D/S Lido
Updated Dec. 17-2011

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


Post war picture when named Vard - see Post War below.
Source: Bjørn Milde's postcard collection.
A picture of Lido is available on this external page (click in the little thumbnail to make it larger).

Some Convoy Voyages:

For information on voyages made in between those discussed here, please see the documents received from the National Archives of Norway and A. Hague's Voyage Record above. Follow the convoy links provided for more details on them - other Norwegian ships also took part.

From Page 1 of the archive documents, we learn that Lido was in New York when war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9-1940. Later that year, she appears to have spent quite a long time in Philadelphia; she had arrived there on July 5 and departure is given as Sept. 12. Her 1941 voyages also start on this document.

According to Arnold Hague, Lido sailed in Convoy HX 101 in Jan.-1941. As will be seen when following the link to my own page about this convoy, based on original convoy documents, she's not mentioned there. There is, however, a Polish Lida (1387 gt), which had been cancelled from the previous convoy, so this is probably a mix up. This is confirmed by the information found on the archive document mentioned above, which shows that Lido was in Trinidad at that time, so could not have been in this convoy. (Hague's listing for HX 101 is available at ships in all HX convoys).

Page 2 shows her voyages from Febr.-1941 through that year. Her 1942 voyages also start on this document and continue on Page 3. It again looks like she had a long stay in port (unless some voyages are missing from the record). Page 2 shows that she had arrived St. John, N.B. on Jan. 9-1942, and according to Page 3, she left St. John on March 4, when she proceeded to Halifax in order to join a convoy to the U.K. She was scheduled for Convoy SC 73 on March 6, but instead joined Convoy SC 75 on March 18, cargo of flour for London. Together with Aun, Bjørkhaug, Borgholm, Heimgar, Lisbeth (returned), Nea, Norjerv, Norvarg, Rio Verde, Selbo, Snar, Suderøy, Velox and Ørnefjell, she returned across the Atlantic with Convoy ON 90*, which originated in Liverpool on Apr. 28 and arrived Halifax May 15; Lido, however, was bound for Montreal, where she arrived on May 18, having joined from Loch Ewe.

From Montreal, she proceeded to Quebec a week later, then headed to Sydney, C.B., joining Convoy SC 86 on June 5, cargo of wheat for Swansea, where she arrived on June 21 (Vice Commodore for this convoy had been Ramø's captain). At the end of that month we find her in the westbound Convoy ON 108*. Her destination is given as Halifax, where she arrived on July 15, having started out from Milford Haven on June 29. She had again been in the company of several other Norwegian ships, namely Don, Inger Lise, Senta, Star, Far, Grado, Iron Baron, Ramø, Selbo and Sneland I. Having made another voyage to Montreal (Page 3), she proceeded to Sydney, C.B., joining the Sydney portion of Convoy SC 96 on Aug. 12, cargo of flour (and landing craft?) for Liverpool. On Sept. 5, she headed in the other direction with Convoy ON 128, and arrived Halifax Sept. 21. The Commodore's narrative is also available for this convoy.

According to A. Hague, she subsequently went back to the U.K. in Convoy SC 104, originating in New York on Oct. 3-1942; Lido joined from Halifax a few days later (Page 3). This convoy, in which Fagersten and Senta were sunk (among others), is not yet available among the SC convoys included on my website, but will be added (see ships in all SC convoys). In addition to the 2 Norwegian ships already mentioned, Bernhard, Bonde (returned), Boreas, Garnes, Gudvor (the latter 2 to Sydney, C.B.), Inger Lise, Ingerfem, Nea, Suderøy and Vinga are also listed, while Acanthus, Eglantine, Monbretia and Potentilla are named among the escorts (see SC convoy escorts). My page about Potentilla has an eye witness account of this battle; see also the various websites that I've linked to at the end of my page about Fagersten for further information.

Together with Arosa, Ada, Boreas and Ingertre, Lido later joined the westbound Convoy ON 146*, originating in Liverpool Nov. 15-1942, arriving New York Dec. 8; Lido arrived Halifax on Dec. 5, having started out from Loch Ewe on Nov. 15. She continued to New York on Dec. 9, with arrival on the 12th, remaining there for several weeks - see Page 4. This document also shows that she now made voyages to Guantanamo, Trinidad, Demerara and Paramaribo; convoy information for some of these voyages can be found in the Voyage Record (though as can be seen, several voyages from this period are missing from Hague's record).

Skipping now to Aug. 9-1943, when we find her in station 55 of Convoy SC 139 from Halifax, bound for Iceland via Loch Ewe, general cargo. She arrived Loch Ewe on Aug. 25, Reykjavik on Aug. 31, and the following month I have her in Convoy RU 89 from Reykjavik to the U.K., together with Lyra. Lido was bound for Liverpool in ballast on that occasion.

In Oct./Nov.-1943 she's listed in Convoy OS 57/KMS 31, bound for Algiers in station 93, carrying medical stores - ref. external link provided in the Voyage Record; Askeladden, Germa, Jenny, Norlom and Somerville are also named. This convoy left Liverpool on Oct 27 and split up on Nov. 9, the Gibraltar bound ships (KMS 31*, in which Lido is listed) arriving there on Nov. 10, while the OS convoy proceeded to Freetown. The KMS ships that were bound for other ports than Gibraltar continued on Nov. 10; the convoy's final destination was Port Said, but as already mentioned, Lido is said to have been bound for Algiers. However, arrival Algiers is not given on Page 4, which says she arrived Augusta on Nov. 16. KMS 31 had been attacked by aircraft on Nov. 11, see the external website that I've linked to at the end of this page for more information. Lido's subsequent 1943 voyages are shown on the archive document already mentioned, as well as on Page 5, which also lists 1944 voyages. Convoy info to match some of these can be found in Hague's Voyage Record above.

I also have a snippet of information saying that a ship by this name was in Augusta in Aug.-1944, departing for Algiers on Aug. 10 - note that according to Page 6 she left Augusta on Aug. 12 and arrived Algiers on the 16th. In fact, Lido is listed as bound from Augusta to Algiers in Convoy MKS 58*, which had originated in Port Said on Aug. 7 with Gibraltar as its destination (arriving there on the 17th). For info, this convoy would then join up with SL 167 from Freetown on Aug. 19, the combined convoy proceeding to the U.K., where it arrived on Aug. 29, but as already noted, Lido was bound for Algiers so was not present in this combined convoy. Lido did not return to the U.K. until Nov.-1945 - see Page 7.

POST WAR:

Purchased in Apr.-1954 by Vards Rederi (Egil Næsheim A/S), Haugesund and renamed Vard. In seasonal lumber trade White Sea-U.K. Sold in Jan.-1971 for breaking up. Departed Emden on Jan. 28-1971 in tow for Flushing, where she was broken up. This was Haugesund's last steam ship.

Related external link:
The attack on Convoy KMS 31

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

This company later had another Lido from 1955; this ship had sailed as Stiklestad during the war.

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