M/T Polartank - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

According to the captain, Polartank transported a total of 308 000 oil/fuel, 38 aircraft, 56 ambulance vehicles, 68 large motor vehicles and 4 small tugs from Oct. 6-1939 until July-1945. They were also equipped to supply the escorts at sea.

1939 - 1941:

On Oct. 6-1939 Polartank departed Larvik, Norway in order to go to the floating factory N. T. Nielsen Alonso via Curaçao to load fuel oil and whale oil. They left the factory on Febr. 8, and when they were outside West Africa they were notified by the company to head for St. Vincent for further orders. 12 days were spent there before they were told to go to Sierra Leone to join a convoy for Manchester. At the convoy conference the captain was called over to the commodore who reminded him that Polartank had the most valuable cargo of the entire convoy, and advised him to stay right behind him and do his very best to not lose the convoy. He was also given a type written sheet of paper that contained the most important convoy signals, and since none of the deck officers had previous experience with convoy sailing they all came up to the bridge to watch the signals and maneuvers during the first days of the voyage, even when they were not on duty (the captain had sailed in convoys during WW I).

When war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9-1940 Polartank was on her way "up the Manchester canal"*, and after her cargo was unloaded she was seized by the authorities, but the captain and some of the company's representatives travelled to London and were able to get her freed, and were also given a document from Ministry of Shipping for the attention of all British Consulates to allow the captain the necessary cash for the ship's disbursements in all the ports she may visit (more info on the initial money problems in my text under Nortraship), whereupon they departed Manchester on Apr. 25.

*The details in the above paragraphs fit in with the fact that the external website that I've linked to below lists Polartank in Convoy SL 25, which left Freetown on March 22-1940 and arrived Liverpool on Apr. 8. The Norwegian Star is also listed. The same website also has her in Convoy OB 139, departing Liverpool on Apr. 30-1940, bound for Trinidad in ballast, station 32.

In June/July-1940 she was in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 51, bound for Liverpool with a cargo of fuel oil, having joined the convoy with the Bermuda portion.

In Febr.-1941 she can be found in Convoy SL 65, which left Freetown on Febr. 10 and arrived Liverpool on March 8. Again, see the external website below for more convoy details. As will be seen, the Norwegian Belita, Belinda, Bur, Fernlane, Ørnefjell and Morgenen are also included. I've found some information on the Oranje Lijn website (external link) saying Polartank rescued survivors from the Dutch ship Prins Frederik Hendrik (ex Norwegian Taborfjell) after that ship had been bombed by German aircraft on March 8-1941 (voyage from Cardiff to Bathurst), and landed them in Swansea. According to Roger W. Jordan's "The World's Merchant Fleet 1939" there were 16 survivors, 8 had died. Later that month we find her bound for Aruba in ballast in station 54 of Convoy OB 302, which left Liverpool on March 24-1941 and dispersed 6 days later (also available at the external link below - several Norwegian ships are included).

Already on Apr. 16-1941 she shows up in Convoy HX 121 from Halifax, and in June that year she's listed in HX 131, bound for Londonderry with Pool oil in station 63 of the convoy. In Aug.-1941 we find her in station 95 in Convoy HX 144 along with the Norwegian Suderøy (station 63), Orwell (station 54), Hallanger (station 53), Eidanger (station 83), Havprins (station 82), Grena (station 73), Evanger (station 84), Norse King (station 15), Vinland (station 66) and Sommerstad (in station 93, all listed on this website). This convoy left Halifax on Aug. 10-1941 and arrived Liverpool on Aug. 30.

The captain brings up an episode that he's obviously extremely proud of. One night, half way between Iceland and New Foundland the convoy they were in was attacked by U-boats, resulting in the loss of a large U. S. Navy transport with many people on board. 6 American destroyers were escorting, all of which went to assist the transport, letting the convoy carry on alone. Early the next morning one of the escorts came back to the convoy taking up position ahead of it, but around noon the commodore signalled "insufficient protection of convoy, ships of over 12 knots carry on alone at maximum speed - good luck". A little over 20 vessels, 2 of which were tankers, broke out of the convoy, and the "race" commenced. Polartank was the first to arrive New York, long before all the others.

Captain Christiansen must be talking about Convoy ON 28*, in which Polartank is listed, and in which the fleet oiler Salinas was damaged by U-106 on Oct. 30-1941. According to "Nortraship's flåte" the Norwegian Brant County and Laurits Swenson were also in this convoy (in fact, so were several other Norwegian ships - see link to all ON convoys provided further down on this page). This book states that when the convoy was located by U-boats on Oct. 29 the Admiralty redirected it and ordered the fastest ships (including the 3 Norwegian ones) to go on alone. Arnold Hague ("The Allied Convoy System") says this convoy left Liverpool on Oct. 20 and was dispersed in 42 23N 58 44W on Nov. 3-1941. 1 ship damaged (Salinas).

She sailed without noteworthy mishaps until Dec.-1941 when she in the darkness ran into an underwater reef off Halifax, and was considerably damaged, causing the oil to start flowing all over her decks. The captain praises the crew for their courage and actions in the pitch darkness that night in their efforts to stop the leakage. They arrived port without injuries, and she was beached on the inside of the breakwater in the outer harbour. After repairs had been undertaken at St. John, N. B. they made 4 round trips New York-England; on the eastbound voyages she was in convoy, and on the westbound voyages she was in convoy half way.

External link related to text above:
SL Convoys - The site also has a section on the OB convoys (among many other series). As will be seen, Polartank is listed in Convoy SL 25 and SL 65, as well as OB 139 and OB 302. Note that the site also has Polartank in several other convoys that are not mentioned in my text on this page. They can be found by going to this page and clicking on "Search database" on the left hand side, using "Polartank" as keyword - this will bring up all the convoys she sailed in.

1942 - 1945:

Polartank can be found among the ships leaving Halifax in Convoy HX 178 on March 3-1942, subsequently joining the westbound Convoy ON 83* at the beginning of April, but returned to port and later joined ON 87*, bound for Port Arthur. In June that year she sailed in HX 193 from Halifax, returning at the end of that month with the westbound Convoy ON 107*, bound for New York. In Sept. she was in HX 206, having cancelled from the previous convoy, HX 205, then went back to New York again later that same month with the westbound Convoy ON 133*. At the end of Nov.-1942, she sailed in Convoy HX 217 from New York, bound for Clyde with aviation fuel. This convoy was attacked and 2 ships were sunk (follow links for more details). She was scheduled to return to New York with Convoy ON 155 at the end of Dec., but joined ON 157 instead.

Captain Christiansen mentions 2 mishaps in the course of 1943, the first took place off New York while the convoy was being formed. An American ship, loaded with ammunition, came from behind at great speed and ran into Polartank, hitting her in the starboard side near No. 7 and 8 tanks, tearing 2 large holes in her side and causing the oil to run out. Both ships had to return to New York. Having a cargo of aviation fuel, this encounter with the ammunition vessel could have been quite nasty for Polartank on that occasion. This incident is also mentioned on the "Warsailor Stories" page that I've linked to above, which says it happened in March-1943, adding that Polartank was subsequently at a yard for 8 weeks, before heading to Oran with aviation fuel and 16 aircraft on a newly installed extra deck, in a convoy that was attacked several times, losing, among others, the Commodore vessel and a troop transport. She must have gone to the U.S. at some point after this, because she's listed among the ships in Convoy HX 242, which left New York City on May 31-1943 and arrived Liverpool on June 15. Her destination is given as Bowling, and she had station 31 of the convoy. She joined the westbound Convoy ON 190* later that month, and is said to have collided with the American G. Harrison Smith in this convoy on July 8, and I've been wondering if this is the incident referred to by Captain Christiansen and the author of the story in my "Warsailor Stories" section (who may remember the date wrong). However, ON 190 was a westbound convoy, and the collision took place 2 weeks after leaving the U.K., which does not fit in with the captain's claim that it happened while a convoy was forming off New York, so perhaps she collided a second time(?). At the end of Aug.-1943 we find her in station 86 of Convoy HX 254 from New York, bound for Stanlow, subsequently joining the westbound Convoy ON 203* towards the end of Sept.

The 2nd incident mentioned by the captain happened in Oct. that same year. This time, in the middle of the night in pitch darkness, an American 20 000 tons Standard Oil tanker rammed her, damaging all the cabins on the starboard side, as well as the starboard lifeboat and both davits. The captain says that what saved the sleeping crew was the fact that the bunks on Polartank were built about 4 ft away from the ship's side.

After repairs had been undertaken in New York they were chartered by the British Admiralty for service in the Mediterranean and The Persian Gulf. They unloaded diesel oil north of Naples 8 days after that city had been taken by the Allies, and during the night they experienced a horrendous air attack which lasted for several hours, with bombs falling all around. The next morning they were ordered away from the place (he calls it Pussooli, 16 miles north of Naples) and down to Naples where the rest of the cargo was subsequently discharged. During the week that so many ships were sunk at Bari (see Bollsta), Polartank made 3 unescorted trips with cargo between Port Augusta and Naples.

In July-1944 we find her listed among the ships in Convoy GUS 47, which left Port Said on July 24-1944; Polartank's voyage information is given as Abadan-Augusta/Naples, and she left the convoy on July 29 (for Augusta), as did the Norwegian Tricolor, which had also joined from Port Said, together with Fernplant, Kong Sverre, and Lidvard, while Topdalsfjord later joined from Bizerta. Polartank left Augusta again for Naples on Aug. 10.

Towards the end of 1944 she was back in service between U.S.A. and the U.K. In Nov. that year she sailed in Convoy HX 319 from New York, bound for Mersey and Heysham, returning at the end of that month with the westbound Convoy ON 269*. In Dec. she shows up in Convoy HX 327, again bound for Heysham, returning to the U.S. already on Jan. 7-1945 with the westbound Convoy ON 277, which arrived New York on the 23rd. She subsequently went back to the U.K. with Convoy HX 337, leaving New York on Febr. 7-1945. Polartank returned the following month with the westbound Convoy ON 288*, together with 9 other Norwegian ships, namely Villanger, Viggo Hansteen, Tanafjord, Slemmestad, G. C. Brøvig, Dageid, Heranger, Harald Torsvik and Høyanger, all listed on this website. This convoy left Southend on March 2-1945, and arrived New York on March 19. The Norwegian commodore, R. G. Bruusgaard was in the British Port Fremantle. She must have gone back to the U.K. again, because she's also listed in the westbound Convoy ON 296* in Apr.-1945.

The captain ends his report by praising his engine crew, saying that although it was often nerve racking for those on the bridge, it must have been a thousand times worse for those who were in the engine room. "Those guys did their duty as heroes. My hat off to them!".

* 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, please go to these convoys in the section listing ships in all ON convoys.

POST WAR:

Sold to Skibs A/S Spervik in 1951, renamed Husvik. Here's a lovely picture of Husvik (external link). Sold to breakers and arrived Grimstad June 9-1959 to be broken up.

Related external link:
Misc. convoys - As already mentioned, going to this page and clicking on "Search database" on the left hand side, using "Polartank" as keyword, will bring up all the convoys she sailed in.