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D/S Lyra To Lyra on the "Ships starting with L" page. Manager: Det Bergenske Dampskibsselskab, Bergen Delivered in May-1912 from A.G. Vulcan, Stettin (325), built as Prinz Eitel Friedrich for Neue Dampfer-Compagnie, Stettin. 1475(?) gt, 1612 tdwt, 241.5' x 34.6' x 15.3', Triple exp. 1180 ihp, 11.5 knots. Seized by the Russians on Aug. 1-1914 in St. Petersburg, handed to the Russian Navy as transport, renamed Fert. Converted to mine layer in 1915, renamed Ural (1508 gt??). Returned to Neue Dampfer Compagnie, Stettin in 1918, renamed Prinz Eitel Friedrich. Renamed Schlesien in 1922. From 1923 the company was named Stettiner Dampfer-Compagnie. Sold in May-1925 to Det Bergenske Dampskibsselskab, Bergen, renamed Lyra and placed in service Bergen-Faroe Islands-Iceland.
From Sept.-1942 until March-1943 a British able seaman by the name Thomas Patrick Shaw served on this ship - see my text for Hallfried for picture and more details on him, including some of his other WW II and post war ships. If anyone remembers this man, please contact me at the address provided at the bottom of this page.
Lyra was hired out to the Dept. of Defence from Sept.-1939 as troop transport. She had a Danish stewardess by the name of Anette Meldgaard during the war. The ship also had a Danish 2nd mate. In Nov.-1939 she found a lifeboat marked Vistula of Sweden. This ship had been sunk north of the Shetlands on Oct. 8-1939 by U-37. Lyra, together with Iris, arrived Toronto on Aug. 3-1940, carrying 120 men from the Norw. Air Force. According to the book "Krigens Dagbok Norge 1940-1945" they had departed Glasgow on July 21; the Air Force was establishing a training camp in Canada - see the link to Little Norway at the end of this text. A couple of months later, in the middle of Oct.-1940, she's listed in the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 8, cargo of paper and aluminium for Preston. On March 28-1941 she reported a U-boat sighting in position 60 03N 09 11W but was not attacked. Later that year, in Nov.-1941, we find her in station 15 of the westbound Convoy ON 37, which departed Liverpool on Nov. 15. Lyra was only bound for Iceland at the time. As will be seen when following the link, ON 37 had several Norwegian ships.
Convoy RU 19 Convoy RU 23 Convoy UR 26 Convoy RU 27 Convoy RU 32 Convoy RU 38 Convoy RU 76 Convoy RU 80 Convoy RU 83 Convoy RU 86 Convoy RU 89 Convoy RU 93 Convoy RU 96 Convoy RU 100 Convoy RU 107 Convoy RU 110 Convoy RU 114 Convoy RU 118 Convoy RU 121 Convoy RU 125 Convoy RU 129 Convoy RU 138 Convoy RU 141 Convoy RU 145 Convoy RU 152 Convoy RU 161 In Apr.-1942 Lyra, with a general cargo for Fleetwood, is listed in Convoy RU 19 from Reykjavik to the U.K. It also looks like she's listed in Convoy RU 23 the following month - however, the document for this convoy is extrememly blurry, so I'm not sure. I'll try to get this confirmed as soon as possible. Towards the end of May she's listed in the U.K.-Iceland Convoy UR 26, together with the Norwegian Fidelio, and the following month we find her in Convoy RU 27 from Reykjavik, again bound for Fleetwood with general cargo. In July she shows up in Convoy RU 32, same cargo and destination, and at the end of Aug.-1942 she's listed in Convoy RU 38, general cargo for Leith. Unfortunately, I don't have the convoy information for RU 40 through RU 74, so I can't say for sure whether she continued in this service during that period, but in June-1943 she shows up in Convoy RU 76, together with Erica, Heien and Nandi, and the following month she sailed in Convoy RU 80, together with Mui Hock. Later in July she's listed in Convoy RU 83, and towards the end of Aug. she was in Convoy RU 86. The following month she sailed in Convoy RU 89, together with Lido, and in Oct.-1943 she was in Convoy RU 93, in ballast for Fleetwood, with a note stating she was intended for the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ONS 21, which left Liverpool for Halifax on Oct. 22-1943, arriving Halifax on Nov. 5. However, she could not have made a voyage all the way to Halifax, because already on Nov. 6 she's listed in another convoy from Reykjavik to the U.K., namely RU 96. The following month, on Dec. 9-1943, she joined Convoy RU 100, bound for Fleetwood with R.A.F. stores. Early in Febr.-1944 she can be found in Convoy RU 107, the following month she shows up in Convoy RU 110, and at the beginning of Apr. that year she's listed in Convoy RU 114 from Iceland. Early in May-1944 we find her in Convoy RU 118, cargo of grain, destination Leith Dock, then at the end of that month she's listed in RU 121, general cargo for Leith. Towards the end of June she joined Convoy RU 125, bound for Leith Dock, carrying R.A.F. stores, and at the end of the following month she sailed in Convoy RU 129, same destination and cargo. In the middle of Oct.-1944 she joined convoy RU 138, R.A.F. stores, Leith Dock, and early in Nov. that same year she's listed in Convoy RU 141, again bound for Leith Dock, cargo of cod liver oil. The following month she shows up in RU 145, R.A.F. stores for Leith. In Febr.-1945 she sailed in Convoy RU 152, bound for Hull with fresh fish. In May that year she acted as Commodore Vessel for Convoy RU 161. Dates and the names of other ships in the RU convoys mentioned here are available at the list of links provided above.
Returned to Bergenske in 1945 in a bad state of repair. Departed Newcastle for Bergen on July 4 and entered Hurtigruten service. Interior somewhat modernized at Laksevåg June-1946–June-1947, oil fuelling installed. Laid up in Bergen May 24-1953. Sold in Febr.-1954 to Sivert Bakke, Bergen, renamed Nora. Sold again in May that year to Adel Abdul-Waha, Beirut, renamed Lyra, and placed in the "Pilgrim traffic" between Lebanon, Egypt, Jeddah and Mekka. Ran aground on July 9-1958 off Tor in The Red Sea, total loss. Related external links: Back to Lyra on the "Ships starting with L" page. Other ships by this name: This company had previously had another ship by the name Lyra from Jan.-1905 until Apr.-1912, and another one from Nov.-1945 until Jan.-1950. C. T. Gogstad & Co. had a Lyra in WW I, built 1917, 1141 gt - torpedoed and sunk by UC-63 in the North Sea on Nov. 4-1917. Also Minnehallen in Stavern, Norway - (Seamen's Memorial in Stavern) lists a Lyra (also owned by Bergenske D/S) that was lost on March 5-1943 on a voyage between Argentina and U.S.A., but I believe this must be an error, as far as I know, this ship was not sunk. It goes on to say that 1 Norwegian died - the names of 2 are given, namely Stoker Sigurd Eriksen and Stoker Jarl Marelius Vindseth. Looking them up in "Våre falne" which lists Norwegian casualties during the war, I find that Sigurd Eriksen died during an air attack in Liverpool in May-1941, serving on Gaston Micard at the time (it's possible he had previously served on Lyra?). Stoker Vindseth is indeed listed as having died on Lyra on March 5-1943, when lost between Argentina and the U.S., but again, I find this very strange. The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Bergenske, byen og selskapet" by Dag Bakka Jr., E-mails from Tore Setså, Norway, "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland - and misc. (ref. My sources).
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