D/S Hjalmar Wessel

To Hjalmar Wessel on the "Ships starting with H" page.

Manager: A/S Borregaard, Sarpsborg Tonnage: 1742 gt Built for the company at Framnes mek. Verksted, Sandefjord in 1935.
Both pictures received from the webmaster of the Riversea International (external link).

Misc. War Voyages:

Hjalmar Wessel sailed in the U.K.-Norway Convoy ON 11 in Febr.-1940. At the end of that month she appears among the ships in Convoy HN 14 from Norway to the U.K., returning to Norway early in March with Convoy ON 18. Towards the end of March we find her in Convoy HN 21, bound for Blyth in ballast. On Apr. 5-1940, just a few days before the German invasion of Norway, she joined Convoy ON 25. Due to the German invasion, this convoy was ordered to turn around before arrival Norway - follow the link for more details.

At the end of July-1940 she's listed as bound for Halifax in ballast in Convoy OA 190, station 74. Several other Norwegian ships took part (see the first 2 external links provided at the end of this page).

In Oct./Nov.-1940 she was in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 84, bound for Gt. Yarmouth with a cargo of lumber, escorted by the well known Jervis Bay, captain Fegen. Follow the link for cruising order for Convoy HX 84, which was ordered by Jervis Bay to disperse following an attack by Admiral Scheer (Krancke) on Nov. 5-1940. Hjalmar Wessel made it to safety, as did the other Norwegian ships, M/T Solfonn, D/S Varøy and D/S Cetus. The events are described in detail under the link "Jervis Bay" at the end of this page. Solfonn and Hjalmar Wessel had both seen an unknown motor vessel passing in front of the convoy from the south to the north earlier that day; this turned out to be the British M/S Mopan which sailed independently, and which encountered Admiral Sheer and was sunk before she could send a radio warning to the convoy about the imminent danger.

Towards the end of that year she's listed, with destination Freetown, in Convoy OB 263, leaving Liverpool on Dec. 23, dispersed on the 27th - the first external website that I've linked to below has the names of other ships in this convoy, some of which were Norwegian.

In May-1941 we find her in the Gibraltar-U.K. Convoy HG 62, bound for Runcorn with minerals, then in July that year she's listed in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 137, but lost touch and returned to port, later joining Convoy HX 139. She had a cargo of pulp for Glasgow, and it looks like she joined the convoy from Sydney, C. B. She returned the following month with the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 6, which left Liverpool on Aug. 11-1941.

In July-1942 she joined the westbound North Atlantic convoy ON 111, leaving Liverpool on July 10, but returned to port and later joined the next convoy, ON 112; her destination is given as St. John, N.B. (both these convoys will be added to my Convoys section, in the meantime, please see the section naming ships in all ON convoys). She returned to the U.K. at the end of the following month with the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 97 in which the Norwegian Bronxville was sunk. At the end of Sept. that year she shows up in the westbound Convoy ON 134, bound for Halifax with coal (again, see link to all ON convoys above).

The following spring, in May-1943, she was 1 of 10 Norwegian ships in Convoy SC 132 from Halifax, and in Aug. that same year she sailed in Convoy SC 139.

In Nov.-1943 she made a voyage from Altbea to Algiers. This is possible to determine from one of the external websites that I've linked to below, which has her in station 84 of Convoy OS 58/KMS 32 for this voyage. Follow the link for more convoy details (the Gibraltar portion, KMS 32, will also be added to my own site, in the meantime, see the section naming ships in all KMS convoys).

In March-1944 Hjalmar Wessel sailed in Convoy GUS 33, which departed 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, Hjalmar Wessel joined from Augusta on March 11 and parted company for Algiers on the 14th.

She's also listed as sailing in the other direction with Convoy UGS 45 in June/July-1944, as are Norholm, Norheim and Roald Amundsen. As will be seen by following the link to this convoy she's not mentioned on the A 1 form listing the ships sailing from Hampton Roads on June 12; this is because she joined the convoy at Bizerta, then left again at Augusta. She's also mentioned in connection with Convoy GUS 46, and is said to have left Bizerta for Bone on July 20, but I'm not sure if she actually joined this convoy for this voyage (GUS 46 had originated in Port Said on July 14-1944).

POST WAR:

According to the Riversea International website she was badly damaged by engine room fire on Jan 21-1962, off the north coast of the Netherlands when on a voyage Oslo-Rotterdam (still owned by Borregaard). Converted to a barge in Sweden in late 1962.

Related external links:
OB (& OA) convoys - Convoys OA 190 and OB 263, mentioned in my text above, are included.

HMS Jervis Bay

Caithness Archives, HX 84
Casualty list - Jervis Bay

More on Admiral Scheer - on the Jervis Bay website.

OS and OS/KMS Convoys - As can be seen, Hjalmar Wessel is listed in Convoy OS 58/KMS 32. Other Norwegian ships also took part.

Ships built at Framnes mek. Verksted - The site also has a picture of Hjalmar Wessel.

Back to Hjalmar Wessel on the "Ships starting with H" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, and misc. (ref. My sources).