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M/S Kronprinsessen To Kronprinsessen on the "Ships starting with K" page. ("Kronprinsessen" means "the Crown Princess"). Manager: Nortraship Tramp ship, built as Empire Latimer by William Doxford & Sons Ltd., Pallion, Sunderland, 443 ft (oa), 429 ft. x 56.5 ft. Launched Aug. 14-1941, completed in Dec. that same year (Ministry of War Transport - Dodd, Thomson & Co. managers). One of 19 ships transferred to Nortraship in 1942. My list of Empire Ships has the names of the other 18. Kronprinsessen was taken over in New York, July 28.
Departed Calcutta on Jan. 19-1943 via Tricomale to Colombo for cargo, left Febr. 7 for Cape Town. About half way between Colombo and Cape Town an aircraft was spotted on the horizon ordering them to alter course westward, continuing to circle around and repeating the order, but did not reply to their signals with the proper code. After a while a cruiser appeared which in morse code ordered them to stop or they would be fired upon. They stopped while at the same time sending out a distress call to Cape Town, whereupon the cruiser turned and disappeared (it was believed to be Japanese). Kronprinsessen then continued on her way to Cape Town at full speed arriving Febr. 26. Took on board some British naval personnel and equipment bound for Tristan da Cunha and the Falklands where the British had radio stations. Departed Cape Town on March 2 for Walvis Bay to join a convoy, then departed in convoy the following day, though left the convoy after 3 days to continue south to Tristan da Cunha alone (the convoy was bound for the Caribbean) where some of the passengers were disembarked, then continued for the Falklands the same day, March 13, arriving Port Stanley on March 23 where the rest of the passengers were disembarked the next day. Departed for Punta Arenas, Argentina on March 24, from there to Valparaiso on March 27. In May-1943 she can be found among the ships in Convoy HX 241, which originated in New York on May 25. Kronprinsessen joined the convoy from Halifax on May 29, taking up station 84. She was bound for Manchester with general cargo, and was the only Norwegian ship joining from Halifax, but others had joined in New York. At the end of July that same year she sailed in Convoy HX 250 from New York, her destination Liverpool, general cargo. In Convoy UGS 36 to Port Said in March/April-1944, consisting of 72 (79?) merchant ships and 18 landing crafts, escorted by 11 American destroyers. In Gibraltar the British cruiser (anti aircraft) Colombo was added, while 2 Dutch and 4 British vessels were 6 n. miles ahead of the convoy on look-out for U-boats. The convoy was attacked on April 1 (in the Mediterranean*) by 20 two-motor Do-217's, 3 of which were shot down, 1 ship was damaged (this according to "Nortraships flåte"). The convoy had departed Hampton Roads on March 14 and arrived Port Said on Apr. 9-1944.
In Aug.-1944 she sailed in Convoy HX 304 from New York, bound for Liverpool with a cargo of sugar, then in Oct. that year she shows up in Convoy HX 312, joining with the Sydney section of the convoy, bound for Liverpool with a cargo of grain. At the end of the following month she can be found in Convoy HX 323, bound for Avonmouth with cargo of grain, again having joined the convoy from Sydney, C.B. - follow the links for a list of other ships in these convoys. In Jan.-1945 she's listed in the Halifax portion of the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 333, bound for London with grain.
In Sept.-1945 Kronprinsessen arrived Oslo and Bergen from South America. Sailed as Polytrader for E. Rasmussen, Norway from 1946, Flora M for Marenviadio Cia. Nav. (L. G. Matsas, Greece) from 1962. Came under Liberian flag 1965. Arrived Mihara on Dec. 27-1968 for breaking up. Related external link: Back to Kronprinsessen on the "Ships starting with K" page. The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, some info received from Barbara Mumford (her source: Mitchell & Sawyer's "Empire Ships"), "Krigsseileren", Issue No. 4 for 1997, and misc. (ref. My sources).
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