D/S Loke
Updated Jan. 5-2010

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

Some Convoy Voyages:

Follow the links provided for more info on these convoys - several Norwegian ships took part. For information on voyages made in between those discussed here, please see the documents received from the National Archives of Norway as well as Hague's Voyage Record above.

When war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9-1940, Loke was on her way from Cuba to New York, with arrival Apr. 12 - see Page 1 of the archive documents. At the end of May, she proceeded to Halifax, joining Convoy HX 47 from there on June 2, bound for Bordeaux with copper (the Norwegian Italia was sunk. Loke is said to have been scheduled for the next convoy, HX 48, but sailed in HX 47 instead). She was one of the last ships to get out of Bordeaux during the chaotic and dangerous days of evacuations from France that summer. She had about 1100 refugees on board when she left (this voyage to and from Bordeaux is not detailed on the archive document).

The following month we find her in Convoy OB 188, which originated in Liverpool on July 23 and dispersed on the 27th. According to the external website that I've linked to at the end of this page, she rescued 126 survivors from the British Accra in this convoy. This ship had been sunk by U-34 on July 26. Follow the link for more information. See also this posting to my Ship Forum. After the rescue, Loke returned to port* (again, see Page 1 of the archive documents), later joining Convoy OB 191 (Strinda was torpedoed), which left Liverpool on July 30, but she again put back, subsequently joining Convoy OB 193, which departed Liverpool on Aug. 4 and dispersed on the 7th, Loke arriving Quebec on Aug. 20 - ref. external links provided in the Voyage Record for more on these OB convoys - other Norwegian ships are also listed.

*Note that Loke is mentioned in Convoy HX 58, which had originated in Halifax on July 15 and arrived Liverpool on the 31st; Loke, however, is said to have joined at sea; according to the notes on my page about HX 58, she joined with HMS Clarkia at the rendezvous with the local escort in the morning of July 27, together with another ship (Hollinside), so it looks like she joined this convoy in order to return to the U.K. with the rescued survivors from Accra.

She returned to the U.K. again in Convoy HX 73, cargo of pit props for Newcastle. This convoy had originated in Halifax on Sept. 13, but Loke joined from Sydney, C.B. a few days later. In Nov.-1940 she's listed in Convoy OB 244 together with 11 other Norwegian ships. Loke joined from Oban and was bound for Sydney C.B., where she arrived on Dec. 5, the convoy having been dispersed on Nov. 22. This convoy was attacked and several ships sunk (follow the link for details), but all the Norwegian ones escaped harm. With a cargo of grain for Ipswich, she later returned with Convoy SC 16, departing Halifax on Dec. 15.

In March-1941 she appears in Convoy OG 57, which originated in Liverpool on March 27. This was a Gibraltar bound convoy, but Loke (joining from Oban) was bound for Halifax, so she parted company to proceed to this destination, where she arrived on Apr. 11. On Apr. 19 we find her in the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 29, cargo of grain for Ipswich (escorts' reports are also available), then in June she shows up in Convoy OG 64, originating in Liverpool on June 4. Like OG 57, this was also a Gibraltar bound convoy, but Loke, bound for Father Point, left the convoy in order to proceed to her destination. From Page 2 of the archive documents, we learn that she arrived Three Rivers on June 22, again having started out from Oban. (Both these convoys will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section, but for now, the ships sailing in them, and escorts, are named on the page listing ships in all OG convoys).

According to Arnold Hague, she headed back to the U.K. on July 1 with the slow Convoy SC 36* from Sydney, C.B. This convoy is not yet available among the SC convoys included on my website, but will be added; several Norwegian ships took part. the following month she joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 10, which originated in Liverpool on Aug. 27 and dispersed Sept. 11. Her destination is again given as Father Point, station 56 - going back to the archive document referred to above, we see that she arrived Montreal on Sept. 15, having sailed from Belfast Lough on Aug. 28. A. Hague now has her in Convoy SC 46*, which left Sydney, C.B. on Sept. 24 and arrived Liverpool Oct. 10 - Loke stopped at Loch Ewe that day. In Nov.-1941 she sailed in the westbound Convoy ON 35, station 63, bound for St. John, N.B., arriving there on Dec. 2, having joined from Loch Ewe (see also narrative of voyage, as well as Page 3), and was scheduled to return with the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 60 later that month, but did not sail. She was also cancelled from the next convoy, SC 61, but eventually got away with SC 62 on Dec. 27, cargo of grain for Ipswich.

In Febr.-1942 she's listed as bound for Halifax in the westbound Convoy ON 66*, departing Liverpool on Febr. 13, dispersed Febr. 26. She arrived Halifax on March 2, having joined from Loch Ewe. In June she sailed in Convoy SC 86 from Sydney, C.B., returning across the Atlantic with the westbound Convoy ON 112* the following month, arriving Halifax July 28 (convoy had originated in Liverpool July 13). She's mentioned on my page about Convoy HS 35 at the end of July, but note that she was not actually in this convoy, but is said to have left Halifax for Montreal on July 29. In fact, A. Hague has her, together with Borgholm, Bruse Jarl, Gezina and Lisbeth, in Convoy HS 36 (external link), which left Halifax on July 29 and arrived Sydney, C.B. on the 31st. From there, she continued to Montreal, with arrival Aug. 4. Later that month, she went back to the U.K. with Convoy SC 97 in which the Norwegian Bronxville was sunk (Bonneville served as Vice Commodore Vessel), then headed back in the other direction again the following month with the westbound Convoy ON 132*, bound for Halifax, arriving Oct. 7. While there, Loke lost a crew member on Oct. 10. Stoker Sverre Johan Johansen had gone on board the Swedish Porjus to visit a friend, and died from his burns when a fire occurred on that ship. Loke left Halifax again on Oct. 13, joining Convoy ON 134* in order to sail to New York, where she arrived on Oct. 17 (this convoy had started out in Liverpool on Sept. 26). Her subsequent voyages are shown on Page 4 of the archive documents; convoy information to match some of them is available in Hague's Voyage Record.

Skipping now to Sept.-1943, when I have her in the Sydney (C.B.) section of the slow Convoy SC 142, bound for Belfast Dock, cargo of lumber, arriving Belfast on Sept. 29 (see Page 5). The Norwegian Gausdal served as Rear Commodore Ship.

In Nov.-1943 she's listed in Convoy OS 59/KMS 33, cargo of coal for Algiers, station 83. This convoy left Liverpool on Nov. 16 and split up on the 28th, the KMS portion, in which Loke sailed, arriving Gibraltar on Nov. 29, while the OS convoy continued to Freetown. The ships that were not bound for Gibraltar would then proceed passed Gibraltar, still in Convoy KMS 33*, which had Port Said as it's final destination. The external website that I've linked to in the Voyage Record has more on this convoy - as can be seen, Lago and Spurt are also included, while Alaska sailed in the OS portion. Loke's arrival Algiers is not mentioned on Page 5 of the archive documents, where she's said to have arrived Oran on Nov. 30, having started out from Clyde on Nov. 16. About a month later she made a voyage from Oran to Bizerta, having joined Convoy KMS 35* (she did not go back to the U.K. again until Jan.-1946).

At the end of Jan.-1944, she's listed in Convoy KMS 39*, voyage Algiers to Syracuse, arriving her destination on Febr. 2. That summer, she made a voyage from Augusta to Algiers in Convoy MKS 51*; she left Augusta on June 3 and arrived Algiers on the 7th, later returning to Augusta in Convoy KMS 53*. Page 5 shows her subsequent voyages - see also Page 6 and Page 7, and compare them with A. Hague's Voyage Record/convoy information.

Loke is said to have rescued 4 men from a British ship in the Adriatic Sea in 1944 - exact date and identity of the ship not known.

*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, the ships sailing in them are named in the section listing ships in all ON convoys; as will be seen, they all had several Norwegian ships. The entire SC series will also be updated and completed (including the already existing ones); see ships in all SC convoys. Additionally, all the KMS and MKS convoys will be added, but for now, please see the section listing ships in all KMS convoys and ships in all MKS convoys.

Related external link:
The loss of Accra

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

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Skip og menn", Birger Dannevig, "Våre falne" (a series of 4 books listing Norwegian WW II casualties), E-mail from R. W. Jordan - and misc.