D/S Roald Amundsen - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

Misc. War Voyages:

Shortly after delivery, on May 13, she was scheduled for the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 239, but instead joined the next convoy, HX 240, leaving on May 19. Her destination is given as Liverpool, general cargo, station 32. In July that same year she can be found in Convoy HX 248 from New York, again bound for Liverpool with general cargo.

She made several voyages back and forth across the Atlantic, as well as in the Mediterranean. The second external website that I've linked to at the end of this text has her in Convoy OS 58/KMS 32 in Nov.-1943, voyaging from Milford to Italy in station 74 - follow the link for more convoy details.

In March-1944 she shows up in Convoy GUS 33, which departed Port Said on March 5-1944 and arrived Hampton Roads on Apr. 4, but many ships had other destinations and left the convoy, while others joined along the way. In fact, Roald Amundsen was not present from Port Said, but joined from Tunis on March 12, then parted company for Oran on the 15th.

In June/July-1944 we find her going in the other direction with Convoy UGS 45 (along with Norholm, Norheim and Hjalmar Wessel), then joined Convoy GUS 46 from Augusta on July 19 (convoy had originated in Port Said on July 14).

She subsequently took part in the landings on the coast between Cannes and Toulon on Aug. 15-1944. About 881 ships took part in this operation, 4 were Norwegian (D/S Audun, D/S Star and M/T Elise [fleet oiler] were the others).

Christmas of 1944 was spent in Convoy HX 326 from New York, again in the company of several other Norwegian ships.

In "Krigsseileren" No. 3 for 1989 I've found a pesonal story written by someone who was on board Roald Amundsen, Ragnvald Hommen. He describes the last convoy voyage Roald Amundsen had from New York before VE day. I've been trying to determine which convoy that might have been. One of his statements has to do with receiving the news that Franklin D. Roosevelt had died, and says the Amerian ships in the convoy had their flags on half mast for the rest of the voyage. Roosevelt died on Apr, 12, so it could have been Convoy HX 347, which departed New York on March 29-1945 and arrived Liverpool on Apr. 14, or the next one, HX 348, which arrived Liverpool on Apr. 20, having departed New York on Apr. 3. R. Hommen says it was a large convoy, and this was the largest of the convoys suggested here (80 ships), however, I'm inclined to rule it out, as HX 348 lost 2 ships, Empire Gold and Cyrus H. McCormick (U-1107), and there's no mention of a U-boat attack in the article. HX 349 is another possible candidate, departing New York on Apr. 8, arriving Liverpool on the 23rd. I get the understanding that on arrival U.K. waters, Roald Amundsen and 6 other ships anchored in The Downs for a day or so, while the rest of the ships in the convoy had other destinations, and that she subsequently proceeded to Antwerp. After cargo had been unloaded in Antwerp she returned to The Downs, then to Liverpool in a 5 ship convoy, arriving there on Apr. 26. He says that 1 of the ships in the convoy blew up en route, shortly after they had passed Isle of Wight, possibly by a mine.

Once in Liverpool (Birkenhead), Roald Amundsen started loading 3000 tons coal, and was still there when the news of the German capitulation came. In the evening of May 8 she left for Glasgow, with arrival May 10, then departed on May 12-1945 in Convoy JW 67 (this was the last convoy to Russia, consisting of 26 ships, arriving the Kola Inlet on May 20). In addition to the 3000 tons coal they had misc. war materials, cars and 25 sled dogs - these had come on board in New York. Egerø* and Ivaran were also in this convoy. Roald Amundsen and Ivaran did not go all the way to Murmansk, but left the convoy to proceed to Kirkenes. He doesn't give a date, but simply says "2. pinsedag" which means "2nd Day of Whitsun". He mentions that Ivaran almost hit a mine on approaching Kirkenes that same afternoon. Kirkenes by then had been literally burnt to the ground by the Germans so this first meeting with their own country in many years was rather a sad one.

*Egerø is listed in the last convoy out from Murmansk, Convoy RA 67 which departed the Kola Inlet with 25 ships on May 23-1945 (Kronprinsen was also in that convoy).

They stayed in Kirkenes for quite some time before continuing to Tromsø, where the coal was unloaded. Kong Haakon VII was also there at the time, and as mentioned in the text under that ship she was set to transport Russian prisoners of war to Murmansk. Roald Amundsen was initially ordered into the same transport, but following an inspection this did not come to pass. (Ragnvald Holmen adds that D/S Spes, was also in Tromsø at the time - the steward of that ship later became his father-in-law). Instead, Roald Amundsen's next voyage took her back across the Atlantic, this time alone and with all her lights on, arriving New York in the middle of July-1945, at the same time as Queen Mary which came in with thousands of soldiers from Europe.

POST WAR:

Sold to Ringdals Rederi A/S (Olav Ringdal), Oslo in Oct.-1946. Ran aground off Skudesneshavn on Nov. 20-1947, voyage in ballast Antwerp-Narvik, broke in 2. Total loss. No casualties.

Related external links:
Liberty Ships - William Strong, Roald Amundsen's former name, can be found in the W list

OS and OS/KMS Convoys - As can be seen, Roald Amundsen is listed in Convoy OS 58/KMS 32. Other Norwegian ships also took part.