M/S Bra-Kar - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

Some War Voyages:

Bra-Kar was scheduled for the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 80 in Oct.-1940, but did not sail. Instead she joined the next convoy, HX 81, which arrived Liverpool on Nov. 2, cargo of lead, lumber and canned goods, station 62. On Nov. 18 we find her in Convoy OB 245, which left Liverpool on that date and dispersed a few days later - no destination is given for her (see external links below).

She was intended for Convoy HX 113 in March-1941 (Bermuda portion), bound for Liverpool with a general cargo as well as airplanes, but did not sail. She also cancelled from the next convoy, HX 114, but shows up again in station 84 of Convoy HX 119 the following month, destination is now given as Belfast. This turned out to be her last Trans-Atlantic convoy voyage, as will be seen below.

Related external links:
OB convoys

Final Fate - 1941:

Bra-Kar must have headed to Liverpool after having been to Belfast, because she experienced the air attacks on Canada Dock on May 3-1941 (cargo of metal and canned goods). A bomb detonated on the quay 40 meters away, blowing her hatches away. Incendiary bombs caused several fires on her decks, but were extinguished before they could do serious damage. On land, flames from a burning warehouse were spreading quickly and the wind blew them towards Bra-Kar. Soon her gangway was on fire as were both the starboard lifeboats and the raft. 20 minutes after the first incendiary bombs had been dropped, several others were dropped, some falling in Bra-Kar's No. 4 and No. 5 hatches, resulting in a hole of half a meter in diameter in her No. 4 hatch.

The crew were ordered to head to the air raid shelters. About half of them got off safely, while the remaining men chose to lower the port boat, but when more bombs fell around them, 1 detonated in the after hold, blowing the men off their feet. Under constant bombardment they finally managed to get the boat on the water and away from the ship in the early morning hours of May 4. By May 7 she was still burning and eventually settled on the bottom - later declared a total loss.

The maritime hearings were held in Liverpool on May 14-1941 with the captain, the 1st mate, the 1st engineer, the carpenter and Able Seaman Johansen appering.

Bra-Kar was refloated in June-1941 and beached at Tranmere. She was later broken up.

Other ships in Liverpool during these attacks were M/S Tai Yin, M/S Temeraire, D/S Sollund, M/S Mosdale, and D/S Stromboli

Crew List - No Casualties:

Captain Sigurd Rasmussen	1st Mate Paul Strand	2nd Mate Trygve Nilsen	3rd Mate Lorang Småland	Carpenter Oskar Karlsen	Boatswain Jalvid Evensen
Able Seman Karl Otto Bråten	Able Seaman Sigvard Johansen	Able Seaman Ole Tonnes	Able Seaman Karl Overland	Ordinary Seaman Egil Karlsen	Ordinary Seaman K. Hemingsen
Ordinary Seaman Helge Furnes	Jr. Ordinary Seaman Leif Gundersen	1st Engineer Norval Magnussen	2nd Engineer Finn Hansen	3rd Engineer Øistein Ulriksen	4th Engineer Peder Eide
Electrician Arvid Ponth	Mechanic Åge Svendsen	Mechanic Nils Røed	Mechanic Ingvald Johansen	Oiler Einar Hansen	Oiler Paul Ødegård
Oiler Gerald Hennis (British?)	Steward Olav Henriksen	Cook Sigurd Eriksen	Mess Boy Johannes Olafsen	Saloon Boy Helge Kålstad	Saloon Boy Ø. Årebraat
Gunner Kaare Andersen

Back to Bra-Kar on the "Ships starting with B" page.

Other ships by this name: This was the company's 3rd ship by the name Bra-Kar. The 1st one, a steam ship of 4861 gt, was built in 1911, sold in 1915 and renamed Havø for Henrik Østervold, Bergen. Later names: Mabuhay II 1935 (still Norwegian), Japanese Ryusei Maru from 1938, sunk by USS Rasher in Febr.-1944. Their 2nd Bra-Kar (also a steam ship) was built in Glasgow in 1920, 4047 gt, sold to Spain in 1922, renamed Ayala Mendi, sank following a collision in July-1922. After the war Fred. Olsen had another ship by this name, launched on Febr. 7-1943 in Beaumont, Texas as Cape Blanco (5206 gt) for the United States War Shipping Administration, completed in May that year. She was sold in 1946 or 1947 to A/S Ganger Rolf (Den Norske Syd-Amerika Linje), managed by Fred. Olsen & Co. and renamed Bra-Kar. In May-1961 she was purchased by Wilh. Wilhelmsen and renamed Toro, but sold again in June-1967 to the Philippines and renamed Eastern Saturn. Broken up at Kaohsiung in Apr.-1974.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "The World's Merchant Fleets", R. W. Jordan, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume I (Norwegian Maritime Museum), and the Wilh. Wilhelmsen and Fred. Olsen fleet lists - ref My sources.

Aa–Al	An–Ar	As–Av	Ba	Be	Bi–Bl	Bo	Br–Bu	C	D
E	F	G	Ha	He	Hi–Hy	Hø	I	J	K
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Sp–St	Su–Sø	Ta–Te	Th–Ti	To	Tr–Tø	U	V	W	Ø