M/S Rena
Updated Nov. 6-2010

To Rena on the "Ships starting with R" page.


Source: Bjørn Pedersen's collection.
Norway Heritage Project has a section on Norwegian America Line with pictures and information on several of the company's ships, including a photo of Rena while she had the name Førdefjord. (All these links are external).
Another picture is available on this external page (click in it to enlarge).

Some Convoy Voyages:

For information on voyages made in between those mentioned here, please see the documents received from the National Archives of Norway and A. Hague's Voyage Record above. Follow the convoy links provided for further details; the Commodore's notes are also available for some of them and several Norwegian ships took part.

As will be seen when going to Page 1 of the archive documents, Rena was on her way from Hampton Roads to Trinidad when war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9-1940. She arrived Trinidad on Apr. 13, having left Hampton Roads on the 5th.

Later that year she's listed, together with Idefjord, Norefjord and Skaraas, in Convoy OB 231, which originated in Liverpool on Oct. 19 and dispersed on the 23rd. See the external link provided within the Voyage Record for more information on this convoy. Going back to the archive document, we learn that Rena arrived Sydney, C.B. on Nov. 2, St. John, N.B. on Nov. 7, having started out from Clyde on Oct. 20. It'll also be noticed, that she subsequently had a long stay in New York.

In Febr.-1941 she's listed as bound for Newport with steel and scrap iron in the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 22 (having been cancelled from the faster Convoy HX 104 - Rena was still in New York when this convoy sailed on Jan. 21). She arrived Newport on March 3 and about a month later, she appears in Convoy OB 308, originating in Liverpool on Apr. 6, dispersed Apr. 13. Her destination is not given, but according to the archive document she arrived Cristobal on May 1, having started out from Milford Haven on Apr. 5. Belita, James Hawson and Vigrid are also listed, ref. link in the table above. Arnold Hague has also included Rena, along with Berto (returned), Bjerka, Bollsta, Chr. Knudsen, Don, Einvik, Loke, N. T. Nielsen Alonso and Rym, in Convoy SC 36*, departing Sydney, C.B. on July 1, arriving Liverpool on the 19th; Rena stopped at Belfast Lough on the 18th. The following month we find her in station 12 of the wesbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 4. The original convoy document gives her destination as New York; she arrived Baltimore on Aug. 27, the convoy having been dispersed on the 18th. She now remained in Baltimore for almost 2 months - again, see Page 1, where departure Baltimore is given as Oct. 22, when she proceeded to Savannah, later to Sydney. C.B., with arrival Nov. 6. She had been scheduled for the slow Convoy SC 53 on Nov. 4, but instead joined the next convoy on Nov. 10, SC 54, scrap iron for Manchester, where she arrived Dec. 2/3 (remaining there for several weeks). Eglantine and Montbretia are named among the escorts.

She later joined the westbound Convoy ON 58*, departing Liverpool on Jan. 20-1942, but this convoy returned to port the next day, presumably because of bad weather - see Bronxville. She subsequently joined Convoy ON 60*, which originated in Liverpool on Jan. 26, but she's said to have returned to port again (Clyde), and does not show up in a westbound convoy again until ON 76*, which originated in Liverpool on March 15 and arrived Halifax on the 31st. No destination is given for Rena, but according to Page 2, she arrived New York on Apr. 2, having sailed from Clyde on March 14. All these convoys had several Norwegian ships, namely Fagersten, Lisbeth, Maud and Suderøy in ON 58 (in addition to Bronxville already mentioned - Acanthus and Montbretia were among the escorts - see ON convoy escorts), Aust, Fagersten, Henrik Ibsen, Inger Elisabeth, Ledaal, Lisbeth (returned), Selbo and Suderøy in ON 60, while Petter II and Ruth I are listed in ON 76. With a cargo of steel and tobacco for Manchester, Rena headed back to the U.K. at the end of that month in the slow Convoy SC 82 from Halifax, arriving her destination on May 20.

In June we find her, together with Ada, Bernhard, Boreas, Grey County, Inger Elisabeth, Ingerfire, Norse King, Para, Rio Branco, Solitaire, Trolla and Vest, in the westbound Convoy ON 102* (from Liverpool June 9, to Halifax June 25). Her destination is given as Sydney, C.B., but she appears to have been bound for Halifax (she did not go to Sydney, C.B. until July 22, when she was ready to return to the U.K. - again, see Page 2). On July 24, she joined the slow Convoy SC 93, cargo of steel and lumber for Manchester, arriving there on Aug. 8/9. On her return voyage she served as Commodore Vessel for Convoy ON 126, which arrived New York on Sept. 18, having departed Liverpool Aug. 29. From New York, Rena went to Boston, where she stayed for a few weeks before heading back to New York, and it looks like she spent a long them there as well, from Oct. 11-1942, to Jan 12-1943. According to A. Hague she had to be docked, after having struck an object.

A. Hague now has her, with a cargo of steel and lumber, in station 33 of Convoy SC 117*, which left New York on Jan. 12-1943 and arrived Liverpool Febr. 3. Daghild (returned), Geisha (Commodore Vessel), Petter II (returned), Sevilla, Solstad and Sommerstad (put back) are also named in this convoy. As will be seen on Page 2 of the archive documents, Rena proceeded to Manchester, where she stayed for a long time (unless some voyages are missing). In Apr.-1943 she served as the Commodore's ship for Convoy ONS 5, departing Liverpool on Apr. 21, arriving Halifax May 12, having lost several ships, including D/S Bonde - follow the links for more details, see also the external links at the end of this page. In June that year, Rena is listed as bound for Ellesmere Port with a cargo of sulphate and pulp in the Sydney, C.B. portion of Convoy SC 134. According to Page 3, she arrived her destination on July 1/2, later returning with Convoy ONS 13*, together with Astrid, Geisha (Commodore Vessel), Harpefjell, Hiram, Maud, Norlom, Para and Sandviken (from Liverpool July 14, to Halifax July 29).

She was scheduled for Convoy SC 139 from Halifax on Aug. 9, but instead joined Convoy SC 140 on Aug. 21. She had a cargo of steel and pulp for Manchester, where she arrived on Sept. 6. Along with Acasta, Astrid, Bernhard, Hiram, Norse Lady, Novasli and Titanian, she later joined Convoy ONS 19*, which departed Liverpool on Sept. 26 and arrived Halifax Oct. 14; Rena again served as Commodore Vessel. Her last Trans-Atlantic voyage that year was made in Convoy SC 146, which left Halifax on Nov. 6 and arrived Liverpool on the 22nd; Rena, cargo of steel and wood pulp (Commodore Vessel), arrived Manchester Nov. 25, remaining there until Jan. 7/8-1944.

Later that month she's listed, together with Bestik, Elg and Novasli (returned) in Convoy OS 66/KMS 40, voyaging from Liverpool to Freetown with coal in station 81 of the convoy, which left Liverpool on Jan. 24-1944 and split up on Febr. 5, the KMS* portion heading to Gibraltar, while the OS convoy continued to Freetown, with arrival there on Febr. 15. Rena had again served as the Commodore's ship. From Freetown, she headed to Bathurst on March 2; according to A. Hague, this voyage was made in Convoy SL 151 (for info, this convoy later joined up with MKS 42* from Gibraltar, before proceeding to the U.K., but Rena was not present at that time). Gabon is also listed. Going back to Page 3, we learn that Rena arrived Bathurst on March 5. She returned to the U.K. with Convoy SL 152/MKS 43, voyage Freetown-Loch Ewe with groundnuts, mail and 4 passengers. SL 152 had started out in Freetown on March 13, joined up with the MKS* convoy from Gibraltar on March 23, then proceeded to the U.K. as a combined convoy, with arrival Apr. 4 - Rena had joined the SL convoy from Dakar, having sailed from there on March 16; she arrived Loch Ewe on Apr. 3. The Norwegian Lisbeth, Astrid, Cetus, Snar and Slemmestad joined with the MKS section from Gibraltar. All the convoys mentioned here are available via the external links provided within the Voyage Record.

Another North Atlantic voyage was made in May-1944, when she joined Convoy ON 236*, which originated in Liverpool on May 11 and arrived New York on the 27th and also included Buenos Aires, Fjordaas, Montevideo, Norholm, Norvarg, Solsten, Sommerstad, Thorshov, Titanian and Vera. On July 25, she was scheduled for the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 301, for which Reinholt served as the Commodore Vessel, while the Vice Commodore was in Samuel Bakke, but Rena instead joined Convoy HX 303 on Aug. 11. 16 other Norwegian ships took part, namely Tanafjord, Dalfonn, Noravind, Atlantic, Sommerstad, Skotaas, Geisha (Vice Commodore), Thorhild, Petter, Stirlingville, Romulus, Para, Titanian, Mui Hock, Fjordaas and Norse Lady. Rena was bound for Liverpool with a cargo of sugar on that occasion, subsequently remaining there for a month (Page 3). With Cetus, Chr. Th. Boe, Dagrun (returned), Drammensfjord, Mui Hock, Para, Peik, Romulus and Titanian, she returned across the Atlantic with Convoy ONS 33*, departing Liverpool on Sept. 29, arriving Halifax Oct. 14. Rena, however, was bound for New York, where she arrived on Oct. 16. In the middle of Dec.-1944, she can be found in the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 163, sugar and general for London. Her voyages in this period are shown on Page 4, and as can be seen, she now appears to have remained in the London area for a long time (reason not known).

In the spring of 1945 she's listed, with Elg, Frontenac, Marie Bakke and Romulus, in Convoy ONS 47*, originating in Liverpool on Apr. 11, arriving Halifax on the 30th; her destination is given as Campbeltown, where she arrived May 2, having sailed from Belfast Lough on Apr. 12 (Commodore Vessel). According to Arnold Hague, she returned to the U.K. in Convoy SC 176*, departing Halifax on May 16, arriving Liverpool on the 29th; Rena, cargo of wood pulp, had joined this convoy from Sydney, C.B. Chr. Th. Boe, Dageid, Elg, Garonne, Glarona, Ima and Vinga are also listed.

As will be seen on Page 4, she got to go home to Norway already in July-1945.

POST WAR:

In 1954 she was fitted with two new 4 cylinder 4 scsa oil engines manufactured by Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg A.G., Augsburg. Sold in Jan.-1956 to Polish Ocean Lines, Poland, and renamed Slowacki. Transferred in 1967 to Polish Steamship Co. Sold in Febr.-1974 to Chaliotata Shipping Co. Ltd., Cyprus and renamed Rodanthia (Rodanthi A.?). Sold in 1976 to Kefalliniaki Charis Shipping Ltd., Greece. Sold in Febr. 1979 for scrapping at Piræus.

Related external links:
The Battle for Convoy ONS 5 - A long article on this battle - a section of Ahoy - Mac's Web Log, which has a lot of interesting information.

ONS 5, 28 Apr, 1943 - 6 May, 1943 - This is uboat.net's account of the battle. Again, see also my own page about Convoy ONS 5.

Back to Rena on the "Ships starting with R" page.

Wilh. Wilhelmsen, Tønsberg had earlier had a steamship named Rena, built Sunderland 1911, 4687 gt. Sold on June 19-1934 to Grimstad for breaking up.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, Norwegian America Line fleet list, Bjørn Pedersen & F. W. Hawks, and misc. (ref. My sources).