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M/T Fagerfjell To Fagerfjell on the "Ships starting with F" page. Manager: Olsen & Ugelstad, Oslo Built in Malmö, Sweden 1935. Captain: ? Kristensen Related items on this website:
Fagerfjell was in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 160 in Nov.-1941, together with several other Norwegian ships. She's also listed as being in Convoy HX 173 in Febr.-1942, again in company with several other Norwegian ships. The external website that I've linked to at the end of this text has her in station 62 of Convoy SL 113 in June/July-1942. This convoy left Freetown on June 15 and arrived Liverpool on July 7. Mike Holdoway, the webmaster of the site, has told me that she had left Curacao on May 26 with a cargo of 11 612 tons of topped crude oil and 112 drums of oil residues, bound for Stanlow. Arrived Ardrossen on July 5. The Norwegian Thorhild, Thorshavet and Vanja are also listed, but the latter did not sail. At the end of that year, in Dec.-1942, she was scheduled for Convoy HX 218, leaving New York on Dec. 5, but instead joined the next convoy, HX 219, bound for Avonmouth with fuel oil in station 43. The following month we find her in the westbound Convoy ON 161, which left Liverpool on Jan. 12-1943 and arrived New York on the 31st. Fagerfjell, however, detached for Guantanamo on Jan. 28, as did the Norwegian Vav. They both show up again in Convoy HX 228, in which Brant County was sunk. Fagerfjell's destination is given as Stanlow, and she had station 63 of this convoy, which left New York on Febr. 28-1943. In Apr./May-1943 she was one of several Norwegian ships in Convoy HX 235 from New York, and towards the end of June she joined HX 245, cargo of Admiralty fuel, destination Scapa, station 62. That fall, on Aug. 7-1943, she left New York with Convoy HX 251, bound for Milford Haven and Devonport with a cargo of Admiralty fuel, station 52. In Jan.-1944 she sailed in Convoy HX 275 from New York, bound for Londonderry. At the end of the following month she was scheduled for Convoy HX 281, but instead joined the next convoy, HX 282. In May-1944 we find her in Convoy HX 292 and that summer, in July-1944, she was scheduled for Convoy HX 298, but did not sail. She shows up again in Convoy HX 307 in Sept.-1944, along with 7 other Norwegian ships, namely Buenos Aires, Frontenac, Idefjord, John Bakke, Kaia Knudsen, Thorsholm and Stiklestad, all listed on this website (see alphabet index at the end of this page). Fagerfjell was on a voyage to Clyde with fuel, navy spec. and 70 DC's in station 64. She must have gone straight back across the ocean, because on Oct. 20 that same year she can be found in Convoy HX 315 from New York, this time bound for Portsmouth, and on Dec. 4-1944 she's listed in Convoy HX 324, which arrived Liverpool on Dec. 21 (Fagerfjell's destination was Clyde on that occasion). She subsequently returned to New York with Convoy ON 278 in Jan.-1945 (station 82). Other Norwegian ships were Anna Knudsen (62), Vivi (42) and Lista (12). This convoy departed Southend on Jan. 12 and arrived New York on Jan. 31-1945. ("The Allied Convoy System" by Arnold Hague says 47 ships were in this convoy, while Arthur Moore's book "A Careless Word - A Needless Sinking" gives the names of 49). Fagerfjell was scheduled to head back to the U.K. with Convoy HX 336 early the following month, but did not sail, and was also cancelled from HX 337 and HX 339. I don't have the documents for later convoys, but at the external website that I've linked to at the end of this page she's listed in Convoy HX 340, which left New York on Febr. 23-1945. The same site also has her in HX 349 in Apr. and in HX 357 in May-1945. Axel G. Axelson, Sweden (nickname Boras), who served on Fagerfjell until Oct.-1941, has sent me the following: We had a couple of sailors who had been on ships who was sunken but the crew was saved and they did not like to go below deck when we had such messages, who can blame them. I am sending a couple of pictures and on one of them are Peter Rosberg (wearing a hat) and I in Montevideo febr. 18-41. He left the ship there and so did 7 more. He asked me to go too, but I did not like to go that way. Captain Christensen was plenty mad and said we are leaving now even if I have to steer the boat myself. Of course he depended on Axel to do that, as he always said, Axel is the only one who can keep a straight course, as he is always sober. Well for a Swede I got along well with everybody, but when the Germans invaded Norway some of them said; The Swedes should help Norway. I guess they helped them in other ways".
Axel says the following names are written on the back of the picture on the right: Axel would very much like to find out what happened to his friend Peter Rosberg, and has left several messages on my "Find Old Shipmates" Forum, one of which can be found here (written in Swedish), another one here, one here, one here, and yet another one here, and one on this page. He says Peter was from Ålesund, and left Norway after the German occupation, went to Petsamo and got a Swedish ship there, bound for New York. Axel never heard from Peter again after he paid off in Montevideo, but heard in 1953 that he had settled in Seattle and was the owner of a fishing boat there. They were both able seamen on board Fagerfjell. I have Axel's E-mail address if anyone can help him, my contact address is at the bottom of this page. Update - Aug.-2007: Axel (age 96, and Peter (age 88) have now found each other again through this site. Related external link Back to Fagerfjell on the "Ships starting with F" page. This company later had another Fagerfjell - ref. this posting to my Ship Forum.
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