D/S Dux
Updated Aug. 27-2008

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

Further to the above:

(Please note that only a few of her voyages are discussed here).

Follow the convoy links provided for more info on them; some also have the Commodore's notes and/or misc. reports.

Dux is listed in Convoy HN 6 from Norway to the U.K. in Dec.-1939/Jan.-1940. As will be seen when clicking on the link, several Norwegian ships took part.

A posting to my Ship Forum, based on info found in French archives, states that Dux left Le Verdon on March 1-1940 in Convoy 36 XS (9 ships), which joined Convoy 30 BS at sea (9 ships coming from Brest), and sailed to Casablanca, arriving March 6. (Ref. links and details in Voyage Record above, as well as Page 1 of the documents from the Norwegian archives).

At the end of July-1940, A. Hague has included her in Convoy OA 188, together with the Norwegian Athene, Cetus and Stirlingville. This convoy left Methil on July 22 and dispersed on the 23rd, Dux arriving St. John's, N.F. independently on Aug. 2. She returned to the U.K. with the first slow Sydney, C.B.-U.K. SC convoy, Convoy SC 1, in which the Norwegian Eva was sunk. Several Norwegian ships took part in this convoy, which departed Sydney, C.B. on Aug. 15-1940.

According to A. Hague, she later made an independent voyage back to St. John's, N.F. in Nov.-1940, and she was scheduled to return to the U.K. in the Sydney (C.B.) portion of Convoy HX 91 later that month, but did not sail (she had a cargo of pulpwood and was bound for Methil and Ridham Dock). She was also cancelled from the next convoy, HX 92, but eventually got away with the Sydney portion of HX 93 on Dec. 4 (convoy had originated in Halifax on Dec. 3-1940). A report of proceedings is also available, stating that the visibility was very poor on Dec. 6, and when the weather cleared Dux was one of 3 ships missing. She arrived Oban independently on Dec. 18.

She's said to have collided with the British Baron Hague when in Convoy EN 65 on Jan. 31-1941 (external page) - I have no further details on this, other than the fact that Dux returned to port. In Febr.-1941 she shows up with a cargo of coke in station 83 of Convoy OB 288, which lost several ships, among them Svein Jarl. Follow the link to OB 288 for more details on this convoy; the page includes an account on the passage, and there are also misc. reports. See also this message on my Ship Forum. OB 288, which had originated in Liverpool on Febr. 18-1941, was dispersed on Febr. 22, and Dux arrived Halifax independently on March 8. She rerturned to the U.K. again in May with the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 31, cargo of timber for Great Yarmouth, where she arrived, via Loch Ewe and Methil, on June 7. In July she made a voyage to Lisbon, having joined Convoy OG 67, with Inger Lise and Kos VIII. This convoy will be added to an individual page in my Convoys section in due course, but for now, the ships sailing in it (and escorts) are named on the page listing ships in all OG convoys. Dux arrived Lisbon on July 19, and together with Inger Lise she returned to the U.K. with a cargo of pyrites the following month in Convoy HG 70, according to A. Hague. As will be seen when clicking on the link to my own page about this convoy, only reports are available there, but the external website that I've linked to within the table above has more convoy info. HG 70 departed Gibraltar on Aug. 9-1941 and arrived Liverpool on the 23rd; Dux arrived Oban on the 21st.

In Sept. that same year she joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 16 in order to sail to Curacao, where she arrived independently on Oct. 12 (the convoy having been dispersed on Sept. 27). She was scheduled for the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 53 at the beginning of the following month, but instead joined Convoy SC 56 on Nov. 22, cargo of phosphates for Mersey. According to Page 3 of the documents received from the Norwegian archives, she arrived Garston on Dec. 10, which is the destination given for her in the Advance Sailing Telegram for the earlier Convoy SC 53.

As can be seen in the Voyage Record, she now remained around the U.K., until May-1942, when she joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 94*, which originated in Liverpool on May 12 and arrived Halifax on the 25th. Other Norwegian ships were Carmelfjell (returned), Evanger, Ingertre, Jan, Mathilda, Norelg (also returned) and Torfinn Jarl. At the beginning of July-1942 Dux is listed in the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 90, cargo of timber for Grimsby, returning across the Atlantic at the beginning of Aug.-1942 with the westbound Convoy ON 118*. This convoy originated in Liverpool on Aug. 1, and also included Evanger, Nea, Norvarg, Rio Verde, Spero and Tore Jarl. Dux was bound for Yarmouth, N.S., where she arrived (via Halifax) on Sept. 1. She subsequently headed back to the U.K. later that month in Convoy SC 100 from Halifax.

Following a few voyages around the U.K., she now started voyaging in a different part of the world, starting with a trip to Gibraltar in Oct.-1942. Please go back to the Voyage Record for information on the rest of her 1942 and early 1943 voyages.

In July-1943, she's listed as sailing in Convoy SL 132 / MKS 16, voyaging from Algiers to Loch Ewe with war stores. The Norwegian Arosa, Audun, Mammy, Gabon and Kong Haakon VII are also listed. The SL portion of this convoy had left Freetown on June 28, and joined up with MKS 16, in which Dux sailed, on July 10. She arrived Loch Ewe on July 21. See the external link provided in the table above for more on the combined convoy. (Dux had arrived Gibraltar from Algiers on July 6 in a convoy referred to by A. Hague as Convoy MKS 16A, originating in Tripoli - see the 3rd table on my page about MKS 16).

Dux took part in the operations on the Azores in Oct.-1943, unloading cranes in Angra on the 25th. With the establishment of allied air bases in this area the convoys were subsequently ensured safer passage. According to A. Hague, she made a voyage from Gibraltar to Algiers with Convoy KMS 32* in Nov.-1943, proceeding to Philippeville a couple of days later, travelling from Philippeville to Augusta in Dec.-1943 with Convoy KMS 34*. Both convoys also had other Norwegian ships, namely Borgholm, Far, Hjalmar Wessel, Katy, Ragnhild and Roald Amundsen in KMS 32, and Borgholm, Hardanger, Hjalmar Wessel, Marita, Norefjord, Norfalk and Thorsholm in KMS 34.

Skipping now to the end of Jan.-1944, when she's said to have made a voyage from Bone to Augusta in Convoy KMS 38*. The following month, A. Hague has her in Convoy MKS 39*, voyage Augusta-Bone (Marita and Salamis are also included in this convoy). Again, please see the Voyage Record, as well as the documents received from the National Archives of Norway, for details on voyages made in between those mentioned here, as well as the rest of her 1944 and 1945 voyages.

Related external link:
Stavern Memorial commemoration - Steward Leonard Alfred Heen is listed as having died in an accident on board on Febr. 15-1942.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, and misc.