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M/T Hallanger To Hallanger on the "Ships starting with H" page. Manager: Westfal-Larsen & Co. A/S, Bergen Captain: Captain Eriksen (first name unknown), later Karl Bjerring Hansen. In Admiralty service.
Hallanger is listed among the ships in Convoy HX 45 in May/June-1940, then on June 17 she joined Convoy OB 169. In Aug. that year she was scheduled for Convoy HX 64, but cancelled. In Nov.-1940 she can be found in Convoy HX 86, bound for Clyde with fuel oil, station 43 - follow the links for cruising orders (several Norwegian ships took part). She was also in Convoy HX 130 in June-1941 along with a number of other Norwegian ships. In Aug.-1941 Hallanger (station 53), was in Convoy HX 144 along with the Norwegian Suderøy (station 63), Polartank (station 95), Orwell (station 54), Eidanger (station 83), Havprins (station 82), Grena (station 73), Evanger (station 84), Norse King (station 15), Vinland (station 66) and Sommerstad (in station 93), all listed on this website - ref. alphabet index at the end of this page. The following month Hallanger, with destination Trinidad, joined the westbound Convoy ON 21*. Strangely, the external site that I've linked to below has her as bound for Trinidad in Convoy OS 7 that month (left a few days before ON 21) - it's possible she started out in this convoy, but later joined ON 21 instead. In Nov. that same year she was scheduled for the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 54, but did not sail. She was also cancelled from SC 55, but eventually got away with Convoy SC 56. Going back to the external website already mentioned, Hallanger is listed in station 86 of Convoy OS 15 in Dec.-1941, on a voyage from Clyde to Trinidad in ballast. At the end of Jan.-1942 she can be found among the ships in Convoy SC 67 (in which Heina was sunk), then in Apr. she sailed in Convoy SC 80. The company's Spinanger also sailed in this convoy, as did Empire Kittiwake which was to become the Norwegian Norfalk just a few days after arrival U.K. In March-1942 Hallanger is listed in the westbound Convoy ON 79*, again bound for Trinidad.
Hallanger later made another voyage to Trinidad. The external site about the OS convoys mentioned earlier has her in Convoy OS 29, leaving Liverpool on May 22, voyaging from Oban to Trinidad in ballast. Note that she's also mentioned in station 85 of the previous convoy, OS 28 on May 12-1942, but had returned to port with engine defects on that occasion. According to "Nortraships flåte" Hallanger was one of 2 oilers for the "Pedestal" convoy (Convoy WS-21S) in Aug.-1942. The external links at the end of this page provide more information on this convoy. Captain at that time was Captain Eriksen. The oilers had their own escort consisting of 4 corvettes and were to wait in the western part of the convoy route to supply the convoy escort if necessary. On August 10 the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle was supplied from Hallanger. The oilers then cruised back and forth until dark at which time they returned to Gibraltar, where they were later told that Eagle had been torpedoed (Aug. 11, U-73/Helmut Rosenbaum). At the end of Aug. we find Hallanger listed in Convoy HG 88 from Gibraltar to the U.K., bound for Clyde in ballast. She also sailed in the westbound Convoy ON 140, which departed Liverpool on Oct. 17-1942 and arrived New York on Nov. 7 (see link above to ships in all ON convoys). Extracts of a crew member's diary mentions these dates in connection with the first voyage he made with Hallanger after having joined her on Oct. 14 (Able Seaman Thorleif Hansen, previously of the torpedoed Tankexpress). He adds that they remained in New York for quite some time while her engine was undergoing repairs (following a collision), before joining a return convoy to the U.K and arrived Gourock on Jan. 1-1943. This fits best with Convoy SC 113, which left New York on Dec. 12-1942, and arrived Liverpool on Jan. 2-1943. This convoy is not available to me, but is included at the external site that I've linked to below, and Hallanger is indeed listed. Later that month we find Hallanger in the westbound Convoy ON 160. Tormund Gjertsen (or Tormod, as I know him), whose story can be found on this page (Norwegian text), has told me that after this voyage they proceeded directly from the U.S. to North Africa. From various statements in his story, and also those in the diary mentioned above, my guess is that they may have been in Convoy UGS 6 for this voyage. It departed Hampton Roads on March 4-1943 and arrived Oran on March 22. The French Wyoming, the American Benjamin Harrison and Molly Pitcher, and the British Keystone were torpedoed in this convoy. Hallanger had 10 aircraft on deck, and the forward hold was full of petrol in barrels, so it was rather a tense voyage with that kind of cargo. The majority of the ships in the convoy fired back at the attacking U-boats, so that the ocean was completely lit up by the tracers etc., and the bullets "rained" around Hallanger. Her original destination had been Algiers, but they were ordered to Oran instead, and while they were waiting to go into harbour in the very early morning hours of the 23rd, they witnessed Garonne from Convoy KMF 11 receiving an air torpedo. Hallanger left Oran again in the morning of March 25-1943, proceeding in convoy to Algiers where cargo was discharged, having arrived there in the afternoon of the 26th. While there, they endured a massive air attack. According to T. Hansen's diary, 700 shots were fired from Hallanger, and he adds that in this attack an aircraft fell down in the water not far from them. The attack is also mentioned in Tormod Gjertsen's story, which I've linked to above. As the fallen aircraft's bombs exploded it felt as if Hallanger was lifted clear out of the water, and 2 of her crew members were injured when they were thrown against the "wall" by the air pressure. The unloading was completed on March 29 (including the 10 aircraft she had had on deck), and in the morning of the 30th she started on her return voyage to New York, but she did not get very far, as will be seen from the next paragraph. Related external link:
Captain Karl Bjerring Hansen. Hallanger was on a voyage in ballast (except for 1000 tons fueloil) from Algiers for New York via Gibraltar in station No. 52 of convoy ET 16 on March 30-1943 when she was hit by a total of 3 torpedoes from U-596 (Jahn), immediately following the torpedoing of the British ship Fort a la Corne (station 41). 1 torpedo hit at 19:10 in No. 8 tank port side, 1 at 19:12 in No. 6 tank and 1 at 19:20 in the aft bunkers, also port side. She listed heavily, which made it difficult to get the lifeboats launched. The 40 crew had managed to get in the aft lifeboats and clear of the ship just before the 3rd torpedo struck. At dawn the next morning the motorboat took the other boat in tow and headed towards land. The boats had encountered the British minesweeper Albacore (J 101) and returned to the scene with her to see if the ship could be taken in tow, but upon seeing that heavy firing was taking place near Hallanger, they withdrew. About an hour later Albacore announced that both torpedoed ships had sunk (36 55N 01 39E * ). Hallanger's lifeboats reached land at Dupleix later that morning, where 2 of the deck crew, who had been injured, were taken care of by a doctor. They were all given food and lodgings by private families overnight, then sent to Algiers with U.S. Army trucks the following morning, Apr. 1. There, they were taken to a British Army camp where they slept in tents that first night, before staying for a while at a British military school. The hearings were held in Algiers on Apr. 3-1943 with Captain Bjerring Hansen (on the bridge when torpedo struck), the 1st mate (on the bridge), the 1st engineer (on deck, ran down to engine room to stop engines) and Able Seaman Egset (at the wheel) appearing. It looks like most of them were subsequently sent to England on Apr. 5, while 3 others did not leave for England until Apr. 24 on board the British troop transport Franconia. The convoy she was in was attacked by German aircraft en route, but no ships were hit, and they arrived Liverpool in the afternoon of May 2, where the Norwegians got lodgings at the Norwegian Seamen's Home.
Crew List - No Casualties: Others who had served as gunners on Hallanger (but paid off in 1942) were Einar Pedersen and Hans A. Lasken, while Olaf Terjesen, Lars. R. Slotsvik (and possibly Reidar Andresen?) had paid off in 1943, prior to the loss of the ship.
External websites related to the text on this page: The Internet provides a lot of websites on Operation Pedestal (Convoy WS-21S). Here are just a few: Malta Convoy August 1942 - Has a message board for searching for Pedestal veterans. There's a book entitled "Pedestal - The Malta convoy of August, 1942" by Peter Charles Smith, availble from misc. Internet bookstores. Several other books have also been written on the subject. Back to Hallanger on the "Ships starting with H" page. Other ships by this name: Westfal-Larsen had another Hallanger later on - originally delivered as Mechanicsvill from Kaiser Co. Inc., Portland to United States War Administration in Oct.-1943, 10 448 gt. Purchased by Westfal-Larsen in Jan.-1948, renamed Hallanger. Sold in Oct.-1959 to Harald A. Møller, Oslo, renamed Asato. Sold in 1961 to Union Marine Corp., Panama, converted to bulk carrier, renamed Ally. Sold in 1966 to Victoria Ocean Transport, Monrovia, renamed Victoria Faith, renamed Grand Trust in 1967. Sold in 1975 to Concord Panama S.A., Panama. Broken up in Taiwan in 1978. In June-1960 another Hallanger was delivered to Westfal-Larsen from Rosenberg Mek. Verksted, Stavanger, 20 416 gt. Sold to Compania Velventos de Navigacion, Piræus in July-1973, renamed Rodosto. (Info from Westfal-Larsen fleet list). The text on this page was compiled with the help of: Misc. sources, incl. "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume I (Norwegian Maritime Museum) and misc. for cross checking - ref. My sources.
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