voyages with Arnold Hague's Voyage Record below.
(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.
Bosphorus was 1 of 26 ships interned in West and North Africa at the same time as my father's ship D/S Ringulv. There seems to be general agreement with regard to this ship in my various sources (which is unusual). Here is what they say about Bosphorus: "Nortraships flåte" states she was interned in Algiers on June 22-1940. Renamed Ste Mathilde when requisitioned by the Vichy French, but was not used by them. She was still in Algiers upon the allied invasion and was returned to Nortraship's register on Dec. 4-1942. "Sjømann - Lang Vakt" by Guri Hjeltnes agrees she was interned in Algiers at the end of June 1940, renamed Ste Mathilde in March-1941. She had a Norwegian crew of 26 who stayed on board for two years, 1 was female, 13 escaped. Those who were left got to experience the allied invasion of Algiers, where several Norwegian Merchant ships also took part. Guri Hjeltnes adds that Bosphorus had taken on board 21 crew members from M/T Regina and 22 from M/T Langanger on July 21-1941, which would indicate that those 2 ships were requisitioned around that time. Roger W. Jordan's "The World's Merchant Fleets 1939" also agrees she was seized in Algiers in June-1940, but says she was renamed Ste Mathilde that same year (incorrect), recaptured by the allies in Nov.-1942, sailed under her original name and the Norwegian flag from 1943. Again, if you read Norwegian, see also my Warsailor Stories section for more on the internment.
In the book "Tilbakeblikk" published in Nov.-1995 by the Norwegian Gunners' Veterans Association there's a very long and interesting article about this ship's internment written by a crew member, Arne Thommessen. He says that before she was interned she was generally in service between Norway and Mediterranean ports with fruit and general cargoes, then carried cargoes of oranges from Palestine to Dieppe and London during the winter months. When Norway was invaded on Apr. 9-1940 she was en route from Haifa to Norway with oranges and proceeded to Gibraltar for further orders. See also Page 1 of the archive documents. A day later she was sent in convoy to London where the oranges were discharged (she's listed in station 53 of Convoy HGF 26, leaving Gibraltar on Apr. 10), whereupon she came under French charter and headed for Dunkirk, then to Cherbourg where she arrived May 17. Shortly thereafter she carried an unknown cargo to Casablanca*, where a new cargo was taken on for Marseilles, and she was en route to that port when the news of Italy's entry to the war was received on June 10. Just before the capitulation of France she departed Marseilles in a convoy for Oran escorted by French naval vessels. Thommessen says that K. G. Meldahl, Tønsbergfjord, Favør and one of Fearnley & Eger's ships were also in this convoy (this must have been Fernhill). Since Bosphorus and Favør had some cargo belonging to France, they went all the way to Oran, while the others were allowed to leave the convoy and head for Gibraltar. After about 2 days in Oran Bosphorus was ordered to Algiers where she was subsequently interned. Unlike most of the Norwegian ships in Marocco, whose crews were sent to camps, Bosphorus' crew stayed on board for the duration. (More details on the other Norwegian ships mentioned here can be found with the help of the alphabet index at the end of this page, or go to the Master Ship Index).
A. Thommessen describes 5 escapes from the ship, the first one taking place on July 1-1941, when 6 men got away in one of the lifeboats that had recently been fixed up. They were 1st Mate Sverre Samuelsen, 3rd Mate Knut Kristiansen, Steward Hagen, Able Seaman Hilmar Økland and the Mechanics Arne Borgen and Håkon Kristiansen. They arrived Gibraltar safely 9 days later. This escape is also described in "Tusen norske skip" by Lise Lindbæk, who had an interview with the 1st mate in New York later on. While in Gibraltar he was requested by the Admiralty to take a French ship to the U. K. (given as D/S Isac), and manned it with 26 Norwegian escapees before heading to Swansea. According to an article in "Tilbakeblikk", the 9 escapees from Regina also took a French ship (Cap Cantin) to the U.K. The article adds that 6 escapees from D/S Kari were also among the crew who came along with Cap Cantin. The second escape from Bosphorus took place in a stolen fishing vessel during the night leading up to July 31. The only crew member from Bosphorus taking part in this get-away was deckboy Gunnar Heitmann, the other 5 were from Regina and Langanger whose crews had been placed on Bosphorus in July that year following the requisitioning of their own ships. (According to "Sjømann, lang vakt" by Guri Hjeltnes Bosphorus had taken on board 21 from M/T Regina and 22 from M/T Langanger on July 21-1941, as already mentioned further up on this page). This escape was also successful, so on Aug. 16 another 6 men disappeared from the ship in a stolen boat. From Bosphorus' own crew Mechanic Willy Strøm came along, while the other 5 were again from Regina's and Langanger's crew. On Sept 23 Oiler Trygve Gundersen from Bosphorus, Einar Grønning, who had arrived from Olaf Fostenes on Jan. 1-1941 and had been hired as deckboy, and 3 from Regina and Langanger took off in another stolen boat. Only 5 days later, on Sept. 28-1941, 12 men escaped in a boat stolen from a French tanker in the harbour. From Bosphorus' own crew electrician Birger Torleif Larsen, Ulerik Aanes and messboy Odd Kjell A. Pedersen came along, with the other 9 being from the "visiting" crews from Regina and Langanger. This meant that 35 men were now able to get back into allied service. Additionally, before the crews from Langanger and Regina had arrived Algiers, 12 men from those ships had gotten away while still interned in Bone, before their own ships were requisitioned. Some details can be found on my page about Regina.
Out of Bosphorus' original complement of 26, only 14 were now left, namely Captain Nils L. Hansen, 2nd. Mate Viggo Trosdahl, Carpenter Anton Melbye, Boatswain Johan Holten, Able Seaman Anton Askildsen, Able Seaman Endre Søreide, 1st Engineer Magnus Svendsen, 2nd Engineer Rolf Welgaard, 3rd Engineer Torgrim Henriksen, Mechanic Johny Eliassen, Mechanic Arne K. Thommessen (author of the article), Cook Hilmar Storhaug, Galleboy Georg Ness and Saloongirl Valborg Reistveit (who was married to R. Welgaard). They got to experience the allied landings in Algiers close-up. The boatswain was shot and injured at this time, but it proved not to be serious. A. Thommessen describes what it was like during those first few days, and how they felt at the sight of D/S Bergensfjord arriving on Nov. 9-1942, the day after the allied landings. That evening they were invited to the Norwegian ship for the first decent meal they had had in a very long time, because one of their biggest problems all along had been the food situation while interned. In those early days following the allied landings it could be quite nerve racking at times, because they found themselves right in the firing line, but after a while things settled down and Bosphorus was taken to dock, whereupon she could head out in a convoy to Gibraltar on Dec. 4-1942, after 895 days in internment. On board were also survivors from D/S Selbo. From Gibraltar Bosphorus joined another convoy for the U. K., arriving Greenock on Dec. 23-1942 - see the second table on my page for Convoy MKS 3; she's listed in the portion which A. Hague refers to as MKS 3Y, together with the Norwegian Brisk, G. C. Brøvig and Kong Sverre. A. Thommessen paid off in Jan.-1943 after 4 1/2 years service, and joined the Norwegian gunnery training camp at Dumbarton, Scotland in March that year. He later served on Kong Haakon VII, Belnor and Topdalsfjord.
Bosphorus, meanwhile, continued in allied service. She's listed in Convoy OS 45 in March/Apr.-1943, voyaging from Liverpool to Bathurst with coal, station 13. Again, see Page 1 of the archive documents. In May/June she can be found in Convoy SL 130 / MKS 14, going in the other direction, back to the U.K. The SL portion of this convoy left Freetown on May 30, joined up with the MKS convoy off Gibraltar on June 11, and arrived Liverpool on June 21. Bosphorus had a cargo of groundnuts, voyage Kontaour/Dakar-Belfast. The following month she appears in Convoy OS 51 / KMS 20, voyage Milford-Bathurst in station 103 with patent fuel and coal, and later in Convoy SL 135 / MKS 22, voyage Dakar-Loch Ewe, cargo of groundnuts, mail and 4 passengers. SL 135 had departed Freetown on Aug. 14, joined up with MKS 22 from Gibraltar on the 26th and arrived Liverpool on Sept. 6. Her voyages in this period are shown on Page 2. In Oct.-1943 she joined Convoy OS 56 / KMS 29, voyage from Oban back to Dakar with general cargo in station 127. She subsequently returned to the U.K. with Convoy SL 141 / MKS 32; voyage is given as Bathurst-Mersey with general cargo and mail. The SL portion of this convoy had departed Freetown on Nov. 23, joined up with the MKS convoy from Gibraltar on Dec. 4, and arrived Liverpool on Dec. 17. Bosphorus joined this convoy from Dakar. In Jan.-1944 she can been found on a voyage from Liverpool to Freetown in station 81 of Convoy OS 64 / KMS 38, and the following month she went back to the U.K. with Convoy SL 149 / MKS 40, voyage Sherboro-Mersey. SL 149 left Freetown on Febr. 11, joined up with the MKS convoy from Gibraltar on the 22nd, and arrived Liverpool on March 7. Later that month she's listed in Convoy OS 72 / KMS 46, voyage Liverpool-Freetown/Bathurst with general cargo in station 71, completing her voyage to Bathurst in Apr. with Convoy SL 156 from Freetown, and in May she joined Convoy SL 157 / MKS 48 in order to head back to the U.K. She also sailed in Convoy OS 81 / KMS 55 in June, voyage Aultbea-Dakar with cement and general in station 113. In July we find her in Convoy OS 82, which had started out from the U.K. as the combined Convoy OS 82 / KMS 56 on July 1 and split up on July 11, the KMS portion arriving Gibraltar on July 13, while the Freetown portion (OS 82) arrived there on July 21. Note that Bosphorus was not present from the U.K., but joined OS 82 from Dakar. Follow the links provided in the above record for dates and more details on these convoys - several Norwegian ships are listed in them. For information on her subsequent voyages, please go back to the Voyage Record. See also Page 3. Note that all the KMS and MKS convoys mentioned on this page will be added to my own Convoys section in due course. In the meantime, the ships sailing in them are named in the section listing ships in all KMS convoys, and the section for ships in all MKS convoys. As will be seen, Bosphorus appears in Convoy KMS 66 in Oct.-1944 (bound for Port Said - again, please see the Voyage Record).
Bosphorus was lost by fire in 1950. Back to Bosphorus on the "Ships starting with B" page. Fred. Olsen had another ship by this name after the war, built at Stord in 1956, sold in 1973 to Ophelia Shipping, Cyprus. The text on this page was compiled with the help of: Misc. books as named within the above text - ref My sources.
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