D/S Mathilda
(Updated Dec. 26-2007)

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

Follow the links provided to available convoys for more information on each.

In Aug.-1940 she was scheduled for the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 63, but instead joined HX 64, cargo of scrap iron for Hull, joining the convoy from Bermuda. In the middle of Oct. that same year she was in the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 8, cargo of iron ore for Middlesbrough.

At the beginning of Dec.-1940 she shows up in Convoy OB 256, leaving Liverpool on Dec. 8-1940. Her destination is given as St. John, N.B., where she arrived on Dec. 29 - the website that I've linked to at the end of this page has more on this convoy.

She returned to the U.K. towards the end of Jan.-1941 with the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 20, cargo of steel and pit props for West Hartlepool. Later that year we find her in station 15 of the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 10, which left Liverpool on Aug. 27-1941. Her destination is given as New York.

In Oct.-1941 she sailed in the eastbound North Atlantic Convoy SC 48 in which several Norwegian ships were sunk, one of them being Erviken. The Advacne Sailing Telegram for this convoy gives Mathilda's destination as Manchester, general cargo, 2 passengers (her voyage record gives her destination as Liverpool, with arrival there on Oct. 20). Follow the link for more details. As will be seen it looks like Mathilda had originally been scheduled for the previous convoy, SC 47 (not included in my Convoy section). The following month we find her in station 13 of the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 37, which left Liverpool on Nov. 15-1941. Mathilda and 2 other ships straggled in a westerly gale on the night of Nov. 20/21 in approx. position 59 10N 19 30W. See also the Commodore's narrative.

She's also listed among the ships in Convoy SC 76 leaving Halifax on March 24-1942, cargo of sulphur for Hull, station 42. In Aug.-1942 she sailed in Convoy SC 95 from Halifax to the U.K., and the following month she was scheduled for the westbound Convoy ON 128 (left Liverpool on Sept. 5-1942), but did not sail. According to "Nortraships flåte" Mathilda had an encounter with a U-boat on Sept. 20-1942, after having lost the westbound convoy she was in due to thick fog. The boat came straight at them, and the gunners were ordered to open fire when the distance was about 4500 meters, at which time the U-boat submerged. This must have taken place while in Convoy ON 130, in which she's listed (left U.K. on Sept. 12 and arrived New York on the 30th - will be added to my Convoys section, see this list of ships in all ON convoys).

In Dec.-1942 we find her in station 72 of the westbound Convoy ON 156, from which the Norwegian Ingerfem was sunk. Mathilda's destination is given as Boston. The Norwegian Astrid is also listed.

In the spring of 1943 she's listed as bound for Halifax with the first convoy in the ONS series, Convoy ONS 1, leaving Clyde on March 16-1943. This convoy, which had several Norwegian ships, will also be added to my Convoys section in due course; in the meantime, see this list of ships in all ONS convoys. In Apr.-1943 she sailed in Convoy SC 128 from Halifax to the U.K., together with Iron Baron, Romulus and Norbryn, and in July that year she was in Convoy SC 136.

The external website that I've linked to below states that Mathilda was scheduled for Convoy OS 55/KMS 27 (OS portion) in Sept./Oct.-1943, but did not sail. However, she is indeed listed in a document showing the ships in the Gibraltar portion of this convoy, KMS 27, and this also agrees with her voyage record above, which states she arrived Oran on Oct. 1, later travelling to Casablanca on the 27th, with arrival there on the 29th (Convoy KMS 27 will be added).

According to "Nortraships flåte", she was in Convoy SL 139/MKS 30, consisting of 66 ships and 7 escorts, when a 3 day battle between U-boats and escorts started on Nov. 18-1943, at the end of which 1 U-boat returned to France with damages, 3 U-boats were sunk, and one of the escort vessels had to be towed to the Azores with damage from a Zaunkönig torpedo. No merchant ships were lost in the U-boat attack, but a new weapon was to be used for the first time on a convoy on Nov. 21. When the convoy was in position 46 46N 18 21W, 20 German bombers approached, carrying 40 "glider bombs" with them. Fortunately, most of them landed in the sea, but a straggler was hit and sunk (the British Marsa), and a ship in the convoy was damaged (British Delius). The attack on this convoy was for the most part unsuccessful. Arnold Hague says in his "The Allied Convoy System" that SL 139 of 27 ships departed Freetown on Nov. 2-1943 and rendezvoused on Nov. 16 with MKS 30, which had departed Gibraltar on Nov. 13, 30 ships. The combined convoy arrived Liverpool on Nov. 26. Mathilda's voyage information is given as Safi for Loch Ewe, cargo of phosphates. The Norwegian Boreas is also listed (joining with the Gibraltar portion, MKS 30, which is also available on my own site at MKS 30). Mathilda and Boreas both show up again in Convoy OS 62/KMS 36 the following month. This convoy left Liverpool on Dec. 15-1943, the KMS portion, in which the Norwegian ships sailed, arriving Gibraltar on Jan. 3-1944, Fernbank and Ingertre are also included - again, see the link below.

In March/Apr.-1944 Mathilda is mentioned in Convoy OS 72/KMS 46, voyaging from Belfast to Lisbon with coal in station 12 - again, see the link below. The same website has her in Convoy OS 78/KMS 52 in May-1944, voyage Belfast-Gibraltar with coal in station 41. In Oct.-1944 she shows up in Convoy SC 158, cargo of pulp, bound for Belfast Dock. This convoy originated in Halifax on Oct. 4, but Mathilda joined with the Sydney, C.B. portion a few days later. The following month she's said to have joined Convoy OS 94/KMS 68, voyage Liverpool-Gibraltar in station 34 (convoy departed Liverpool on Nov. 3, KMS 68 arriving Gibraltar Nov. 13). On Dec. 5 that year we find her leaving Gibraltar with Convoy MKS 69, which joined up with SL 178 from Freetown on the 6th, the combined convoy (SL 178/MKS 69) arriving Liverpool on Dec. 15-1944. Voyage information is given as Aguilas-Middlesbrough, cargo of iron ore. (The Norwegian Fernbank is also listed).

In Jan.-1945 she sailed in Convoy OS 105/KMS 79, voyage Milford-Gibraltar with coal in station 13. The Norwegian Elg also took part in this convoy, which departed Liverpool on Jan. 17.

Note that all the KMS and MKS convoys mentioned on this page will be added to individual pages in my own Convoys section in due course. In the meantime, see this list of ships in KMS convoys and ships in MKS convoys

Related external link:
OS and OS/KMS Convoys - The site also has a section on the SL Convoys, going in the other direction, as well as the OB (& OA) convoys. As can be seen Mathilda is mentioned in Convoy OB 256, as well as in all the OS and SL convoys mentioned within my text above, as are many other Norwegian ships. Note also that by going to this section of the same site and clicking on "Ship Search", using "Mathilda" as keyword, several convoys will come up.

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

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: Sources named in text (ref. My sources), and on each convoy page.