M/T Vera - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

1940 - 1941:

Vera departed Long Beach on Apr. 6-1940 with a cargo for Sydney, Australia, arriving May 4. In the meantime, on Apr. 9, Norway had been invaded by the Germans, but nothing is mentioned about this in the captain's report. I would imagine they all received the news in stunned disbelief and intense concern for their families. Vera continued to Newcastle (I assume this Newcastle is in Australia) where the rest of her cargo was unloaded, whereupon she departed for California again, but en route she was ordered to Cape Moreton, where new orders for Bahrein were received. She arrived the latter on June 10, picked up a cargo, then returned to Australia via Colombo for supplies and Fremantle for routing instructions. Some of the cargo was unloaded in Sydney, the rest in Newcastle and Brisbane before continuing to San Pedro, then back to Sydney. Another voyage San Pedro-Australia was made after having been a few days in dry dock in San Pedro. She arrived Sydney on Dec. 2-1940, then on to Newcastle to unload rest of cargo before leaving for San Pedro on Dec. 9, with arrival Jan. 5-1941.

A new cargo was loaded in San Pedro as well as in San Francisco for Singapore (aviation fuel), arriving the latter port on Febr. 21 after a very stormy voyage. Having unloaded in Singapore she picked up a new cargo at various places off Singapore then departed for Sydney on March 2. Two more voyages were subsequently made between Singapore and ports on Australia's west coast, whereupon she headed to Sourabaya for various repairs (from July 7 till Aug. 18-1941), then on to Palembang, Pladjoe etc. for cargo, leaving for Brisbane on Aug. 28, then back to Palembang. This time some of the cargo was discharged at Pladjoe, more was picked up at Pulo Samboe for Brisbane, arriving there on Oct. 28. A cargo was loaded in Balik Papan and unloaded in Sydney from Nov. 30 and onwards. On Dec. 6 she was sent to a yard for the installation of armament, and crew was sent ashore for training in the use of guns (an able seamen attempted suicide, date is given as Febr. 19, but I wonder if it should be Dec. 19? He was immediately taken to a hospital, but I'm not sure if he survived). Vera departed Sydney on Dec. 18 (19?) for Fremantle, but having collided with a tug there she had to go in for a few days of repairs. While in Fremantle she was ordered to the Sunda Straits and from there she was sent to Osthaven, with arrival Jan. 15-1942.

1942 - 1943:

She picked up a cargo of aviation fuel in Singapore before departing on Jan. 26-1942 (shortly before that city was taken by the Japanese) for Brisbane via Port Darwin for convoy for the first time. After having finished discharging in Sydney she was docked there, then went to Newcastle to pick up a partial cargo for Melbourne, and from there she continued to Bahrein via Fremantle. Again cargo was discharged in Sydney and Melbourne where she also had minor engine repairs before heading back to Bahrein and Fremantle on June 26. She returned to Bahrein again, with departure on Oct 11-1942, in convoy from Oct. 13, with arrival Melbourne on Nov. 15. She then made a voyage to San Pedro and was at a yard there from Dec. 25-1942 until May 29-1943.

Vera departed San Pedero on June 5 with cargo for Brisbane where part of the cargo was unloaded, while the remainder (aviation fuel) was discharged in Port Moresby, having arrived there in convoy from Townsville. She carried two more cargoes of aviation fuel from Brisbane to Port Moresby, and a 3rd cargo had been taken on board in Brisbane when she had a problem with one of the engines, so the cargo had to be unloaded Sept. 29-1943, and she went in for repairs.

1944 - 1945:

She remained at the yard until Febr. 7-1944. The after gun platform and the ammunition hold had also been enlarged, and a forward gun platform added as well as new cabins for the gun crew. At the same time a phone connection between the bridge and the various gun positions had been installed. She then went to Brisbane for bunkers, and departed for Newcastle in convoy on Febr. 9. She spent some time in dry dock there before leaving alone on Febr. 13 for Panama for further orders. Once through the Panama Canal she proceeded in convoy to Curacao where a Finnish crew member was denied permission to go ashore. He jumped overboard to swim ashore, with the result he had to be put in irons, but not without a fight - he had kicked the carpenter in the groin so that he needed medical treatment.

From Curacao Vera sailed in convoy to New York, then to Halifax and the U.K., arriving Glasgow, Scotland on May 1-1944 with Convoy SC 157. After a brief stay at a yard for various improvements (convoy lights, blackout curtains etc.) she departed Glasgow in convoy on May 11 for New York*. She later took another cargo to Manchester, England (Convoy HX 294 from New York, June 2), then departed Liverpool in convoy on June 25 (ON 242?). She was run into by another vessel in heavy fog on the Newfoundland banks, so had to go in for repairs again on arrival New York on July 12. She left New York for the U.K. with another cargo on July 24-1944 (this would have been Convoy HX 301), and apart from a voyage on the coast of the U.K., she now continued in Atlantic service for the rest of the war.

* There was a convoy that left Liverpool on this date, ON 236, with arrival New York on the 27th (113 ships).

In Sept.-1944 she was in the westbound Convoy ON 251 in which Fjordheim was sunk, returning to the U.K. the following month with the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 158. In the middle of Dec.-1944 she's listed in Convoy SC 163; her destination was Avonmouth.

She was scheduled for the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 167 in the middle of Febr.-1945, but did not sail.

On March 15-1945 Vera departed Manchester for New York (ON 291?) and was on her way back to Manchester on VE-Day (HX 354?). She made one more convoy voyage to New York, but when she returned to England in June she sailed alone with all lights lit.

Related external links:
1 of Vera's crew who died - Seaman Arne Oswald Bjørshol is listed as having died at Moearo, a Japanese prison camp, on Aug. 21-1941 (1945?). He had previously been on board M/T Vera, and can also be found on my POW's page, link at the top of this page.

Halfdan Ditlev Simonsen today