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M/S Sophocles To Sophocles on the "Ships starting with S" page. Manager: I. M. Skaugen, Oslo Built in Gothenburg in 1939. Related item on this website: Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives:
Sophocles, with steel, lumber and general for Liverpool, was scheduled for Convoy HX 64 as well as for HX 65 in Aug.-1940, but did not sail. She later joined Convoy HX 75 on Sept. 21, and the following month she shows up in Convoy OB 233, which left Liverpool on Oct. 23 and dispersed on the 27th, available via the external link provided at the end of this page. No destination is given for Sophocles, but according to Page 1 of the archive documents, she arrived Montreal on Nov. 4. She headed back to the U.K. later that month with Convoy HX 91, bound for Newcastle with general cargo, joining the convoy from Sydney, C.B. - other Norwegian ships also took part in these convoys, as will be seen when following the links. Cruising order/Commodore's notes are also available for HX 91. In Sept.-1941 she was in Convoy HX 151 from Halifax. She left port at 12:41 on Sept. 22 according to a convoy list that has been sent to me, and was initially given station 103, but she must have had some kind of a problem because she left the convoy at 14:50, anchored south of St. George's, then later sailed on independently. It appears the British Clan Mactavish then moved into station 103. Other Norwegian ships in this convoy were Sama (in station 85), San Andres (105), Meline (43), Morgenen (93), Belinda, Dagrun (54), Thorshøvdi (53), Tigre (44), Hardanger (94), Leiv Eiriksson (24), and Laurits Swenson (it says Swenson, but I assume it should be Laurits Swenson), all listed on this website. In Oct.-1941 we find her in station 35 of the westbound Convoy ON 30, which originated in Liverpool on Oct. 26 and dispersed Nov. 9 - see also the Commodore's narrative. Sophocles was bound for Montreal on that occasion, and according to Page 2 of the archive documents she arrived her destination on Nov. 13, having started out from Belfast Lough on Oct. 27. At the end of May-1942 she can be found in Convoy HX 192 from Halifax to the U.K., and in July that year she made a voyage to Capetown, having joined Convoy OS 33 (station 44), which left Liverpool on July 1. Please go to the external website that I've linked to below for a lot more information on the passage of this convoy. It looks like Sophocles, carrying a cargo of military stores, joined from Belfast Lough; she arrived Table Bay on July 27 - see Page 3. Other Norwegian ships were Jenny, Maloja and Ingria. According to a personal story written by an able seaman who joined this ship in Bombay in Apr.-1944 she had at that time been in Bombay for a couple of years* waiting for replacement parts so that she could be repaired (not sure why she needed repairs). She could then finally head back to sea with first stop Aden, then around South Africa to Brazil, going by Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande du Sul and Santos. She left Santos on Aug. 23, arriving London at the end of Sept.-1944 with a cargo of canned goods, linters, rice, coffee, salted hides, pine, cotton, leather, cotton waste, hair, and 3 passengers, Convoy SL 170 / MKS 61. The SL portion of this convoy had left Freetown on Sept. 8-1944, joined up with the MKS portion from Gibraltar on Sept. 18, and arrived Liverpool on Sept. 26. Belnor, Novasli and Somerville also took part, Belnor having joined from Gibraltar with the MKS portion, while the others had started out from Freetown. More convoy information is available via the external link below. MKS 61 will also be added to my own site; in the meantime, see the section listing ships in all MKS convoys.
Towards the end of Oct.-1944 she's listed in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 261, with destination New York, heading back to the U.K. on Nov. 24 with Convoy HX 322 from New York, general cargo for London. She later joined the westbound Convoy ON 274*, departing Southend on Dec. 23-1944, arriving New York on Jan. 8-1945. On Jan. 28-1945 we find her in the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 335, bound for Liverpool with general and explosives, returning with the westbound Convoy ON 287*, which left Southend on Febr. 25-1945 and arrived New York on March 14. In March/Apr.-1945 she served as Commodore Vessel for Convoy HX 347, which left New York on March 29 and arrived Liverpool on Apr. 14 (Commodore R.G. Bruusgaard, Royal Norwegian Navy). This convoy is not available to me, but can be found at the external site that I've linked to below. She subsequently joined the westbound Convoy ON 299* (departure Southend Apr. 26, arrival New York May 13). Further voyages (up to and including Apr.-1946) are listed on Page 4. As will be seen, she got to go home to Norway in Sept.-1945.
Related external link: Back to Sophocles on the "Ships starting with S" page. The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "The World's Merchant Fleets 1939", R. W. Jordan, the Norwegian magazine "Krigsseileren", and misc. (ref. My sources).
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