D/T Marathon

To Marathon on the "Ships starting with M" page.

Related item on this website:
Guestbook message from Laurence J Downey who served on Marathon and several other Norwegian ships during the war.

Some War Voyages:

For info, there's a ship by the name of Marathon listed in Convoy HX 50 in June-1940 - however, I believe this may have been the Greek ship by the same name (judging by the cargo).

Marathon can be found in Convoy HX 181 in March-1942. A little over a week after arrival England she joined Convoy OS 25, voyaging in ballast from Clyde to Baytown, Texas in station 55. More information on the OS convoys is available at the first external website that I've linked to at the end of this text.

In June-1942 she's listed as sailing in Convoy HX 194 from Halifax, together with several other Norwegian ships, in Aug. she can be found in Convoy HX 204, and a few months later, in Dec.-1942, she shows up in Convoy HX 218 from New York, bound for Manchester, station 53.

Just one Example of a Murmansk Voyage - 1943:

(based on a report by the gunnery officer O. Nygaard, included in "Nortraships flåte". Marathon had 20 British gunners on board):

Marathon was in Convoy JW 53 consisting of 26 merchant ships which left Loch Ewe on Febr. 15-1943. Another 3 ships, making up Convoy JW 53B, followed the next day. An aircraft spotted them on the 23rd and they prepared for a U-boat attack that afternoon, but due to the bad weather with snow and wind nothing happened. Two aircraft arrived the following day, attempting an attack on one of the escorting destroyers, but missed. Later, U-boat warnings were received, the escorting destroyers dropped a number of depth charges and fired their guns, though Marathon's crew could not see what they were firing at. This continued until midnight, when it started snowing heavily again, which gave the convoy a calm night.

The next day, Febr. 25, a group of Ju 88's came in, dropped several bombs, but no ships were hit, though the bombs fell close. Later that same day a lone He 111 attacked, but again the bombs missed. Depth charges from the escorts were heard all through the night, the convoy had now reached position 73 50N 03 01E.

The following day, from very early in the morning of Febr. 26, another aircraft shadowed the convoy; the crew of Marathon prepared for attack, all gunners ate their meals by their guns. Several planes were heard above the clouds around noon, one suddenly ducked down, but was met by Marathon's guns and those of nearby ships, and was hit before it had dropped its bombs. The other aircraft, still above the cloud cover, dropped their bombs wildly all over the convoy, no ships were hit. The gunners stayed on their posts until dark. Depth charges were again heard all through the night. Position reached was 77 10N 36 50E.

By midnight on Febr. 27 the convoy was about 30 n. miles north of Murmansk, and Marathon and six other ships that had orders to go to ports in the White Sea continued south along the coast, escorted by Russian warships. A German aircraft showed up but was chased off by the Russians. The group of ships was attacked by two Ju 88's the next day, while in a single line behind three large icebreakers, surrounded by ice on all sides, with no possibility of turning either way. Two bombs were dropped near the Russian icebreaker Krassin, but did no harm. The other aircraft headed straight for Marathon, but the British gunners chased it off, and the rest of the voyage was without incident.

On March 2 the unloading of cargo started at Molotovsk; there were 3 air raids while there, but no bombs were dropped. Marathon left Molotovsk for Murmansk on March 20, with the help of an icebreaker, arriving Murmansk on March 23 to wait for a westbound convoy. While there the city had 3 to 4 air raids every day, and the British Maritime authorities in Murmansk decided to move the tankers away from the port, so Marathon left for Molotovsk on April 11 together with a Panamanian tanker, arriving there on the 13th, and as it turned out was unable to leave until May 7 when the ice broke. She could then finally continue to Archangel to wait for a convoy there, but not until Nov. 19 was the order to sail received.

Marathon returned from Russia in Convoy RA 54B*, departing Archangel on Nov. 26-1943 after close to a year in the White Sea. The reason for the long delay was the suspension of the Arctic convoys, at first due to the fact that the escort units were needed for the Atlantic convoys, and later because the lighter period of the year, combined with the threat from the German battleship Tirpitz and other German units in the North of Norway, which made the crossings too dangerous to attempt. Convoy RA 54B, consisting of 10 merchant ships arrived safely at Loch Ewe on Dec. 9-1943 without having been attacked. Follow the link for the names of other ships in this convoy.

* "Nortraships flåte" says that Marathon returned in RA 53 but that can't be right, as this convoy sailed from the Kola Inlet on March 1-1943, and Marathon was not one of the 30 ships in it. The very first convoy that sailed from Kola in the 1943 winter season was RA 54A (will be added to my Arctic Convoys section), which departed on Nov. 1 with 13 ships, all of which had spent the summer in Archangel, or had been trading in Russia or otherwise supporting Russian activities. Tore Setså, a visitor to my site says that the book "Arctic Convoys" by Richard Woodman confirms that Marathon took part in RA 54B.

Two 1944 Voyages:

German bombers posed a more serious threat to allied shipping in the Mediterranean than the U-boats in the beginning of 1944. About 100 modern bombers were stationed in the South of France, their primary goal being the large UGS convoys from U.S.A., carrying supplies to the allied forces in Italy. Marathon was in Convoy UGS-37 with a cargo of aviation fuel, and also had military vehicles on deck for Italy. "Nortraships flåte" says the convoy consisted of 60 merchant ships, with 13 American and 2 British escort vessels, as well as the British anti aircraft cruiser Delhi, while Arnold Hague's "Allied Convoy System" states it had 73 ships, having departed Hampton Roads on March 24-1944.

Late at night on April 11, about 4 n. miles north of Cape Bengut (Algeria) the convoy was attacked by aircraft, coming over them in two waves, the first with about 10 planes, the second with 25. Several bombs were dropped but no ships were hit, 3 aircraft were shot down, and only one managed to send a torpedo into the escorting American destroyer Holder (DE 401). According to Arnold Hague the American ships Meyer London (sunk, no casualties) and Thomas G. Masaryk were later torpedoed by U-407 on Apr. 16. Jürgen Rohwer states that the latter was damaged and towed to Alexandria, but was declared a total loss. The convoy arrived Port Said on Apr. 19. See also M/S Kronprinsessen and M/S Fernbrook.

On May 30 that same year Marathon was on a voyage from Algiers to Italy with a cargo of aviation fuel in one of two parallel convoys of close to150 ships. She had departed Algiers that same day and was in convoy KMS 51, about 278°, 6 n. miles off Cape Bengut when several aircraft attacked, but again she escaped unharmed. The British Nordeflinge was hit and sunk with the loss of 12 men. BBC radio announced the next day that 30 to 40 German aircraft had attacked the convoy. The Norwegian ships Liss and President de Vogue were also in KMS 51.

Some Conflicting Information - 1944:

Marathon is listed among the ships in Convoy HX 311, leaving New York on Sept. 28-1944 and arriving Liverpool on Oct. 14 - Marathon's destination is given as "Clyde f. o.". According to "Nortraships flåte", she later joined Convoy JW 62 which departed Loch Ewe for Russia on Nov. 29-1944. Hegland says she was the only Norwegian merchant ship in this convoy, but the Commodore was Norwegian (E. Ullring on board the British D/S Fort Boise) and so were several of the escort vessels, namely the corvettes Tunsberg Castle and Eglantine and the escort trawlers Tromsø, Karmøy and Jeløy. (By this time the Tirpitz had been sunk, making the Arctic runs less threatening, and this convoy reached Kola safely on Dec. 7). There seems to be some confusion here. Bob Ruegg/Arnold Hague's "Convoys to Russia" lists no Norwegian ship in JW 62, except for the escorts Tunsberg Castle and Eglantine (the 3 trawlers are not mentioned among the escorts). However, Marathon can be found in the previous Convoy JW 61, leaving Loch Ewe on Oct. 20 and in which the Norwegian M/T Noreg acted as one of the escort oilers. No Norwegian escorts are listed for this convoy, which arrived the Kola Inlet on Oct. 28-1944. Fort Boise was indeed the Commodore ship for JW 62, but this ship did not take part in JW 61. Commodore ship for the latter was the British Fort Crevecoeur. It would seem like Hegland may have gotten some of the facts and convoys mixed up here.

Ruegg / Hague agree with Hegland that Marathon returned to the U.K. with Convoy RA 62, leaving the Kola Inlet on Dec. 10 with 29 ships, arriving Loch Ewe on Dec. 19. Hegland says the Norwegian E. Ullring was again the Commodore, though he doesn't mention on which ship. Ruegg / Hague name Fort Crevecoeur as Commodore Ship again. This convoy also had Tunsberg Castle and Eglantine among the escorts, but Tunsberg Castle struck a mine and sank on Dec. 12. On the same day, nine torpedo bombers attacked, with the loss of 2 aircraft, but no ships were lost. A report by Marathon's gunnery officer O. Nygård states that this attack took place in 71 17N 18 52E, about 60 n. miles north of Fugløy light. In this report Nygård mentions Gunners Kåre Rygg and Reidar Kristoffersen, Able Seamen Lars Vaage, Arne Arnessen and Harry Albrigtsen, and cook Karsten Tønnevold on duty by the guns, and indicates they may have shot down an aircraft.

The day before the above air attack the destroyer Cassandra had been torpedoed and damaged by U 365 and had to return to Murmansk for emergency repairs. This U-boat was sunk on Dec. 13 by 813 Squadron from the escort carrier Campania.

(S. Inselseth, who later went on to become the captain of one of my mother's ships [see M/S Mogen, post war], served on Marathon as a gunner from July-1944 until Oct.-1945. This means he must have made some Murmansk voyages with her).

To Marathon on the "Ships starting with M" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Convoys to Russia", Arnold Hague / Bob Ruegg, and misc. others for cross checking details.