M/T Kaia Knudsen
Updated Oct. 11-2009

To Kaia Knudsen on the "Ships starting with K" page.


Picture of this ship when she was named Nyhall (see Post War details at the end of this page).
From Roger W. Jordan collection - sent to me for inclusion on this website.
The Australian War Memorial has another picture. It can be found by running a search through their collection search page - the caption says: "Aerial starboard side view of the Norwegian tanker Kaia Knudsen. Note the 4.7 inch gun aft". The copy right on it has expired, public domain (both links are external).

Some Convoy Voyages:

For information on voyages made in between those mentioned here, please see the documents received from the Norwegian archives and Hague's Voyage Record above. Follow the convoy links provided for more details on them; the majority also has the Commodore's notes, and several Norwegian ships took part. Kaia Knudsen often served as Escort Oiler, and also carried extra depth charges on abord.

Kaia Knudsen rescued 13 men from the British Sea Rambler in a raging snow storm in the North Atlantic in Febr.-1940. Mosdale had rescued another 12.

When Norway was invaded by the Germans on Apr. 9-1940, she was on her way from Curacao to Hampton Roads - see Page 1 of the archive documents. From Hampton Roads, she proceeded to Halifax, joining Convoy HX 38 on Apr. 26, cargo of gasoline for Southampton, station 65, and in May that year she's listed in Convoy OG 30. This was a Gibraltar bound convoy, a combination of Convoy OA 150 and OB 150, which formed OG 30 at sea on May 19, but Kaia Knudsen (which had started out in OA 150 on May 18) was bound for Corpus Christi, so she left the convoy on May 22 to proceed to that destination. OA 150 is available via the external link provided in the Voyage Record. OG 30 will be added to an individual page in my Convoys section, but for now, the ships sailing in it are named on the page listing ships in all OG convoys. Going back to the archive document mentioned above, we see that she arrived Corpus Christi on June 10, and unless some voyages are missing from the record, she appears to have spent quite a long time there; departure is given as Sept. 15.

In Oct.-1940, she was in Convoy HX 80, joining from Bermuda, and the following month she's listed as bound for Curacao in ballast in Convoy OB 250, station 43. This convoy originated in Liverpool on Nov. 26 and was dispersed on the 29th - again, see the external link in the table above for the names of other ships in this convoy, some of which were Norwegian. According to the archive document already mentioned, Kaia Knudsen arrived Curacao on Dec. 16, having started out from Clyde on Nov. 26.

She's also listed in Convoy HX 100 in Jan.-1941, bound for Clyde with fuel oil, again joining from Bermuda (left Dec. 30). A Report of Proceedings for the Bermuda portion is also available. We now find her in Convoy OB 280, originating in Liverpool on Jan. 31, dispersed Febr. 3, Kaia Knudsen arriving Curacao on Febr. 26 - she had started out from Clyde on Febr. 1 (also available via external link in the Voyage Record). From Curacao, she later headed to Bermuda on March 1, joining the Bermuda portion of Convoy HX 114 on March 9, bound for Milford Haven and Devonport with fuel oil. She was one of 7 tankers under air attack on April 1 (described under Hidlefjord, which was sunk in the attack). She was badly damaged amidships by two bombs; 3rd Mate Olav Gerhard Skogseid* was fatally injured (died at a hospital in Milford Haven on Apr. 2 and is buried there) and several others seriously hurt. She made it to Milford Haven, was repaired and returned to service.

*A visitor to my site, George Monk, has told me that the following men received British awards (his source: Seedies List of awards to the British Merchant Navy which includes awards to Allied merchant seamen). My guess is this was for rescuing the survivors from Sea Rambler, rather than having anything to do with the above attack:
Chif Engineer Sverre Kristian Olsen - HonOBE(Civ)
Captain John Fagerland - Commendation
3rd Mate Olav Skogseid - Commendation.

The following month she shows up, with destination New York, in Convoy OB 319, which originated in Liverpool on May 7-1941 and dispersed on the 13th. Kaia Knudsen arrived her destination on May 25, having started out from Milford Haven on the 6th. She now appears to have remained in New York for quite some time; Page 1 gives departure as Aug. 8, when she proceeded to Halifax in order to join Convoy HX 145 on Aug. 16. She subsequently returned across the Atlantic with the westbound Convoy ON 15, which originated in Liverpool on Sept. 11 and dispersed on the 16th, Kaia Knudsen arriving Curacao on Sept. 29, having joined from Clyde (see Page 2). She headed back to the U.K. in Convoy HX 154 from Halifax on Oct. 10, later joining the westbound Convoy ON 34, which originated in Liverpool on Nov. 7 and dispersed on the 21st. Kaia Knudsen, in station 51, joined from Clyde and arrived New York on Nov. 25. As will be seen when reading the Commodore's notes on my page for ON 34, he was very happy with her performance in this convoy. On Dec. 8 she joined Convoy HX 164 from Halifax to the U.K., together with Polarsol, Norsktank, Gallia, Hilda Knudsen and Leiesten. At the end of that year, Kaia Knudsen joined the westbound Convoy ON 52*, which originated in Liverpool on Dec. 31 and dispersed Jan. 11-1942, Kaia Knudsen arriving Trinidad on Jan. 26 (she had joined from Clyde) - Montbretia and Rose are named among the escorts.

On Febr. 22-1942, she can be found among the ships in the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 71; her destination is given as Hvalfjord, Iceland, where she arrived on March 7 (it looks like she had originally been scheduled for Convoy HX 176). She left Hvalfjord again on Apr. 3, joining the westbound Convoy ON 82*, which had started out in Liverpool on Apr. 2 and arrived Halifax on the 18th; Kaia Knudsen, however, was bound for New York, arriving there on Apr. 20. In May that year, she sailed in Convoy HX 190 from Halifax, and in June, she's listed in the westbound Convoy ON 103*, originating in Liverpool on June 12. Kaia Knudsen sailed from Milford Haven on June 11 and arrived New York June 27. Having made voyages to Trinidad and Curacao etc. (again, see Page 2 as well as Voyage Record above), she headed back to the U.K. again on Sept. 20 in the Halifax portion of Convoy HX 208 (with diesel oil for Clyde, she's also mentioned among the ships leaving Halifax to form the earlier Convoy HX 206; going back to the archive document, we see that she had arrived Halifax from New York on Sept. 6, the date this convoy left. She's also mentioned in the next convoy, HX 207, listed as cancelled). HX 208 had originated in New York on Sept. 17. Her destination is given as Rosyth, where she arrived on Oct. 6, according to Page 3. The Commodore's report is also available for this convoy.

She later took part in the Torch operations (invasion of North Africa) which commenced on Nov. 8-1942. In fact, Arnold Hague suggests she may have been in Convoy KMS 1*, which left Clyde on Oct. 22-1942 and arrived Algiers Nov. 8. Algiers is not mentioned among her voyages on Page 3 of the archive documents, which says she arrived Gibraltar on Nov. 10, having left Loch Ewe on Oct. 25. I also have her in Convoy MKS 1Y, which left Gibraltar for the U.K. on Nov. 21-1942, and this agrees with the archive document already mentioned - follow the link to MKS 1Y and scroll down on the page for convoy details. My page about Athos has a list of other Norwegian ships taking part in the Torch Operations.

She now appears in another westbound North Atlantic convoy, namely ON 151*, which originated in Liverpool on Dec. 3 (Kaia Knudsen joined from Clyde) and arrived New York Dec. 23. Having made a voyage to Curacao and back to New York, she headed back to the U.K. on Jan. 22-1943 in Convoy HX 224. The following month, she joined the fast Convoy UC 1* in order to sail to Curacao, where she arrived on March 6, and in May that year, we find her in Convoy HX 241, leaving New York on May 25. Her destination is given as Londonderry, where she arrived June 9, and she had station 52 of the convoy. She left Londonderry again 2 days later, joining the westbound Convoy ON 188*, which had sailed from Liverpool on June 10 and arrived New York on the 26th, and already on June 30, she was ready to depart with Convoy HX 246, bound for Devonport with Admiralty fuel, station 75 (acting as escort oiler). She subsequently joined the westbound Convoy ON 194*, which originated in Liverpool on July 24 and arrived New York Aug. 7 - Acanthus, Potentilla and Rose are named among the escorts (as will be seen when following the link to my page about HX 246, they had also escorted that convoy). The Voyage Record above, and Page 4, have information on the rest of her 1943 voyages.

In Febr.-1944, she made a voyage from Alexandria to Malta, having joined Convoy MKS 41*. From Malta, she proceeded to the U.S. the following month, and on March 28, she joined Convoy HX 285 from there, bound for Scapa, where she arrived on Apr. 13. Later that month, she joined the westbound Convoy ON 233*, which originated in Liverpool on Apr. 20 and arrived New York May 8. She returned in June in Convoy HX 295, again serving as Escort Oiler, and also carrying 59 depth charges. Elisabeth Bakke acted as Commodore Vessel for this convoy. Kaia Knudsen arrived Scapa Flow on June 27, then headed back across the Atlantic in the westbound Convoy ON 243*, which originated in Liverpool on July 3 (she sailed from Clyde that day) and arrived New York July 18. A week later, we find her in Convoy HX 301 from New York, for which Reinholt served as Commodore Vessel and Samuel Bakke was the Vice Commodore's ship.

Kaia Knudsen later went back in the other direction with the westbound Convoy ON 249*, which started out from Liverpool on Aug. 18 (she sailed from Clyde that day) and arrived New York Sept. 2, and already on Sept. 6, she's listed in Convoy HX 307, along with 7 other Norwegian ships, namely Buenos Aires, Fagerfjell, Frontenac, Idefjord, John Bakke (Commodore Vessel), Thorsholm and Stiklestad. The following month, she appears in Convoy ON 257* back to New York, with arrival Oct. 18, returning in Convoy HX 315 on Oct. 20, bound for Devonport - Commodore was in Ivaran. Kaia Knudsen subsequently went back to New York in Convoy ON 265* (from Southend Nov. 8, to New York Nov. 23), returning to the U.K. on Nov. 29 in Convoy HX 323, with destination Portsmouth, where she arrived Dec. 14 (see also Page 5). This time, Commodore was in Samuel Bakke, while Laurits Swenson served as the Vice Commodore's ship. Her last Trans-Atlantic voyage that year was made in the westbound Convoy ON 273*, which originated in Southend on Dec. 18 and arrived New York Jan. 4-1945.

She was scheduled for the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 331 on Jan. 8-1945, but instead joined HX 333 on the 18th. The following month, she's listed in the westbound Convoy ON 283*, which originated at Southend on Febr. 5 and arrived New York Febr. 27. According to Arnold Hague, she returned to the U.K. in Convoy HX 345*, which left New York on March 19 and arrived Liverpool on Apr. 2; Kaia Knudsen arrived Clyde on the 3rd, then proceeded to Bowling, with arrival there the next day. A few days later, she headed back to New York with the westbound Convoy ON 295* arriving New York on Apr. 25, and at the end of that month, A. Hague has her in Convoy HX 353*, departing New York on Apr. 29, arriving Liverpool May 15; Kaia Knudsen arrived Sheerness that day, in other words, she was at sea on VE Day. These 2 HX convoys are not yet available among the HX convoys included in my Convoys section, but will be added. Her last convoy voyage was made in the westbound Convoy ON 304*, departing Southend on May 21, arriving New York June 6.

Page 6 shows her voyages up to and including March-1946.

* The ON convoys are available and will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section in due course, with more information on each. In the meantime, the ships sailing in them (and escorts) are named in the section listing ships in all ON convoys. As will be seen, they all had several Norwegian ships. The entire HX series will also be updated and completed, but for now, see ships in all HX convoys. Additionally, the KMS and MKS series will be completed - see ships in all KMS convoys for the names of other ships in KMS 1, and ships in all MKS convoys for more on MKS 41. Ships sailing in Convoy UC 1 are named on the page listing ships in all UC convoys.

More details on all the other Norwegian ships named on this page can be found via the alphabet index below, or go to the Master Ship Index.

POST WAR:

Important: From Febr.-1954 until July-1954 a British able seaman by the name Thomas Patrick Shaw sailed with this ship - see my text for Hallfried for a picture and more details on him, including some of his WW II and other post war ships. If anyone remembers this man, please contact me via the address provided at the end of this page.

The ship and company (Skibs-A/S Samuel Bakke) were transferred to Christian Haaland, Haugesund in 1947. (This transfer may have something to do with the fact that Knut Knutsen died in 1946 and Chr. Haaland, his son in law, inherited some of Knutsen's companies and ships). Renamed Nyhall in 1954. Sold in May-1956 to Cia. Rhea Maritima S.A, Panama and renamed Ekaterini Alexandra. Departed Kobe on her last voyage on Sept. 1-1959 and delivered for breaking up at Osaka.

Back to Kaia Knudsen on the "Ships starting with K" page.

This company later had another ship by the name Kaia Knudsen (1983-1985), previously the Norse Queen.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Våre motorskip", Leif M. Bjørkelund and E. H. Kongshavn, and misc. other.