D/S Spica
Updated Jan. 23-2009

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

Some Convoy Voyages:

(More will be added).

Spica is listed as sailing in Convoy HN 17 from Norway to the U.K. early in March-1940, bound for Newcastle with fresh fish, returning to Norway later that month with Convoy ON 21. At the end of March we find her in Convoy HN 23A, again bound for Newcastle with fish. When the Germans invaded Norway on Apr. 9-1940 she was en route from Newcastle to Bergen, but was ordered to return to the U.K., and therefore ended up in allied service. (This fits in with the details for Convoy ON 25 to Norway, but she's not listed in that convoy).

In July-1941 she can be found in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 134, joining the convoy from Iceland. Her destination is given as Fleetwood, where she arrived July 11 (see Page 2). In Oct.-1941 she's listed as bound for Iceland in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 29, which left Liverpool Oct. 22, Spica arriving Reykjavik on the 29th (see ships in all ON convoys for the names of other ships in this convoy - will later be added to an individual page in my Convoys section).

As will be seen when going to Page 11, Spica finally got to go home to Norway in Nov.-1945, and again the following month.

The engineer Tallak Solheim was on board this ship in Apr.-1940. In May that year, before Norway had capitulated, Spica was sent to Tromsø with supplies, but returned to the U.K. (see Page 1). In 1941 Solheim joined D/S Roy, which was in service on the east coast of England and was sunk that same year by German motor torpedo boats. At the beginning of 1942 he joined D/S Aust. My page Norwegian Victims of T/S Thor has details on what he and his shipmates from Aust endured. He was among the 3 who were later transferred to Rhakotis, and was rescued by a German U-boat after Rhakotis had been sunk on Jan. 1-1943, then taken to France, later to Marlag and Milag Nord until June 9-1943, before being sent home to Norway, arriving there 8 days later. Having a family to feed he had to return to sea, but this time he was forced into German sea service, namely on D/S Ursa, trading between Germany and Norway. The following year Ursa barely missed being sunk during an air attack on the convoy (D/S Lynx belonging to the same company sank in this attack). Solheim got through the rest of the war without any further incidents.

POST WAR:

Sold in Febr.-1951 to Alf Mortensen, Oslo, delivered Febr. 19 and renamed Inger Lise. Machinery removed at Tjøme Verft, but laid up unfinished. Sold in Oct.-1955 by Govert Grindhaug, Åkrehamn/Kopervik. Converted to motor vessel in 1956 by Br. Lothe A/S, Flytedokken, Haugesund, completed in Aug. that year. Capsized and sank on Oct. 28-1956, 30 n. miles southwest of Lista when on a voyage Trondheim-Hamburg. Crew was saved by Fred. Olsen's M/S Blenheim.

Related external link:
Misc. convoys - By clicking on "Ship Search", typing "Spica" as keyword, several convoys that are not mentioned in my text above will come up, including quite a few local U.K. convoys, among others.

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

Other ships by this name: Bergenske D/S had another Spica before the war, 2360 gt, built in Copenhagen 1923, ran ground on Aug.27-1930 at Cerborus Rock, Canso Straits, N.S., on a voyage Halifax-Chicoutimi with general cargo, total loss. Another Spica was originally built as Baron Kilmarnock of Ardrossan in 1953, purchased by Bergenske D/S in 1957, renamed Spica. Became Panamanian Eastland Trader in 1966, San Antonio in 1967, Lavander in 1973, Southmont in 1977. Sold that year to Singapore, renamed Bloomfield. Broken up 1979.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Våre gamle skip" , Leif M. Bjørkelund & E. H. Kongshavn, "Bergenske, byen og selskapet", Dag Bakka Jr., "Hjemmeflåten - Mellom venn og fiende", Lauritz Pettersen, and misc.