D/S Rutenfjell

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

Related items on this website:
Interned Ships
A posting to my Ship Forum
Another Forum posting

Interned - 1940:

Rutenfjell was 1 of the 26 Norwegian ships interned in North and West Africa 1940-1942; my page "Interned Ships" lists all of them. Renamed Ste Brigitte.

A French visitor to my website has given me the following details with regard to her movements in that period (presumably from French archives):
Sailed from Casablanca on Febr. 14-1940 in convoy 65-KS under French escort (see also the link above to a posting to my Ship Forum which has some details re this convoy - from French archives). At Le Verdon Febr. 20. Sailed from Casablanca on May 15-1940 in convoy 97-KS under French escort. At Le Verdon May 21. Seized in Dakar in July-1940*. Under French flag 1941 at Dakar as Sainte-Brigitte. Sailed from Dakar on Jan. 28-1942 in convoy. Off Casamance on Jan. 30. Sailed from Casamance on Febr. 11-1942 in convoy. At Dakar Febr. 14. Sailed from Dakar on March 12-1942 in convoy. Off Casamance on March 13. Sailed from Casamance on March 24-1942 in convoy. At Dakar March 25. Sailed from Dakar on ? in convoy. Off Casamance on ? Sailed from Casamance on Apr. 27-1942 in convoy. At Dakar Apr. 28. Sailed from Dakar on ? in convoy. Off Casamance on ? Sailed from Casamance on May 14-1942 in convoy. At Dakar May 15. Sailed from Dakar on May 26-1942 in convoy. Off Casamance on May 27. Sailed from Casamance on June 11-1942 in convoy. At Dakar June 12.

* "Nortraships flåte" disagrees with the date she was initially seized, saying she was interned on June 29-1940.

Rutenfjell lost 3 crew to Malaria in Oct.-1940, several others were sick. Guri Hjeltnes' "Sjømann - Lang vakt" says she had a crew of 19, 18 of whom were Norwegian, 14 escaped.

She was found at Dakar after the allied invasion and returned to Nortraship's register in Febr.-1943.

Some Convoy Voyages:

According to the external website that I've linked to below Rutenfjell was scheduled for Convoy SL 127 in March-1943 but did not sail (returned to Dakar). Instead she joined the next convoy, SL 128, which departed Freetown on Apr. 20-1943 and arrived Liverpool on May 14. She had a cargo of groundnuts and Kapok and also carried 2 passengers, voyage Kontaour/Bathurst for Greenock. The Norwegian Kristianiafjord, Toledo and Evviva are also listed. The same site also has her in Convoy OS 54/KMS 25 in Aug./Sept.-1943, voyaging from Clyde to Bathurst with a general cargo in station 104. In Dec. that same year she was scheduled for Convoy SL 142 / MKS 33, but did not sail.

The following spring, in March-1944, she was scheduled for Convoy OS 71/KMS 45 but is again listed as "did not sail". She appears again in Convoy OS 73/KMS 47, which departed Liverpool on Apr. 3-1944. She was bound for Bathurst/W. Africa with mail, coal and general in station 93 of the convoy. Follow the link for more convoy information.

In July-1944 she's listed in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 243 (available on this page - will later be added to its own individual page along with further details), and later that month she was just one of many Norwegian ships in the large Convoy HX 301, which originated in New York on July 25, but Rutenfjell joined from Sydney C.B. Her destination is given as Bristol, and she had a cargo of lumber. In Sept. that year we find her in the westbound Convoy ON 251 (scroll down to ON 251 on this page), returning to the U.K. the following month with the slow Convoy SC 158, cargo of lumber for Boston (Linc.). This convoy originated in Halifax on Oct. 4, but Rutenfjell again joined with the Sydney, C.B. portion. In Dec.-1944 she's listed, with destination Halifax, in Convoy ONS 38 - see this page listing ships in all ONS convoys.

In the middle of Jan.-1945 she joined the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 165, bound for Liverpool with pulp.

POST WAR:

Sold to Einar Rasmussen in 1950, and renamed Polyriver. Sold in 1959 to Moa Navigation Corp, Monrovia and renamed Muskegon (Liberian flag). See also this posting to my Ship Forum, which states she was sold again in 1960 to Naviera Maritima Fluvial, S.A., Callao (just outside Lima, Peru) and renamed Iquitos, adding she was abandoned on fire on Nov. 28-1961, 315 miles off the Mexican Coast, in position 11 48N 97 16W, while on a voyage from Callao to Acapulco with fish meal, found drifting, sunk by U. S. Navy destroyer on Apr. 9-1962, 100 miles SE of Christmas Island.

Related external link:
SL / SL/MKS convoys - The site also has a section for the OS and OS/KMS Convoys. As can be seen Rutenfjell is mentioned in SL 127, SL 128, OS 54/KMS 25, SL 142/MKS 33, OS 71/KMS 45 and OS 73/KMS 47.

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

Other ships by this name: The company had previously had another ship by this name, built 1875, 1844 gt - struck a mine (laid by UC 21) and sank off Belle Île on Febr. 19-1917. Another Norwegian Rutenfjell was built as Ugelstad in 1917, scrapped in 1931. Historical Index of the Great Lakes has some details on this vessel, as well as a picture. To find it, type "Ugelstad" in the search field for 'vessel', then on the page that comes up, click in the little box with the item number. The next page has technical details on the ship and a picture thumbnail - clicking on the thumbnail will bring up a larger photo. I believe Olsen & Ugelstad also had a Rutenfjell built in Porsgrunn in 1933, but don't know what happened to it, whether it was sold or lost. I've also been told the company had a ship by this name later on, built in Sunderland in 1953, sold about 1958.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: Misc. sources as named in text.