M/T Strinda

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

Misc. War Voyages:

Strinda, bound for Milford Haven with a cargo of fuel oil, is listed among the ships in Convoy HX 49 in June-1940, in which Eli Knudsen and Randsfjord were sunk. Strinda joined this convoy with the Bermuda portion. Several Norwegian ships took part, as will be seen by following the link.

She was in convoy OB 191 when she was hit amidships by a torpedo from U-99 (Kretschmer) on Aug. 2-1940, 55 10N 17 16W, about 300 n. miles west of Northern Ireland. Not long afterwards he also hit and damaged 2 British tankers (Lucerna and Alexia), but all 3 managed to get to Milford Haven without assistance. According to a visitor to my site, Admiralty records give some more details, saying she was torpedoed at 23:55 (BST) on Aug. 1 in No. 9 port wing tank and port bunker oil tank. The port lifeboat was lost in the explosion. The crew abandoned ship in the remaining boats and stood by the ship. At 04:00 on Aug. 2 the captain and a party reboarded her, and later the rest rejoined. The remainder of the boats were hoisted on board at 07:00 whereupon she continued and arrived at Tail of the Bank Gourock on Aug. 4. ("Nortraships flåte" by J. R Hegland gives the time of attack as 01:20 on Aug. 2).

The following year, on March 10-1941, after having been repaired in Cardiff, Strinda was attacked by aircraft while outside Milford Haven waiting to join Convoy OB 297. The attack on the convoy lasted for 3 hours, but Strinda escaped unharmed on this occasion too. Several Norwegian ships were the victims of air attacks in British waters in this period (from Jan.-'41), D/T Thorøy, D/S Polyana, D/S Ask, D/S Eikhaug, M/S Teneriffa, D/S Libra, D/S Nurgis, D/S Knoll, D/S Svint just to mention a few (can be found under their respective letters of the alphabet). Many others struck mines in the same period.

At the end of Apr.-1941 she was in Convoy HX 122 bound for Clyde with fuel oil, and in July that year she shows up in Convoy HX 136, bound for Clyde with Admiralty fuel, joining from Bermuda. At the end of that month she's listed, with destination Curacao, in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 2, leaving Liverpool on July 27, and in Aug./Sept. she went back to the U.K. in station 63 of Convoy HX 147 along with the Norwegian Nueva Granada (station 104), Bello (station 114), Solør (station 54), Sandanger (station 103, which means she was the 3rd ship in the 10th column, right behind Bralanta and in front of Nueva Granada), Slemmestad (station 95), Bralanta (in station 102), G. C. Brøvig (station 44), and probably O. A. Knudsen (name is misspelt on the form, might also be Ida Knudsen, in station 112).

In Sept./Oct.-1941 she again made a voyage from Clyde to Curacao. This is possible to determine by going to the first external website that I've linked to at the end of this text, which has her in station 63 of Convoy OS 7, departing Liverpool on Sept. 23-1941. Other Norwegian ships in this convoy were Hallanger and Lynghaug. Jenny was also scheduled for this convoy but did not sail. Strinda must have gone back to Halifax, because on Nov. 3-1941 she shows up in station 44 of Convoy HX 158, returning with the westbound convoy ON 50* at the end of Dec.-1941, bound for New York.

In Jan.-1942 she's mentioned in connection with Convoy HX 171 together with several other Norwegian ships. However, she also appears in HX 172, so probably did not sail in HX 171. She's listed as bound for Key West in the westbound Convoy ON 67* the following month, in which the Norwegian Eidanger and several others were sunk. I now have a big gap** in the available voyage information for Strinda, but Christmas of 1942 was spent in Convoy HX 219 from New York, Strinda with a cargo of fuel oil for Liverpool, station 74.

HX 219 had arrived Liverpool on Dec. 29-1942, and already on Jan. 4-1943 she joined the westbound Convoy ON 159, station 101. She was bound for Guantanamo on that occasion. She must have gone back to the U.K., because in March that year we find her mentioned in the westbound Convoy ON 173*. In May-1943 she's listed in Convoy HX 237 from New York; her destination is given as Bowling, and the following month she joined the westbound Convoy ON 188*. She was scheduled to return to the U.K. at the end of June with Convoy HX 246, but did not sail, and was also cancelled from the next convoy the following month, HX 247. There's now another gap** in her voyage information - she shows up again in the westbound Convoy ON 218* at the end of Dec.-1943.

At the end of March-1944 we find her in Convoy HX 285, returning with the westbound Convoy ON 234* at the end of Apr. In May she's listed in HX 292, subsequently joining the westbound Convoy ON 240* in June. In July she was in HX 298 from New York to the U.K., then went back across the ocean later that month with the westbound Convoy ON 246*. In Sept./Oct.-1944 she sailed in Convoy HX 311, which arrived Liverpool on Oct. 14 - Strinda's destination was Clyde. She then joined the westbound Convoy ON 260*, serving as escort oiler and also carrying 60 spare DC's. Already on Nov. 4 she can be found among the ships in Convoy HX 318 from New York, returning at the end of that month with the westbound Convoy ON 268*. The following month, in Dec.-1944, she shows up in HX 326.

Early in Jan-1945 she joined the westbound Convoy ON 276*, and was scheduled to return to the U.K. with Convoy HX 334 towards the end of that month, but instead joined HX 336 early in Febr. She subsequently joined the westbound Convoy ON 286* towards the end of Febr., and must have gone back to the U.K. shortly thereafter, because in Apr.-1945 she shows up in the westbound Convoy ON 296*.

* All 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, many Norwegian ships sailed in them, and Strinda often served as escort oiler for these convoys.

** The gaps in Strinda's voyage information can be filled by following the external link provided below.

POST WAR:

Owned from 1951 by A/S Aurlandsfaldene (A/S J. Ludwig Mowinckels Rederi), Bergen, then from 1952 by A/S Aurland, same managers. Sold in 1955 to San Juan Carriers Ltd., Monrovia, renamed San Juan Trader, converted to bulk carrier - 6451 gt, 3252 net, 15 221 tdwt. Arrived Split on Oct. 28-1962 for breaking up at Brodospas.

Related external links:
OS and OS/KMS Convoys - As can be seen, Strinda is listed in Convoy OS 7. By going to this page on the site and clicking on "Search database" on the left hand side, using "Strinda" as keyword, the gaps in her voyage information can be filled.

U-99 | Otto Kretschmer

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

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, and misc. (ref. My sources).