M/T Maridal
Updated Dec. 14-2008

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

Some Convoy Voyages:

Follow the convoy links provided for more details on them. More convoy information will be added for Maridal.

As will be seen when going to Page 1 above, Maridal was in Singapore when the Germans invded Norway on Apr. 9-1940, having arrived there that same day from Cebu.

Together with the Norwegian Beduin, Salamis and Vivi, she's listed in Convoy SL 50, departing Freetown for the U.K. on Oct. 3-1940 - the external website that I've linked to at the end of this page has more information on this convoy. The same website has her in Convoy OB 241, which left Liverpool on Nov. 9-1940 and dispersed on the 14th. Her destination is given as Trinidad, where she arrived on Nov. 28, proceeding to Aruba 2 days later. That year was rounded off by sailing back to the U.K. with Convoy HX 96. Maridal arrived Avonmouth on Dec. 31, having joined the convoy from Bermuda.

In Jan.-1941 she was one of 4 Norwegian ships sailing in Convoy OB 275, voyage Glasgow-Aruba in ballast, station 24. The others were Hidlefjord, Mosli and Finnanger. This convoy, which originated in Liverpool on Jan. 18, was dispersed on the 23rd, and according to Page 1 of the archive documents, Maridal was at St. John's repairing on Jan. 31. Not sure what had happened to her, but departure St. John's is given as March 20, so she remained there for quite a while, and it does not look like she went to Aruba at all (unless some voyages are missing from the document). Via New York (where she also stayed for a long time) and Halifax, she headed back to the U.K. in Convoy HX 131 in June-1941, bound for Milford Haven and Falmouth with a cargo of benzine in station 72 of the convoy, again in the company of several other Norwegian ships. In July that year we find her in Convoy OB 347, originating in Liverpool on July 16, dispersed July 31, Maridal arriving Baltimore on Aug. 6 (she had started out from Clyde on July 17). She headed back to the U.K. again on Aug. 16 in Convoy HX 145 from Halifax, along with the Norwegian Annavore (station 122), Høyanger (station 95, 3 bombers on deck), Leikanger (station 64, lumber), Vav (station 114), Charles Racine, Kaia Knudsen (station 73), and Slemdal - all listed on this website. Some of these ships, including Maridal, subsequently returned across the Atlantic with the westbound Convoy ON 15, which left Liverpool on Sept. 11-1941 and dispersed on the 16th, Maridal arriving New York on Sept. 25, according to Page 2.

Skipping now to Dec.-1943, when she's said to have made a voyage from Port Said to Malta with Convoy MKS 34 - scroll down to the second table on the page about this convoy. Maridal arrived Malta on Dec. 17 - see Page 3.

A story by Peder Kristoffer Langeland (Norwegian text), who joined this ship in New York in Sept.-1944, states they were in the Caribbean when the news came that the war in Europe was over. He also mentions a mess boy named Johannes Harkestad who joined the ship in Port Arthur (had previously served on Bertha Brøvig), and adds that they were mainly in service to South America and the east coast of the U.S. Early in 1946 they went from Buenos Aires via Curacao to Philadelphia.

POST WAR:

Sold in 1955 for breaking up.

Related external links:
SL Convoys - As will be seen, Maridal is listed in Convoy SL 50. The site also has the OB convoys, and OB 241 is included. Another section of the site has OB 347.

Back to Maridal on the "Ships starting with M" page.

Another Maridal was delivered to A/S Moltzaus Tankrederi (Moltzau & Christensen), Oslo in July-1957, built in Sweden, 12 329 gt. Sold in 1961 to owners in Kristiansand, Norway and renamed Benoil. Sold to Monrovia in 1974, then to Greece in 1976, renamed Stolt Capricorn. Broken up in 1980, following a fire in the engine room while at La Plata in May-1979.