M/S Slemmestad

To Slemmestad on the "Ships starting with S" page.


Source: Historical Department, MAN B&W Diesel, Copenhagen.

Source: Bjørn Milde's postcard collection.

(Post War). Received from, and painted by, Jan Goedhart, Holland.

Misc. War Voyages:

Slemmestad is listed as sailing in Convoy OA 196, which left Methil on Aug. 9-1940. She was bound for Key West in ballast, station 53. See the external links provided at the end of this page.

In Aug./Sept.-1941 we find her in station 95 of the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 147, along with the Norwegian Nueva Granada (station 104), Bello (station 114), Solør (station 54), Sandanger (station 103, which means she was the 3rd ship in the 10th column, right behind Bralanta and in front of Nueva Granada), Bralanta (in station 102), Strinda (station 63), G. C. Brøvig (station 44), and probably O. A. Knudsen (name is misspelt on the form, might also be Ida Knudsen, in station 112). She also sailed in Convoy HX 159 in Nov.-1941.

According to the external website that I've linked to at the end of this text, Slemmestad was in station 75 of Convoy OS 16 in Jan.-1942, on a voyage from Liverpool to Capetown/Port Said/Alexandria. Several Norwegian ships are included in this convoy.

In Dec.-1942 she was scheduled for Convoy HX 219, but did not sail.

In June-1943 she's listed as sailing from Halifax with Convoy SC 135.

Going back to the external link, she can be found in Convoy SL 140 / MKS 31 in Nov.-1943. SL 140 had departed Freetown on Nov. 12, joined up with MKS 31 from Gibraltar on the 24th (with which Slemmestad joined, together with the Norwegian Danio and Lynghaug), and arrived Liverpool on Dec. 7-1943. Slemmestad was on a voyage from Oran to Mersey with a cargo of iron ore. The Gibraltar portion of this convoy is also available on my own site at MKS 31. Note that she's said to have made a voyage from Algiers to Oran with Convoy MKS 30 earlier that month - scroll down to the second table on that page - then proceeded from Oran to Gibraltar with the Port Said portion of MKS 31, continuing with that convoy from Gibraltar to the U.K. on Nov. 23.

In Jan.-1944 we find her in Convoy OS 65/KMS 39, voyage Liverpool-Sicily in station 41, and towards the end of March she sailed in Convoy SL 152/MKS 43, voyage from Catania to Loch Ewe with lemons, general, mail and passengers, joining from Gibraltar with the MKS portion, together with Astrid, Cetus, Snar and Lisbeth. Follow the external link already mentioned for more information on these convoys (KMS 39 and MKS 43 will be added to my own site in due course).

In June-1944 she shows up in the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 295, bound for London with sugar. In Oct. that year she sailed in the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 158, general cargo and sugar for Liverpool.

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

She was also in the westbound convoy ON 288 with 9 other Norwegian ships, namely Villanger, Viggo Hansteen, Tanafjord, Dageid, G. C. Brøvig, Polartank, Heranger, Harald Torsvik and Høyanger, all listed on this website. This convoy, which is now available and will be added to my Convoys section as soon as I can, left Southend on March 2-1945 with 108 ships, and arrived New York on March 19. The Norwegian commodore, R. G. Bruusgaard was in the British Port Fremantle.

Dave Napier, England came across a gravestone for a Norwegian seaman named Salve Lislevand. He took a picture of it and sent it to me. I looked the name up in "Våre Falne", a series of 4 books listing all Norwegian casualties during WW II, and found that Salve Lislevand was on board Slemmestad when he became ill and died on Nov. 22-1943 (birthdate is given as March 27-1894 in the book). He's buried in Arno's Vale Cemetery, Bristol, and here's the picture of his headstone. If a relative sees this and would like a larger, better quality picture, I'd be glad to pass it on, just contact me at the address provided at the bottom of this page.

POST WAR:

On fire March 27-1951, beached near Dar-es-Salaam. Total loss.

Back to Slemmestad on the "Ships starting with S" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, and misc. for cross checking info (ref. My sources).