M/T Havkong

To Havkong on the "Ships starting with H" page.


Source: Roger W. Jordan collection.

Some Convoy Voyages:

In Aug.-1941 Havkong made a voyage to New York in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 9, leaving Liverpool on Aug. 20-1941, returning to the U.K. the following month with Convoy HX 150 (station 84) along with the Norwegian Fenris (83), Solfonn (44), Heina (64), Garonne (62), Thorshavet (33), Topdalsfjord (34), Varanger (66?) and Braganza (66?). Some of these ships, including Havkong, subsequently joined the westbound Convoy ON 26 in Oct., Havkong sailing in station 34, bound for Houston, Texas. She then went back to the U.K. at the end of Nov.-1941 in Convoy HX 161, together with the Norwegian Solfonn, Stigstad, Havprins, Vav, Nueva Andalucia, an unnamed freighter, and 3 unnamed tankers.

In Jan.-1942 she's listed among the ships in Convoy HX 172. The following month she can be found in station 25 of Convoy OS 20, voyaging from Milford to Houston in ballast. See the external website that I've linked to at the end of this text for more convoy details; several Norwegian ships took part. The same website has her in station 52 of Convoy SL 111/SLF 111, which left Freetown on May 24-1942. Havkong, cargo of gas oil, was in the fast section of the convoy (SLF) which detached on June 8 and arrived Liverpool on the 13th, while the slow section arrived on June 16.

In Sept.-1943 she's listed as sailing in Convoy PA 54 / PB 57, in station 62 of the PA 54 section. Other Norwegian ships in this convoy were Torborg, Norfjell, Norfold, Ima and Europe. The following month she shows up in Convoy AP 50 / AB 18, (station 42 of AP 50), together with Egerø, Heimvard and Kong Sverrre.

In March-1944 she's mentioned in Convoy GUS 33, which had left Port Said on March 5-1944 and arrived Hampton Roads on Apr. 4, but many ships had other destinations and left the convoy, while others joined along the way. In fact, Havkong is said to have joined from Algiers on March 14. She was scheduled for the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 293 at the end of May, but instead joined the next convoy, HX 294 on June 2.

A couple of months later, in Aug.-1944, I have her in Convoy HX 302 from New York, bound for Clyde, and it's obvious she went back and forth across the Atlantic in this period, because the following month she can be found in Convoy HX 308, bound for Falmouth, Southampton and Portsmouth. In Oct./Nov. that year she sailed in Convoy HX 317, bound for Swansea and Clyde, then in Dec.-1944, she's listed in Convoy HX 325.

She was scheduled for the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 338 in Febr.-1945, but returned to port. She was subsequently scheduled for the next convoy, HX 339, but did not sail. Unfortunately, I don't have the later convoys, so don't know whether she joined, for instance, HX 340 (left New York on Febr. 23, arrived Liverpool on March 10-1945).

POST WAR:

Sold in 1955 to H. Angel Olsen, Oslo, owned from Jan.-1957 by Skips-A/S Alida (H. Angel Olsen), Harstad, renamed Angela. Sold to Frank Rijsdijk's Industriel Ondernemingen, Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, Netherlands, and arrived at Rotterdam on June 3-1959 in tow of the Dutch tug Elbe on way up-river to the Rijsdijk yard (for breaking up).

Related external link:
SL Convoys - The site also has a section for the OS and OS/KMS convoys as well as Russian convoys and OB convoys, and a very useful Multi-Convoy Web Search feature - here's the main page. As can be seen, Havkong is listed in Convoy OS 20 and SL 111/SLF 111.

Back to Havkong on the "Ships starting with H" page.