M/S Emma Bakke

To Emma Bakke on the "Ships starting with E" page.


Received from, and painted by Jan Goedhart, Holland. See also Ida Bakke for another picture.
Lillesand Sjømannsforening has another picture of this ship.

Related item on this website:
A message on my Find Old Shipmates Forum from the granddaughter of Arne Hansen, who served on Emma Bakke towards the end of the war. (He also served on Hallfried, Pan Scandia and Østhav).

Some Convoy Voyages:

Emma Bakke, with general cargo for Glasgow, is listed in Convoy HXF 20, which left Halifax on Febr. 12-1940 - follow the link for more info. The following month she appears among the ships in Convoy OB 111, departing Liverpool on March 16-1940. Her voyage information is given as Liverpool - Panama/San Pedro, and she had station 22 of the convoy, which is available at the external link provided at the end of this text. In May/June-1940, we find her in the Bermuda portion of Convoy HX 46, bound for Glasgow with general cargo in station 16 - several Norwegian ships took part, as will be seen by clicking on the link. In Nov. that same year she's listed in Convoy OB 241, which left Liverpool on Nov. 9 and dispersed on the 14th, however, she may not have sailed because she's also listed in Convoy OB 243, which departed Liverpool on Nov. 13. Her destination is given as Panama and Vancouver. Again, see the external website below.

Early in Febr.-1941 she sailed in Convoy HX 108, joining the convoy from Bermuda, general cargo and aircraft, station 61, bound for Liverpool. The following month she's listed, again with destination Panama and Vancouver, in Convoy Convoy OB 299, which left Liverpool on March 19-1941 - ref. external link at the end of this page; several other Norwegian ships are also included. In June-1941 she was in Convoy HX 133 (in which Soløy and Vigrid were sunk, and Kongsgaard was torpedoed and damaged), but lost touch with the convoy in fog, returned to port, then joined the next convoy at sea on June 21, HX 134. She had a general cargo as well as 3 Douglas bombers on board and sailed in station 54, bound for Liverpool, again in the company of several other Norwegian vessels.

In Oct.-1941 she was in station 105 of Convoy HX 154. Other Norwegian ships were Hilda Knudsen (and another ? Knudsen, possibly Kaia Knudsen), Ranja, Tai Shan, Samuel Bakke, Polarsol, Skiensfjord, N. T. Nielsen-Alonso, Toronto, Noreg and an unnamed Norwegian tanker. The following month she joined the westbound Convoy ON 36, destination is given as Panama and Vancouver, station 12.

She can also be found among the ships leaving Halifax in Convoy HX 178 on March 3-1942, subsequently joining the westbound Convoy ON 83* the following month, general cargo for Port Arthur. In May that year she was in Convoy HX 188, returning to the U.S. as Vice Commodore vessel for Convoy ON 99 on May 29. She must have gone back to the U.K. again, because at the end of July we find her listed as bound for New York with the westbound Convoy ON 115*, carrying 13 passengers. In Aug./Sept. she's listed in HX 205, and towards the end of Sept. she joined the westbound Convoy ON 133* in order to return to New York. She also sailed in Convoy HX 216, which departed New York City on Nov. 19-1942 and arrived Liverpool on Dec. 6. Emma Bakke had a general cargo as well as ammunition, and was bound for Liverpool in station 123, but became a straggler when the convoy encountered a gale on Nov. 25. In Dec. she joined the westbound Convoy ON 155 to head back to the U.S. The company's Samuel Bakke was also in this convoy, as were several other Norwegian ships.

She went back to the U.K. in Jan.-1943 with Convoy HX 224, bound for Belfast Dock, then Cardiff, station 114. In the middle of March we find her listed as bound for New York in the westbound Convoy ON 173*, returning to the U.K. the following month with HX 235, bound for Liverpool with general cargo. In the middle of May she shows up in the westbound Convoy ON 184*, and on June 15 she joined Convoy HX 244, general cargo for Liverpool, station 42, returning to New York in July with the westbound Convoy ON 192*. On Aug. 7-1943, she joined Convoy HX 251 in New York, again bound for Liverpool with general cargo, station 143, subsequently joining the westbound Convoy ON 200* at the beginning of Sept. She must have gone back to the U.K. again shortly afterwards, because towards the end of Oct. we find her in the westbound Convoy ON 208*, then in Dec.-1943 she acted as the Vice Commodore's ship for Convoy HX 269 (Laurits Swenson was Commodore Vessel), returning across the ocean at the end of that month with the westbound Convoy ON 218*.

In Febr.-1944 she served as the Vice Commodore's ship for Convoy HX 279 from New York, general cargo for Liverpool, and in the middle of the following month she joined the westbound Convoy ON 228*. In Apr. that year we find her in the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 288, again with general cargo for Liverpool, returning in May with the westbound Convoy ON 237*. In June-1944, she was one of several Norwegian ships in Convoy HX 296 from New York. Emma Bakke was again bound for Liverpool with general cargo, and she went back across the ocean in July with the westbound Convoy ON 245*. In Aug.-1944 she was in Convoy HX 304, again bound for Liverpool with general cargo, and again acting as the Vice Commodore's ship, then in the middle of Sept. she joined the westbound Convoy ON 254*. In Oct. that year she's listed as sailing in Convoy HX 314 from New York, bound for Hull with general cargo, this time as Commodore Vessel. At the end of Nov. she shows up in the westbound Convoy ON 268*, and was scheduled to return to the U.K. with Convoy HX 328 in Dec.-1944, but instead joined the next convoy, HX 329 and was used as Commodore Vessel again.

She joined the westbound Convoy ON 280* in Jan.-1945 but had a damaged propeller and had to return to port, subsequently joining Convoy ON 283* the following month. It looks like she must have returned to the U.K., because in Apr. that year we find her in the westbound Convoy ON 297*

* All the ON convoys mentioned here are available and will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section in due course, along with further details on each. In the meantime, please go to these convoys in the section listing ships in all ON Convoys. Click on the links provided for more info on the eastbound convoys mentioned on this page, except HX 269, which is not available to me.

POST WAR:

The ship and the company (Skibs-A/S Hilda Knudsen) were transferred to Christian Haaland, Haugesund in Aug. 1947. (This transfer may have something to do with the fact that Knut Knutsen died in 1946 and Chr. Haaland, his son in law, inherited some of Knutsen's companies and ships). Abandoned on fire after an explosion in the engine room on Oct. 9-1954, 280 n. miles off Cape Verde, on a voyage from New York to Casablanca* with general cargo. The 4th engineer and a mechanic died. Crew and passengers went in the lifeboats and were picked up by the Argentinian Corientes and taken to Lisbon. In my "Find Old Shipmates" Forum there's a posting from an Italian crew member who was on board at the time.

Back to Emma Bakke on the "Ships starting with E" page.

This company later had another Emma Bakke, delivered in Oct.-1962, 6442 gt, later 8198 gt 1971. Became Hai Meng in 1981 (Panamanian flag, Norw. mgrs.). Sold to Taiwan for breaking up in 1988.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Våre motorskip", Leif M. Bjørkelund & E. H. Kongshavn, E-mail from R. W. Jordan, Dictionary of Disasters at Sea during the Age of Steam - including sailing ships and ships of war lost in Action 1824-1962", Charles Hocking, and misc. sources as named on each convoy page - (ref. My sources).