M/T Sommerstad - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

Misc. Convoy Voyages – 1940-1945:

Follow the convoy links provided for more details on them - more convoy information will be added.

According to Arnold Hague, Sommerstad took part in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 37 in Apr./May-1940 (see this external page). As can be seen when going to my own page about HX 37, Sommerstad is not included there. However, the dates do correspond with the information found on Page 1 of the archive documents.

She's listed as sailing in Convoy OB 147, which originated in Liverpool on May 12-1940 and dispersed on the 14th (Sommerstad joined from Clyde). Her destination is given as Baytown, Texas and she had station 53 of the convoy. However, she experienced engine trouble on May 13, causing her to lose touch and she did not catch up. She arrived Galveston on June 5. The 1st external website that I've linked to at the end of this page has more info on the OB convoys. In June/July that same year we find her in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 53, lub. oil for Clyde, station 56, having joined from Bermuda. She's also listed as sailing in station 55 of Convoy OA 196, which left Methil on Aug. 9-1940 and dispersed on the 15th. She was bound for Houston, where she arrived on Sept. 2. Again, see the external links provided at the end of this page.

"Nortraships flåte" claims that she was in Convoy HX 84 in Oct.-1940 (attacked by Admiral Scheer - see Solfonn), but this appears to be an error; she's not included on the convoy form for HX 84, as will be seen when following the link to this convoy. (See also a message in my Guestbook). She does, however, show up in the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 12 on Nov. 13, destination Rivery Mersey - see also Page 1.

Early in 1941 she appears in Convoy OB 274, which left Liverpool on Jan. 14 and dispersed on the 19th. Her destination is not given, but when going to the archive document referred to above, we see that she arrived Mobile on Febr. 10. She was scheduled to return with Convoy HX 114 on March 11-1941 (in which Hidlefjord and others were sunk), but instead joined HX 117 on March 27, and arrived Clyde on Apr. 15. Sommerstad later joined Convoy OB 318, departing Liverpool on May 2. The Norwegian D/S Eastern Star was torpedoed and sunk but the other 3, D/S Borgfred, M/S Høyanger, and M/T Sommerstad reached their destinations unharmed. According to Page 2 of the archive documents, Sommerstad arrived Philadelphia on May 22. (It was in this convoy battle that U-110 was captured and the commander, Julius Lemp died - the external links provided below have more on this event). Sommerstad headed back to the U.K. at the beginning of June-1941 with Convoy HX 130 from Halifax, bound for Manchester with lube oil, station 82; cruising order/Commodore's notes are also available for this convoy. At the end of that month she's listed in Convoy OB 341, leaving Liverpool on June 30, dispersed on July 6, Sommerstad arriving Baytown on July 25.

On Aug. 10-1941 she headed back to the U.K. in station 93 of Convoy HX 144 from Halifax, along with the Norwegian Polartank (station 95), Orwell (station 54), Hallanger (station 53), Eidanger (station 83), Havprins (station 82), Grena (station 73), Evanger (station 84), Norse King (station 15), Vinland (station 66) and Suderøy (station 63, all listed on this website). She subsequently made a voyage to Curacao, joining the westbound Convoy ON 15 on Sept. 11, which had a total of 8 Norwegian ships. She arrived Curacao on Oct. 3, the convoy having been dispersed on Sept. 16. She was scheduled to return with the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 51 on Oct. 23, but did not sail (also appears to have been cancelled from the previous convoy, SC 50, which is not available to me). She joined the next convoy, SC 52, but returned to port (as did all the other ships in this convoy), and later got away with SC 54 on Nov. 10.

In Jan.-1942 she joined the westbound Convoy ON 59*, but returned to port, later joining ON 62* at the beginning of the following month, bound for Curacao, where she arrived on Febr. 25, having joined from Belfast Lough (the convoy had been dispersed on Febr. 15). In March-1942 we find her in station 53 of the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 74, destination Glasgow and Mersey, returning with the westbound Convoy ON 84* the following month; destination New York, where she arrived on Apr. 27 (see Page 3). She subsequently went back to the U.K. in May with Convoy SC 83 from Halifax, and in June she's listed as bound for New York in the westbound Convoy ON 103*, and arrived New York on June 27. In July she sailed in the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 93, returning to New York the following month with the westboud Convoy ON 123, which departed Liverpool for the U.S. on Aug. 21; Sommerstad joined from Loch Ewe and arrived New York on Sept. 5.

Rick Pitz, a visitor to my website, has informed me via this message in my Gustbook that Sommerstad was part of Convoy HK 106, which left Bolivar Roads on Sept. 25-1942 and arrived Key West, Florida on Sept. 29. Her destination is given as Port Arthur. The external site that I've linked to below has more on this convoy. The same site now has her in Convoy SC 106, which left New York on Oct. 16-1942 and arrived Liverpool Nov. 5 - follow the link provided for more details. The following month she took station 42 of Convoy ON 152, bound for New York in ballast. The Norwegian Grey County and Bonneville also sailed in this convoy.

On Jan. 12-1943 she joined Convoy SC 117 from New York, but returned to port and joined the next convoy on Jan. 24, SC 118 - again, see the links provided at the end of this page (the Norwegian Daghild was sunk). Sommerville headed back to New York the following month in Convoy ON 169 (see Page 4), joining Convoy SC 126 from Halifax back to the U.K. on Apr. 8, returning across the ocean with the westbound Convoy ONS 7 early in May, again in the company of several other Norwegian ships. Sommerstad arrived New York on May 28. She was scheduled for Convoy SC 136 from Halifax on July 8, but instead joined the next convoy, SC 137, which left Halifax on July 19. She headed back to New York on Aug. 19 with the westbound Convoy ONS 16*, arriving on Sept. 4, and was scheduled to return to the U.K. with Convoy SC 142 later that month, but instead made that voyage in SC 143, departing Halifax on Sept. 28 (see also Page 5). On Oct. 22 she's listed as bound for New York in station 32 of Convoy ONS 21*, arriving her destination on Nov. 8, then on Nov. 19, we find her leaving Halifax for the U.K. with Convoy SC 147. 1943 was rounded off by sailing to New York in the westbound Convoy ONS 25*, departing Liverpool on Dec. 15-1943, Sommerstad arriving New York on Jan. 7-1944.

She headed back to the U.K. at the end of that month in the slow Convoy SC 152 from Halifax, station 31, subsequently joining the westbound Convoy ONS 30*. She arrived New York on March 16, having started out from Loch on Febr. 28. In Apr.-1944 she's listed in the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 288, returning in May with the westbound Convoy ON 236*. She was scheduled for Convoy HX 294 from New York at the beginning of June that year, but instead joined the next convoy on June 10, HX 295, and at the beginning of July she joined the westbound Convoy ON 243* (see also Page 6). In Aug.-1944 Sommerstad was in Convoy HX 303 with 16 other Norwegian ships, namely Tanafjord, Dalfonn, Noravind, Atlantic, Romulus, Skotaas, Geisha, Thorhild, Petter, Stirlingville, Rena, Para, Titanian, Mui Hock, Fjordaas and Norse Lady, all listed on this website. Sommerstad subsequently joined the westbound Convoy ON 254* on Sept. 16, arriving New York on Oct. 5, then headed back to the U.K. in the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 159 on Oct. 18. On Nov. 13 she's listed as bound for New York in the westbound Convoy ONS 36*, arriving her destination on Dec. 4, and on the 17th of that month she shows up in Convoy SC 163 from Halifax to the U.K., arriving Liverpool on New Year's Eve.

She joined the westbound Convoy ONS 40* on Jan. 12-1945, but returned to port, later joining ONS 41* at the end of that month, destination New York, with arrival Febr. 24. Going back to the external site below, we find her in the eastbound Convoy SC 169 from Halifax on March 7 that year. The following month she's listed as bound for New York in Convoy ONS 46*, which left Liverpool on Apr. 2, Sommerstad arriving New York on the 22nd (see Page 7), and on May 26 she headed back to the U.K. with Convoy SC 177 from Halifax, according to A. Hague - see the external site already mentioned.

* All the ON and ONS 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, and the page naming ships in all ONS convoys. As will be seen, they all had several Norwegian ships. For other convoys, please follow the links already provided.

Related external links:
OB & OA convoys - OB 147 and OA 196 are included. See also this section of the same site. Clicking on "Ship Search" on the left hand side, using "Sommerstad" as keyword, will bring up several convoys she was in, many of which are not mentioned in my own text. Here's the main page for the OB convoys in this particular section (as mentioned, Sommerstad is included in OB 147, OB 274, OB 318, which is also available on my own site, and OB 341). Note that Convoy HK 106, mentioned in my narrative, is also available (see this page). Also, here are Convoy SC 106, SC 117, SC 118, SC 169 and SC 177 in which Sommerstad is listed - these are not available on my own site.

Ships in Convoy HX 84 - 37 ships are listed in 9 columns, Sommerstad is not mentioned - see also my own page about this convoy, which I've linked to further up on this page.

OB-318, 7-10 May 1941
Fritz-Julius Lemp | The secret capture of U-110

Military History on line - battle of the Atlantic - has info on the Enigma and Ultra, raiders, U-boats, the convoy system, and all aspects of the battle.