D/S Tore Jarl - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

Manager: Det Nordenfjeldske Dampskibsselskab, Trondheim
Tonnage: 1514 gt, 886 net, 2470 dwt.
Dimensions: 243' (lpp) x 39' 3" x 19' 3".
Machinery: Triple exp. steam engine by yard, 850 ihp.
Service Speed: 10 knots.

Delivered from Fredrikstad Mek. Verksted as Tore Jarl (234) to Det Nordenfjeldske Dampskibsselskab, Trondheim on Jan. 12-1920. Cargo liner for the Mediterranean service.

Captain: F. Møller.

Misc. Convoy Voyages:

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

Tore Jarl is listed as sailing in Convoy HN 19 from Norway to the U.K. in March-1940, bound for Blyth in ballast. She arrived her destination on March 19, according to Page 1 above.

A French visitor to my site has told me that she sailed from Brest on May 13-1940 in convoy 44-B under French escort. To Casablanca or Oran. (Torfinn Jarl was also in this convoy, which is now available at the external website that I've linked to at the end of this page). The following month, we find her in Convoy HG 34 from Gibraltar to the U.K., cargo of manganesite for Portland, then London.

In Aug.-1940, she's listed in Convoy OA 194, which departed Methil on Aug. 5 and dispersed on the 9th. Her destination is not given, but from Page 1 of the archive documents, we learn that she arrived Sydney, C.B. on Aug. 16, heading back to the U.K. on Sept. 10 with Convoy SC 4. Tore Jarl was bound for Preston with a cargo of lumber on that occasion and arrived there on Sept. 29. She subsequently appears in Convoy OB 236, originating in Liverpool on Oct. 29, dispersed Nov. 2, Tore Jarl arriving Mont Luis on Nov. 10 (having started out from Milford Haven on Oct. 28). OA and OB convoys can be found at the external website below. She was scheduled for Convoy SC 13 from Sydney, C.B. on Nov. 22, but did not sail.

As can be seen on the archive document mentioned above, there's now a big gap in her voyages, until June 10-1941, when she's listed as sailing in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy HX 132, bound for Grimsby with a cargo of lumber, arriving that destination, via Loch Ewe and Methil, on July 3. She later joined Convoy OB 349, which originated in Liverpool on July 21 and dispersed Aug. 1 (link below). This time, she was bound for St. John, N.B. and she arrived there on Aug. 6 (having sailed from Loch Ewe July 23). Later that year, she was scheduled for Convoy SL 93, which left Freetown on Nov. 19-1941, but did not sail. Arnold Hague mentions her in the previous Convoy SL 92, departing Freetown on Nov. 6, but says she returned to port (again, ref. the external links at the end of this page). She eventually left Freetown on Nov. 24, arriving St. Lucia on Dec. 13, and it looks like she made this voyage independently. See also Page 2.

With a cargo of palm nuts for Hull, we find her in the slow Convoy SC 65 from Halifax to the U.K. on Jan. 17-1942. However, she returned to port and subsequently joined Convoy SC 67 on Jan. 30, but returned again. She then appears to have been scheduled for Convoy SC 68 but eventually got away on Febr. 10 with SC 69, station 24. She returned to Halifax again with the westbound Convoy ON 80*, departing Liverpool on March 27, arriving Halifax Apr. 15. At the end of that month, she can be found in Convoy SC 82, and in June, she's listed in the westbound Convoy ON 100*, which left Liverpool on June 2. No destination is given for Tore Jarl, but from the archive document mentioned above, we learn that she arrived Sydney, C.B. on June 16, heading back to the U.K. on June 26 in the slow Convoy SC 89, cargo of wood pulp. She later joined the westbound Convoy ON 118*, originating in Liverpool on Aug. 1-1942. Tore Jarl arrived Halifax on Aug. 18 (she had started out from Milford Haven on July 31). With lumber for London, she was scheduled for Convoy SC 97 a few days later (in which Bronxville was sunk), but did not sail, and was also cancelled from the next convoy, SC 98, but according to Arnold Hague, she got away with Convoy SC 100 on Sept. 12. As will be seen when going to my page about this convoy, she's not mentioned there, but my information is incomplete (will be updated). I've linked directly to Hague's listing at the end of this page.

Her subsequent voyages are listed on Page 3 and Page 4 - convoy information for some of these can be obtained by following the instructions provided at the external link at the end of this page.

At the end of March-1943, she's listed in Convoy KMS 12*, departing Clyde on March 31, arriving Bone Apr. 15 - her destination is not given, but according to Page 4 above, she arrived Bougie that day. She left Bougie again on Apr. 23 and arrived Algiers on the 24th, having sailed in Convoy MKS 12*. On Apr. 28, she departed Algiers and joined Convoy KMS 13* (which had sailed from Gibraltar on Apr. 26). She was bound for Philippeville, where she arrived Apr. 29.

She's said to have shot down an enemy aircraft while in Convoy KM 11(?) on the coast between Bougie and Philippeville on May 21-1943. Note that this convoy designation (from "Nortraships flåte") does not make sense, but I'm not sure which convoy she was in. Gunners were Rolf Caspersen and Viktor Solberg, and 2nd mate E. Olifsen also took part in the defence against the attacker. The aircarft fell in the sea bout 100 yards behind Tore Jarl, and it appears the pilots of the downed plane were picked up from the water by a corvette. At the time, she was on her way from Bougie to Bizerta, having left Bougie on May 20, arriving Bizerta May 22.

Together with Bruse Jarl, she's said to have had the honour of being the first merchant ship to arrive Bizerta after the allied landings there.

In Sept.-1943, she made a voyage from Bizerta to Bougie with Convoy MKS 25 - scroll down to the second table on that page. She had departed Bizerta on Sept. 20 and arrived her destination the next day.

Going back to the external website that I've linked to below, Tore Jarl shows up in Convoy OS 72/KMS 46 in March-1944, voyaging from Belfast to Taranto with general cargo in station 31. This convoy left Liverpool on March 23 and split up on Apr. 5, the Gibraltar portion (KMS 46*) arriving there on Apr. 6, while the OS convoy continued to Freetown. Follow the link for more convoy details; as will be seen, Tore Jarl is listed in the Gibraltar portion. See also Page 5.

She's also listed in Convoy MKS 50*, originating in Port Said on May 19-1944, arriving Gibraltar May 31; Tore Jarl, however, was on a voyage from Augusta to Bizerta, where she arrived May 26, having left Augusta on May 24. She was back in Augusta the following month, leaving on June 13, joining Convoy MKS 52*, which had started out from Port Said on June 8 and arrived Gibraltar June 20, but Tore Jarl's destination was again Bizerta, where she arrived June 15.

Again, to obtain convoy information for some of the voyages made in between those already mentioned here, as well as for some of her subsequent voyages, please follow the instructions provided at the external link below, then compare the results with the details found on the various archive documents.

Her 1945 voyages start on Page 6, and the rest of her voyages are listed on Page 7. The latter document also shows that she went home to Norway in Oct.-1945.

* The ON convoys 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, the ships sailing in them (and escorts) are named in the section listing ships in all ON convoys. As will be seen, they all had several Norwegian ships. All the MKS and KMS convoys will also be added, but for now, see the section listing ships in MKS convoys, and the section for ships in KMS convoys.

POST WAR:

Tore Jarl was in for repairs and modernizing in Nov.-1945, completed in July 1946. Sold in Jan.-1950 to Nivaldi & Giacomini S.A.L., Transport Maritimi & Terresti, Genoa, Italy and renamed Valgardena, delivered on March 17. Sold again in 1953 to Ligure Veneta di Navigatione S.A., Genoa. Sold in 1956 to Captain Salvatore Lofaro, Napoli, Italy. Broken up in Italy in 1972.

Related external link:
SL/MKS Convoys - The site also has a section for the OS/KMS convoys. As can be seen, Tore Jarl is mentioned in SL 93, and is listed as sailing in Convoy OS 72/KMS 46, as are several other Norwegian ships. Note also that by going to this section of the same site (based on Arnold Hague's database) and clicking on "Ship Search", using "Tore Jarl" as keywords, several convoys that are not mentioned in my own text will come up. Here are 44 B, OA 194, OB 236, OB 349, SL 92 and SC 100, all mentioned in the above narrative.