T/S Tana

To Tana on the "Ships starting with T" page.

Partial Crew List


Source: Lillesand Sjømannsforening.

Related page on this website:
Interned Ships has a list of all 26 Norwegian ships interned in North and West Africa during the war.

One of the 26 ships interned in North and West Africa. There's some disagreements as to dates and facts, as with so many of the other interned ships. "Nortraships flåte" says she was interned on June 22-1940, later requisitioned as Ste Simone. Sunk in 1943. R. W. Jordan's "The World's Merchant Fleets" says she was seized in Safi on July 4-1941 (agrees with the name Ste Simone), later in German service as Tana (from Nov. '42), attacked and damaged by allied aircraft near Olbia, Sardinia May 24-1943. Wilh. Wilhelmsen's fleet list says Tana was on a voyage from Liverpool to Panama(?) when she was seized by the Vichy French in Safi, Morocco on July 4-1941 and renamed as above (then taken over by the Germans in Nov. 1942 and renamed Tana), but surely that's not correct. Why would she go to Safi in July-1941 at a time when many other Norwegian ships had already been seized there? It would seem more likely she was interned in the summer of 1940 like all the others, then requisitioned and renamed in 1941.

"Sjømann - Lang Vakt" by Guri Hjeltnes says she had a crew of 31, 30 Norwegian, 6 went home. This source also says she was interned in Safi.

A French visitor to my says that according to his records Tana sailed from Safi on ? -41 in convoy. At Casablanca on ? Sailed from Casablanca on Aug. 10-1941 in convoy. At Oran Aug. 13. In 1942, coastal traffic off Tunisia (Bizerta to Sfax).

Partial Crew List:
The following appears to be a list of those who were still in Africa at the time of the allied invasion in Nov.-1942.

Captain Jahn K. Jansen	2nd Mate Rolf Rolfsen	Carpenter Johan Olsen	Boatswain Odd Nordahl	Able Seaman Rolf Blomstrand	Able Seaman Nauf Thor Olsen
Able Seaman Ragnar Brynhildsen	Able Seaman Karl A. Myrvang	Able Seaman Rolf Andersen	1st Engineer Bjarne Johansen	Donkeyman Hans O. Hansen	Stoker Rolf Larsen
Stoker Erling Eliassen	Stoker Jens Berg Johansen	Oiler Ivar Tangen	Steward Sem Salte	Cook Arne Bagstevold	Cook(?) Odd R. Jørgensen
Cook(?) Odd Melby Hansen	+ 12 more?

I will look these names up in Kristian Ottosen's "Nordmenn i fangenskap" (Norwegians in imprisonment) to see if there's more information on where the above men were kept.

In the book "Våre falne", which lists Norwegian WW II casualties, I came across the name Lars Olof Larsen, Able Seaman on Tana, who is said to have died at a camp on Sept. 3-1941, following illness, and is buried same place.

POST WAR: Raised, but foundered on Dec. 10-1946 while in tow for Genoa, position 41 20N 10 57E.

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Wilh. Wilhelmsen later had another ship by this name from 1956 till 1969, originally delivered as Ringfred in Febr.-1956 and managed by Olav Ringdal, Oslo, 6553 gt. Sold to Wilh. Wilhelmsen in May that same year and renamed Tana. Later names: Johs Presthus of Bergen from 1969, Johs P of Piræus from 1971, Concordia Johs 1971, Johs P again in 1972. Towed to Antwerp and repaired after a fire broke out when east of Dungeness on a voyage Sluiskil-Guayaquil on March 18-1973, renamed Bouboulina Wave 1974, Dalyah 1978. Broken up at Busan 1979.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: Wilh. Wilhelmsen fleet list, "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume II, Norwegian Maritime Museum, and misc. others as named within above text - (ref. My sources).