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D/S Harald Torsvik To Harald Torsvik on the "Ships starting with H" page. Manager: Nortraship
Built by St. John's River Shipbuilding Co., Jacksonville, said to have been launched on Dec. 11-1944 (66) as Henry B. Plant, delivered Dec. 19. However, there appears to be a mix-up here. The ship launched and delivered on these dates (Henry B. Plant, Yard. No. 74) was sunk on Febr. 5-1945 - see my page about Convoy HX 331, as well as this external page. According to the Liberty Ship website that I've linked to at the bottom of this page, Harald Torsvik (which indeed had Yard. No. 66) was launched on Oct. 28-1944 and delivered on Nov. 6. She was 1 of 10 ships taken over by Nortraship in 1944 to help cover some of the fleet's losses. See my page "Ship Statistics & Misc." under "gains" 1944 for a list of all 10. Harald Torsvik was taken over in Jacksonville, Nov. 6. This ship had Canadian, female radio operators during the war. Suzanne Gens and Mabel Graham were on board from Nov.-1944 till June-1945. (After the war, from June-1946 until Jan.-1947, Elizabeth Prescott was on board, having previously served on T/T Honningsvaag). My page about M/S Mosdale has the names of several others, along with the names of their ships. In Febr.-1945 Harald Torsvik shows up in the Halifax portion of the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 337, carrying a general cargo for Cherbourg. She returned the following month with the westbound Convoy ON 288, together with 9 other Norwegian ships, namely Villanger, Viggo Hansteen, Tanafjord, Slemmestad, G. C. Brøvig, Dageid, Polartank, Heranger and Høyanger, all listed on this website. This convoy, which unfortunately is not available to me, departed Southend on March 2-1945 with 108 ships, and arrived New York on March 19. The Norwegian commodore, R. G. Bruusgaard was in the British Port Fremantle.
A story by Peder Kristoffer Langeland, (Norwegian text) states that Harald Torsvik went from Norfolk to Oslo with coal at some point of early 1946, and several Norwegian seamen were able to go home with her. She was sold to Norway in Oct.-1946, Klaus Wiese Hansen, Bergen, renamed Grey County, in 1947. Lost rudder in Jan.-1950 off Cape Race, voyage Antwerp-St. John, N. B., towed to Halifax. Renamed Aegean Sailor in 1951, Panamanian flag, Cia. Nav. del Egero S.A. (Lemos & Pateras Ltd., London managers). Converted to motor vessel at Newport, Mons. in 1960, 2 x 1 cyl. Mirrlees diesels, 3360 bhp, 12 knots, and came under the Greek flag as Kyramarouko, Marafecto Cia. Nav. S.A., Panama (same managers). Renamed Spalmatori in 1964, "Spalmatori" Cia. Nav. S. A., Panama (same managers, still under the Greek flag), Anastassios in 1966, Astro-Mareante Nav. S. A., Panama (same managers, Greek flag), Stymfalos in 1967, Stymfalos S. A., Panama (same managers, Greek flag). Broken up in Taiwan in 1968, having arrived Kaohsiung on Apr. 15-1968. Related external link: Back to Harald Torsvik on the "Ships starting with H" page. The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Liberty Ships in Peacetime, and their Contribution to World Shipping History" I. G. Steward - 1992, and misc.
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