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D/S Tres
Updated Jan. 31-2011

To Tres - Page 2
(interview with 1st Mate Ragnvald Marcus)

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

Partial Crew List


Source: Bjørn Milde's postcard collection.
Another picture is available on this external page (click in it to enlarge).

Manager: Rafen & Loennechen, Tønsberg
Tonnage:
946 gt, 1300 tdwt
Signal Letters: LFDH

Delivered in March-1917 from Porsgrunds mek. Verksted, Porsgrunn as Tres to M. S. Pedersens Rederi (A/S Morten S. Pedersen), Tønsberg, 876 gt, 451 net, 1250 tdwt, 202' x 32' x 12', Triple expansion (PMV) - (this accordng to "Våre gamle skip" by Leif M. Bjørkelund and E. H. Kongshavn. She must have gone to Rafen & Loennechen later on, possibly rebuilt?).

Captain: Vermund Kvilhaug

Related items on this website:
A Guestbook message from the grandson of Ordinary Seaman Espe, looking for more info on him (E-mail address can be supplied via my contact address at the bottom of this page). He later perished with Chr. Knudsen
Thread on Ship Forum - Re. aircraft attack in Aug.-1940.

Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives:
(unfortunately, Page 2 has some information missing in the margin)
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6 | Page 7 | Page 8 | Page 9 | Page 10 | Page 11 | Page 12 | Page 13 | Page 14 | Page 15


Please compare the above voyages with Arnold Hague's Voyage Record below.

  Partial Voyage Record
From March-1940 to May-1945:  

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

Follow the convoy links provided for more information on each.

Errors may exist, and as can be seen the record is incomplete.

Departure From To Arrival Convoy Remarks
1940 March 2 Norwegian Waters Methil March 5 HN 16
Apr. 9 Norwegian Waters Methil Apr. 12 HN 25 Missing voyages, Page 1
Aug. 7 Southend Yarmouth Roads* Aug. 8 CW 9 Convoy available at CW convoys
(external link)
*Compare w/Page 1.
See also narrative below & Tres - Page 2.
Missing 1940 movements:
Page 1.
1941 June 27 St Helens Roads Southend June 28 CE 39 Convoy available at CE convoys
(external link)
Missing movements, Page 1
Oct. 7 Belfast Lough Milford Haven Oct. 8 BB 85 Convoy available at BB convoys
(external link)
Missing 1941 movements:
Page 2
1942 Febr. 15 Holyhead Cardiff Febr. 16 HM 4 Earlier 1942 movements:
Page 2 above & Page 3
Convoy available via this page
(external link)
Missing movements, Page 3.
May 19 Holyhead Milford Haven May 20 BB 176 Convoy available at BB convoys
(external link)
Missing movements, Page 3.
June 11 Holyhead Swansea* June 12 BB 185 *Arrived Newport
(Page 3).
Convoy available at link above.
Missing movements, Page 3
June 26 Holyhead Milford Haven June 27 HM 12 Convoy available via this page
(external link)
June 27 Milford Haven Devonport June 28 WP 178 Convoy available at WP convoys
(external link)
Missing movements:
Page 3 & Page 4
July 28 Holyhead Milford Haven July 29 HM 16 Convoy available via this page
(external link)
July 29 Milford Haven Plymouth July 30 WP 194 Stop at Milford Haven not mentioned, Page 4
(gives arrival Plymouth Aug. 1).
Convoy available at WP convoys
(external link)
Missing 1942 movements:
Page 4 & Page 5
1943 Jan. 22 Plymouth Mumbles Jan. 23 PW 282 Earlier 1943 movements:
Page 5.
Convoy available via this page
(external link)
Subsequent movements:
Page 5 & Page 6
June 20 Methil Clyde June 22 EN 245 Convoy available at EN convoys
(external link)
See also Page 7
July 9 Loch Ewe Methil July 11 WN 452 Convoy available at WN convoys
(external link)
Subsequent movements:
Page 7
Sept. 24 Loch Ewe Methil Sept. 26 WN 483A Convoy available at link above
Further 1943 movements:
Page 7 & Page 8
1944 June 5 Southend Seine Bay June 6 ETC 1 Earlier 1944 movements:
Page 8 above & Page 9.
Convoy available at ETC convoys
(external link)
These 1944 voyages are not detailed on the archive documents and, therefore, comparison cannot be made and accuracy confirmed.
June 8 Solent Seine Bay June 9 ETC 3W Convoy available at link above
(See also narrative below).
June 20 Southend Seine Bay June 22 ETC 15 Convoy available at link above
July 2 Southend Seine Bay July 3 ETC 25 Convoy available at link above
July 6 Seine Bay Southampton FTC 28 Convoy available at FTC convoys
(external link)
See also Page 9
July 14 Southend Seine Bay July 15 ETC 37 Convoy available at ETC convoys
(external link)
July 24 Seine Bay Southampton July 24* FTC 46 *Page 10 gives arrival July 26.
Convoy available at FTC convoys
(external link)
July 30 Southampton Seine Bay July 31 ETC 53 Convoy available at ETC convoys
(external link)
Aug. 4 Seine Bay Southampton Aug. 4 FTC 57 Convoy available at FTC convoys
(external link)
Aug. 8 Southampton Seine Bay Aug. 8 ETC 61 Convoy available at ETC convoys
(external link)
Aug. 10 Seine Bay Solent Aug. 10 FTC 63 Convoy available at FTC convoys
(external link)
Arrived Southampton Aug. 12
(Page 10)
Aug. 18 Southampton Seine Bay Aug. 19 ETC 72 Convoy available at ETC convoys
(external link)
Aug. 22 Seine Bay Southampton Aug. 22 FTC 75 Convoy available at FTC convoys
(external link)
Aug. 25 Southampton Seine Bay Aug. 26 ETC 79 Convoy available at ETC convoys
(external link)
Aug. 29 Seine Bay Southampton Aug. 29* FTC 82 *Page 10 gives arrival Aug. 31.
Convoy available at FTC convoys
(external link)
Sept. 1 Southampton Seine Bay Sept. 2 ETC 86 Convoy available at ETC convoys
(external link)
Sept. 6 Seine Bay Southampton Sept. 6 FTC 89 Convoy available at FTC convoys
(external link)
Sept. 11 Southampton Seine Bay Sept. 12 ETC 95 Convoy available at ETC convoys
(external link)
Sept. 17 Seine Bay Southampton Sept. 17* FTC 11A *Page 10 gives arrival Sept. 19.
Convoy available at FTC convoys
(external link)
Subsequent movements:
Page 10 above & Page 11
Dec. 31 Antwerp Southend Jan. 1-1945 ATM 25 Convoy available at ATM convoys
(external link)
1945 March 17 Plymouth Granville March 18 Earlier 1945 voyages:
Page 11 above & Page 12
Apr. 18 Falmouth Granville Apr. 19 COC 139 Missing movements, Page 12.
Convoy available via this page
(external link)
Apr. 22 Cancale Roads Falmouth Apr. 23
Apr. 23 Falmouth Southend Apr. 25 BTC 136 Put back Falmouth, left Apr. 24
(Page 12).
Convoy available at BTC convoys
(external link)
Missing movements, Page 12
May 1 Falmouth St Malo May 2 COC 152 Convoy available via this page
(external link)
May 6 St Malo Falmouth May 7
May 7 Falmouth Cardiff May 8 TBC 149 Convoy available at TBC convoys
(external link)
Further voyages:
Page 13, Page 14 & Page 15


 Notes: 

With a general cargo for Hull, Tres is listed as sailing in Convoy HN 16 from Norway to the U.K. in March.-1940. A. Hague has also included her in Convoy HN 25, which left Bergen on Apr. 7 (2 days before Norway was invaded) and arrived Methil on the 12th - follow the links for more info, several Norwegian ships took part in both these convoys. See also Page 1 of the archive documents.

Apart from a couple of voyages to France, Tres was subsequently mostly in service around the U.K., as will be seen from the various archive documents.

 Bombed - 1940: 

Tres left Goole on July 26-1940 for Plymouth with a cargo of 1096 tons coal, anchoring outside Spurn Point to await a convoy, continuing in convoy the following day at noon. On July 28, a pilot came on board outside Fisherman Gate and that afternoon they dropped anchor near Southend according to orders, then continued on Aug. 7 (A. Hague has included her, together with Audun, in Convoy CW 9 - external link, there's more information on this attack in this thread on my Ship Forum).

At 02:15 on Aug. 8, when outside Newhaven, the convoy was attacked by several aircraft and torpedo boats (according to the 1st mate's report), the attacks lasting until 04:15. While this was going on the ships maneuvered in zig-zags with varying speeds. That same day, at 12:25, masses of aircraft appeared and a terrific bombardment started (St. Helens Roads?), and Tres was eventually hit amidships by 4 bombs, immediately setting her on fire. The entire crew (15 + 3 gunners) took to the lifeboats, 8 of whom were in the starboard boat which was later machine gunned, but nobody was hit. The port boat had 10 men. (This is the opposite of what is noted in a report of an interview with the 1st mate dated Aug. 13, see Tres - Page 2).

Captain Kvilhaug stated at the subsequent inquiry that Tres had 2 machine guns on the upper bridge and 2 on the after platform, served by 3 British gunners and the 2nd mate (upper bridge). He estimated there were about 50 planes, 20 of which were bombers, Tres being the last ship to be attacked. He ran down to the chart room to save the ship's papers, but was hit by something and rendered unconscious for a while. Finding the chart room on fire, he ran out on the bridge and down to the boat deck, where all hands were in the boats except for the cook, who subsequently lowered himself down by the tackle; he ended up in the water but was immediately picked up by the port lifeboat. The captain, in great pain, having received serious burns to his face and hands was also placed in the port boat.

They rowed towards a tug which picked them up, then later transferred them to the patrol vessel Ostende of Antwerp in order to get ashore as quickly as possible, several of the crew having been badly injured. They were landed in Portsmouth at 18:00. In addition to burns, Captain Kvilhaug was suffering from shock and both his ear drums were pierced, while the cook had injured his leg and was also suffering from shock. Both were immediately taken to the Naval Hospital, and later Ordinary Seaman Palmer was admitted to the same hospital, having injured both legs and an arm, while the remaining crew members were put up at the Military Barracks. The steward and the 1st mate were given medical treatment there, while Able Seaman Johnsen had been treated aboard Ostende. Gunner Glouster is said to have shot down one of the planes during the attack.

The maritime hearings were held in London on Sept. 19-1940 with only the captain attending (the others were in Southampton). He had been in the hospital until Aug. 27.

According to "Nortraships flåte", the cook died at a hospital in Haston Gasport a couple of months after the attack. However, from statements given at the inquiry I gather that he died as early as Aug. 13 at the Royal Naval Hospital, Haslar suffering from Diphtheria, Pneumonia and multiple injuries. "Våre falne", a series of 4 books naming Norwegians who died during the war, gives the date of his demise as Nov. 13-1940, and adds that he had been on board since July-1940 (the book gives the date of attack as Aug. 13-1940). He had previously served on Spica.

Tres had drifted ashore*, the fire was extinguised, she was repaired and sailed for the rest of the war, still with Captain Kvilhaug in command.

* Accordng to Page 1 of the archive documents, she arrived Southampton in tow on Aug. 16, later proceeding to Cowes, then back to Southampton (Aug. 29), where she appears to have remained until June 23-1941. She also had a long stay at Tyne later that year.

She later took part in the Normandie invasion, arriving June 9-1944 with ammunition and supplies, departing June 14 to pick up more cargo (according to "Nortraships flåte").

It'll be noticed, when going to the misc. archive documents, that she occasionally had long stays in port. From Page 15, we learn that she could finally go home to Norway in Febr.-1946.

Partial Crew List as per Aug.-1940 - No casualties:
but the cook later died at a hospital.
The 1st mate was on watch on the bridge when the attack occurred; the captain was also on the bridge, as was the lookout, Ordinary Seaman Espe.
*My Norwegian Guestbook has a message from his grandson, looking for more info on him (E-mail address can be supplied via my contact address at the bottom of this page). He later perished with Chr. Knudsen
Able Seaman Johnsen was at the helm.

Captain
Vermund Kvilhaug
1st Mate
Ragnvald Marcus
Able Seaman
John Johnsen
Ordinary Seaman
Oscar Palmer
(Nationality?)
Ordinary Seaman*
Olav Espe
Cook
Bjarne Arntsen
(died Aug. 13?)
Gunner
H. Glouster
(British)
+ 9 more crew
+ 2 more British Gunners


To Tres - Page 2
(interview with 1st Mate Ragnvald Marcus)

 POST WAR: 

Purchased by D/S A/S Ulv (O. Kvilhaug), Haugesund in 1949 and used in seasonal lumber trade in the White Sea. Sold in Apr.-1959 to Rederi-A/B Kannas and sailed as Finnish Kannas of Åbo. Broken up in 1962.

Related external link:
Stavern Memorial commemoration - Cook Bjarne Schiller Arntzen is commemorated at this memorial for seamen in Stavern, Norway.

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

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Våre gamle skip" by Leif M. Bjørkelund and E. H. Kongshavn, "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume II, Norwegian Maritime Museum, and misc. - (ref. My sources).

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