M/S Braga
Updated Febr. 12-2013

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


Received from Anthony Lalouelle, a diver, who says the wreck is being dived at Dieppe - see Post War info at the end of this page
(his source for the picture is Fred. Olsen & Co.).

Some Convoy Voyages:

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.

From Page 1 of the archive documents we learn that Braga left Genoa for Oslo, Norway on March 30-1940, but was diverted to Bordeaux (arrival there is given as May 20, via various other ports). A French visitor to my website has told me that according to his records, she had been seized off Tunisia by French patrol boats on Apr. 10 (the day after the German invasion of Norway). She was ordered to Bizerta, but was released a few days later (the archive document gives arrival Bizerta Apr. 11, departure Apr. 29, arrived Marseilles May 1, leaving again May 9). She must have proceeded to Casablanca (? not mentioned on the archive document). She's said to have sailed from Casablanca on May 15 in convoy 98 KS under French escort. At Le Verdon on May 19 (archive doc gives arrival Bordeaux May 20, as already mentioned). Sailed from Le Verdon on June 1 in convoy 47 BF under French escort, arrived Casablanca June 5. Left Casablanca on June 11 (agreeing with the archive document) in convoy 5 KF under French escort - the Norwegian Tai Yin and Thermopylæ are also listed in this convoy. At Le Verdon June 15. All these convoys are available via the external links provided within the table above.

According to Page 1, she left Verdon again on June 19 for Falmouth Bay and Avonmouth. The following month, she made a voyage to the U.S., having joined Convoy OB 179, which origniated in Liverpool on July 5 and dispersed on the 9th and also included the Norwegian Marstenen and Triton. Going back to the archive document, we see that she arrived Hampton Roads on July 19, having sailed from Milford Haven on the 7th. From Hampton Roads, she later continued to San Juan, P.R. and Trinidad. It'll also be noticed that she had quite a long stay in Santos that fall.

Her 1941 voyages are shown on Page 2 and Page 3. The latter document also has a few 1942 voyages, while the rest are listed on Page 4 (showing a long stay in Baltimore that spring).

According to "Nortraships flåte" Braga announced that she was the subject of a U-boat attack in 34 34N 70 58W around midnight on June 18-1942, but reached her destination safely. This attack is not mentioned in J. Rohwer's "Axis Submarine Successes of World War Two". As can be seen on Page 4, she was on her way from Bermuda to New York on that date. Convoy information for a few of her subsequent voyages can be found in the table above.

Skipping now to May 1-1943, when I have her in Convoy HX 237 from New York, in which Sandanger and Brand were sunk - follow the links for more details. Braga was bound for Iceland via Loch Ewe with Navy stores. Her voyages in this period are shown on Page 5. She returned to the U.S. the following month with the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 187, joining from Iceland on June 5. This convoy, which had originated in Liverpool on June 1, will be added to my Convoys section; in the meantime, the ships sailing in it (and escorts) are named in the section listing ships in all ON convoys. Annik, Athos, Bralanta, Elisabeth Bakke, Fagerfjell, Frontenac, Helgøy, Kronprinsen, Lista, Morgenen, Norbryn, Norefjord, O. B. Sørensen, President de Vogue, Toledo and Vanja are also listed, as is the Panamanian Norvinn, which is included on this website because she had Norwegian managers. Braga arrived Boston on June 15, having sailed from Reykjavik June 3.

The rest of her 1943 voyages are listed on Page 5 and Page 6. The latter document also has some 1944 voyages, which continue on Page 7 and Page 8, with convoy info for some of them in the Voyage Record above. Page 8 also has a few 1945 voyages while the rest are shown on Page 9 and Page 10 (to Apr.-1946 - it looks like she got to go home to Norway that month, but arrival there is not given).

For more information on all the other Norwegian ships named here, please see the alphabet index below, or go to the Master Ship Index.

POST WAR:

Ran her bow into a quay at Dieppe on Febr. 7-1961 upon departure for Southampton (general cargo). No damage could be seen so she continued her voyage, but after a while she sprang a leak in heavy seas and developed a list. Her crew was saved by vessels that came to before she sank in the Channel, position 50 12N 00 36E, east of Dieppe.

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

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland and misc. - (ref. My sources). Pre war and post war details were received from T. Eriksen, Norway - his source: "Skipet" / Thor B. Melhus.