D/S Ørnefjell - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

Misc. Convoy Voyages:

More convoy information will be added.

In Jan./Febr.-1940 Ørnefjell can be found among the ships in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 17, as the only Norwegian ship taking part. She was bound for London with paper at the time, sailing in station 94 of the convoy, which left Halifax on Jan. 22. She may have been scheduled for Convoy OA 98GF in Febr.-1940; there's a Norwegian ship crossed out from station 15 of that convoy which looks like Ørnefjell, but the text is very faint so I can't be sure.

A French visitor to my website has told me that Ørnefjell was seized off Algeria by French patrol boats on Apr. 9-1940 (the day of the German invasion of Norway) and ordered to Oran. Released a few days later. (See also Page 1).

She's listed as sailing in Convoy HG 31 from Gibraltar to the U.K. at the end of May-1940, having been cancelled from the faster convoy, HGF 31. She had a cargo of oranges and general, and was bound for Liverpool in station 23. The captain's name is given as S. Andresen at this time. (The only other Norwegian ship in HG 31 was Garonne). In June that same year she's listed as bound for Montreal in Convoy OB 170, which originated in Liverpool on June 18 and dispersed June 23, Ørnefjell arriving Montreal on July 3 (she had started out from Glasgow June 17). She returned to the U.K. the following month in Convoy HX 66, carrying lumber and general for London, joining the convoy from Sydney, C.B. (the Norwegian Norne was sunk). She subsequently appears in Convoy OA 220, which left Methil on Sept. 26-1940 and dispersed on the 28th. Her destination is not given, but when going back to Page 1 of the archive documents, we learn that she arrived St. John's, N.F. on Oct. 5. In Nov.-1940 she was one of several Norwegian ships in Convoy HX 89, bound for Manchester, station 72, again joining from Sydney, C.B. She arrived Manchester on Dec. 3. It looks like Christmas that year was spent while in Convoy OB 264, leaving Liverpool on Christmas Eve 1940, dispersed on the 29th. Her destination is given as Freetown, where she arrived Jan. 11-1941. The OA and OB convoys mentioned here are available at the external website that I've linked to at the end of this page.

The same website has included her in Convoy SL 66, departing Freetown on Febr. 18, arriving Liverpool March 14 (see also Page 2); Ørnefjell stopped at Oban on March 13. The following month, she joined Convoy OB 314, originating in Liverpool on Apr. 23-1941, dispersed Apr. 30. Her destination is again not given, but according to the archive document mentioned above, she arrived St. John's, N. F. on May 4, having started out from Loch Ewe on Apr. 25. She returned in Convoy HX 132 in June, bound for Manchester and Glasgow with general cargo in station 62 of the convoy, again joining from Sydney, C.B. She arrived Manchester on June 29, Glasgow on July 6, and subsequently shows up in Convoy OB 345, originating in Liverpool on July 11-1941, arriving Halifax July 26. Ørnefjell is said to have arrived Sydney, C.B. on July 25, having sailed from Clyde on the 12th.

She was in station 55 of Convoy HX 148 from Halifax in Sept.-1941, along with the Norwegian Herbrand (52), James Hawson (83), Grey County (93), Stigstad (64), Idefjord (35), Egda (54), Vivi (76), and Mirlo (23), as well as the Panamanian Norvinn (Norwegian managers, therefore listed on this website, station 53, between Herbrand and Egda). Ørnefjell later returned across the Atlantic with the westbound Convoy ON 25*, originating in Liverpool Oct. 10-1941, dispersed Oct. 24, Ørnefjell arriving Sydney, C.B. on Oct. 27 (she had joined from Clyde). At the beginning of Dec.-1941, we find her in Convoy HX 163 from Halifax, together with the Norwegian Andrea Brøvig, Haakon Hauan, Ringstad, Harpefjell, Høegh Giant, Ranja, Pan Aruba, and Thorshøvdi. According to Page 3, Ørnefjell was again bound for Manchester, arriving there on Dec. 22.

Going back to the external website that I've linked to below, Ørnefjell is included in Convoy OS 17 in Jan.-1942, together with a few other Norwegian ships. Ørnefjell was on a voyage in ballast from Liverpool to Freetown and Nigeria in station 32 of the convoy, which departed Liverpool on Jan. 18 and arrived Freetown Febr. 7 (Ørnefjell later arrived Lagos on Febr. 17). She returned to the U.K. the following month with Convoy SL 103, which departed Freetown on March 14 (Gibraltar March 22) and arrived Liverpool on Apr. 2. Ørnefjell's cargo is given as W.A. produce, and she was bound for Mersey, sailing in station 81. Follow the link provided for more convoy details (the archive document mentioned above gives her arrival Liverpool as March 31). She later joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 90*, which originated in Liverpool on Apr. 28-1942 and arrived Halifax May 15. Ørnefjell arrived her destination Sydney, C.B. on May 15, having started out from Clyde on Apr. 28.

I found a little snippet in a magazine saying that a young English messboy, Bob Williams age 15, joined this ship in Liverpool in Apr.-1942 as the only English crew member on board (I mention this in case a relative is looking for info on his war history. He also mentions other Norwegian ships he sailed on - I'd be glad to supply this information if needed).

At the end of June that same year we find Ørnefjell in station 12 of Convoy HX 196 from Halifax, returning with the westbound Convoy ON 115*, which originated in Liverpool on July 24. Ørnefjell arrived Halifax on Aug. 6, having sailed from Clyde on July 25, and in Sept.-1942, Arnold Hague has included her in Convoy SC 101. This convoy originated in Halifax on Sept. 19, but when going back to Page 3, we find that she must have joined from Sydney, C.B. As will be seen when following the link to my own page about this convoy, she's not mentioned there, but my info is incomplete - see the external link at the end of this page. She returned across the ocean with the westbound Convoy ON 141*, originating in Liverpool on Oct 24-1942, arriving New York Nov. 10. Ørnefjell, however, was bound for Halifax, arriving there on Nov. 7, having started out from Clyde Oct. 24. A. Hague also has her in the westbound Convoy ON 145, which originated in Liverpool on Nov. 9 and arrived New York on the 25th. Looking at the dates, Ørnefjell could not have been present from the U.K., but must have joined this convoy while it was en route; in fact, according to Page 4, she had made a voyage from Halifax to Sydney, C.B., then back to Halifax, before proceeding from there to New York on Nov. 21, arriving New York on the 25th.

At the end of that year, on Dec. 29-1942, she's mentioned in connection with Convoy HX 221 from New York, but she was only bound for St. John's, where she arrived on Jan. 5-1943, general cargo and Army stores, station 12. The Commodore's narrative is also available, and Ørnefjell is mentioned under Jan. 4. From St. John's, she now made a voyage to Greenland, joining Convoy SG 17 on Jan. 6 (together with Askepot), arriving Greenland on Jan. 11, returning to St. John's the following month with Convoy GS 20, which left Greeland on Febr. 22-1943 and arrived St. John's on the 28th. Aragon, Bencas, Carmelfjell and Havmøy are also listed - ref. external links below.

According to A. Hague, she later joined Convoy HX 231, departing New York on March 25-1943, but she put into Halifax for bunkers on March 30 (according to Page 4 of the archive documents), later joining the next convoy from there to the U.K., HX 232. This convoy originated in New York on Apr. 1 and arrived Liverpool on the 16th. Ørnefjell sailed from Halifax on Apr. 4 and was bound for Reykjavik, where she arrived Apr. 20 (she had probably been to Loch Ewe first). These convoys are not available among the HX convoys included on my own website, but I've linked directly to Hague's listing at the end of this page. She left Iceland again on May 10, joining the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ONS 7, which had started out in Liverpool on May 7. Ørnefjell arrived Boston on May 27.

She later made another voyage to Greenland, having joined Convoy SG 28, which departed St. John's, N.F. on July 15-1943 and arrived Greenland on the 19th, with the Norwegian Annik, Aun, Carmelfjell, Gudvor, Havmøy, Iris, Lutz and Nyco in company. She left Greenland again on Aug. 24, Convoy GS 27, which arrived St. John's on Aug. 29. Carmelfjell, Gudvor and Havmøy are again listed, as is the Norwegian Brush. (Links to both these convoys have been provided at the end of this page).

Her subsequent voyages are listed on Page 4 and Page 5. Compare some of these to the convoy information resulting from following the instructions at the external link below.

In June-1944, I have her in Convoy HX 297, bound for Loch Ewe and Iceland with general cargo. This convoy originated in New York on June 24, but Ørnefjell joined from Halifax (left June 26). She arrived Reykjavik on July 13 (again, probably via Loch Ewe), later leaving Iceland for Loch Ewe on July 21 with Convoy RU 128 in order to return across the Atlantic, subsequently joining the westbound Convoy ON 246*, which originated in Liverpool on July 25-1944 and arrived New York Aug. 9; Ørnefjell arrived Baltimore on Aug. 11.

Again, further voyages are listed on Page 5 of the archive docs; see also Page 6 (which tells us she was in Cartagena on VE Day) and Page 7 (where we learn she got to go home to Norway in Nov.-1945; in fact, it looks like she may have remained in Norway until the end of Jan.-1946, unless some voyages are missing from the record).

* All the ON convoys mentioned here are available and will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section in due course, along with further details on each. In the meantime, the ships sailing in them (and escorts) are named in the section listing ships in all ON convoys. As will be seen, they all had several Norwegian ships.

For more details on all the other Norwegian ships named on this page, please see the alphabet index below, or go to the Master Ship Index.

Related external links:
SL convoys and OS/KMS Convoys - The site also has a section for the OB (& OA) convoys. As can be seen Ørnefjell is listed in Convoy OB 264, OS 17 and SL 103. Note also that by going to this section of the same site (based on Arnold Hague's database) and clicking on "Ship Search", using "Ornefjell" as keyword, several convoys that are not mentioned in the above narrative will come up. Here are OB 170, OA 220, SL 66, OB 314, OB 345, SC 101, SG 17, GS 20, HX 231, HX 232, SG 28, GS 27, all mentioned in my text.

Back to Ørnefjell on the "Ships starting with Ø" page.

Other ships by this name: Another ship by this name had been built in Porsgrunn for this company in 1929; possibly identical to WW II's Akabahra? Olsen & Ugelstad had another Ørnefjell in the 1960's, originally delivered as Havøk in 1955 (P. Meyer, Oslo), built in Alblasserdam, 4973 gt. Sold in July-1965 to A/S Rudolf (Olsen & Ugelstad), Oslo and renamed Ørnefjell. Sold in 1971, renamed Kongsfjell (Brødrene Olsen A/S, Stavanger), renamed Concordia Fjell in 1972, Kongsfjell again later that year. Renamed Arias in 1973, having been sold to owners i Tokyo, Panamanian flag. Renamed Ma Wan Island in 1976, Hong Kong owned, Panamanian flagged. Broken up in 1980.