M/T Herbrand - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

Other pages on this website with information related to this text:
Convoy HX 148
Convoy HX 182
Convoy HX 207
Convoy HX 208
Convoy HX 237
Convoy HX 245
Convoy HX 252
Convoy HX 276
Convoy HX 279
Convoy HX 286
Convoy HX 288
Convoy HX 295
Convoy HX 301
Convoy JW 59
Convoy RA 59A
Convoy HX 314

Misc. War Voyages:

Herbrand was in station 52 in convoy HX 148 in Sept.-1941, along with the Norwegian Ørnefjell (55), James Hawson (83), Grey County (93), Stigstad (64), Idefjord (35), Egda (54), Vivi (76), and Mirlo (23), as well as the Panamanian Norvinn (Norwegian managers, therefore listed on this website, station 53, between Herbrand and Egda).

In March-1942 she's listed among the ships in Convoy HX 182, together with a number of other Norwegian ships. That summer she sailed in Convoy SL 112, which left Freetown on June 4-1942 and arrived Liverpool on the 23rd. Herbrand, cargo of diesel oil (1 passenger), was on a voyage from Aruba for Glasgow, station 33. Other Norwegian ships were Atlantic, Bralanta, Glittre, Norsktank and the Panamanian Vestfold, which had Norwegian managers. The first external website that I've linked to at the end of this text has more details on the latter convoy. In Sept. that year she was in HX 208, joining from Halifax (looks like she had cancelled from the previous convoy, HX 207).

In May-1943 she can be found in the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 237, in which the Norwegian Sandanger and Brand were sunk - Herbrand's destination is given as Avonmouth. The following month she shows up in convoy HX 245 from New York, again bound for Avonmouth, station 95. Not long thereafter, in Aug.-1943, Herbrand sailed in Convoy HX 252, in which several ships collided in the heavy fog, one of them being the Norwegian Santos, which sank. Herbrand had station 52 and was bound for Liverpool with Admiralty fuel.

She was scheduled for Convoy HX 276 from New York in Jan.-1944, but did not sail, and does not show up again until Convoy HX 279 on Febr. 12-1944; destination is given as Milford Haven and Devonport. In Apr. she was scheduled for Convoy HX 286, but cancelled and later joined HX 288, which left New York on Apr. 18-1944. In June she's listed in Convoy HX 295, and in July/Aug. that year she sailed in Convoy HX 301 from New York to the U.K., then joined Convoy JW 59 to Murmansk, serving as escort oiler (links above). The latter consisted of 34 merchant ships, and a very large escort. The German U-boats tried without success to break through the escort and the entire convoy reached its destination on Aug. 25 without any merchant ships lost, though the escort sloop Kite had been hit by 2 torpedoes from U-344 and quickly sank on Aug. 21, only 9 were rescued. The U-boat was sunk the next day, then on Aug. 24 U-354 was sunk. Herbrand joined the 9 ship Convoy RA 59A at Kola on Aug. 28 for her return voyage, arriving Loch Ewe on Sept. 5 with no losses (U-394 had been sunk on Sept. 2).

Several more convoys made the voyage in the following weeks, without serious losses, except for the sinking of the American Edward H. Crockett and the British Samsuva on Sept. 29 (Convoy RA 60, in which the Norwegian M/T Noreg was one of the escort oilers). A little over a month later, on Nov. 6-1944 the first Norwegian forces sent to help the Russians free Finnmark arrived Murmansk (Convoy JW 61A*), continuing with a Russian transport to Liinahamari, and from there by cars to Kirkenes. Head Quarters were established at Kirkenes on Nov. 11. By that time 32 British bombers had sunk the battle ship Tirpitz, thereby reducing the threat to the Murmansk convoys considerably. The first Norwegian ship to land in Finnmark with supplies to the civilians was D/S Idefjord, arriving to a "scorched earth", the retreating Germans having burnt everything in their wake, more on this under "Related links" at the end of this text.

*This was rather an unusual convoy as it consisted of just 2 large personnel ships with a very strong escort departing Liverpool on Oct. 31 (available at this external website). The ships were the British Empress of Australia and Scythia, and their purpose to transport 11 000 Russian nationals who had been captured in Normandy while serving on the German side. It's believed that they were forces made up of the Germans' prisoners of war to fight Communism. There's no information on what happened to these people once they reached Russian land. The Norwegian troops mentioned above were not on board these vessels, they were embarked on the escort cruiser Berwick. Another party of Norwegian troops arrived at the same time as the convoy aboard the destroyers Savage and Scorpion (Operation Freeman).

After her voyage to and from Russia, Herbrand must have gone back to the U.S., because in Oct.-1944, we find her in the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 314, her destination is given as Clyde.

All these convoys (except SL 112) are included in the Convoys section of this website, direct links have been provided further up on this page. More details on all the other Norwegian ships mentioned here can be found with the help of the alphabet index at the end of this page.

Towards the end of my text under D/S Favør there's mention of an explosion that occurred on Herbrand in 1945; I haven't seen that mentioned anywhere else and have no further details.

POST WAR:

Sold to Denmark. Sold again in September 1959 by Rederi A/S Dantank, Copenhagen, to British Iron & Steel Corporation, London, and allocated to Smith & Houston Ltd. for scrapping. Arrived at Port Glasgow on Oct. 21-1959 to be broken up.

Related external links:
SL Convoys and OS and OS/KMS - The site also has a section for the Russian convoys, and a very useful Multi-Convoy Web Search feature - here's the main page. As can be seen, Herbrand is listed in SL 112.

The Soviet Advance into Norway - Includes a picture of the Norwegian soldiers en route to Murmansk on board Berwick.

Russian Convoys 1941-1945 - from Naval History Homepage

The History of Bismarck & Tirpitz