M/S Fernplant

To Fernplant on the "Ships starting with F" page.

All pictures were kindly received from Historical Department, MAN B&W Diesel, Copenhagen.
Their representative says that their museum (external link) has models of some ships.
Here are 2 more pictures, Pic 1, and Pic 2.
(Size and quality have been reduced to save space. Several more, very similar pics were also received).

Attacked - 1942:

According to "Nortraships flåte" Fernplant was shelled on the night leading up to Febr. 25-1942, off Aruba. Her log states the incident took place at 00:16 while she was proceeding in a zig-zag course. The fire came from an unknown surfaced attacker on the starboard quarters. Under the leadership of 3rd Mate Morgan Nilsen Fernplant returned the fire, but missed. Maneuvers were performed to get the enemy behind her while full speed was given, then Fernplant's 4" aft gun was fired. After Fernplant's 4th shot, the attacker stopped firing, then at 00:20, as the intruder took off, 2 more shots were fired from Fernplant. One of the shells from the unknown attacker had exploded 5-10 meters behind Fernplant, with the shrapnel causing some damages to the ship.

Some Voyages:

Claims in some sources that Fernplant was sunk by Limpet mines are incorrect. Luigi Ferraro did attach Limpets to the ship at Alexandretta on Aug. 2-1943, but she arrived Haifa on Aug. 6, quite unaware of the danger she had been in (the explosives were found during an underwater inspection by the British naval authorities, probably initiated because another unexploded Limpet had recently been found on another ship).

At the end of Aug.-1943 Fernplant made a voyage from Alexandria to Gibraltar with Convoy MKS 23 (scroll down to the second table on that page).

In the summer of 1944 we find her among the ships in Convoy GUS 47, which left Port Said on July 24-1944; Fernplant was on a voyage from Mersin; arrived Cape Henry on Aug. 18-1944. The Norwegian Tricolor, Polartank, Kong Sverre, and Lidvard also joined this convoy from Port Said, while Topdalsfjord later joined from Bizerta.

POST WAR:

Sold in 1963 to Societe Monegasque de Transports Maritimes, Monaco, and renamed Saint Charles. Sold in 1967 to Thalassa Shipping Corp, Panama, and renamed Thalassa. Sold in 1970 to Astro Atlanica Armadora S.A., Panama, renamed Thalassa B. Broken up at Mangalore in Nov.-1970.

Helene Karoline J. Fischer Dale served as a radio operator on this ship after the war. She had previously served as stewardess on Bayard from March-1940 till Dec. that year, and on the same ship from Febr.-1941 till March-1942, before joining Laurits Swenson in the same capacity in May-1942, till July-1942. The following month she started school at Little Norway, Toronto to become a radio operator, and fresh out of school she joined Fred. Olsen's Baalbek as 2nd radio operator in June-1943 (till Sept.-1943), before signing on Alf Lindeberg in Oct.-1943 where she stayed till Dec.-1945. Just 2 days after signing off Alf Lindeberg she joined M/S Fernplant, this time as 1st radio operator, remaining with this ship until March-1946. She was later awarded Krigsmedaljen and Haakon VII Frihetsmedalje - see my Norwegian War Medals page. Many women sailed with the Norwegian fleet during the war; mostly as stewardesses or saloon girls. Norwegian ships also had several female Canadian radio operators; a list of their names can be found at the end of my page about Mosdale. (My mother was also a radio operator, though not during the war. Her ships can be found under Åse's Ships). (The majority of the information on Helene Fischer Dale was received from Olive Roeckner, who herself served as radio operator on Norwegian ships (she in turn received the information from Berit Pittman, Canada). A book has been written about her experiences - see my text under Narvik).

Related external link:
Alexandretta - A Section of the Italian "Regia Marina", includes a picture of Fernplant.

Back to Fernplant on the "Ships starting with F" page.