M/S Somerville

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


Source: Historical Department, MAN B&W Diesel, Copenhagen, who also supplied this picture, as well as this one, and all the pics below.
(Size and quality of all pics have been reduced in order to save disc space).

Related item on this website:
Warsailor Stories - On this page I've included the personal story of someone whose brother was on board Somerville at some point in the war (there's also a link to the original, Norwegian version of the story). While there are no details on the ship, it's an interesting story about 5 brothers and a sister who served outside of Norway during the war; the brothers on 17 different ships altogether. Another sister was involved in "illegal" activities in Norway, as was the father.

Misc. War Voyages:

(More will be added).

Somerville is listed in the Bermuda portion of Convoy HX 50 in June-1940. In Oct.-1940 she sailed in Convoy HX 83, bound for Avonmouth with a cargo of phosphates (again joining with the Bermuda section of the convoy).

At the end of that year she's listed as scheduled, with destination Philadelphia, for Convoy OB 265, which left Liverpool on Dec. 26-1940, but did not sail. The external website that I've linked to at the end of this page has the names of the ships in this convoy.

In Sept.-1941 she was in Convoy HX 149 along with the Norwegian Daghild (station 63), Brasil (83), Thorsholm (33), Innerøy (35), Thorshov (station 64), Aristophanes (station 43), Glittre (24), Lise (44), Harpefjell (86), Norvik (Panamanian flag, Norwegian managers and therefore included on this website, in station 84, behind Brasil), Brant County (87), and Kollbjørg (73).

Going back to the external website below, Somerville can be found in Convoy OS 10 on Oct. 25-1941 (station 33). She had 1120 tons ammunition, 450 tons naval stores, 750 tons railway wagons and 563 tons motor transports. Follow the link for more convoy details. Other Norwegian ships taking part were Fana, San Andres and Rio Verde.

Rescued 27 survivors from the American ship Ruth Lykes on May 17-1942. This ship had been sunk by U-103 the day before. The survivors were taken to Key West, Florida, but 1 had died of his injuries. The following month, in June-1942 she shows up in Convoy HX 193 which left Halifax for the U.K. on June 7 and arrived Liverpool on the 19th. About a month later she made a voyage to Capetown and Suez. This can be determined from the website about the OS convoys already mentioned, which has her in station 95 of Convoy OS 35, leaving Liverpool on July 21-1942. Again, see the link to the OS convoys for more details.

At the end of Jan.-1943 she was one of several Norwegian ships in Convoy HX 225, leaving New York on Jan. 30, arriving Liverpool on Febr. 13, general cargo for Liverpool, initially in station 132, later in station 122.

In June-1943 she's listed as bound for Philippeville in Convoy KMS 16*, having previously started out from the U.K. with the combined OS 49/KMS 16.

In Sept-1943 we find her in Convoy SL 136 / MKS 24*. The SL convoy had departed Freetown on Sept. 3-1943, joined up with the MKS convoy from Gibraltar on the 14th, and arrived Liverpool on Sept 23/25. More details are available at the external site about the SL convoys (the Norwegian Elg is also listed).

She was on a voyage from Liverpool to various ports in the Mediterranean when she was attacked by aircraft while in station 75 of Convoy KMS 31* east of Oran (36 12N 00 07W) on Nov. 11-1943, but escaped unharmed. 4 ships were sunk in this attack; the British Birchbank (2 died) and Indian Prince (1 died), the Belgian Carlier (72 died) and the French Nivose (amount of casualties not known). 1 ship was damaged. Again, see the link to the various OS/KMS convoys below. (OS 57/KMS 31 had departed Liverpool on Oct. 27-1943 and split up on Nov. 9-1943).

In Febr.-1944 she's listed as sailing in Convoy HX 279 from New York, general cargo for Liverpool, returning across the ocean in March with the westbound Convoy ON 228*.

In Sept.-1944 she sailed in Convoy SL 170 / MKS 61*. The SL portion of this convoy left Freetown on Sept. 8-1944, then joined up with the MKS portion from Gibraltar on Sept. 18, the combined convoy arriving Liverpool on Sept. 26. Voyage information for Somerville is given as Durban (Aug. 3) / St. Helena-Loch Ewe/Liverpool, cargo of filled bombs, copper, hides, wool, fruit pulp, phormium tonax, sperm oil, asbostos, sundries and 8 bags of mail. Belnor, Novasli and Sophocles also took part in this convoy, Belnor having joined from Gibraltar with the MKS portion, while the others had started out from Freetown in the SL convoy. Somerville subsequently joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 262* at the end of Oct. that year.

* The ON convoys mentioned here are available and will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section in due course, along with further details on each. In the meantime, please go to these convoys in the section listing ships in all ON convoys. As will be seen, several Norwegian ships sailed in both of them. The MKS and KMS convoys will also be added - in the meantime, see the section listing ships in all MKS convoys and the section for ships in all KMS convoys.

POST WAR:

(info from a posting to my Ship Forum by T. Eriksen):

Sold in 1950 to Hamburg-Amerika Linie AG (HAPAG), Hamburg, Germany, renamed Sachsenwald. Sold in 1953 to Schulte & Bruns Schiffahrtsges. GmbH, Hamburg and renamed Ursula Schulte. Belonged to Schulte & Bruns, Hamburg in 1956 under the name Dukegat (new engine 1960). Sold in 1966 to Dubai National Shipping Corp., Dubai, renamed Mohammed Abbas. Sold in 1973 to Tayeb & Co. (Ocean Trade W.L.L.), Kuwait, renamed Shaheen. Deleted from Lloyd's Register in 1976. Probably in use as storage vessel. (Note: Another poster says she did not become Dukegat until after 1960, and she still had that name in 1969, at which time she went to owners in Pakistan - I have no way of confirming this).

Related external links:
OS and OS/KMS Convoys - The site also has a section on the OB (& OA) convoys, the SL Convoys and several others. They can all be reached through the main page. As can be seen, Somerville is mentioned in OB 265, OS 10, OS 35, SL 136 / MKS 24, OS 57/KMS 31, and SL 170/MKS 61, as are a number of other Norwegian ships.

Hyperwar - The rescue of survivors from Ruth Lykes is mentioned under the entry for May 17-1942 (The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II by Robert J. Cressman).

Back to Somerville 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, and misc. (ref. My sources).