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M/T Vardefjell To Vardefjell on the "Ships starting with V" page. Manager: Olsen & Ugelstad, Oslo Built in Gothenburg 1940. Captain: Nils A. Ambjørnsen. Related item on this website:
Vardefjell sailed in Convoy HX 127 in May-1941, joining with the Bermuda section of the convoy, in which quite a few Norwegian ships took part. The following month she shows up in Convoy OB 334, which left Liverpool on June 11 and arrived Halifax on the 25th - Vardefjell, however, was bound for Curacao (see external link at end of this page). In July that year we find her in station 84 of Convoy HX 140 (she had been cancelled from HX 139), with the Norwegian Madrono (112), Boreas (16), Velox (56), Velma (96), Alaska (106), Stiklestad (95), Thorshov (83), Evita (114), Olaf Bergh (124), Skiensfjord (97), Ferncastle (113), Thorshavet (43), Bonneville (82) and Helgøy (77). Beth and Petter were also initially in this convoy but left due to engine problems. The following month she's listed in station 54 of Convoy OS 3, voyaging from Liverpool to Curacao, with departure Liverpool on Aug. 13-1941; she was detached on Aug. 18, and estimated time of arrival Curacao is given as Sept. 4. This convoy is not included in my convoys section, but the external site that I've linked to at the end of this page has more details on OS 3 and the ships sailing in it. The same site also has Vardefjell in Convoy HX 165, which left Halifax on Dec. 15-1941 and arrived Liverpool on the 30th. As will be seen, she's not mentioned on my own page about this convoy, but my information is incomplete. Vardefjell returned with the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 56*, which left Liverpool on Jan. 12-1942, dispersed on the 16th. She was again bound for Curacao. In the middle of Aug.-1942 she can be found among the ships in the Halfiax-U.K. Convoy HX 203, and is mentioned in the westbound Convoy ON 127, which left Liverpool for New York on Sept. 4, but she returned to port, later joining ON 129* (left Liverpool on Sept. 11), but again returned to port, then eventually got away with ON 131*, which left Liverpool on Sept. 18 and arrived New York, Vardefjell's destination, on Oct. 4. The following month she was one of several Norwegian ships in Convoy HX 216, departing New York City on Nov. 19-1942, arriving Liverpool on Dec. 6. Vardefjell had a cargo of fuel oil and sailed in station 42, bound for Clyde f. o. (it looks like this cargo was meant for North Africa - see next paragraph).
Vardefjell took part in the Torch operations, which commenced in Nov.-1942 (Athos has a list of other Norwegian ships taking part). On Dec. 11-1942, only a few days after having arrived with Convoy HX 216, she departed Clyde in Convoy KMS 5 for North Africa, cargo of oil. Shortly before midnight on Dec. 13 she broke in two in a storm with heavy seas, with the result that the forepart drifted off with all the officers and the others who were on watch there, 10 in all, while 31 were left on the afterpart. When the foreship came drifting along the port side, those on the afterpart attempted to launch lifeboats, but in the bad weather there was nothing they could do to help their shipmates. 2 lifeboats were launched, which were both destroyed in the heavy seas, and those who had already manned one of them fell into the water. The majority managed to climb back on the ship with the help of the nets, except 1st Engineer Ugelstad and Stoker Opheim, who disappeared. Any thought of reaching their shipmates now had to be abandonded. (The last time they saw it was around 07:00 in the morning of Dec. 14). It was then decided that it might be possible to take the rest of the ship to port. According to the 3rd issue of "Krigsseileren" for 1972, the boatswain, Einar Halvorsen was chosen as the "leader". In spite of the continuous hurricane winds blowing, and in spite of his lack of navigational skills, he was able to get them all through the 11 days ordeal, with the help of 2nd Engineer Anders Skotheim and Carpenter Lauritz Uggedal , and of course, by the joint efforts of all on board. He had painted "Vardefjell: Send help S.O.S. Can't steer" in big, bold letters on the boatdeck. A ship had been seen during the first night, and another the next morning, but to their dismay, though the desperate signals from the men on Vardefjell were acknowledged, the vessels sailed on. On Dec. 18 a British aircraft flew in over the wreckage, but soon took off. 2 days later another 2 planes appeared and circled for 2 hours without making contact. Before they departed they dropped 2 red "smoke bombs", but no-one knew what this meant. On the 22nd a Sunderland aircraft came in low, signalling in morse code to them, but again nobody understood what they meant, and a couple of hours later the plane took off, then returned that evening, dropping red lights. Naturally, the exhausted men hoped that this meant help was on its way. When land was spotted on the night leading up to Christmas Eve, Halvorsen guessed it to be either Ireland or Scotland, and so it was that some fishermen at Vaag (Faroe Islands) on Christmas Eve encountered half a tanker sailing backwards. When the rescuers came closer and hailed them in Danish the 29 survivors of Vardefjell learned they had, in fact, reached the Faroe Islands. The fishermen took the seamen to port, and that same afternoon S/S Smiril transported the 2nd engineer back to the wreck in the hopes of being able to take her to shore, but this failed. The weather was too bad the following day to repeat the attempt, but on Dec. 26 the 2nd and 3rd engineers were again taken out to search for the ship, this time without finding it at all. However, subsequent attempts must have succeeded because Vardefjell was taken in tow to Kirkwall, and later to Sunderland; it was even possible to save 3000 tons of her oil. A new foreship was built, and Vardefjell continued to sail through the rest of the war, and for many years thereafter. At the maritime hearings, which were held in Thorshavn on Dec. 29-1942, it was concluded that the ship had been under too much strain in trying to keep up with convoy speed in the heavy weather, and Nortraship later sent out a note to all the captains stating that it was their duty and within their rights to inform the Commodore if they felt that the speed would jeapordize their ships in bad weather. The boatswain, the 2nd engineer, the 4th engineer, Able Seaman Storstad, Able Seaman Finnskog and Mechanic Andersen attended the inquiry.
In July-1944 she joined the westbound Convoy ON 246*, which departed Liverpool on July 25 and arrived New York on Aug. 9 - no destination is given for Vardefjell on this occasion. She returned to the U.K. later that month in the New York-U.K. Convoy HX 304, and subsequently headed back across the Atlantic with the westbound Convoy ON 252*, leaving Liverpool on Sept. 7, arriving New York on the 22nd. She subsequently shows up in Convoy UGS 56, departing Hampton Roads for Port Said on Oct. 2-1944, but no destination is given for Vardefjell - see external link below (as will be seen, several ships had other destinations than Port Said, and some joined the convoy en route). Going back to the external site already mentioned we find her in Convoy GUS 80 in March-1945. Again, no voyage information is given for Vardefjell, but it looks like she followed this convoy to the U.S. (arrived Hampton Roads on Apr. 13), because the site also has her in Convoy HX 353, which left New York on Apr. 29-1945 and arrived Liverpool on May 15; in other words, she was at sea on VE day. This convoy is not available on my own site. About a week later she joined the westbound Convoy ON 304* (left Southend May 21, arrived New York June 5).
Related external links: 10 who died - Norwegians only are commemorated at this Memorial for Seamen in Stavern, Norway. Some of the names are spelt a little differently here, and different titles have been given to a few of them. Additionally, the list does not quite agree with the above - the following are named: Captain Nils-Ambjørn Ambjørnsen, Seaman Andreas Fjukstad, Gunner Henry Johan Hansen, Mechanic John Stolt Heggen Opheim, Seaman Carl Martin Larsen, 2nd Mate Gerhard Johan Lervaag, Mate Christian Rougtvedt Riege, and Chief Engineer Rolf Bunkholt Ugelstad, all listed above. There's also an Able Seaman Anker Halvorsen, and a Steward Olaf Olsen commemorated - not sure whether my list above is incorrect, or whether these 2 had served on this ship and died previously? Back to Vardefjell on the "Ships starting with V" page. Olsen & Ugelstad had previously had another ship by this name, built in Porsgrunn in 1931. No further details. The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, an article in the Norwegian magazine "Krigsseileren", Issue No. 3 for 1972, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume II (Norwegian Maritime Museum) - (ref. My sources).
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