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Sir James Clark Ross To Sir James Clark Ross on the "Ships starting with S" page. Manager: Johan Rasmussen & Co. Sandefjord Whale oil factory, built by Furness Shipbuilding Co., Middlesbrough in 1930. Related items on this website: 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 several voyages are missing.
According to Page 1 of the archive documents, she was on her way from the Antarctic to Sandefjord, Norway in the spring of 1940, but was diverted to Halifax when war broke out in Norway (see also my page about the Suderøy factory and catchers). From Halifax, where she had arrived May 3, she later proceeded to Curacao and unless voyages are missing from the record, she remained there for a long time. Arrival Curacao is given as June 29-1940, departure as Sept. 19. She arrived Halifax on Sept. 27 and again there's a long gap in her voyages; departure Halifax is listed as Dec. 26, when she headed to Aruba. Her 1941 voyages are also shown on that document, continuing on Page 2, which also lists her 1942 voyages. Convoy information for some of these is available in the Voyage Record above. In the middle of July-1942 she's listed in the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 92; the Advance Sailing Telegram says she carried 40 passengers. She arrived Clyde on July 30, subsequently returning across the Atlantic with the westbound Convoy ON 119*, which originated in Liverpool on Aug. 5-1942 and arrived New York on the 20th. This convoy also had other Norwegian ships, namely Scebeli, Belinda, Trondheim and Tungsha. Early the following month she shows up in Convoy SC 99 from Halifax to the U.K., later joining the westbound Convoy ON 134*, which started out in Liverpool on Sept. 26 and arrived New York Oct. 17. The Norwegian Askeladden, Glarona, Grado, Granfoss, Hallfried, Hjalmar Wessel, Loke, Mathilda, Maud, Bonneville and Veni are also listed, as is the Panamanian Nortun, which had Norwegian managers and is, therefore, included under the N's on this website. Sir James Clark Ross was still in New York loading cargo on Nov. 24, incl. aircraft and landing crafts, then departed for the U.K. on Nov. 25 in Convoy SC 111*, but returned to port/put into Halifax, later joining Convoy SC 112* from there (this convoy had started out in New York on Dec. 4 and also had Acasta, Aragon, Borgholm, Dageid, Fjordheim, Garnes, Harpefjell, Heimgar, Norjerv, Primo, Solitaire and Tropic Star among its ranks). She arrived port safely after having endured horrendous weather on the crossing. Page 2 of the archive docs states she arrived Clyde on Dec. 25, having sailed from Halifax on Dec. 6. From Clyde, she returned to New York in Jan.-1943 in the westbound Convoy ON 159, her arrival New York is given as Jan. 21 - the Commodore's narrative is also available for this convoy (Commodore was in Laurits Swenson). In March that year she travelled to Curacao and Trinidad, then on to Durban - Page 3 and the Voyage Record above have information on her voyages in this period. Skipping now to Oct. 9-1943, when she arrived Los Angeles (from Hobart). According to the archive document referred to above, she did not leave again until March 28-1944, when she proceeded to Pearl Harbor. The reason for this long stay is unknown. In Aug.-1944, A. Hague has included her in Convoy HX 304, voyage New York-Halifax only - as can be seen when following the link to my page about this convoy, she's not mentioned in the original Advance Sailing Telegram, but going back to the archive document, we learn that she did leave New York for Halifax on Aug. 17, and appears to have stayed there for quite a long time (departure is given as Oct. 3). From the same document we see that she headed to the whaling grounds on Nov. 12 that year, and it looks like she remained there until the end of March-1945 (Page 4). There's a note in my text for Globe IX on my page about the Globe whale catchers saying that this whale catcher was catcing for Sir James Clark Ross in the 1944-1945 season (and was fitted out at Walvis Bay in 1945 for a new season with the factory). Also, there's a note on my page about Thorfjell, stating that this catcher was with Sir James Clark Ross in the 1944-1945 season (as well as in the 1945-1946 season). Additionally, my page about Suderøy mentions that this factory served as transport for Sir James Clark Ross' whaling expedition in the Anarctic in the winter of 1945, adding that this was the only Norwegian expedition in the 1944-1945 season. Together with Geisha (listed as British, but this was a Norwegian ship), Germa, Hardanger, Heimgar, Lago, Orwell, Slemmestad, Sommerstad, Strix and Velma, she's listed in Convoy SC 177*, which left Halifax on May 26 and arrived Liverpool on June 8; Sir James Clark Ross, carrying a general cargo, whale oil and explosives, stopped at Belfast Lough that day, proceeding to Sandefjord, Norway a few days later. This fits in with what can be found in an old book, "Norsk presse under Hakekorset" (The Norwegian Press under the Swastika), Vol. II, 1946 by Gunnleik Jensson (a collection of newspaper articles from the war years), which has a little note in the Oslo newspaper "Aftenposten", dated May 15-1945 saying that Sir James Clark Ross is on her way to Norway with 17 000 tons whale oil. The whale oil is to be distributed to the De-No-Fa and Sandar factories, and will supply 20 mill. kg. of margarine. According to Page 4, she did not leave Sandefjord again until Sept. 22, when she headed back to New York and from there to Curacao and on to Walvis Bay (again, see the note re. Globe IX and Thorfjell above. Also my text for Kos XV at Kos whale catchers mentions Sir James Clark Ross).
According to the external website below she was broken up in Taiwan in 1966. Related External link: Back to Sir James Clark Ross on the "Ships starting with S" page. The company had previous had another ship by this name, built as Mahronda in 1905, later became the Danish Fraternitas - see this posting to my Ship Forum. The thread starts with this query. The ship was torpedoed and sunk in 1942 when she had the name Uniwaleco - this external page has more details and several pictures.
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