D/S Norelg - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

Misc. Convoy Voyages:

(More will be added).

Along with several other Norwegian ships, Norelg is mentioned in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 94*, departing Liverpool on May 12-1942, but she returned to port (Clyde), later joining Convoy ON 96*, which originated in Liverpool on May 19 and arrived Halifax June 7; Norelg was bound for New York, where she arrived on June 8. At the beginning of July she joined the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 90, however, she experienced steering gear trouble and returned to Sydney. She was subsequently scheduled for Convoy SC 93, but instead joined SC 94 on July 31, general cargo and trucks for Glasgow, where she arrived on Aug. 14, according to Page 1 above. The following month she can be found among the ships in the westbound Convoy ON 128, which had started out in Liverpool on Sept. 5; Norelg joined from Clyde and arrived New York on Sept. 24. Follow the link for more convoy information; several Norwegian ships took part - the Commodore's narrative is also available. According to Arnold Hague, she returned to the U.K. with Convoy SC 105, departing New York on Oct. 11-1942, arriving Liverpool on the 31st - Norelg's arrival date is given as Nov. 2 on the archive document mentioned above. This convoy is not included among the SC convoys available on my own website, but I've linked directly to Hague's listing at the end of this page.

She's also listed in Convoy KMS 5, leaving Clyde for Gibraltar and North Africa on Dec. 11-1942, also including the Norwegian Anna Knudsen, Vardefjell and Topdalsfjord. However, Norelg is said to have returned to port on that occasion. She shows up again in Convoy KMS 9*, which left Clyde on Febr. 6-1943 and arrived Bone on the 20th - again, see also Page 1. In March-1943 she joined Convoy MKS 9 - scroll down in the table on my page for that convoy. Going back to the archive document, we learn that she arrived Belfast Lough from Gibraltar on March 18, having sailed from Gibraltar on March 8. We now find her in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 175*, which originated in Liverpool on March 24 and arrived New York on Apr. 16. Norelg is said to have become a straggler from this convoy; she arrived St. John's, N.F. on Apr. 8, having started out from Milford Haven on March 23. In May that year she's listed in Convoy SC 131 from Halifax, and in June she can be found in the westbound Convoy ONS 11, returning in Aug.-1943 in Convoy SC 139 - again, follow the links for further information; see also Page 2.

The 2nd external website that I've linked to at the end of this page lists her in Convoy OS 56/KMS 29, on a voyage from Clyde to Italy with ammunition, stores and vehicles in station 85. This convoy left Liverpool on Oct. 7-1943 and split up on the 18th, the KMS portion*, in which Norelg took part, arriving Gibraltar on Oct. 20, while the OS convoy continued to Freetown, with arrival there on Oct. 29 - according to Page 2 above, Norelg arrived Malta on Oct. 26, Naples on the 28th. She later made a voyage from Malta to Tripoli, Libya, having joined Convoy KMS 33*, which had sailed from Gibraltar on Nov. 29 and had Port Said as its final destination (it had originally started out from the U.K. on Nov. 16 as the combined Convoy OS 59/KMS 33, which had split up on Nov. 28). Norelg arrived Tripoli on Dec. 11, having sailed from Malta on Dec. 4.

Arnold Hague also has her in Convoy SL 147/MKS 38, which arrived Liverpool on Febr. 13-1944, the SL convoy having started out from Freetown on Jan. 22 and joined up with MKS 38* off Gibraltar on Febr. 2. Norelg was in the MKS convoy and had sailed from Bizerta on Jan. 27; she arrived Clyde on Febr. 12. In Apr.-1944, she's listed in station 33 of Convoy OS 74/KMS 48, voyage Liverpool-Malta with general cargo. This convoy left Liverpool on Apr. 12 and split up on the 23rd, the KMS convoy arriving Gibraltar on Apr. 25, while the OS convoy arrived Freetown on May 3 - Norelg was in the KMS convoy and arrived her destination Malta on Apr. 30 - see Page 3. She later made a voyage from Alexandria to Augusta with Convoy MKS 51*, which had started out in Port Said on May 30 and arrived Gibraltar on June 9; Norelg left Alexandria May 30 and arrived Augusta June 4. She subsequently joined Convoy MKS 54* (from Port Said June 28, to Gibraltar July 10); it looks like Norelg was bound for Augusta, but I can't quite get this to fit with the info found on Page 3.

In Aug.-1944 she made a voyage from Augusta to Port Said, having joined Convoy KMS 60*, arriving Port Said on Sept. 2. She's also listed as bound for Augusta in Convoy MKS 62*, departing Port Said Sept. 16, arriving Gibraltar on the 27th - Norelg arrived Augusta Sept. 22, then made a voyage from Augusta to Gibraltar with Convoy MKS 64*, which arrived Gibraltar on Oct. 18, later sailing in Convoy SL 174/MKS 65, voyage Carthagena-Mersey, cargo of apricot pulp and cork. The SL portion of this convoy had departed Freetown on Oct. 18-1944, joined up with the MKS portion* from Gibraltar (with which Norelg joined) at the end of that month, the combined convoy arriving Liverpool on Nov. 7. Note that her arrival Liverpool is given as Nov. 13 on the archive document mentioned above; she had sailed from Carthagena on Oct. 25, from Gibraltar Oct. 30. The Norwegian Brønnøy, Kristianiafjord and Jenny also took part in this convoy. Follow the external link provided below for more convoy details.

Christmas that year was celebrated while in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ONS 38*, departing Liverpool on Dec. 13-1944, arriving Halifax Jan. 2-1945.

She headed back to the U.K. on Jan. 16-1945 with the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 165, bound for Liverpool with pulp. The following month, she's listed in Convoy ONS 42*, which left Liverpool Febr. 13 and arrived Halifax March 5. Her destination on that occasion is given as Newark, N.J.; Page 3 of the archive docs states she arrived Baltimore on March 9. According to A. Hague she returned to the U.K. in Convoy SC 172, which left Halifax on Apr. 6-1945 and arrived Liverpool on Apr. 22, again with several Norwegian ships in company (ref. external link provided below), and in May she joined Convoy ONS 50*, departing Liverpool May 11, arriving Halifax on the 29th. This time she was bound for Three Rivers, where she arrived on May 30 - see Page 4. That document also tells us that she got to go home to Norway in Nov.-1945.

* These convoys will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section in due course, with more information on each; in the meantime, the ships sailing in them are named in the section listing ships in all ON convoys, and the page listing ships in all ONS convoys. The KMS and MKS convoys will also be added; for now, they are available in the section listing ships in all KMS convoys, and ships in all MKS convoys.

POST WAR:

Managed by Wallem & Co., Panama in 1946. Named New Asia (New Continental SS Co., China) in 1948, Norelg (Wallem & Co., Panama) in 1950. Purple Star Shipping Co., China 1951. Reported sailing as Chung Hsing I in 1955. Name deleted from shipping registers in 1957(67?) due to lack of information.

Related external links:
The Empire Ships - On the "Mariners" website.

OS and OS/KMS Convoys and SL convoys - As can be seen, Norelg is listed in OS 56/KMS 29, OS 74/KMS 48, and SL 174/MKS 65, as are a number of other Norwegian ships. Note also that by going to this section of the same site and clicking on "Ship Search", using "Norelg" as keyword, several convoys that are not mentioned in the above narrative will come up. Here are SC 105, SL 147/MKS 38, and SC 172, all mentioned in my text.