D/T Meline - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

Misc. War Voyages:

A complete Voyage Record will be added.

My Norwegian "Warsailor Stories" section has the story of someone who served as stoker on this ship from the end of March-1940 till Dec.-1940, Peder Kristoffer Langeland (Norwegian text only). After he had joined Meline in New York, they went to Aruba to load crude oil (this would have been in Apr. that year) and while there, they learnt that Norway had been invaded. He adds that Meline was on charter to Texaco Oil and made several voyages in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as a few trips to Freetown to provide bunkers for Sir James Clark Ross. That summer they ended up staying several weeks outside Norfolk, while waiting for Nortraship to get properly established, then made several voyages from Venezuela to the bauxite mines run by Canadian Aluminium (CanAl) in Trininad - the captain at the time had the last name Nilsen, and was the former 1st mate.

In Sept.-1941 Meline was in Convoy HX 151 (station 43) along with the Norwegian Sama (85), San Andres (105), Dagrun (54), Morgenen (93), Belinda, Thorshøvdi (53), Sophocles, Tigre (44), Hardanger (94), Leiv Eiriksson (24), and Laurits Swenson (it says Swenson, but I assume it should be Laurits Swenson), all listed on this website. The convoy left Halifax on Sept. 22 and arrived Liverpool on Oct. 7. A week later, some of these ships, including Meline, joined the westbound Convoy ON 26. Meline was bound for New York and had station 73 of the convoy. Towards the end of that year, on Dec. 27-1941, we find her in Convoy HX 167 from Halifax to the U.K. Other Norwegian ships in this convoy were Bralanta, O. A. Knudsen, Thorshavn, Suderøy, Noreg, O. A. Knudsen, Abraham Lincoln, Sandanger and several unnamed Norwegian vessels.

In Apr.-1942 she sailed in Convoy HX 185, then in May/June she joined Convoy OS 29, voyaging from Liverpool to Curacao via Trinidad in ballast - the external website that I've linked to at the end of this text has more on the latter convoy. In Aug. that year she was one of several Norwegian ships in Convoy HX 203, cargo of fuel oil for Belfast, station 73 (having previously cancelled from the slow convoys, SC 95 and SC 96). From Belfast, she subsequently joined Convoy BB 14. In Nov. she was scheduled for HX 214 from New York, but instead joined the slow Convoy SC 110 (external link).

The following spring, in Apr.-1943, she can be found in Convoy HX 235 from New York, bound for Shellhaven. By June she was back in New York, joining Convoy HX 244 on the 15th, bound for Purfleet with fuel oil, station 36, then early in Aug. that year she was scheduled for Convoy HX 251, but did not sail.

Information on Meline's westbound North Atlantic convoy voyages will be added - in the meantime, please see the section naming ships sailing in ON convoys, where Meline is listed in ON 79, ON 129, ON 168, ON 186, ON 193 and ON 305.

There's a ship by this name listed in Convoy GUS 44 which left Port Said on June 24-1944. This convoy was bound for Hampton Roads (arrival July 18), but several ships parted company along the way; in fact, Meline is said to have left for Augusta on June 29. I also have a little snippet of information stating that Meline later arrived Augusta from Taranto on July 9-1944, and left again the same day.

In July-1944, she's listed in Convoy MKS 56, which left Port Said on July 18 and arrived Gibraltar on the 29th - again, see the external link below. This convoy will also be added to my own site - see ships in all MKS convoys. Meline is also listed in some KMS convoys in 1944 (KMS 44, KMS 52, KMS 55) - see ships in all KMS convoys.

Related external link:
OS and OS/KMS convoys - As can be seen, Meline is listed in Convoy OS 29 and MKS 56 - the latter convoy can be reached via the SL section of the site, which also has several other convoy series. By going to this page and clicking on "Ship Search", using "Meline" as keyword, information on her convoy voyages will come up.