M/T Ferncastle - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

Related item on this website:
Norwegian Victims of Michel - Details on the Norwegian ships captured and/or sunk by this raider, including an account on the sinking of Ferncastle, w/ complete crew list.

Misc. War Voyages – 1940-1943:

In June-1940 Ferncastle can be found listed among the ships in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 47, in which the Norwegian Italia was sunk. Ferncastle was bound for Falmouth with fuel oil, sailing in station 47 of the convoy. Later that month she joined Convoy OB 174, which left Liverpool on June 25, dispersed June 30 - her destination on that occasion was Jamaica. She's also mentioned in Convoy HX 62 at the end of July, but lost touch with the convoy, as did Sveve and Salonica. The information here is a little confusing, in that it looks like Ferncastle had started out from Bermuda; she's not listed in the convoy form for the Bermuda portion, but is mentioned in the Advanca Sailing Telegram for this portion. However, in the Commodore's notes it states that she was among the ships losing touch the first and second day out of Halifax (this statement would make sense if the two portions had already joined up, and the Commodore means that these ships lost touch two days after he himself had left Halifax in the main convoy, but junction with the Bermuda portion was not made until Aug. 5, HX 62 having left Halifax on July 31 - Note that the 3 Norwegian ships that lost touch with HX 62 are not named in the table itself, but in the Advance Sailing Telegram and in the text under "Notes"). She must have returned to port after losing touch (I believe she went to Halifax), because she shows up again in the next convoy out, HX 63, which left Halifax on Aug. 4, though again the info is confusing, because she has been given a "B" number, which usually denotes the Bermuda portion, but she's not included in the convoy form for this portion. She was bound for Milford with diesel oil at the time. She's subsequently listed, with destination Freetown, in Convoy OB 206, leaving Liverpool on Aug. 31-1940, dispersed Sept. 5. Towards the end of that month she's mentioned in Convoy BHX 76 (the Bermuda portion of Convoy HX 76), but did not join the main portion to continue to the U.K. There's a note in the document saying "to be sent to Halifax to await orders". The external site below has her in Convoy HX 88, leaving Halifax on Nov. 14-1940, arriving Liverpool on Nov. 30. This convoy is not available on my own site.

Early in the new year she appears, with no voyage information, in Convoy OB 272, which left Liverpool on Jan. 10-1941, dispersed on the 14th. She was scheduled for Convoy HX 115 in March, but instead joined HX 116, destination Clyde in station 22. Towards the end of Apr. she's listed as bound for Aruba, Convoy OB 314, which left Liverpool on Apr. 23, dispersed Apr. 30. Ferncastle returned to the U.K. in May with Convoy HX 129 (Bermuda portion), cargo of gas oil, bound for Clyde, subsequently joining Convoy OB 338 in order to head to New York (departure Liverpool June 21, dispersed July 3). She headed back to the U.K. again in July with Convoy HX 140, diesel oil for Barry Roads. Other Norwegian ships were Madrono (112), Boreas (16), Velox (56), Velma (96), Alaska (106), Stiklestad (95), Vardefjell (84), Evita (114), Olaf Bergh (124), Skiensfjord (97), Thorshov (83), Bonneville (82), Thorshavet (43) and Helgøy (77). Beth and Petter were also initially in this convoy but left due to engine problems. Already on Aug. 16 we find Ferncastle, with destination New York, in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 8. Early in Oct.-1941 she shows up in Convoy HX 153 along with the Norwegian Katy, Temeraire, Sveve, Haakon Hauan, Bonneville, Lista, Santos and an unnamed Norwegian tanker. Ferncastle (and Katy) subsequenly returned to the U.S. the following month with the westbound Convoy ON 32, sailing in station 55, bound for New York.

Ferncastle is said to have rescued seamen from British ships in the Belle Isle straits in 1941 (no further details are available).

According to "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, Ferncastle was shadowed by a U-boat in March-1942 off the west coast of India. They had a 4" gun on board, and the captain ordered the gun crew to open fire, while continuing at full speed. 13 shots were fired, whereupon the U-boat submerged and disappeared. (The Norwegian term for submarine and U-boat is "undervannsbåt", meaning "under the water boat", so when J. R. Hegland says "undervannsbåt" it does not necessarily mean a German U-boat).

Follow the instructions at the external link below to fill in some of the gaps in my voyage information for this ship.

Her fate was sealed when she on June 17-1943, on a voyage from Australia to Abadan in ballast, was hit by 2 torpedoes from Michel's MTB. More details on this incident and the fate of her crew can be found under Ferncastle on my page Norwegian Victims of Michel. There's also a list of Ferncastle's crew at the time.,

Related external link:
Misc. convoys - By clicking on "Ship Search", using "Ferncastle" as keyword, some convoys that are not mentioned in my own text will come up, including some Bandar Abbas-Bombay and return convoys, as well as a couple of Bombay-Colombo convoys. Here are OB 174, OB 206, HX 88, OB 272, OB 314, and OB 338, all mentioned in my text above.