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M/T Skotaas To Skotaas on the "Ships starting with S" page. Manager: Iver Bugge, Larvik Delivered from Caledon S.B. & Eng. Co. Ltd., Dundee (335) in Apr.-1931 as Skotaas to Skibs-A/S Nanset (Iver Bugge), Larvik. 8190 gt, 11 420 tdwt, 451.1' x 59.2' x 35.9', dbl. scr. 2 x 7 cyl. 4T single acting B&W engines, 3000 bhp (A/B Götaverken, Gothenburg), 11 knots. Signal letters - LDSK. Captain: Hans Nielsen Augestad, who had sailed all through the 1st WW without a break, and did the same during the 2nd war. See a Skotaas related
Skotaas transferred from service in The Indian Ocean to the Atlantic in 1942. Was equipped with an extra deck for carrying aircraft in Galveston in 1943, and also with the installations necessary to replenish the escorts at sea. She then continued in Atlantic service for the rest of the war. In July-1943 she can be found listed in Convoy SC 136 from Halifax. As will be seen by clicking on the link, she was in the company of many other Norwegian vessels. (Skotaas had originally been scheduled for the faster Convoy HX 246 from New York on June 30). At the end of Aug. that year we find her in station 32 of Convoy HX 254 from New York, bound for London. She was scheduled for the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 288 in Apr.-1944 but instead joined the next convoy, HX 289. In June/July-1944 she sailed in Convoy HX 297, bound for Mersey, Milford Haven and Portland, and the following month she shows up in Convoy HX 303 with 16 other Norwegian ships, namely Tanafjord, Dalfonn, Noravind, Atlantic, Sommerstad, Romulus, Geisha, Thorhild, Petter, Stirlingville, Rena, Para, Titanian, Mui Hock, Fjordaas and Norse Lady, all listed on this website - use the index at the end of this page to find more information about them. In Oct.-1944 she's listed in the slow Convoy SC 158 from Halifax, and the following month she can be found among the ships in the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 323. She was scheduled for the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 334 towards the end of Jan.-1945, but did not sail. Her most dangerous moment was near New Foundland on May 7-1945 when the convoy she was in encountered thick fog and was ordered to alter course 90° to avoid a collision with icebergs. 22 vessels collided in a matter of minutes, but no major harm done.
From the summer of 1945 Skotaas sailed between New York-Houston-Toulon-Marseilles-Abadan-Bombay-Abadan-Sydney-Newcastle-Gladstone-Cairns-Abadan-Freemantle-Abadan-Colombo-Abadan-Singapore-Abadan (this info from Dag Midbøe, a crew member at the time). Sold in 1956 to NV Scheepvaart Maatschappij 'Mineral' (manager Wm H Muller & Co's Transport Maatschappij NV, Rotterdam), converted to ore carrier, and renamed Louis Lantz. Sold to Belgian breakers and arrived Bruges on Oct. 22-1960 to be broken up. Back to Skotaas on the "Ships starting with S" page. The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "The Allied Convoy System", Arnold Hague, E-mails from R. W. Jordan and misc. as named within text above - (ref. My sources).
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