M/S Minerva
Updated Dec. 19-2008

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


Source: Roger W. Jordan collection.

The following pictures were received from Historical Department, MAN B&W Diesel, Copenhagen
Also, here are 2 pictures from her launching: Pic 1 and Pic 2
(size and quality of all pictures reduced to save space and reduce download time).

Misc. Convoy Voyages:

Much more convoy information will be added, including details on westbound North Atlantic voyages, made in between the eastbound voyages mentioned below. For info, she took part in the following westbound convoys:
ON 133 (Sept.-1942)
ON 204 (Sept.-1943)
ON 241 (June-1944)
ON 249 (Aug.-1944)
She also sailed in the following westbound North Atlantic convoys:
ONS 25 (Dec.-1943)
ONS 32 (March-1944)
ONS 36 (Nov.-1944)
ONS 42 (Febr.-1945)
ONS 51 (May-1945)
All of the above will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section, but in the meantime, the ships sailing in them are named in the section listing ships in all ON convoys, and the page for ships in all ONS convoys. By looking at the dates, and comparing to the info found on the archive documents, it should be possible to create a picture of her Atlantic crossings back and forth, until I get time to list her voyages in chronological order on this page.

Minerva sailed to many different areas of the world during the war. She had a couple of trips to Japan, South Africa and India(?) in the 1940-'41 time period, but other than that she was mostly in service carrying bauxitte cargoes between the West Indies/St. Thomas - U.S.A./Canada during that same period.

In the fall of 1942 she made a trip to the U.K.; she's listed in Convoy HX 205 departing Halifax on Aug. 30 that year (having previously been cancelled from the slow Convoy SC 98), then headed back to the U.S. where she took on board some general cargo as well as war materials for The Middle East; explosives, tanks, aircraft, steel, food stuffs etc., departing Nov. 4 (just for info, Minerva was initially scheduled to sail to the U.K. with Convoy HX 213 on Oct. 26-1942, but is crossed out). Most of the stores were unloaded in Abadan (via Cape Town and Cape Natal). The aircraft, like the rest of the war materials, were earmarked for the Eastern front and were assembled and flown to Russia by Russian women. Minerva went all the way to Khorram Shahr in Iran to unload some of her cargo, then took on board over 1000 tons of tobacco there and in Basrah. In the middle of April-1943 she continued to Bombay for a cargo of manganese, then on to Fremantle, across the Pacific and through the Panama Canal to Norfolk where the cargo was unloaded. She arrived the U.S. early in July-1943, in other words, this voyage had taken about 9 months. Compare the details in this paragraph to the info found on Page 3 and Page 4 of the archive documents (convoy information for some of these voyages will be added).

At the end of Aug.-1943 we find her in station 136 of Convoy HX 254 from New York, bound for Swansea with general cargo, w/arrival there on Sept. 12, and a couple of months later, on Nov. 6-1943, she can be found among the ships leaving Halifax for the U.K. with the slow Convoy SC 146. She had a general cargo, bound for Glasgow, where she arrived on Nov. 23 (according to Page 4 of the archive documents).

In Febr.-1944 she's listed in Convoy SC 154 from Halifax, then in May that year Minerva (with general cargo and ammunition) was in the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 291, which also included Norwegian Heranger, Høyanger (Vice Commodore ship), O. B. Sørensen, Para, Villanger, Stirlingville, Vav, Velox, and others (Minerva had orignally been scheduled for the previous convoy, HX 290). Convoy HX 291 departed New York on May 10 and arrived Liverpool on the 27th; Minerva was bound for Glasgow, where she arrived May 30. That summer, in July-1944, she took part in the large Convoy HX 300 from New York, bound for Liverpool with general cargo, arriving Aug. 3. The following month, she's listed among the ships in Convoy HX 311, however, it looks like she did not complete her voyage to Liverpool, as there's a note saying she put into St. John's, N.F. (this is also confirmed by the details on Page 4, saying she arrived St. John's on Oct. 5). In fact, she shows up again in the St. John's portion of the slow Convoy SC 158, carrying a general cargo as well as planes and trucks, destination Liverpool, where she's said to have arrived on Oct. 21. This convoy had originated in Halifax on Oct. 4.

At the very beginning of Jan.-1945, Minerva joined the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 164, bound for Liverpool with general cargo - see also Page 5. According to Arnold Hague, she also took part in Convoy SC 172, which left Halifax on Apr. 6-1945 and arrived Liverpool on the 22nd. This convoy is not available among the SC convoys included on my own website, but I've linked directly to Hague's listing at the end of this page.

Again, please see the list of ON convoys and ONS convoys further up on this page, as well as the documents received from the Norwegian archives for info on her westbound North Atlantic voyages. As already mentioned, more convoy information will be added to match some of the other voyages listed on the archive docs.

POST WAR:

Sold to Germany (Ernst Rickertsen, Rickertsen & Co. GmbH, Hamburg) in July-1955 and renamed Solveig Rickertsen. Delivered to Japanese breakers in Aug.-1960.

Related external link:
Convoy SC 172 - Note also that by going to this page and clicking on "Ship Search", typing "Minerva" in the search field, several more convoys will come up.

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

Other ships by the name Minerva:
Haugesund had previously had 2 other ships by this name. One was a steamer, delivered in Aug.-1905 as Minerva to Johs. Bull, Tønsberg, 2413 gt (C. Hocking says 3736 gt). Later owned by And. Jacobsen, Christiania, then purchased in 1914 by A/S Fostenes D/S. Torpedoed and sunk by U-23 on May 22-1915, 35 n. miles east of Longstone when on a voyage New York-Christiania. Crew was picked up by D/S Lyra (Bergenske Dampskibsselskab). The other goes as far back as 1864, delivered in Aug. that year as Marie to Carl Wallis, Germany, 532 gt. Purchased by A/S D/S Minerva (H. M. Wrangell) in Dec.-1895 and renamed Minerva. Sunk on May 10-1917 by UC-61, 15 n. miles west of Portland Bill on a voyage Caen-Swansea in ballast. An M/S Minerva was delivered in July-1958, and yet another in Febr.-1973 (Brunita, Ronita, then Minerva).

The book "Damp - Dampskipets æra i Vestfold" lists a whale catcher named Minerva, built Oslo 1894, 66 gt, catching for an Icelandic company controlled by Chr. Salvesen & Co., then hired out to A/S Hvalen in 1910, sold in 1914 to A/S Hektor, Tønsberg. Sold to Ålesund in 1915 and renamed Sultan (fishing vessel), converted to tug for owners in Skien 1920, renamed Storegut 1925 (H. G. Hansen). Converted to cargo vessel in 1956, renamed Nils Normann - lost in the 1960's and deleted from register in 1976. There was also a Minerva II, built 1912, 155 gt.

Italy also had a steamship by this name in WW II, built 1918, 1905 gt - torpedoed and sunk by British aircraft on Dec. 3-1942 southeast of the Kerkenna Islands, Tunisia.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Våre gamle skip" and "Våre motorskip", Leif M. Bjørkelund & E. H. Kongshavn, "Sjøfolk i krig", Leif M. Bjørkelund, and misc. (ref. My sources).