M/S Titanian
Updated Apr. 5-2009

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


Source: Roger W. Jordan collection (sent to me for inclusion on this website).
Another picture is available at Lillesand Sjømannsforening's website (external link).

This one was received from (and painted by) Jan Goedhart, Holland.

Owner: A/S Rederiet Titanian
Manager: Hilmar Reksten, Bergen
Tonnage: 4880 gt.
Dimensions: 400.6' x 53.5' x 25.7'.

Delivered in May-1924 as Iossifoglu from Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd., Newcastle (1217) to S.H., London. Sold in 1925 to Ionian Marine & Land Investment Co., London. Sold in 1927 to Moorgate Investment & Agency Co., Ltd., Newcastle. Renamed Titanian in 1929 - Moorgate Investment & Agency Co. Ltd. (W.A. Souter & Co.), Newcastle. Sold in 1936 to Swan Hunter & W. Richardson (W.A. Souter & Co.), Newcastle. Sold in Dec.-1936 to A/S Rederiet Titanian (Hilmar Reksten), Bergen, no name change.

Related items on this website:
Odd's ships - My father served on this ship after the war, and was on board when she struck a mine - see Post War details below.
Odd's letters - Letter No. 4 refers to the loss of Titanian. In my father's papers I've found a recommendation written by Captain Bernt Breivik, dated Rotterdam, May 3-1947. I'm wondering if he's identical to the captain who served on Hadrian which was interned in Dakar during the war, and who took part in the incredible escape of Lidvard? Follow links to more details. If anyone could confirm this, I would appreciate it.
Message in my Guestbook from someone whose father served on this ship. He also mentions a near miss with an iceberg on Apr. 23-1935.

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

Some Convoy Voyages:

Please follow the links provided for more information on the convoys mentioned here; the Commodore's and/or escorts' reports are also available for many of them, and several Norwegian ships took part. More convoy information will be added for Titanian.

As will be seen when going to Page 1 above, Titanian was on her way from New Orleans to Halifax when Norway was invaded by the Germans on Apr. 9-1940, arriving Halifax on Apr. 14. From there, she joined Convoy HX 36 to the U.K. on Apr. 18, bound for Liverpool with a cargo of cotton and lumber in station 33. She lost touch with the convoy the next day, but reached her destination safely on May 2. She subsequently joined Convoy OB 151, departing Liverpool on May 19, dispersed May 22. Her destination is given as Botwood, where she arrived June 1. Alaska, Stigstad, and Fana are also listed. (The external website that I've linked to at the end of this page has more information on the OB convoys). In Sept.-1940, she shows up in the Bermuda portion of Convoy HX 71, general cargo for Avonmouth.

At the end of that year, we find her in Convoy OB 257, originating in Liverpool on Dec. 10-1940, dispersed Dec. 13, Titanian arriving Bermuda Dec. 31 (having started out from Oban Dec. 11) - again, see the first external link at the end of this page for the names of other ships in this convoy, some of which were Norwegian. Her subsequent voyages are listed on Page 1.

With a cargo of lead, zinc and lumber for London, she was scheduled for the slow Convoy SC 28 from Halifax to the U.K. on Apr. 9-1941, but instead joined the next convoy on Apr. 19, SC 29. The escorts' reports are also available for this convoy. In June, she's listed in Convoy OG 65, originating in Liverpool on June 14, arriving Gibraltar June 28; her destination is not given, but when going to Page 2 of the archive documents, we learn that she arrived Bathurst on July 2 (having started out from Oban June 15), so she must have left the convoy at some point in order to proceed to that destination. OG 65 will be added to an individual page in my Convoys section in due course; in the meantime, the ships sailing in it are named on the page listing ships in all OG convoys.

According to Arnold Hague, she later sailed in Convoy SL 91, which left Freetown on Oct. 27-1941 - ref. external link at the end of this page. She arrived Liverpool on Nov. 21, and a month later, we find her in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 49*, departing Liverpool on Dec. 21-1941, dispersed Jan. 5-1942. Again, no destination is given for Titanian, but she arrived Halifax on Jan. 7, according to the archive document mentioned above.

With a cargo of grain for Leith, she headed back to the U.K. on Jan. 30-1942 in Convoy SC 67 from Halifax, in which the Norwegian Heina was sunk. She arrived Leith, via Loch Ewe and Methil Roads, on Febr. 18, and later returned across the ocean with the westbound Convoy ON 74*, originating in Liverpool on March 9, arriving Halifax March 25, then on Apr. 11, she joined Convoy SC 79 from Halifax (having been cancelled from the previous convoy, SC 78), cargo of grain for Manchester. The following month, she joined the westbound Convoy ON 92, arriving Halifax on May 21. As will be seen when following the link, this convoy lost several ships, but none of them were Norwegian. Titanian subsequently went back to the U.K. in June with the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 87, bound for Barry Docks, cargo of grain and trucks. She now joined the westbound Convoy ON 112* (from Liverpool July 13-1942), but is said to have had some sort of defect forcing her to go into Belfast Lough, and from there, she later joined Convoy ON 114*, which had originated in Liverpool on July 19 and dispersed Aug. 4, Titanian arriving New York (via Halifax) on Aug. 12, according to Page 3. At the end of that month, she's listed in Convoy SC 98 from Halifax.

Later that year, she shows up in the westbound Convoy ON 144*, which originated in Liverpool on Nov. 7-1942 and arrived New York Nov. 27; Titanian, however, was bound for St. John, N.B., where she arrived (via Halifax) on Dec. 3 (having started out from Milford Haven on Nov. 6). Eglantine, Montbretia, Potentilla, and Rose are named among the escorts for this convoy. According to Arnold Hague, Titanian headed back to the U.K. again on Dec. 16 in the Halifax portion of the slow convoy SC 113, which originated in New York on Dec. 12-1942 and arrived Liverpool Jan. 2-1943; Titanian stopped at Loch Ewe on Jan. 1, proceeding from there to Methil Roads and Hull the next day, with arrival Hull Jan. 8. This convoy is not yet available among the SC convoys included in my own Convoys section, but I've linked directly to Hague's listing at the end of this page.

I found 2 pictures of Titanian at the section for Ordering Pictures of Ships on The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich website (external link). They have an extensive collection of ships' photographs and I found several of my father's ships here by running a search under the ship's name. They're quite expensive and I only mention this because of the info provided in the text for each picture. The caption for the first picture of Titanian says: "1942-1943, lying at quayside on the River Tyne. Negative dated 24 Feb. 1943." The text for the second one says: "1942-1943, lying at quayside on the River Tyne. Negative dated 14 Apr. 1943. NB: The Titanian arrived on the Tyne, from Hull, on 22 Jan. 1943 and sailed on 4 Jun. 1943 for Halifax N S." This matches up with the details found on Page 4 of the archive documents. It would be interesting to know why she was at Tyne for such a long time.

She's listed in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ONS 10*, originating in Liverpool on June 8-1943, arriving Halifax June 27. The following month, she can be found among the ships in Convoy SC 136 from Halifax, subsequently joining the westbound Convoy ONS 15* (originated in Liverpool Aug. 6, arrived Halifax Aug. 21 - Titanian proceeded to St. John, N.B., with arrival Aug. 24). At the beginning of Sept.-1943, she's listed in Convoy SC 141, returning with the westbound Convoy ONS 19*, which originated in Liverpool on Sept. 26 and arrived Halifax Oct. 14; Titanian joined from Belfast Lough and was bound for Montreal, where she arrived, via Sydney, C.B., on Oct. 16. She later returned to the U.K. in the Sydney, C.B. portion of Convoy SC 146, cargo of steel and lumber for London (convoy had started out in Halifax on Nov. 6, Titanian sailed from Sydney, C.B. Nov. 7).

At the end of Jan.-1944, we find her in the westbound Convoy ONS 28*, originating in Liverpool an Jan. 28-1944, arriving Halifax Febr. 15; this time she was bound for New York, where she arrived Febr. 18, having sailed from Oban Jan. 29, according to Page 5. About a month later, she joined Convoy SC 155, leaving Halifax on March 14-1944. In May, she headed in the other direction again, joining Convoy ON 236*, which departed Liverpool on May 11 and arrived New York May 27; Titanian joined from Belfast Lough and arrived Boston on the 26th. (As can be seen when going back to the archive document mentioned above, she appears to have spent quite a long time there - departure Boston is given as July 3). With a cargo of iron and lumber for Methil and London, she later shows up in the Halifax portion of Convoy HX 303, which had originated in New York on Aug. 11. This convoy had 16 other Norwegian ships, namely Romulus, Dalfonn, Noravind, Atlantic, Sommerstad, Skotaas, Geisha, Thorhild, Petter, Stirlingville, Rena, Para, Tanafjord, Mui Hock, Fjordaas and Norse Lady, all listed on this website. Some of these ships, including Titanian, subsequently joined the westbound Convoy ONS 33*, originating in Liverpool on Sept. 29, arriving Halifax Oct. 14; Titanian joined from Loch Ewe and arrived New York Oct. 16, later returning to the U.K. in the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 161 on Nov. 17, carrying steel and lumber, destination Barry Dock.

At the end of Jan.-1945, she joined the westbound Convoy ONS 41* (from Liverpool Jan. 29, to Halifax Febr. 20). Titanian arrived Boston on Febr. 23, and according to A. Hague, she returned to the U.K. in Convoy SC 170, departing Halifax on March 17, arriving Liverpool March 31 - again, see external links below. The last westbound North Atlantic convoy she took part in was ONS 51*, which left Liverpool on May 21-1945 and arrived Halifax June 4. See also Page 6. This document also tells us that she went home to Norway in Nov.-1945, and again in March-1946.

To find convoy information for some of the voyages made in between those already mentioned here, please follow the instructions provided at the external link below, then compare the results with the details found on the various archive documents.

POST WAR:

On March 30-1947, when on a voyage from Antwerp to Oslo in ballast, she struck a mine in 53 35N 04 35E (40 miles west of Texel Island) and was badly damaged. According to a contemporary newspaper article, 13 men from Titanian were picked up by the fishing vessel Katwijk 5, after the tug Volharding had heard the SOS, presumably sent by my dad, who was the radio operator on board when this happened. The rest of her crew must have remained on board. Titanian was later assisted by these 2 vessels as well as Blankenburg and Maas. She was listing heavily and was towed into port, arriving Nieuwe Waterweg on Apr.-1, then Rotterdam on Apr. 3. Found to be beyond economical repair. Declared a constructive total loss on Nov. 6-1947, and sold to Stavanger Skipsopphugning (breakers) in Apr.-1948 where demolition began in June-1948. For insurance purposes the loss was settled as a war loss.

My father talks about this incident in his Letter No. 4 (can be reached via Odd's letters) in which he says "For the seamen the war was not over on the 8th of May, 1945. On the M/S Titanian, which I signed on in the fall of 1946 I got proof of just that. We went straight into a magnetic mine field. The ship broke almost in two, but after 3 days we managed to get ashore, after having been picked up by a Dutch trawler. This happened on Palm Sunday, 1947".

Picture received from Jan Goedhart, Holland, who in turn obtained it from Nationaal Sleepvaart Museum, Maassluis
(used here with permission from the museum).
Lillesand Sjømannsforening also has a picture of a ship which is said to be Titanian, presumably after she hit the mine (external link).

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

Hilmar Reksten later had another ship named Titanian. This ship sailed as Morgenen during the war (see the Post War details for that ship).

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, E-mails from Roger W. Jordan (author of "The World's Merchant Fleets 1939", a Dutch newspaper article received from Jan Goedhart, Holland, "Tramp" by Dag Bakka Jr. via Jan Goedhart, and misc. - ref. My sources).

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