M/T Katy - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

Misc. Convoy Voyages – 1940-1944:

Katy is listed in Convoy HG 29 from Gibraltar to the U.K. in May-1940. Her destination is given as Mersey and she had station 22 of the convoy, which left Gibraltar on May 7 and arrived Liverpool on the 17th. The Norwegian Finnanger and Buesten are also listed. A few days later, she joined Convoy OB 153, departing Liverpool on May 22-1940. This convoy joined up with Convoy OA 153 on May 25, the combined convoy forming the Gibraltar bound Convoy OG 31F*, which arrived there on May 30. However, Katy's destination is given as Corpus Christi, station 83, so she must have left the convoy in order to proceed to her destination. The Norwegian Sama is also listed. (The first external website that I've linked to at the end of this page has more on the OB convoys). Katy returned to the U.K. the following month with Convoy HX 53, which left Halifax on June 25-1940 and arrived Liverpool on July 10. She had a cargo of casoline for Milford Haven and had station 35, joining with the Bermuda portion. In Sept.-1940 she's listed in Convoy OB 209, leaving Liverpool on Sept. 5, dispersed on the 9th. Her destination is given as Capetown.

* See also the page listing ships in all OG convoys.

There's now a big gap in my voyage information for Katy, but the external website below will fill in at least some of these gaps - follow the instructions at the link. In Aug.-1941 I have her in Convoy HX 143 together with the Norwegian Thorshavn, Belinda, Mosli, Andrea Brøvig, Ravnefjell, Carmelfjell, Salamis, Primero, Benwood and an unnamed tanker, possibly/probably Petter. Katy seems to have gone back and forth across the Atlantic on a regular basis in this period, because the following month we find her in station 24 of the westbound Convoy ON 13; her destination is given as Montreal. In Oct.-1941 she's listed in Convoy HX 153 along with the Norwegian Temeraire, Haakon Hauan, Sveve, Ferncastle, Bonneville, Lista, Santos and an unnamed tanker with a B on its stack (there were so many companies that had a B on the funnel, that it would be difficult to guess the identity of this ship). At the beginning of Nov. she appears in station 15 of the westbound Convoy ON 32, bound for New York, subsequently returning to the U.K. with Convoy HX 162 (departed Halifax Nov. 27) together with the Norwegian Astrell, Brant County, Bello, Sama, Skandinavia, Beth and Høegh Scout. Norvinn (Panamanian flag, Norw. managers and therefore listed on this site) was also scheduled for this convoy but did not sail. The year 1941 was rounded off by sailing in the westbound Convoy ON 52*, Dec.-1941/Jan.-1942.

In March-1942 she shows up in Convoy HX 178 from Halifax, and early the following month, she joined the westbound Convoy ON 83*, but put into Belfast Loch, later joining ON 87*; her destination is given as Baytown.

Katy rescued the 4 survivors of the 34-man crew of the American tanker Munger T. Ball on May 5-1942, torpedoed and sunk that same day by U-507. In June, there's a ship named Katy in Convoy HX 193. No nationality is given, but I believe this must have been the Norwegian Katy. Towards the end of July she's listed as bound for New York in Convoy ON 115*, and in Aug. that year she joined Convoy HX 205 from Halifax, bound for Glasgow with gas oil, station 52, again in the company of many other Norwegian ships. She subsequently returned to New York in Sept. with the westbound Convoy ON 131*, and the following month she shows up in HX 212, in which Kosmos II was sunk. Katy was bound for Swansea with gasoline and had station 111 of the convoy. In the middle of Nov.-1942 she joined the westbound Convoy ON 147* in order to head back to New York.

In Febr.-1943 she was one of several Norwegian ships in Convoy HX 226 from New York to the U.K., returning to the U.S. the following month with the westbound Convoy ON 170, which departed Liverpool on March 3 and had a total of 12 Norwegian ships. She must have gone back to the U.K. (in fact, see Convoy HX 231 at the external link below), because in Apr.-1943 we find her in the westbound Convoy ON 179*.

In June-1943 she shows up in Convoy MKS 16 - scroll down to the third table on that page. Voyage information is not given, but it looks like she subsequently went to the U.S. (Convoy GUS 9 - see external link below), because at the end of July she's listed as bound for Swansea with the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 250. She now joined the westbound Convoy ON 198* in Aug., bound for New York again. At the end of that year, in Dec.-1943, she's said to have made a voyage from Augusta to Bizerta with Convoy MKS 34, having arrived Augusta with Convoy GUS 24, subsequently joining Convoy GUS 25 for the U.S. (from Bizerta) - again, ref. external link below. Note that the site also has her in other GUS convoys in this time period, as well as in a UGS convoy. I can't quite get the dates to fit; she's listed as bound from the Azores to the U.S. in GUS 29 as well as from U.S. to Fayal in UGS 31, going in the other direction (both are external links) - the dates overlap here, but I might be missing something(?).

At the end of Febr.-1944 we find her in Convoy HX 281 from New York, subsequently joining the westbound Convoy ON 229* the following month, and in Apr. that year she's listed in the eastbound Convoy HX 287. Early in May she started on another voyage to New York, Convoy ON 235*.

She's also mentioned in connection with Convoy GUS 48 and is said to have arrived Chesapeake Bay on Aug. 28-1944 (this convoy had originated in Port Said with 19 ships on Aug. 3, but several ships joined en route to Hampton Roads, while others left). Already on Aug. 31-1944 she can be found in Convoy HX 306 from New York to the U.K., returning across the Atlantic at the end of Sept. with Convoy ON 256*, and in Oct.-1944 she sailed in Convoy HX 315, having cancelled from the previous convoy, HX 314. Katy wasted no time, heading in the other direction with the westbound Convoy ON 266* in the middle of Nov.-1944.

In March-1945 she shows up in Convoy HX 343 from New York (available at link below), returning later that month with the westbound Convoy ON 293*.

* All the ON convoys mentioned above are available and will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section in due course, with further details on each. In the meantime, please go to these convoys in the section listing ships in all ON convoys. As will be seen, several Norwegian ships took part in all of them. Note also that Katy shows up in some KMS as well as in another MKS convoy, in addition to MKS 16 and MKS 34 already mentioned in my text. These will also be added to this site, but for now they are available in the section listing ships in all KMS convoys and the section showing ships in all MKS convoys (Katy is listed in KMS 16, KMS 32 and KMS 56, and in MKS 57). Also, the external site that I've linked to below will provide information on some of her other voyages, taking place in between the ones already noted in my text.

Torpedoed - 1945:

Katy was torpedoed and damaged by U-879* (Erwin Manchen) on April 23-1945 east of Kitty Hawk, when on a voyage from New York to Houston (she had left New York the day before). No one was killed, and she made it to Lynnhaven, Hampton Roads on April 26, and was repaired. Among those on board at the time was Haugar Lyngås who had previously spent 20 days on a raft following the sinking of the Norwegian M/T Lise, as well as another 2 torpedo incidents. Follow the link for more details. U-879 was sunk with all hands just a few days later, on Apr. 30, by American vessels.

*Some sources list Katy as being damaged by U-548 (Krempl), but that U-boat had been sunk by two American destroyers, USS Reuben James and Buckley on April 19 that year. Jürgen Rohwer indicates (with a question mark) that Katy may have been damaged by U-857 (Premauer) in position 35 56N 74 52W, adding in a footnote that this U-boat was lost nearby on that same day in position 36 09N 73 10W.

Related external links:
OB & OA convoys - OB 153/OA 153 are included (here's Convoy OB 209, in which Katy is listed in Sept.-1940). See also this section of the same site, which has Katy in several convoys that are not mentioned in my own text. The easiest way to find them is by clicking on "Ship Search" on the left hand side, using "Katy" as keyword, but be aware that another ship with the letters "katy" in the name also shows up in the results. HX 231 and HX 343, mentioned in my text above, are included, as are the UGS and GUS convoys she sailed in, among several others.

U-879

DANFS / Destroyers