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M/S San Andres To San Andres on the "Ships starting with S" page.
Owner: Den Norske Middelhavslinje A/S Built by J & K Smit's Scheepswerven, Kinderdijk, Holland in 1921. Captain: H. Hansen (this name was obtained from the original convoy document for Convoy HGF 32 - see below). Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives: Please compare the above voyages with Arnold Hague's Voyage Record below.
(Received from Don Kindell - His source: The late Arnold Hague's database). Follow the convoy links provided for more information on each. Errors may exist, and some voyages are missing.
As can be seen when going to Page 1 of the archive documents, San Andres had arrived Seville from Norway in the spring of 1940. In May, she's listed in station 82 of Convoy HGF 32 from Gibraltar to the U.K., bound for Portland with potatoes, sailing right next to Torfinn Jarl. She arrived Portland on June 6, and later that month we find her in Convoy OA 170, which left Southend on June 18, but she was only bound for Falmouth on that occasion. (Ref. external links provided in the Voyage Record). Shortly thereafter, she was one of several Norwegian ships transporting Norway's gold to the U.S.A. (see my page about M/S Bomma). The external website that I've linked to in the table above has her in Convoy OA 174 (left Southend on June 25, dispersed June 28), and the webmaster of the site has sent me the following note in connection with this voyage, presumably from the Commodore's notes: "At 1630, 27th June, I closed "San Andres" and embarked Mr. Mossigen as directed in your signal timed 1247, 27th June. He was reluctant to leave San Andres and explained that he was acting directly under the orders of the Norwegian Government and that he felt considerable hesitation in obeying instructions from any other source. It was not difficult to appreciate this hesitation when Mr. Mossigen explained that he was in sole charge of San Andres's cargo which consisted of gold bullion to the value of £1,250,000". (In today's money, this is estimated to be about 18,000,000 pounds, or 33,000,000 dollars). According to Page 1, San Andres arrived Halifax on July 8-1940 (having started out from Falmouth June 27), proceeding to Quebec that same day, with arrival July 11 - perhaps that's where the gold was deposited? Her subsequent voyages are listed on the archive document already mentioned, as well as on Page 2 (the latter document shows the rest of her 1940 voyages, as well as 1941 voyages). Skipping now to Sept. 22-1941, when we find her in station 105 of Convoy HX 151 from Halifax to the U.K., together with the Norwegian Sama (station 85), Dagrun (54), Meline (43), Morgenen (93), Belinda, Thorshøvdi (53), Sophocles, Tigre (44), Hardanger (94), Leiv Eiriksson (24), and Laurits Swenson (listed as Swenson, but I assume it should be Laurits Swenson). The convoy arrived Liverpool on Oct. 7, but San Andres stopped at Belfast Lough on the 5th, later proceeding to Bristol, where she arrived Oct. 10. She can now be found in Convoy OS 10, departingLiverpool on Oct. 25-1941 (station 32). She had a cargo of explosives. Follow the link in Voyage Record for more convoy details. Other Norwegian ships mentioned are Fana, Somerville and Rio Verde. This was a Freetown bound convoy, but San Andres was bound for Bathurst, RG, where she arrived on Nov. 16, having detached from the convoy the day before, according to A. Hague. She later returned to the U.K. in Convoy SL 99, which departed Freetown on Jan. 27-1942 and arrived Liverpool Febr. 16, again with other Norwegian ships in company. The following month, she joined Convoy OS 23, departing Liverpool March 24, arriving Freetown Apr. 11. San Andres, however, was again bound for Bathurst (station 34), where she arrived Apr. 9. She headed back in the other direction with Convoy SL 108/SLF 108, which left Freetown on Apr. 26 and arrived Liverpool on May 19, sailing in the fast section (SLF), station 14, voyage is given as Bathurst-Clyde, cargo of groundnuts. According to Page 3 of the archive docs, she stopped at Belfast Lough on May 16, later continuing to Avonmouth, where she arrived May 19. In June that year, she's listed in Convoy OS 30, voyaging in station 14 from Milford to La Guaira via Trinidad for bunkers. All these convoys are available via the external website already mentioned. She arrived Trinidad on June 23, La Guaira June 28, proceeding to Curacao the following month. Her subsequent voyages are listed on Page 3 above; convoy information for some of these can be found in Hague's Voyage Record. On Aug. 9-1942, I have her in station 45 of the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 202, bound for Mersey with a cargo of sugar, sailing next to 3 other Norwegian ships, namely Montevideo, Heranger and Hindanger. All 4 of them are also mentioned in the westbound Convoy ON 127, leaving Liverpool for New York on Sept. 4, in which several Norwegian ships were torpedoed; however, there's a minus next to her name, which probably means she did not sail - she's not included in A. Hague's listing for ON 127. Instead, he has her in Convoy ON 129*, which left Liverpool on Sept. 11 and arrived New York on the 25th, and this fits better with the details found on the archive document referred to above. She later returned across the Atlantic in Convoy HX 215, which departed New York on Nov. 11 and arrived Liverpool on the 25th. San Andres again had a cargo of sugar and was bound for Clyde, where she arrived on the 25th. With destination Cuba, she was scheduled for the westbound Convoy ON 153 on Dec. 11 (Bello was sunk), but did not sail (A. Hague indicates she joined but returned to port), instead joining Convoy ON 157 later that month, and arrived New York on Jan. 15-1943. The Norwegian Skiensfjord acted as the Commodore Ship for this convoy. (Again, see also Page 3 of the archive docs). In Febr.-1943, she's listed, with a cargo of sugar for Greenock, in station 34 of Convoy HX 228 in which Brant County was sunk. Please follow the link for much more information on this convoy; several reports are available. In Apr.-1943, she shows up in convoy OS 46/KMS 13, voyage Clyde-Bathurst, station 95. This convoy left Liverpool on Apr. 15 and split up on the 24th, the KMS convoy* arriving Gibraltar on Apr. 26, while the OS convoy continued to Freetown, where it arrived May 3. San Andres (in the OS convoy) arrived Bathurst on May 1 (having sailed from Clyde on Apr. 15), returning to the U.K. with Convoy SL 130/MKS 14. The SL portion had left Freetown on May 30 and arrived Liverpool on June 21, having joined up with MKS 14* from Gibraltar on June 11. San Andres had a cargo of groundnuts, voyage Bathurst-Loch Ewe (SL portion); she had left Bathurst on May 30. Further dates can be found on Page 4 - see also the links provided in the table above. She subsequently made another voyage to New York, having joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 192*, which originated in Liverpool on July 9-1943 and arrived New York July 22. According to A. Hague, she later went back to the U.K. in Convoy HX 258*, departing New York on Sept. 22, arriving Liverpool Oct. 6. This convoy is not yet available among the HX convoys included on my website, but will be added. She returned to New York again in the westbound Convoy ON 207*, leaving Liverpool on Oct. 18, arriving New York Nov. 4, and later that month, A. Hague has included her in Convoy HX 267*, departing New York Nov. 19, arriving Liverpool Dec. 3; San Andres stopped at Loch Ewe that day. She can now be found in Convoy OS 63/KMS 37, voyage from Oban to Dakar and Bathurst in ballast in station 114 of the convoy, which left Liverpool on Dec. 25-1943 and split up Jan. 7-1944, the KMS convoy* arriving Gibraltar on Jan. 7, while the OS convoy continued to Freetown, with arrival there Jan. 17. As already indicated, San Andres (in the OS convoy) was bound for Dakar and Bathurst, arriving Dakar on Jan. 15, Bathurst Jan. 18 - she had started out from Oban on Dec. 26. She later returned to the U.K. in Febr.-1944 with Convoy SL 148/MKS 39, cargo of groundnuts, mail and 3 passengers, voyage Dakar-Barry Roads. SL 148 had originated in Freetown on Febr. 1, joined up with the MKS portion* from Gibraltar on the 12th, and arrived Liverpool on Febr. 24. More convoy information is available via the external link provided in the Voyage Record, while San Andres' departure and arrival dates/ports are shown on Page 5 of the archive documents. As will be seen on that page, there's a big gap in her voyages, from March 22-1944 to Jan. 15-1945 - I'm not sure what the reason is for this long break. She was scheduled for Convoy OS 106/KMS 80*, which left Liverpool Jan. 22-1945 (ref. external link at the end of this page), but instead joined the next convoy, OS 107/KMS 81, departing Liverpool on Jan. 27. San Andres was on a voyage from Southend to Suez and Bombay with ammunition and sulphate in station 63 (KMS 81*). Again, see Page 5 above for info on her departure and arrival dates. The Norwegian Acasta also took part in this convoy. Page 5 also lists some 1946 voyages, while a couple more are shown on Page 6.
Sold in 1958 to to Mohamed Abubakar Bakhashab, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, renamed Dhahran (Dliahran?). Related external links: Back to San Andres on the "Ships starting with S" page. Norway had lost a steamship named San Andrés to WW I, built 1911, 1656 gt (D/S A/S Otto Thoresen) - torpedoed and sunk by U-86 in the Bristol Channel on May 11-1918, voyage Barcelona-Christiania via Swansea. This posting to my Ship Forum has some more details.
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