M/T Solitaire
Updated July 11-2012

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

A picture is available on this external page (click in it to enlarge).

Some Convoy Voyages:

For information on voyages made in between those noted below, please see the documents received from the National Archives of Norway and A. Hague's Voyage Record above. Follow the links provided for more convoy information; the Commodore's notes are also available for some of them and several Norwegian ships took part.

Judging from the information found on Page 1 of the archive documents, Solitaire was in New York when war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9-1940. She had arrived there from Manchester on March 16 and did not leave again until Apr. 26, when she proceeded to Port Arthur and from there to the U.K.

That fall, she's listed in Convoy OA 204, which left Methil on Aug. 25-1940 and dispersed on the 29th; ref. external link provided in the Voyage Record. The Norwgian Heire, Lom and Svint are also listed. Solitaire's destination is not given, but according to Page 1, she arrived Port Arthur on Sept. 25 (this seems a very long time after the convoy's dispersal), and unless some voyages are missing from the record, she appears to have remained there for a long time; departure is given as Dec. 2. As can be seen, she also spent a month in Halifax.

She was scheduled for the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 18 on Jan. 2-1941, as well as for Convoy SC 19 on Jan. 12, but did not sail (see also Ruth I). She was also cancelled from Convoy SC 20 on Jan. 22, but finally got away with SC 21 on Jan. 31 and arrived Manchester on Febr. 20. With Fjord, Granli (? follow the link), Hellen, Ruth I and Selbo, she joined Convoy OB 292 about a week later, departing Liverpool on Febr. 28, dispersed March 6. Her destination is given as Port Arthur, where she arrived on Apr. 3, heading back to the U.K. on Apr. 19 in Convoy SC 29 from Halifax, cargo of lub. oil for Manchester (escorts' reports are also available for this convoy). In May we find her, together with Belinda, Bollsta, Idefjord and Lista, in Convoy OB 322, which originated in Liverpool on May 12; this is a little confusing - Solitaire arrived Liverpool on May 13, having sailed from Holyhead that same day (she had sailed from Milford Haven on May 11, again, see Page 1). The external website that I've linked to within the table above has more on the OB convoys mentioned here. Later that month she joined Convoy OG 63, which departed Liverpool on May 25 and arrived Gibraltar on June 7. Solitaire, however, was bound for New York, where she arrived on June 15 (see Page 2). According to A. Hague, she had parted company with the convoy on June 1 in order to proceed to this destination. OG 63 will be added to an individual page in my Convoys section, but for now the ships sailing in it are named on the page listing ships in all OG convoys. The Norwegian Fjord is also included.

After about a month in New York, Solitaire headed to Halifax, then on to Sydney, C.B., and Arnold Hague now has her returning to the U.K. with Convoy SC 39*, departing Sydney, C.B. on Aug. 1-1941. She later joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 12, which originated in Liverpool on Sept. 1 and dispersed on the 14th, Solitaire arriving Port Arthur on Oct. 5 (she had started out from Loch Ewe on Sept. 3). She was scheduled for the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 52 at the end of that month, but instead joined Convoy SC 53 on Nov. 4. Her destination is given as Thameshaven, and she arrived there (via Oban and Methil Roads) on Dec. 5 (Page 2). Her last Trans-Atlantic voyage that year was made in the westbound Convoy ON 47*, which originated in Liverpool on Dec. 15 and dispersed on the 23rd, Solitaire arriving New York on Jan. 8-1942 (she had sailed from Loch Ewe on Dec. 17). Grey County is also listed in this convoy.

On Febr. 10-1942 she's listed among the ships in Convoy SC 69 from Halifax, bound for Sunderland, station 32 (having been cancelled from the previous convoy SC 68, Febr. 4). She arrived her destination (via Loch Ewe and Methil Roads) on March 10. Later that month, we find her, along with Askeladden, Fjordheim and Iron Baron, in the westbund Convoy ON 78*, which originated in Liverpool on March 21 and arrived Halifax Apr. 9. Solitaire's arrival Halifax is given as Apr. 7 on Page 2, and 2 days later she proceeded to New York, with arrival there on Apr. 12. In May that year she can be found in Convoy SC 83 from Halifax (cancelled from SC 82, Apr. 30), again bound for Sunderland, where she arrived on May 28. Acanthus, Eglantine, Potentilla and Rose are named among the escorts (see SC convoy escorts). In June she's listed in the westbound Convoy ON 102*, which started out in Liverpool on June 9 and arrived Halifax on the 25th. Solitaire joined from Loch Ewe and was bound for New York, where she arrived June 28. Other Norwegian ships were Ada, Bernhard, Boreas, Grey County, Inger Elisabeth, Ingerfire, Norse King, Para, Rena, Rio Branco, Trolla and Vest. Some of these ships, including Solitaire, headed back to the U.K. again on July 17 in Convoy SC 92 from Sydney, C.B. Solitaire arrived her destination Manchester on Aug. 1 (see Page 3) and a week later she joined the westbound Convoy ON 120* in order to return to New York, arriving Aug. 30, the convoy having been dispersed on Aug. 27. She had again been in the company of other Norwegian ships, namely Aun, Borgfred, Fjordheim, Måkefjell and Suderøy.

The following month, A. Hague has her in Convoy SC 102*, departing New York on Sept. 19-1942, however, she put into Halifax with engine trouble on Sept. 24, joining SC 103* from there a few days later, taking station 113, cargo of lub. oil (this convoy had originated in New York on Sept. 26). Ada, Boreas, Ingerfire, Rio Branco, Rolf Jarl, Carmelfjell, Jan, Norfalk, Pan Aruba, Solhavn, Solstad and Vinland are also listed. Solitaire arrived Liverpool on Oct. 16, Manchester on Oct. 18 (Page 3), subsequently joining the westbound Convoy ON 142* on Oct. 30, arriving New York on Nov. 21. Bestik (returned to port), Carmelfjell, Fjordheim, Jenny, Kirsten B (joined from Halifax), Norvarg, Primo (also from Halifax), Rio Verde, Sevilla (from Halifax), Temeraire and Vinland are also named. According to A. Hague, Solitaire returned in Convoy SC 112*; departing New York Dec. 4, arriving Liverpool Dec. 25; Solitaire, however, stopped at Belfast Lough on Dec. 24, proceeding to Avonmouth the next day. Other Norwegian ships listed in SC 112 are Aragon, Acasta, Borgholm, Dageid, Fjordheim, Garnes, Harpefjell, Heimgar, Norjerv, Primo (to Halifax only), Sir James Clark Ross and Tropic Star (though Tropic Star returned to port, and Aragon and Garnes stopped at St. John's).

Early in Jan.-1943 she joined the westbound Convoy ON 158. She was bound for New York, but put in at Halifax on Jan. 23 (reason not known), joining Convoy ON 160 from there to New York, where she arrived on Febr. 5 (ON 160 had originated in Liverpool on Jan. 11). She now remained in New York for several weeks; she had been scheduled to go back to the U.K. with Convoy SC 121 (in which the Commodore Vessel Bonneville and several others were sunk - follow the links for a lot more info), but did not sail. In fact, she did not return to the U.K. again for the rest of the war. Again, see Page 3, as well as Page 4, Page 5, Page 6 and Page 7 for details on the rest of her voyages (to Apr.-1946). Convoy information to match some of them can be found in the Voyage Record.

* The ON convoys will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section in due course, along with further details on each. In the meantime, the ships sailing in them (and escorts) are named in the section listing ships in all ON convoys. Note also that the entire SC series will be updated and completed (including the already existing convoys - some have already been updated), but for now, see the section listing ships in all SC convoys.

For more info on the other Norwegian ships mentioned on this page, please see the alphabet index below, or go to the Master Ship Index

POST WAR:

Sold for breaking up in 1950.

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

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: Roger W. Jordan - and misc.