D/S Lista

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

Misc. War Voyages – 1940-1945:

It appears Lista was in France in June-1940. The well known French resistance man Gilbert Renault (Colonel Remy) says in his memoirs: "In June-1940 when the fall of France seemed unavoidable I found a Norwegian ship, the Lista, which had arrived with weapons for the French army. Considering the development of the situation the captain decided that the weapons would come to better use in England and headed there. I was on board with several other refugees". Renault was the founder of the Confrérie Notre-Dame, the second most extensive intelligence network in occupied France, and helped many resistance members escape to England.

Lista can be found among the ships in Convoy HX 40 in May-1940, bound for Le Havre with general cargo in station 92 (having been cancelled from the previous convoy, HX 39). She was scheduled for Convoy HX 64 in Aug. that year, general cargo for Liverpool, but did not sail. She was also cancelled from Convoy HX 97 in Dec.

Early the following year, in Febr.-1941, she was scheduled for Convoy OB 287, but instead joined OB 288, in which the Norwegian Svein Jarl was sunk. In Apr. that year we find her in station 53 of Convoy HX 119, bound for Liverpool. That summer, in June-1941, she was scheduled for Convoy HX 134, but did not sail. At the end of Aug.-1941 she joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 10, leaving Liverpool on Aug. 27. In Oct.-1941 she can be found in Convoy HX 153 along with the Norwegian Katy, Temeraire, Sveve, Ferncastle, Bonneville, Haakon Hauan, Santos and an unnamed Norwegian tanker. The following month she joined the westbound Convoy ON 33, but later left the convoy because of shortage of fuel (she's not listed on the convoy form, but is mentioned in the Notes for ON 33). She later joined ON 35, station 52, destination New York - follow the links for more.

She was scheduled for the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 69 in Febr.-1942, but instead joined the next convoy, SC 70, general cargo for Liverpool. Early in Apr.-1942 she joined the westbound Convoy ON 82*, general cargo for New York, returning to the U.K. the following month with Convoy SC 83. In June we find her, with a general cargo for Boston, in the westbound Convoy ON 103*, and in July she went back to the U.K. with Convoy HX 199. She subsequently joined the westbound Convoy ON 121* in Aug., again bound for New York, returning to the U.K. in Sept. with HX 207. She then joined Convoy ON 138* in Oct. in order to go back to New York, and in Nov. she was in Convoy HX 216, general cargo and ammunition for Manchester, station 53. She subsequently returned across the ocean at the end of Dec. with the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 155, but lost touch with the convoy and went into St. John's - again she was in the company of several other Norwegian ships in all these convoys - follow the links provided.

Note that she's also mentioned in the Commodore's narrative for Convoy ON 159 in Jan.-1943; it looks like she was meant to join this convoy from St. John's in order to complete her voyage to New York (which was cut short when in ON 155), but had to go into Halifax because of the bad weather. The following month we find her in station 82 of the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 228, in which Brant County was sunk. Lista was bound for Liverpool with general cargo, and is said to have been been cancelled from the previous convoy (which unfortunately is not available to me).

The next westbound convoy she shows up in is Convoy ON 176* at the end of March-1943. In May-1943 she sailed in Convoy HX 238 from New York, bound for Liverpool with a general cargo in station 93, subsequently returning early in June with Convoy ON 187*. She was scheduled to go back to the U.K. later that month with Convoy HX 245, but instead joined the next convoy, HX 246. In July she's listed as bound for New York in the westbound Convoy ON 194*, and towards the end of Aug. she joined Convoy HX 253, general cargo for Liverpool, station 114. Note that she's also mentioned in connection with the westbound Convoy ON 202 in Sept.-1943, in which the Norwegian Oregon Express and Skjelbred were sunk. However, she returned to port after having cracked a circulator pump cylinder, and thereby missed the U-boat attacks. She shows up again in Convoy ON 203* later that month. She's also listed in Convoy ON 213* in Nov.-1943.

In Jan./Febr.-1944 she shows up in Convoy HX 277, general cargo for Liverpool, returning with Convoy ON 225* at the end of Febr. At the end of March she's listed in Convoy HX 285, bound for Manchester with general cargo, and in Apr. that year we find her in Convoy ON 234*. In May she joined Convoy HX 293, general cargo for Glasgow, heading back across the ocean in June with the westbound Convoy ON 241*. In July-1944, she joined Convoy HX 300 from New York, again bound for Manchester with general cargo, subsequently joining the westbound Convoy ON 249* towards the end of Aug. In Oct. we find her in Convoy HX 312, general cargo for London, and the following month she's listed in the westbound Convoy ON 264*. In Dec. that same year she sailed in Convoy HX 324 from New York, bound for Hull with general cargo.

She returned to New York with Convoy ON 278 in Jan.-1945 (station 12). Other Norwegian ships were Fagerfjell (82), Vivi (station 42 - this ship had also been scheduled for HX 324, but instead joined HX 327) and Anna Knudsen (62). ON 278 departed Southend on Jan. 12 and arrived New York on the 31st. (Arnold Hague says there were 47 ships in this convoy, while Arthur Moore's book, "A Careless Word, A Needless Sinking" gives the names of 49, listed on my page about this convoy). Lista went back to the U.K. the following month with the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 339, general cargo for Newcastle, returning in March-1945 with Convoy ON 292*.

* All the ON convoys are available and will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section in due course, along with further details on each. In the meantime, please go to these convoys in the section listing ships in all ON convoys.

POST WAR:

Sold in June-1947 to Rederi-A/B Svenska Lloyd, Gothenburg and renamed Victoria. Sold in Jan.-1949 to Rederi-A/B Rex, Stockholm, Sweden and renamed Tyresö. Sold to Pan Norse Steamship Co. S.A. (Wallem & Co., Hong Kong), Panama in Febr.-1955 and renamed Tyreso. Renamed Lucky Fortune in 1959 for Indonesian Fortune Lloyd, Jacarta (or taken over by Indonesian Fortune Lloyd in 1965?). Sold in 1979 (1969?) to P. T. Perusahaan Pelyaran Nusantara Indonesia Fadiar Line, Jacarta and renamed Lautan Fadjar.

Related external link:
Convoy OB 288 - A list of the ships taking part. See also my own page about this convoy.

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

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nordenfjeldske - 1857-1985" fleet list by Finn R. Hansen and misc. (ref. My sources).