M/T Brasil
Updated Jan. 2-2008

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

Related item on this website:
Guestbook message (Norwegian Guestbook) from someone whose father served on this ship.

Some Convoy Voyages – 1940-1945

1940-1941:

There's a ship in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 38 at the end of Apr.-1940 listed as Brazil - I believe this was the Norwegian Brasil.

Brasil sailed in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 91 in Nov./Dec.-1940, having cancelled from the previous convoy, HX 90. She joined the convoy from Bermuda and was bound for Dublin. HX 91 arrived Liverpool on Dec. 11, and towards the end of that month she's listed, with destination Bahrein, in Convoy OB 263, leaving Liverpool on Dec. 23, dispersed on the 27th - the external website that I've linked to at the end of this page has the names of other ships in this convoy, some of which were Norwegian.

In the middle of Febr.-1941 she sailed in Convoy (B)HX 110 (joining from Bermuda), bound for Clyde with petroleum products.

Brasil reported being attacked by a U-boat on Apr. 4-1941 in 56 15N 27 50W when en route from Avonmouth via Milford Haven to New York, having departed on March 27 in ballast (she is, in fact, listed in Convoy OB 304, which left Liverpool on March 30 and dispersed Apr. 4). At the time she had a crew of 32, 29 of whom were Norwegian, 1 Canadian, 1 Polish and 1 Danish. Her radio message was acknowledged by Valencia Radio. The torpedo was seen breaking the surface between two waves on the ship's port quarters. She was swung 90 degrees to starboard and proceeded at utmost speed. The torpedo allegedly passed astern by 10 feet. There's no German report of such an attack, perhaps they had mistaken a wave for a torpedo? (The Norwegian O. A. Knudsen, also from OB 304, and the Dutch Tiba were seen about 8 miles to the southeast of her, then changed course to port and steered away). At the time of this incident Brasil had 2 Hotchkiss machine guns on board, and the following month a 3in. gun was installed in Halifax before she again headed east. She's listed in Convoy HX 127 in May-1941, bound for Liverpool with gasoline in station 92, in the company of several other Norwegian ships, as will be seen by clicking on the link.

The following month (June 14-1941) she shows up in the U.K.-Gibraltar Convoy OG 65, which will be added to my Convoys section; in the meantime, please go to this convoy on the page listing ships in all OG convoys. No destination is given, but it's possible she may have been bound for the U.S. (rather than Gibraltar) and detached from the convoy en route(?). I say this, because she was in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 140 in July-1941, bound for Belfast with petroleum products. Already on Aug. 16 we find her, with destination New York, in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 8, returning the following month with Convoy HX 149 (station 83) along with the Norwegian Aristophanes (station 43), Daghild (station 63), Thorsholm (33), Innerøy (35), Thorshov (station 64), Somerville (66?), Glittre (24), Lise (44), Harpefjell (86), Norvik (Panamanian flag, Norwegian managers and therefore included on this website, in station 84, behind Brasil) and Brant County (87) as well as an unnamed Norwegian tanker in station 73 (this was Kollbjørg). The Norwegian President de Vogue and Ringstad were also in this convoy, though they are not listed. Many of these ships, including Brasil (destination New York), subsequently headed back across the Atlantic with Convoy ON 24*, which left Liverpool on Oct. 8, dispersed on the 15th.

The external site that I've linked to at the end of this page now has her going in the other direction in Convoy HX 161, leaving Halifax on Nov. 21-1941, arriving Liverpool on Dec. 6. As will be seen, she's not mentioned on my own page for this convoy, but perhaps my information is incomplete? At the end of Dec. she joined the westbound Convoy ON 52* (departed Liverpool on Dec. 31, dispersed on Jan. 11-1942). No destination is given for Brasil on this occsion.

1942-1943:

She again reported having seen a U-boat in the Hatteras area on Febr. 5-1942, but was not attacked. On the 13th of that month she can be found among the ships in Convoy HX 175, and she returned with the westbound Convoy ON 75*, which left Liverpool on March 10, dispersed on the 19th. Her destination is given as Houston, station 42.

In May-1942 she's included in Convoy SL 109/SLF 109, which departed Freetown on May 4-1942. Brasil was in the fast section (SLF) which detached on May 19 and arrived Liverpool on May 25, while the slow section (SL) arrived on the 28th. Her destination is given as Clyde, cargo of 11 290 tons lube oil, station 52 - note, however, that it does not look like she had actually been to Freetown; her voyage information is given as Houston (Apr. 5) - Birkenhead, then Manchester Ship Canal, then Clyde for onward voyage, May 25. Perhaps she just joined this convoy for the last leg only? The first external website that I've linked to at the end of this page has more details on this convoy; the Norwegian Ingria and Jenny also took part (Thorshavet sailed with the convoy for a couple of days only).

At the beginning of June that same year she's listed as bound for Boston in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 101*, departing Liverpool on June 5, arriving Boston on the 18th. In Aug. we find her in Convoy HX 203 which departed Halifax on Aug. 16-1942, returning the following month with the westbound Convoy ON 131*; departure Liverpool Sept. 18, arrival New York, Brasil's destination, on Oct. 4. She's also listed in Convoy HX 215, which left New York City on Nov. 11 and arrived Liverpool on the 25th. Brasil's destination is given as Mersey. She subsequently went back to New York in the westbound Convoy ON 151*, leaving Liverpool on Dec. 3, arriving New York on the 23rd.

She went back to the U.K. again in Jan.-1943 in Convoy HX 223 (from New York) in which Kollbjørg and Nortind were lost (the Norwegian Villanger, Brimanger and Egda also took part), then returned the following month with the westbound Convoy ON 166, in which the Norwegian Stigstad, Ingria, N. T. Nielsen-Alonso and Glittre were sunk. Other Norwegian ships sailing in this convoy were Molda, Skandinavia, Tropic Star and Tai Shan. That spring, in Apr.-1943, we find her in Convoy HX 233, again with several other Norwegian ships, then returned across the Atlantic with the westbound Convoy ON 181 at the end of that month, station 34. This convoy arrived New York on May 18 (Brasils' destination is not given).

It now looks like she made a voyage to North Africa*, because in June-1943 she shows up in Convoy KMS 16, bound for Oran (joining from Algiers?), and is also mentioned in Convoy KMS 17 later that month - scroll down to the second table on that page. She appears to have joined this convoy from Gibraltar on June 30, and was bound from Oran to Philippeville (for info, though Brasil was not present, the convoy had started out from Liverpool on June 16 as combined Convoy OS 50/KMS 17, but split up on June 27, KMS 17 ships heading to Gibraltar, while the OS convoy continued to Freetown - KMS 17 ships then proceeded to their various destinations in the area, others, including Brasil, having joined meanwhile). In Aug. that year she made a voyage from Alexandria to Malta with Convoy MKS 22 (again, scroll down to the second table on the page). She's also listed in Convoy KMS 29 in Oct.-1943, voyage from Bizerta to Alexandria. KMS 16 and KMS 29 will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section; in the meantime, see this list of ships in all KMS convoys.

* She does appear, with destination Oran, in Convoy UGS 9 in this time period at the external site below. This shows that she made a voyage to North Africa from the U.S. The convoy departed New York on May 28-1943 and had Port Said as its final destination. In Aug./Sept. she's included in Convoy GUS 14, going in the other direction, but no voyage information is given for Brasil, so it's hard to tell whether she followed this convoy all the way back to the U.S. - GUS 14 arrived Hampton Roads on Sept. 26. Follow the links provided for more details on these convoys. Either way, she must have been back on the other side of the world by the end of Oct., because as mentioned, she's also listed in KMS 29, which left Gibraltar on Oct. 20-1943 (but Brasil joined from Bizerta). If she had indeed gone to the U.S. with GUS 14, I'm not sure if she would have been able to return in time to be present in this convoy.

1944-1945:

In May-1944 she was scheduled for Convoy HX 292, but instead joined the next convoy, HX 293, departing New York on May 27, arriving Liverpool on June 9. Later that month she joined the westbound Convoy ON 241* (departure Liverpool June 18, arrival New York July 2), returning to the U.K. with Convoy HX 299, which left New York on July 11. At the beginning of Aug. we find her in the westbound Convoy ON 247* (left Liverpool on Aug. 2, arrived New York on the 15th), heading back to the U.K. again shortly thereafter in Convoy HX 304, bound for Thameshaven. On Sept. 16 she's listed in the westbound Convoy ON 254*, which arrived New York on Oct. 5. She went back to the U.K. a few days later with Convoy HX 313, then joined the westbound ON 264* (left Southend Nov. 3, arrived New York Nov. 21). In Dec. she sailed to the U.K. again in Convoy HX 324, bound for Mersey and Manchester. Other Norwegian ships in this convoy were Fagerfjell, Lista, Solør and California Express. Follow the links provided for further dates and information.

She now joined the westbound Convoy ON 281*, which left Southend on Jan. 26-1945 and arrived New York on Febr. 12. A few days later she's listed, with destination Manchester, in the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 339, and at the beginning of March we find her in the westbound Convoy ON 289* (departed Southend March 7, arrived New York March 25). Going back to the external site below, she subsequently appears in Convoy HX 347, which left New York on March 29-1945 and arrived Liverpool on Apr. 14 - this convoy is not available on my own site. Already on Apr. 17 she shows up in the westbound Convoy ON 297*, which arrived New York on May 2.

* All the ON convoys mentioned here will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section in due course, with more information on each; in the meantime, the ships sailing in them are named in the section listing ships in all ON convoys. As for the other convoys mentioned on this page, follow the links provided for more details on each convoy. More info on all the other Norwegian ships named on this page can be found with the help of the alphabet index below.

POST WAR:

Sold in Jan.-1952 to Falkland Shipowners Ltd. (Hvalfangerselskapet Antarctic A/S, Tønsberg), London and renamed Antarctic Tanker. Broken up in 1954(?)

Related external links:
SL Convoys - The site also has a section on the OB convoys, among others, and a very useful Multi-Convoy Web Search feature - here's the main page. As can be seen, Brasil is listed in OB 263 and SL 109/SLF 109. Note also that by going to this section of the same site and clicking on "Ship Search", using "Brasil" as keyword, several convoys that are not mentioned in my own text will come up. Here are OB 304, HX 161, UGS 9, and GUS 14, and HX 347, all mentioned in my text above.

1 who died on board - Mechanic Peder Heimdal is listed as having died in an accident while at sea on Dec. 31-1944.

Lillesand Sjømannsforening's website (Lillesand Seamen's Association) has a picture of this ship, along with pictures of several other Norwegian ships.

Back to Brasil 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).