D/S Spurt
Updated Jan. 24-2009

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

Built by Great Lakes Engineering Works, Michigan in 1918. Previous name: Craincreek until 1929.

Related item on this website:
A Guestbook message - From someone who served on Spurt, Ken Cole. His twin brother was killed when Selbo was sunk.

Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives:
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6 | Page 7 | Page 8 | Page 9

Misc. Convoy Voyages:

(More will be added).

As will be seen when going to Page 1 above, Spurt arrived New York from Cuba on Apr. 9-1940, the day of the German invasion of Norway.

In Nov.-1940 she was one of several Norwegian ships in the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 11, in which Bruse and Salonica were sunk, among others. Spurt (cargo of pit props for Tyne) rescued the entire crew from the British Alma Dawson (from SC 11) which struck a British mine and sank 55 32N 04 44W on Nov. 24-1940 (Firth of Clyde area).

George Monk, England has told me that a Captain Olaf Pedersen of Spurt received a British "Commendation", possibly for the above rescue? - his source: Seedies List of awards to the British Merchant Navy which includes awards to Allied merchant seamen.

In the summer of 1941 we find her, together with several other Norwegian ships, in Convoy OB 343, originating in Liverpool on July 6, dispersed on the 21st - ref. external link provided at the end of this page; see also Ferncourt. Spurt's destination is given as Montreal, where she arrived on July 23, having started out from Loch Ewe on the 8th - see Page 2. According to Arnold Hague, she subsequently returned with Convoy SC 40, departing Sydney, C.B. on Aug. 10-1941, arriving Liverpool on the 29th; Spurt stopped at Oban that day. This convoy is not available among the SC convoys included on my own website, but I've linked directly to Hague's listing at the end of this page.

She now made some voyages around the U.K., but later headed back across the Atlantic with the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 88, which originated in Liverpool on Apr. 21-1942, Spurt arriving Boston on May 8 (she had joined from Loch Ewe again). This convoy will be added to an individual page in my Convoys section, but for now, the ships sailing in it are named on this page. In Sept.-1942 she's listed among the ships in Convoy SC 100 from Halifax. However, she returned to port, subsequently joining the next convoy, SC 101 - see also Page 3.

More U.K. voyages now followed (again, see Page 3 above as well as Page 4), before she in May-1943 joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ONS 7, along with several other Norwegian ships. She arrived Halifax on May 25, having sailed from Oban on May 8, then headed back to the U.K. with Convoy SC 134 from Halifax on June 16 (as will be seen when following the links, many of the other ships in ONS 7 also returned with the latter convoy). See also Page 5.

The following month, in July-1943, she made a voyage from Milford to Lisbon with coal in Convoy OS 52/KMS 21, station 16. This convoy departed Liverpool on July 19 and split up on the 28th, the Gibraltar portion (KMS 21, in which Spurt took part) arriving there the next day, while the OS convoy continued to Freetown, with arrival Aug. 7 - the Norwegian Fernhill was sunk. Spurt arrived Lisbon on Aug. 2, having started out from Milford Haven July 18. Again, ref. the external website that I've linked to below for more convoy info - several other Norwegian ships are included (see also my own page for KMS 21). The same website also has her in Convoy SL 135/MKS 22, bound for Barrow with iron ore. SL 135 had departed Freetown on Aug. 14-1943, joined up with MKS 22 from Gibraltar on the 26th and arrived Liverpool on Sept. 6. Spurt joined with the MKS convoy from Gibraltar, and arrived Barrow Sept. 6. This convoy is also available on my own site at MKS 22.

She now made a voyage to Seville, having joined Convoy KMS 28*, departing Liverpool Sept. 26, arriving Gibraltar Oct. 7; Spurt arrived Seville on the 10th. Later that month I have her, with a general cargo for Preston, in Convoy MKS 28 (see Hallfried). This convoy joined up with SL 138 from Freetown before proceeding to the U.K., Spurt arriving Preson on Nov. 8. About a week later we find her in Convoy OS 59/KMS 33*, departing Liverpool on Nov. 16, split up on the 28th, the Gibraltar portion arriving there the next day, while the OS portion proceeded to Freetown. Her voyage is given as Liverpool-Seville with general cargo in station 14; she had sailed in the KMS convoy and arrived Seville on Dec. 2, returning to the U.K. with Convoy SL 142/MKS 33, cargo of bitter oranges - see also my own page for Convoy MKS 33. SL 142 had started out from Freetown on Dec. 2, joined up with the Gibraltar convoy on the 14th and arrived Liverpool on the 28th; Spurt arrived Loch Ewe on the 27th. Again, see Page 5.

In Apr.-1944 she shows up in the Iceland-U.K. Convoy RU 117, bound for Sharpness with U.S. Government stores, arriving there on May 3 (she had previously arrived Reykjavik on March 31 with Convoy UR 114, link below - Lyra is also listed). See also Page 6. Further voyages are listed on the rest of the archive documents; compare these to the convoy information resulting from following the instructions at the external link below.

As can be seen when going to Page 9, she got to go home to Norway already in June-1945.

* All the KMS convoys will be added to this site, but for now, see ships in all KMS convoys.

POST WAR:

Renamed Jaguar in 1946, Taberg in 1947. Wrecked off Calais in 1952.

Related external links:
OS/KMS Convoys - The site also has a section on the SL/MKS Convoys, going in the other direction. As can be seen, Spurt is listed in Convoy OS 52/KMS 21, SL 135/MKS 22, OS 59/KMS 33 and SL 142/MKS 33. SL 138/MKS 28 is also available, but Spurt is not included in this convoy in this particular section of the site. Note also that by going to this section of the same site (based on A. Hague's database) and clicking on "Ship Search", using "Spurt" as keyword, several convoys that are not mentioned in the above narrative will come up, including a long list of local U.K. convoys. Here are OB 343, SC 40, SL 138/MKS 28 and UR 114, all mentioned in my text.

S/S Spurt - Technical info and picture of funnel (Darren Dypevåg's site).

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

Other ships by this name: This company had another Spurt post war. This was the ex Liberty Ship Henry Watterson, built 1943, 7225 gt, which became Spurt in Aug.-1947. Came under Lebanese flag as Spartan for Cia. Mar. Angelikana S. A., Panama in 1961. Ran aground in fog at Pasa Buenavista, Cuba on Dec. 13-1961 on voyage Gdansk-Cienfuegos with cargo of cement. Refloated on May 29-1962 and towed to Havana, but declared total loss and scrapped. Norway had previously had another steamship by this name, built Sunderland 1885, 1089 gt, and had the name Primula (Hj. Siegwarth, Kristiania) from 1898 till 1903. She was owned by A/S Spurt (N. A. P. Staubo), Kristiania in 1915 so it's reasonable to think that's when she was renamed Spurt. Aground near Whitby in Febr.-1918.