D/T Orwell- Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

Misc. Convoy Voyages:

More convoy information will be added.

As will be seen when going to Page 1 above, Orwell had left Aruba on Apr. 7-1940, 2 days before the Germans invaded Norway; she arrived Trinidad on Apr. 15, later proceeding to Gibraltar and Oran.

The external website that I've linked to at the end of this page has Orwell in station 94 of Convoy SL 55, which left Freetown on Nov. 12-1940. This convoy arrived Liverpool on Dec. 2, but Orwell's destination is given as Gibraltar. Note that according to Page 1 above, she had sailed from Table Bay on Oct. 27 and arrived Gibraltar Nov. 27.

She was scheduled for the Bermuda portion of Convoy HX 100 at the end of Dec.-1940, but instead joined the Bermuda portion of the next convoy in Jan.-1941, HX 101, bound for Liverpool. Several other Norwegian ships also took part, as will be seen when following the links.

She was damaged during an air attack in Liverpool on March 14-1941. In May that year, she's listed in Convoy OB 323, which departed Liverpool on May 17 and dispersed on the 25th, Orwell arriving Curacao on June 10. In July, she's listed in Convoy HG 67, departing Gibraltar on July 8-1941, arriving Liverpool July 24; Orwell, however, was bound for Trinidad, where she arrived July 23, according to Page 1. This convoy is not available among the HG convoys listed in my own Convoys section, but see the external link provided at the end of this page for more information; the site also has more details on OB 323.

From Trinidad, she proceeded to Halifax on July 26-1941, with arrival Aug. 5, and on Aug. 10 she took station 54 of Convoy HX 144, along with the Norwegian Suderøy, Polartank, Hallanger, Eidanger, Havprins, Grena, Evanger, Norse King, Vinland, Ranja and Sommerstad. She later returned with the westbound Convoy ON 22*, which originated in Liverpool on Oct. 2-1941 and dispersed on the 15th, Orwell arriving Curacao on Oct. 24. On Nov. 10, she shows up in the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 54, bound for Londonderry, where she arrived on Nov. 24 - see also Page 2.

Going back to the external website below, we find Orwell in station 24 of Convoy OS 30 in June-1942, voyaging from Liverpool to Curacao via Trinidad in ballast. OS 30 left Liverpool on June 1; Orwell arrived Trinidad on June 22, Curacao on the 28th. From there, she headed to Gibraltar, then back to Curacao and Trinidad and on to New York, and according to Arnold Hague, she returned to the U.K. again in the slow Convoy SC 102, which left New York on Sept. 19-1942 and arrived Liverpool Oct. 6. Orwell was again bound for Londonderry, where she arrived Oct. 5. 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. In Nov.-1942, we find her in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 144*, originating in Liverpool on Nov. 7, arriving New York on Nov. 27; according to the archive document mentioned above, Orwell arrived New York on Nov. 29, having started out from Belfast Lough on the 8th. Eglantine, Montbretia, Potentilla and Rose are named among the escorts for this convoy, and several Norwegian ships took part. Orwell subsequently made a voyage to Guantanamo and Trinidad, before returning to New York - again, see Page 2 of the archive documents and follow the instructions at the external link at the end of this page for convoy information for these voyages.

In Jan.-1943, A. Hague has included her in the slow Convoy SC 116, departing New York on Jan. 4, arriving Liverpool on the 29th - again, ref. external link at the end of this page. Orwell stopped at Londonderry again on Jan. 28, and judging from Page 2 it looks like she remained there until Febr. 14, when she left to join the westbound Convoy ON 167*, which originated in Liverpool on Febr. 14 and arrived New York March 8. At the end of May she joined Convoy HX 242. She's listed in the Halifax portion, which sailed on June 2, but this appears to be incorrect, because according to Page 3, she did leave New York on May 31. The Commodore says, "Orwell drops her speed very quickly in moderate head seas and could not maintain speed of convoy. The latter was reduced to enable her to keep up. The Master was doubtful about maintaining convoy speed before departure. Consider this ship should not be included in fast convoys." She was bound for Milford Haven and Devonport, arriving Milford on June 16, Devonport the next day, later returning with the westbound Convoy ON 190*, which originated in Liverpool on June 24 and arrived New York July 9. On July 19, she's listed in the slow Convoy SC 137 from Halifax to the U.K., subsequently returning in Convoy ON 197*, which originated in Liverpool Aug. 14-1943 and arrived New York Aug. 28. Orwell, however, was bound for Halifax, where she arrived on Aug 25, having sailed from Milford Haven on the 13th. On Sept. 3, she joined the slow Convoy SC 141 from Halifax, later heading in the other direction again with the westbound Convoy ON 205* (from Liverpool Oct. 5-1943, to New York Oct. 23 - Orwell sailed from Milford Haven Oct. 5 and arrived Halifax Oct. 20). She returned to the U.K. in Convoy SC 145 from Halifax on Oct. 24, and arrived Scapa Nov. 9.

In Jan.-1944, she joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ONS 27*, originating in Liverpool on Jan. 13, arriving Halifax on the 31st; Orwell was bound for New York, where she arrived Febr. 3, having started out from Clyde on Jan. 14. She's also listed in Convoy SC 155, which left Halifax on March 14-1944 and arrived Liverpool on the 29th, but Orwell stopped at Belfast Lough and Londonderry, according to Page 3 of the archive docs. Later that year, on Oct. 4-1944, she shows up in the Reykjavik-Loch Ewe Convoy RU 137. Her last westbound North Atlantic convoy voyage of the year took place in Convoy ON 269*, which left Liverpool on Nov. 29-1944 and arrived New York Dec. 15, but according to Page 4, Orwell arrived Halifax on Dec. 12, having started out from Clyde on Nov. 28. She sbusequently returned in Convoy SC 163 from Halifax on Dec. 17, her destination Londonderry, with arrival Dec. 30.

In Jan.-1945, we find her in the westbound Convoy ONS 40*, departing Liverpool on Jan. 12, arriving Halifax on the 30th (Orwell had sailed from Londonderry on Jan. 13). She was scheduled for the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 166 on Jan. 31, but instead joined SC 167 on Febr. 16, then returned with Convoy ONS 44*, which left Liverpool on March 12-1945 and arrived Halifax March 31. A. Hague now has her returning in the slow Convoy SC 172, departing Halifax on Apr. 6-1945, arriving Liverpool Apr. 22, and at the beginning of May, she joined the westbound Convoy ONS 49* (from Liverpool May 2, to Halifax May 18). Later that month, she's listed in Convoy SC 177, which left Halifax on May 26 and arrived Liverpool June 8 - again, see the external links below for more on these 2 SC convoys, which are not available in my own Convoys section; several Norwegian ships took part. Seel also Page 4 of the archive documents (this document also tells us that she got to go home to Norway already in July-1945).

* All the ON convoys and ONS 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 and the page listing ships in all ONS convoys. As will be seen, they all had several Norwegian ships.

Related External link:
SL Convoys and OS/KMS convoys - As can be seen, Orwell is listed in SL 55 as well as in OS 30, as are other Norwegian ships. Note also that by going to this section of the same site (based on Arnold Hague's database) and clicking on "Ship Search", using "Orwell" as keyword, several convoys that are not mentioned in the above narrative will come up. Be aware, however, that there was also an escort vessel byt this name, which will also appear in the search results. Here are OB 323, HG 67, SC 102, SC 116, SC 172, and SC 177, all mentioned in my text.