M/S Norbryn - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

Misc. War Details:

Norbryn is listed in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 130 in June-1941 along with a number of other Norwegian ships. (She's also mentioned in the previous convoy, HX 129, but appears to have lost touch and returned to port). She had a cargo of nitrates for Newport, and initially sailed in station 94 of the convoy which had departed Halifax on June 1-1941, but was unable to maintain pre-arranged speed, and was instead sent to join the slower Convoy SC 33 on June 15. She's also listed in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 3, leaving Liverpool on July 31. At the end of Nov. that year she was scheduled for the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 57, but instead joined SC 58 on Dec. 4, nitrates for Newport. Follow the links for more details on these convoys.

1st mate on this ship in 1941/'42 was David Faye Knudsen, see the text under Aust on my page Norwegian Victims of Thor / Aust.

Norbryn witnessed the 5 day long battle for SC 118 early in Febr.-1943, but escaped unharmed. According to "Nortraships flåte" Norbryn's 2nd engineer Anders Gundersen was transferred to the rescue ship Toward after having taken ill, and died when that ship was sunk. However, according to "Convoy Rescue Ships 1940-1945" by Arnold Hague, the "medical case" from Norbryn, who had been transferred on Febr. 2, and a sick man transferred from another ship on Febr. 6 (Celtic Star) were among the 18 saved by the corvette HMS Mignonette (K 38) after Toward had been sunk by U-402. Note, however, that in connection with the Tower Hill Commemoration at this external site, the Norwegian engineer is said to have died on Toward on Febr. 7-1942. See also M/T Daghild and the external links about this battle at the end of this page, one of which has a report on Toward's loss, stating that 26 survivors were saved altogether and landed in Londonderry in the evening of Febr. 10. Chief Officer G. I. Campbell's report adds that 3 were injured, 43 missing. He also mentions the 2 passengers, saying that the patient from Norbryn transferred on Febr. 2 had a broken thigh, while the patient from Celtic Star had a dislocated shoulder after having fallen down the mast, but does not specify whether they were among the missing, though he does mention that he went to the sick bay and got the man from Celtic Star out and into a lifeboat.

In Apr.-1943 we find Norbryn in Convoy SC 128 from Halifax, together with Iron Baron, Romulus and Mathilda. In Aug. that same year she shows up, with destination Port Said, in Convoy KMS 21, which she appears to have joined from Gibraltar at the end of July - see the second table on my page for Convoy KMS 21 (the convoy arrived Port Said on Aug. 9).

The last external website that I've linked to below lists Norbryn in Convoy SL 148/MKS 39, bound for Mersey. SL 148 departed Freetown on Febr. 1-1944, joined up with the MKS convoy from Gibraltar on the 12th (with which Norbryn joined), and arrived Liverpool on Febr. 24. She's also listed in Convoy OS 77/KMS 51 in May-1944, voyaging from Belfast to Oran and Algiers with coal in station 75 (it looks like Norbryn was in the KMS portion of the convoy, arriving Gibraltar on May 25-1944). At the end of Aug.-1944 we find her in station 21 of Convoy SL 169 from Freetown, which departed on Aug. 29 and arrived Liverpool on Sept. 17. Early in Nov. that year I have her in the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 160, bound for Garston with a cargo of steel, lumber and general.

In Jan.-1945 she was scheduled for Convoy OS 103/KMS 77, but did not sail. She joined Convoy OS 106/KMS 80 which departed Liverpool on Jan. 22-1945. Norbryn was on a voyage from Liverpool to Naples and Oran with war stores and coal in station 21. The Norwegian Fernbank is also included. Follow the external link mentioned above for more convoy details.

All the KMS and MKS convoys mentioned on this page will be added to my own Convoys section in due course.

POST WAR:

Sold by Lundegaard & Sønner to Norsk Skipsopphugnings and arrived Grimstad onn Jan. 14-1959 to be broken up.

Related external links:
1 who died - According to this website, Anders Gundersen mentioned above died after an attack on the ship in Febr.-1943 (but as far as I know, Norbryn was not attacked). As mentioned, he's also commemorated at Tower Hill, Panel 109.

Loss of the Rescue ship Toward - A section of Joining the War At Sea. Includes Chief Officer G. I. Campbell's report on her loss.

SC-118, 4 - 8 Feb 1943 - (uboat.net) In the account of the battle here it says "Unfortunately a merchant ship fires accidentally a snow flake and gives the position of the convoy away to U-187". This merchant ship was the Norwegian D/S Annik. Uboat.net also has an account on the loss of Toward, giving 46 dead (including the 2 passengers), 28 survivors. The captain is said to have been among the survivors here, while the chief officer's report above states that he died.

OS and OS/KMS Convoys - There's also a section on the SL convoys, going in the other direction. As can be seen, Norbryn is mentioned in SL 148/MKS 39, OS 77/KMS 51 and SL 169, as well as in OS 103/KMS 77 and OS 106/KMS 80.