M/S Norma

To Norma on the "Ships starting with N" page.


Source: Scanned from a book about Akers mek. Verksted, 1931.

From Bjørn Milde's postcard collection.

Some War Voyages:

A complete voyage record will be added. In the meantime, please note that by going to this external page and clicking on "Ship Search" on the left hand side, using "Norma" as keyword, several convoy voyages will be shown. See also my section naming ships in all ON convoys (westbound North Atlantic convoys), where Norma is included in Convoys ON 199 (Aug.-1943), ON 237 (May-1944), ON 249 (Aug.-1944) and ON 262 (Oct.-1944). These convoys will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section in due course, with more information on each.

Norma transported some of Norway's gold to the U.S.A. My page about M/S Bomma has a detailed account.

In May-1940 I have her in the Gibraltar-U.K. Convoy HGF 30, bound for Falmouth with general cargo. The Norwegian Thorshavn is also included. (According to a personal story found in "Krigsseileren" No. 1, 1974 Norma was also in the convoy in which M/S Tudor was sunk in June-1940, namely Convoy HGF 34, along with Nina Borthen, John P. Pedersen and Kollskegg. However, as will be seen by following the link, Norma is not included in the convoy document; the only other Norwegian ship listed, in addition to those already mentioned, is Svein Jarl).

The external website that I've linked to below has Norma (and the Norwegian Velma) in Convoy SL 72, which departed Freetown on Apr. 17-1941 and arrived Liverpool on May 13. She can also be found in Convoy OS 24 in Apr.-1942, voyaging from Oban to Capetown in station 84. The same site lists her in Convoy SL 133 / MKS 18, the SL section of which left Freetown on July 13-1943, joined up with the MKS section (from Gibraltar, available on my own site at MKS 18) on the 26th, and arrived Liverpool on Aug. 5-1943. Her voyage information is given as Calcutta/Madras/Capetown for Loch Ewe, general cargo and 6 passengers, station 33 - the Norwegian Cypria and Star are also listed in the latter convoy (Star joining with MKS 18 from Gibraltar). In Febr.-1944 we find her in Convoy SL 148/MKS 39, cargo of chrome ore, copper and general, bound for Loch Ewe. SL 148 departed Freetown on Febr. 1, joined up with the MKS convoy from Gibraltar on the 12th, and arrived Liverpool on Febr. 24. Follow the link for more details (MKS 39 will also be added to my own site - for now, the ships sailing in it are named in the section listing ships in all MKS convoys).

Norma was commodore ship in a convoy that had reached the Thames Estuary on March 9-1944 when a mine detonated close to her (this would have been while in Convoy FN 1291, in which she's listed - external link). She started taking in water, and was taken in tow to Gravesend the next day.

In July-1944 she's listed as sailing in Convoy HX 300 from New York, bound for Liverpool with cargo of sugar. In Sept./Oct. that same year she can be found among the ships in Convoy HX 311, again bound for Liverpool with sugar.

POST WAR:

Renamed Norma County in 1959. Sold in 1960 to Kieler Howaldtswerke A/G, Kiel, converted to barge and used for storage and as accomodation vessel. Sold for breaking up in 1969 to Eckhardt & Co. GmbH, Hamburg, sold again to Spanish breakers. Arrived Santander in tow on Apr. 16 that same year.

Related external link:
OS and OS/KMS Convoys - There's also a section on the SL convoys, going in the other direction. As can be seen, Norma is listed among the ships in Convoy SL 72, OS 24, SL 133 / MKS 18 and SL 148/MKS 39.

Back to Norma on the "Ships starting with N" page.

Other ships by this name: Mowinkels later had another ship by this name, 5854 gt, launched at Helsingör on Febr. 28-1963, delivered as Norma on June 28 that same year. Purchased by Wilh. Wilhelmsen in March-1980 and renamed Tijuca (III). Sold to Uruguay in Dec.-1980, renamed Lucero del Mar. Broken up in 1987. Johan Chr. Gjertsen, Bergen, had also had a ship named Norma back in the 1880's, built in 1872 (originally Swedish), 285 gt, purchased by Johan Chr. Gjertsen, Bergen in Aug.-1879. Ran aground off Montrose, Scotland on March 9-1881. Another Norma was originally delivered as Swedish Bohus in 1874, purchased by Johan Chr. Gjertsen, Bergen in Dec.-1881 and renamed Norma. This ship disappeared at the end of 1882.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "The World's Merchant Fleets", R. W. Jordan, "Krigsseileren", Issue No. 1 for 1974, and misc. (ref. My sources).