D/S Evanger - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

D/S Evanger

To Evanger on the "Ships starting with E" page.

Source: Bjørn Milde's postcard collection

Manager: Westfal Larsen & Co. A/S Bergen.
Tonnage: 3869 gt, 7280 tdwt.
Dimensions: 365' x 52.3' x 26.2'.
Machinery: Triple exp. 1600 ihp, 10 knots

Delivered in July-1920 from Irvine's Shipbuilding & Dry Docks Co. Ltd., West Hartlepool as Evanger to Westfal-Larsen & Co. A/S, Bergen.

Captain: Marcus Halsvik.

Some Convoy Voyages:

Evanger was in Antwerp on May 10-1940, when the air attacks on the city started. (The Norwegian D/S Madrono was also there). That same evening the British destroyer HMS Brilliant (Lt. Cdr. F.C. Brodrick) arrived to organize the departure of the 26 merchant ships in the harbour. They all got out on the 12th followed by 50 tugs, while being attacked 3 times by German aircraft.

In July-1940 she can be found in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 57, bound for Liverpool with general cargo (station 63) together with several other Norwegian ships, and in Aug. that year she's listed, with destination Norfolk, VA, in Convoy OB 205, leaving Liverpool on Aug. 29, dispersed the next day. In Oct. we find her in Convoy HX 81. Towards the end of that year she shows up, with destination Philadelphia, in Convoy OB 262, leaving Liverpool on Dec. 20, dispersed on the 23rd - see the external links at the end of this page for more on these OB convoys.

In Jan./Febr.-1941 she sailed in Convoy HX 106; again, other Norwegian ships took part. She subsequently joined Convoy OB 298, leaving Liverpool on March 16, dispersed on the 20th. In May-1941 she was in Convoy HX 129, bound for Barry with general cargo, joining Convoy OB 341 at the end of the following month (left Liverpool on June 30, dispersed on July 6); her destination is given as Halifax - again, see the external links below. In Aug. that same year we find her in station 84 of Convoy HX 144, along with the Norwegian Polartank (station 95), Orwell (station 54), Hallanger (station 53), Eidanger (station 83), Havprins (station 82), Grena (station 73), Suderøy (station 63), Norse King (station 15), Vinland (station 66) and Sommerstad (in station 93, all listed on this website). Evanger subsequently joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 16 the following month, but was detached and sent to Convoy ON 17 instead (she arrived Halifax on Oct. 5).

Evanger, with general cargo for Liverpool, also sailed in the slow Convoy SC 65 (departed Halifax Jan. 17-1942), having cancelled from the previous convoy, SC 64. She returned to Halifax the following month with the westbound Convoy ON 68* (left Liverpool on Febr. 19, dispersed March 9), heading back to the U.K. in Convoy SC 77, which left Halifax on March 30. At the beginning of May that year, Arnold Hague has her in the westbound Convoy ON 92*, however, she's also listed as bound for New York with general cargo in ON 94* about a week later (left Liverpool on May 12, arrived Halifax on the 25th), so perhaps she had returned to port when in ON 92? (she could not have sailed in both, unless she was only bound for a local port when in the former. In fact, she's not mentioned at all on my own page for Convoy ON 92, but it's possible she joined, only to return). In July she's listed in Convoy SC 90, general cargo for Liverpool, returning to New York at the beginning of Aug.-1942 with the westbound Convoy ON 118* (departed Liverpool on Aug. 1, dispersed Aug. 20), then went back to the U.K. again in Sept. with Convoy SC 99. She subsequently joined the westbound Convoy ON 138* the following month, again bound for New York. This convoy departed Liverpool on Oct. 11 and arrived New York on Nov. 3-1942.

There's now a big gap in my voyage information for Evanger, however, this can be filled by going to the external site already mentioned, which has her in several GAT convoys (Guantanamo - Trinidad) in this period, as well as in some returning TAG convoys. In July/Aug.-1943 I have her in Convoy SC 138 from Halifax, and at the end of Aug. she's listed as bound for New York with general cargo in the westbound Convoy ONS 17*, heading back to the U.K. in Oct. in Convoy SC 144. At the end of Nov. she joined the westbound Convoy ONS 24* in order to return to New York. This convoy left Liverpool on Nov. 30 and arrived Halifax on Dec. 18-1943.

At the end of Jan.-1944 she joined the slow Convoy SC 152, general cargo for Liverpool, heading back across the Atlantic at the end of Febr. with the westbound Convoy ONS 30* (left Liverpool Febr. 27, arrived Halifax March 13), and in Apr. that year she was in Convoy SC 157, general cargo for Tyne. At the beginning of June-1944, she shows up in the westbound Convoy ON 239* (departure Liverpool June 3, arrival New York June 22), returning to the U.K. the following month in the large Convoy HX 300 from New York, again bound for Tyne with general cargo. At the beginning of Sept. we find her in the westbound Convoy ON 251*, which left Liverpool on Sept. 1 and arrived New York on the 19th, and in Oct.-1944 she sailed in Convoy SC 158 from Halifax, general cargo for Avonmouth. In the middle of Nov. she's listed as bound for Halifax with coal in Convoy ONS 36*, which departed Liverpool on Nov. 13 and arrived Halifax on Dec. 3, and Christmas that year was spent while in Convoy SC 163 from Halifax, general cargo for Manchester.

Evanger, destination Halifax, subsequently joined the westbound Convoy ONS 41* at the end of Jan.-1945 (departure Liverpool on Jan. 29, arrival Halifax Febr. 20), and must have gone back to the U.K. again**, because she also shows up in the westbound Convoy ONS 49*, which left Liverpool on May 2 and arrived Halifax on the 18th. Her destination on this occasion was Montreal, general cargo.

* All the ON and ONS 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 and the section naming ships in all ONS convoys. As will be seen, they all had several Norwegian ships. As already mentioned, the external site that I've linked to below has some more convoy information for Evanger, including some GAT convoys (Guantanamo-Trinidad) and the returning TAG convoys, among several others. (More info on all the other Norwegian ships mentioned here can be found with the help of the alphabet index at the end of this page).

** In fact, the external site below has her in Convoy SC 171, which left Halifax on March 27-1945 and arrived Liverpool on Apr. 10. This convoy is not available on my own site.

POST WAR:

Sold in May-1952 to Manners Nav. Co. Ltd., Hong Kong and renamed San Jorge. Sold in 1955 to China Shippers Co. Ltd., Hong Kong, renamed Tokyo Breeze. Sold in 1957 to World Wide S.S. Co. Ltd., Hong Kong, renamed Golden Kappa. Broken up in Hong Kong in 1958.

Related external link:
OB convoys - Convoy OB 262, mentioned in my text above, is included. Note also that by going to this section of the same site and clicking on "Ship Search", using "Evanger" as keyword, several convoys that are not mentioned in my own text will come up. Here's Convoy OB 205, OB 298, OB 341 and Convoy SC 171, all mentioned above.

To Evanger on the "Ships starting with E" page.

Other ships by this name: This company had previously had another Evanger, delivered in 1908 as Loiret (of La Rochelle), purchased by Westfal-Larsen in 1912. This ship later became Tosca, then Braa, then Varangnes - follow link for further details. Westfal Larsen had another Evanger after the war, built in Bergen 1955, 7143 (7942?) gt. Renamed Ameta 1972 (Sverre Amundsen, Haugesund), under T/C as Concordia Ameta 1972-1978 (Christian Haaland, Haugesund). Sold to Germany in Febr.-1979 for breaking up.

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