M/T Dageid

To Dageid on the "Ships starting with D" page.


Received from Sverre Johansen, Norway (w/permission from the Maritime Museum in Oslo).


Source: A book in my own collection about Akers mek. Verksted, 1931
(this probably means that building started before 1932).

Cargo Problems - 1940:

Dageid had an unlucky start with many delays.When Norway was invaded on Apr. 9-1940 she was in the middle of the Atlantic, en route from Antwerp to Aruba to pick up a cargo, and was ordered by Clarcton & Co., London as well as Standard Oil Co., New York (I assume this has something to with the contract she was on at the time) to go to Trinidad for further orders, arriving there on Apr. 19, and didn't depart for Aruba until May 6. While in Trinidad she had been taken over by Nortraship (Apr. 23) and was told by them to unload the cargo from Aruba at Marseilles or St. Louis du Rhone instead of Vado, which was the original order, so on May 10 she proceeded for Marseilles via Gibraltar for further travelling instructions, then arrived Marseilles on June 1. While waiting for a pilot German aircraft started to bomb the harbour, returning that night and again the next day. Her cargo consisted of petrol, so authorities found it rather risky for her to remain and ordered her out to sea again, without the unloading even having started because no barges could be obtained to transport the cargo on to Switzerland, nor could tanks be obtained in which to keep the petrol on shore. On June 5 they received orders to continue to St. Louis du Rhone arriving there that same day, but before they could go into the harbour 2000 tons of her cargo had to be unloaded into barges, because there was not enough water for her to float into the harbour itself. On June 6 about 1000 tons were transferred to 3 barges which were to return the following day to take another 1000 tons - and they did return, but carrying the same cargo they had unloaded from Dageid the day before, having received orders from French authorities to pump it back into Dageid, whereupon she was again sent out to sea to wait, keeping in contact with the signal station.

On June 10 they were ordered back into Marseilles, but when they got there they received orders from Nortraship to take the cargo to Gibraltar. By the time they were ready to leave that day, Italy had entered the war and French authorities would not let them sail without a convoy, so again they had to wait. Finally, on June 16(?) they joined a convoy to Oran and on to Gibraltar, where they stayed for about a week before proceeding in convoy to Milford Haven, then on to Clyde where they arrived July 10 (she's listed in the Gibraltar-U.K. Convoy HG 36, which left Gibraltar on June 28-1940). However, no decision had yet been made as to what to do with the cargo, so they waited for further orders until Oct. 17, at which time The Ministry of War Transport took over the cargo and ordered them to unload at Stanlow. This done, they went to Liverpool for docking and repairs and on Nov. 12 Anglo-Irania Oil Company (British Tankers) took over; she remained on this charter all through the war.

On departure Liverpool they received orders to go to Trinidad for degaussing and the installation of a gun platform. This then, fits in with the fact that she can be found listed among the ships in Convoy OB 244 in Nov.-1940 (together with 11 other Norwegian vessels). She proceeded to Trinidad, arriving there on Dec. 8 and was not ready to leave until Febr. 1-1941.

1941 - 1943:

Convoy HX 234
Convoy HX 242
Convoy HX 248
Convoy HX 249
Convoy HX 255

From Trinidad Dageid went to Aruba where cargo was loaded for Ango Ango (Belgian Congo) and Lobito. Sailing up the river to Ango Ango she ran aground and remained stuck for a week. In order to get refloated, about 1600 tons of petrol had to be unloaded into barges. A tug assisted her, and she was finally refloated. In the process she had gotten a lot of sand in her engines but was allowed to go to Lobito with the remainder of the cargo and then on to Cape Town for repairs, arriving there on March 25, but was not completed until June 20 (apparently the worst place to go for repairs during the war years). She subsequently headed to Bahrein for a cargo for Massawa, then made several voyages between Abadan, Suez and Haifa, as well as 2 voyages between Abadan and South Africa, though a lot of time was wasted due to continuous problems with engine parts and repairs. At the end of July she loaded a cargo for East London, and after a few minor repairs there she was ordered to go to Talara, Peru via Magellan with a stop at Punta Arenas for further travelling instructions. At Talara they took on cargo for Buenaventura, Columbia and Balboa, Panama, then on to Curacao for a cargo for Great Britain, but first she had to go in convoy to New York, arriving there on Nov. 24-1942, departing again in convoy on Dec. 4, with arrival Stanlow on Dec. 27 (possibly Convoy SC 112?). Again she had some repairs and work done at Birkenhead which took almost 3 months (cabins for gunners were also added), then she departed in convoy for New York on March 13-1943, later returned to U.K. in Convoy HX 234 (see link above) and continued between New York and Gt. Britian for the rest of the war. At the end of May-1943 she can be found in Convoy HX 242, which left New York City on the 31st and arrived Liverpool on June 15. Her destination is given as Clyde and she had station 64 of the convoy. That summer she was scheduled for Convoy HX 248, leaving New York on July 15-1943, but cancelled and joined HX 249 on July 23 instead. At the beginning of Sept. that year we find her listed in Convoy HX 255 from New York to the U.K. (links above).

1944 - 1945:

Convoy HX 273
Convoy HX 274
Convoy HX 292
Convoy HX 298
Convoy HX 304
Convoy HX 311
Convoy HX 325
Convoy HX 326
Convoy ON 279
Convoy HX 338

On Jan. 11-1944 she was in a bad collision with the Dutch tanker Erinna in convoy HX 274 from New York (having been cancelled from the previous convoy, HX 273), and had to put in to St. Johns, N.F., then proceeded via Halifax to New York where her cargo was unloaded, whereupon she ended up in Baltimore from Febr. 24 until May 13 for repairs. About a week later she joined Convoy HX 292 for the U.K. In July-1944 she's listed in Convoy HX 298 from New York, and the following month she can be found in Convoy HX 304. In Sept./Oct.-1944 she was in Convoy HX 311, and in Dec. she was scheduled for Convoy HX 325 from New York, but instead joined the next convoy, HX 326.

She went back to the U.S. in Jan.-1945 with the westbound Convoy ON 279, which arrived New York on Febr. 5, and already on the 12th we find her in the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 338, bound for Devonport. Dageid returned the following month with the westbound Convoy ON 288, together with 9 other Norwegian ships, namely Villanger, Viggo Hansteen, Tanafjord, Slemmestad, G. C. Brøvig, Polartank, Heranger, Harald Torsvik and Høyanger, all listed on this website. This convoy, which unfortunately is not available to me, departed Southend on March 2-1945 with 108 ships, and arrived New York on March 19. The Norwegian commodore, R. G. Bruusgaard was in the British Port Fremantle.

On the first day of peace in Europe, May 8-1945, Dageid departed New York for Gt. Britain via Boston and Halifax, arriving Manchester on May 30, where she was docked for further repairs.

To Dageid on the "Ships starting with D" page.

Norway (E. B. Aabye) had another Dageid in the 1920's. This was originally the D/S Fagersand, built in Holland 1906, 1021 gt for Alf Monsen, Tønsberg. Became Dageid in 1920, sold same year to Tanger, renamed Michell Mazella, then to France in 1928 and renamed Caid Mima, later Ile Saint Paul in 1937.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "The Allied Convoy System", Arnold Hague, "19 Oslo-skips historie under verdenskrigen, fra April 1940 til krigens slutt i 1945" ("The Story of 19 Oslo ships during the World War, from April 1940 until the End of the War in 1945") Harald Nicolaisen - based on the ship's logs and diaries, as well as the captain's report - ref. My sources.