M/T Thordis
Updated Jan. 17-2011

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

As will be seen when going to Page 1 of the archive documents, Thordis was on her way from Balik Papan to Port Darwin when war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9-1940. After the German invasion it was not uncommon for Norwegian ships to be treated with distrust and suspicion, resulting in quite a few of them being forced into port by British war ships, and even put under armed guard. This also happened to Thordis on Apr. 15 when from Darwin she was escorted to Thursday Island together with M/T Havbør. They were subsequently joined by Anders Jahre and Høegh Giant, before continuing to Brisbane on Apr. 19.

Her 1941 voyages also start on Page 1 and continue on Page 2.

She was at Haifa on Christmas Eve 1941, along with several other ships, among them the Norwegian M/T Vilja and M/T Athene, when the tanker Phenix suddenly blew up while maneuvering out from the harbour (according to Page 3 of the archive documents, Thordis had arrived Haifa from Alexandria on Dec. 19). Most of the ships managed to get clear of the burning and sinking ship (though Vilja had been damaged). Thordis was sent to Beirut, where she arrived Dec. 25. It's believed that the cause of the explosion might have been similar to what had happened at Alexandria a few days earlier - see M/T Sagona.

According to A. Hague's record above, Thordis ran aground on Apr. 22-1942, when on her way from Colombo to Cochin. I have no further details on this but she arrived Cochin on Apr. 28, continuing to Bombay for repairs 2 days later, with arrival May 3. It'll be noticed, when going to Page 3, that she subsequently spent a long time there; departure is given as Sept. 29, when she proceeded to Abadan. Her 1943 voyages also start on this document (convoy information in Voyage Record above), while the rest are shown on Page 4 and as can be seen, there's another long gap in her voyages that year. She had arrived New York from Trinidad on June 16-1943 and did not leave again until Sept. 16-1944, when she joined Convoy HX 309, for which Laurits Swenson served as the Vice Commodore's ship. The reason for this long stay in New York is unknown to me. Thordis arrived Southampton, via Portland, on Oct. 6.

It'll also be noticed that she later remained in Falmouth for almost a year; again, reason not known. From the same document (Page 4), we learn that she went home to Norway in Nov.-1945.

Back to Thordis on the "Ships starting with T" page.

Other ships named Thordis: Wilh. Wilhelmsen had a Thordis, built in Sunderland 1899, 3736 gt - lost March 4-1906 near Port Stevens, N. S. W. Another Thordis was built for the company in 1906 at Fevik, 1749 gt, lost July 5-1911, voyage Petropavlovsk-Vladivostok. Tønnevold also previously had a Thordis, built in Oakland, California 1917, she had Norwegian officers and a Chinese crew. Sold (to Oslo) in 1925 and renamed Hampholm. See also this posting to Uboat.net's forum.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, Roger W. Jordan, "Olaf Tønnevold & Sønner 1878-1978" Birger Dannevig - and misc.