M/T Thorshov - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

M/T Thorshov

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

Picture source: Narve Sørensen (ex Thor Dahl employee).

Here are some more pictures of Thorshov (also from Narve Sørensen):
Pic 1 | Pic 2 | Pic 3 | Pic 4 | Pic 5 | Pic 6 | Pic 7 (the latter 2 appear to have been taken while she was being built).

Manager: A/S Thor Dahl, Sandefjord
Tonnage: 9955 gt.
Owner: Bryde & Dahls Hvalfangerselskap A/S

Built Vegesack, Germany 1935.

Captain: Bjarne Svenningsen.

Related items on this website:
Odd's ships
Odd's letters / Letters No. 4, No. 8 & No. 9

Thorshov crossed the Atlantic 50 times in the course of the war.

Some War Voyages – 1941-1945:

The first external webste that I've linked to at the end of this text has Thorshov in station 63 of Convoy SL 71, which left Freetown on Apr. 8 and arrived Liverpool on May 4-1941. Follow the link for names of other Norwegian ships taking part.

That summer Thorshov (in station 83) joined the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 140 together with the Norwegian Madrono (112), Boreas (16), Velox (56), Velma (96), Alaska (106), Stiklestad (95), Vardefjell (84), Evita (114), Olaf Bergh (124), Skiensfjord (97), Ferncastle (113), Bonneville (82), Thorshavet (43), and Helgøy (77). Beth and Petter were also initially in this convoy but left due to engine problems. HX 140 departed Halifax on July 22-1941 and arrived Liverpool on Aug. 6. Already on the 16th we find her in station 62 of the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 8; her destination is given as New York. On Sept. 10-1941 she was again leaving Halifax, this time in Convoy HX 149 (in station 64), together with the Norwegian Daghild (station 63), Brasil (83), Thorsholm (33), Innerøy (35), Aristophanes (station 43), Somerville (66?), Glittre (24), Lise (44), Harpefjell (86), Norvik (Panamanian flag, Norwegian managers and therefore included on this website, in station 84, behind Brasil) and Brant County (87), as well as an unnamed Norwegian tanker in station 73.

In Jan.-1942 she was among the ships in Convoy HX 169, then in June that year she's listed in Convoy HX 194, and in Aug./Sept. she can be found in HX 205 from Halifax. Rick Pitz, a visitor to my website, has informed me via this message in my Gustbook that in Oct. that year Thorshov was in Convoy GAT 16, which left Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for Trinidad on Oct. 22 with 24 ships, among them several Norwegian (named in the Guestbook message). Thorshov's destination is given as Curacao. The following month she shows up in Convoy HX 215, which departed New York City on Nov. 11-1942 and arrived Liverpool on the 25th; her destination is given as Avonmouth.

The following spring, in Apr.-1943 she sailed in Convoy HX 234, and must have gone straight back to the U.S., because at the end of May that year she can be found in Convoy HX 242, which left New York on May 31 and arrived Liverpool on June 15. Thorshov's destination was Avonmouth, and she had station 122 of the convoy.

After the allied invasion of the Italian mainland, convoy after convoy of troopships, supply ships and tankers passed in an endless stream through the straits of Gibraltar in the fall of 1943, and continued to the terminals in North Africa. Due to minefields, they had to pass through in daylight, and from there they proceeded within the vicinity of land at Spanish Morocco, where there was reason to believe German agents were numerous. Europa Point to the Alboran Island could be covered at night, but along the entire stretch passed Cape Bengut, 42 n. miles east of Algiers and to Bizerta in Tunisia, the convoys could expect attacks from German U-boats or aircraft. The terminal ports themselves, where the allied forces were being built up were, naturally, important targets for the German planes, especially Bizerta, a fact which Thorshov was to experience in Aug.-1943. Fortunately, my father missed this event, as he didn't join the ship until Sept. the following year.

Thorshov had departed New York on Aug. 3 with a cargo of aviation fuel for Bizerta. On the 22nd the convoy* passed through the straits of Gibraltar, and on board Thorshov all weapons were manned. On Aug. 26 they were 80 n. miles north of Bizerta when suddenly 3 torpedoes detonated inside the convoy, sinking the Commodore ship as well as two? others. Nothing further happened, and the convoy reached Bizerta the next day. On Sept. 6, while Thorshov was still unloading her cargo, an intense air attack took place. Her gunners, under the leadership of Mikal Mikkelsen, took part in the defence on this occasion, firing 1020 shots from her Oerlikon. Though bombs were falling in all directions around the ship, she escaped unscathed.

*Thorshov may have been in Convoy UGS 14 at the time. This convoy had departed Hampton Roads on Aug. 7-1943, arriving Port Said on Sept. 2 - 67 ships (Port Said was the eastern terminal for the UGS convoys until the end of 1944, at which time Oran became the terminal, according to Arnold Hague). 2 American ships in this convoy, namely John Bell (cargo of war stores, 1 died) and Richard Henderson (stores and explosives, no casualties) were sunk by U-410 (Fenski) in position 37 15N 08 24E on the date in question. In fact, on further investigation, I find that no other ships were victims of a U-boat attack on that particular day in 1943. Rohwer says that U-410 reported 2 ships sunk and another torpedoed, but does not name a 3rd ship. See also the text under Aug. 26 at the "Related link" below.

A couple of months later, in Nov.-1943, she made a voyage from Augusta to Bizerta with Convoy MKS 31 - scroll down to the second table on that page. Her destination is given as U.S.A. so she may have joined a GUS convoy from Bizerta (possibly GUS 23?).

In Apr.-1944 Thorshov is listed in the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 288, bound for Swansea, in June she sailed in Convoy HX 294, and in July we find her in the large Convoy HX 300 from New York; her destination is given as London. In Sept. she sailed in Convoy HX 310, bound for Swansea and Mersey.

She was scheduled for the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 333 in Jan.-1945, but did not sail. She was also cancelled from HX 335 at the end of that month, but later joined Convoy HX 336 early in Febr.

She must have made several trips to the Mediterranean; my father mentions these in one of his letters, but as far as I can tell she was mostly in service on the Atlantic. My father stayed on board until May-1946. (See Letter No. 9 to his cousin, written on board Thorshov - he also talks about Thorshov in his Letter No. 4, and No. 8 - link at the top of this page).

POST WAR:

Sold on Apr. 29-1954 to International Mercantile Navigation Co SA, Panama, and renamed Montemar. Sold to Brodospas, for scrap, and arrived Split on Dec. 31-1959 to be broken up.

Related external links:
SL convoys - As can be seen, Thorshov is mentioned in Convoy SL 71, as are several other Norwegian ships. The site also has a section on OS/KMS Convoys.

Hyperwar - linked directly to 1943 of Robert Cressman's book, which says John Bell had a crew of 43, adding that both American ships sank the next morning, having been irreparably damaged. The British minesweeper HMS BYMS 23 and the South African armed whaler Southern Maid rescued John Bell's survivors, with the latter also participating in rescuing survivors from Richard Henderson.

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