D/S Vigør
Updated Jan. 24-2010

To Vigør on the "Ships starting with V" page.

Partial Crew List

Related item on this website:
Guestbook message from the grandson of Captain Asvall. He was later killed when Hallfried was sunk.

Her voyages are listed on this original document received from the National Archives of Norway.

(Received from Don Kindell - His source: The late Arnold Hague's database).

Some Convoy Voyages:

In the middle of March-1940, Vigør is listed in the U.K.-Norway Convoy ON 19. The following month she joined Convoy HN 24, which arrived Methil from Norway on Apr. 7; in other words, she got out of Norway just before the German invasion, in fact, she arrived Sunderland that day, Apr. 9-1940. Several Norwegian ships took part in both these convoys. From Sunderland, she proceeded to Rouen on May 4, where she arrived, via The Downs, on May 7, according to the archive document. She headed back to The Downs again on May 9. At the end of that month she made a voyage from Plymouth to Nantes, with arrival May 31, and it looks like she had also made another voyage to France prior to this (Havre), though this voyage is not detailed on the document. Departure Nantes for Casablanca is given as June 7.

Interned - 1940:

Vigør was 1 of the 26 Norwegian ships interned in North and West Africa. A French visitor to my website has told me that she sailed from Le Verdon on June 12-1940 in Convoy 64-X (external link) under French escort and was in Casablanca about June 19. Seized in Port Lyautey in July-1940. Under French flag at Port Lyautey from Aug. 7-1941 as Ste Marcelle. Sailed from Port-Lyautey on ?-41 in convoy. At Casablanca on ? Sailed from Casablanca on Sept. 15-1941 in convoy. At Oran Sept. 18.

"Nortraships flåte" states she was interned on June 22-1940, later requisitioned. "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig" agrees with the internment date and place, adding she was moved to Port Lyautey around Sept. 11-1940*, requisitioned and renamed on Aug. 7-1941. R. W. Jordan's "The World's Merchant Fleets 1939" says she was seized in Casablanca in June-1940 (all sources agree she was renamed Ste Marcelle).

Partial Crew List:
"Sjømann - Lang vakt" by Guri Hjeltnes, says Vigør had a crew of 18, all Norwegian, 3 escaped, 1 went home.
What follows appears to be a list of those who were left in Africa at the time of the Allied invasion in Nov.-1942.

Captain ** Abraham Asvall	Able Seaman Edvin Kvam	Able Seaman Johnny Andreassen	Able Seaman Arnold Jonassen	Able Seaman John H. Olsen	Able Seaman Bjarne Richvoldsen
2nd Engineer Edvin Kalstø	Donkeyman Karl Haugen	Stoker Karl Brandstrøm	Stoker Einar Haltbak	Stoker Jacob Fris	Steward Frithjof Svendsen
Mess Boy Trygve Rigels	Mess Boy Alf Kaare Larsen	originally 18	** Captain Asvall later lost his life in the sinking of Hallfried.

I have a book entitled "Nordmenn i fangenskap" by Kristian Ottosen which lists Norwegians who were kept as prisoners during the war, and will look up the above names as soon as I can, to see if there's any more information on where they were kept.

Final Fate - 1942 (as Ste Marcelle):

Reported on March 14-1942 as having been torpedoed and sunk by a British submarine in the western Mediterranean when on a voyage from Marseilles to Tunisia. According to J. Rohwer Ste Marcelle was torpedoed and sunk by the Italian submarine Mocenigo (Monechi), 25 n. miles from Cape Carbonaire on that date.

Back to Vigør on the "Ships starting with V" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume II (Norwegian Maritime Museum), and misc. others as named within the above text for cross checking facts - (ref. My sources).