D/S Ledaal
Updated Dec. 16-2009

To Ledaal on the "Ships starting with L" page.

Some Convoy Voyages:

Ledaal is listed among the ships in Convoy HN 9A from Norway to the U.K. at the end of Jan.-1940. As will be seen when clicking on the link, several Norwegian ships took part.

When war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9-1940, she was in Casablanca, having arrived that same day - see Page 1.

In June-1940, Arnold Hague has her in Convoy OA 168, which left Southend on June 15, joined up with Convoy OB 168 on the 17th, the combined convoy forming the Gibraltar bound Convoy OG 34. This convoy will be added to an individual page in my Convoys section; in the meantime, the ships sailing in it (and escorts) are named on the page listing ships in all OG convoys. Note that Ledaal did not sail in OG 34, and I'm not convinced she was in OA 168 either; she left Falmouth for New York on June 18, arriving her destination on July 7. OA 168 is available via the external link provided in the Voyage Record; several Norwegian ships are listed.

She subsequently remained in New York for quite a while - departure is given as Sept. 11, when she proceeded to Sydney, C.B., with arrival there on the 16th. She was scheduled for the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 5 from there on Sept. 18, but instead joined the next convoy on Sept. 27, SC 6, steel and scrap for Middlesbrough.

In Nov.-1940 she's listed among 12 Norwegian ships in Convoy OB 244. Ledaal is said to have joined from Oban and was bound for Wabana in ballast, station 66. (This convoy was attacked by U-boats and several ships were sunk, but all the Norwegian vessels escaped harm). However, she appears again in Convoy OB 248, with destination Sydney C.B. (ref. external link at the end of this page), which left Liverpool on Nov. 23 and dispersed on the 26th, and again with destination Halifax in Convoy OB 256, leaving Liverpool on Dec. 8. Note that Convoy OB 244 had left Liverpool on Nov. 17, and she could not have made 3 voyages across the Atlantic within such a short scope of time, so could only have sailed in one of these convoys. In fact, when going back to Page 1 of the archive documents, we see that she left Oban on Dec. 9 and arrived Halifax on the 31st, so I believe she must have been in OB 256 (note that several of the other ships listed in OB 244 also appear in OB 248. Note also that A. Hague has not mentioned her in his listing for OB 248 - external link, but does have her in OB 256 - see Voyage Record).

She was scheduled to return with the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 103 in Jan.-1941, but did not sail (her destination is given as Swansea, cargo of lumber). She was also cancelled from the slow Convoy SC 21 at the end of that month, as well as from SC 22, but eventually got away with Convoy SC 24 on Febr. 28. In May we find her in station 12 of Convoy OB 321 (Karlander was sunk), which originated in Liverpool on May 11 and dispersed on the 17th. No destination is given for Ledaal, but when going back to Page 1 of the archive documents, we find that she arrived Bermuda on May 31, having started out from Milford Haven on May 10.

According to Arnold Hague, she went back to the U.K. in Convoy SC 41* (in which Einvik was sunk), departing Sydney, C.B. on Aug. 24-1941, arriving Liverpool on Sept. 11; Ledaal stopped at Loch Ewe that day. This convoy is not yet available among the SC convoys included on my website, but will be added. Later that year, she's said to have joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 39*, originating in Liverpool Nov. 21-1941, but returned to port after having stranded. According to Page 2 of the archive documents, she arrived Ardrossan in tow on Nov. 29, remaining there for about a month (it looks like she had joined this convoy from Belfast Lough).

At the beginning of 1942 she's listed, with destination Freeport, in the westbound Convoy ON 60*, which left Liverpool on Jan. 26; Ledaal arrived Galveston on Febr. 28, having started out from Clyde on Jan. 27. She continued to Freeport on March 5, with arrival the same day. At the end of March we find her in station 93 of Convoy SC 77 from Halifax to the U.K., cargo of sulphur for Ardrossan, where she arrived Apr. 16 (she had been cancelled from the previous convoy, SC 76). In July that same year, she's included in the westbound Convoy ON 116*, originating in Liverpool on July 25. Her destination is given as Sydney, C.B., where she arrived, via Halifax, on Aug. 13, having started out from Clyde July 25. (She's mentioned in connection with Convoy SC 96 in Aug.-1942, but is not included in the Advance Sailing Telegram, and it looks like she was not actually part of that convoy, she just happened to leave port at the same time as the SC 96 ships - in fact, according to Arnold Hague, she had joined Convoy HS 40 from Halifax to Sydney, C.B. on Aug. 11 -external link-, arriving Aug. 13, as already mentioned - see also Page 2). Hague later has Ledaal in Convoy SC 99, departing Halifax on Sept. 5-1942; Ledaal joined from Sydney, C.B. (see Page 3).

Skipping now to Oct.-1943, when she's said to have joined Convoy KMS 30*, departing Liverpool on Oct. 17 (Ledaal joined from Milford Haven), but returned to port, later joining Convoy OS 58/KMS 32, which sailed from Liverpool on Nov. 5 - Ledaal joined from Clyde. The Gibraltar portion (KMS 32*), in which Ledaal and several other Norwegian ships sailed, arrived there on Nov. 19, the convoy having split up the day before, while the rest of the ships continued to Freetown with the OS convoy. The external website that I've linked to within the Voyage Record has further info. She's also listed in Convoy KMS 33*, departing Gibraltar on Nov. 29. This convoy had originally started out from the U.K. on Nov. 16 as the combined Convoy OS 59/KMS 33 which split up on the 28th, the KMS ships proceeding to Gibraltar, while the OS convoy sailed on to Freetown. Note, however, that Ledaal was not present from the U.K., she joined the KMS convoy off Gibraltar, when it continued from there to Port Said after having been separated from the OS convoy; she was bound for Malta, where she arrived on Dec. 4, according to Page 4.

In the spring of 1944 she shows up in Convoy MKS 43*, originating in Port Said on March 10. Ledaal sailed from Algiers on March 19 and was bound for Gibraltar, with arrival March 22. She remained there until Sept. 21-1945. (For info, MKS 43 joined up with the Freetown Convoy SL 152 at Gibraltar on March 23, the combined convoy then proceeding to the U.K.).

* The ON, KMS and MKS convoys are available and will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section in due course; in the meantime, the ships sailing in them (and escorts) are named in the sections listing ships in all ON convoys, ships in KMS convoys, and ships in MKS convoys. The entire SC series will also be updated and completed (including the already existing ones), but for now, see ships in all SC convoys.

POST WAR:

Sold in June-1946, sailed as Gerodimos under Panamanian flag. Sold to Istanbul in 1949, sailed as Abant under Turkish flag until broken up in 1959.

Related external links:
OB convoys - Ledaal is listed in OB 248 and OB 256. OA 168 is also available, but Ledaal is not included in this convoy in this particular section of the site. However, another section of the site, based on Arnold Hague's database, lists Ledaal in this convoy, but on the other hand he has not included her in OB 248, as mentioned in the narrataive above.

See also this chronological
list of OA and OB convoys 1940

Back to Ledaal on the "Ships starting with L" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Våre gamle skip", Leif M. Bjørkelund & E. H. Kongshavn and misc.