D/S Asgerd - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945
D/S Asgerd
Updated Dec. 10-2012
Owner: Dampsk.-A/S Asgerd.
Manager: J. & B. Marcussen, Askerøy.
Tonnage: 1308 gt, 2050 tdwt.
Call Sign: LCHO.
Built by Stavanger Støberi & Dock, Stavanger, Norway in 1924.
According to the external page that I've linked to above, she was delivered in Oct.-1924 as Asgerd to Jens Marcussen, Askerøen. From Apr.-1925, D/S A/S Asgerd (Jens Marcussen), Askerøy, same name. Managed from July-1936 by Bertrand Marcussen, Askerøy, then from Sept.-1937, D/S A/S Asgerd (Jens & Bertrand Marcussen), Askerøy.
Captain: Sverre H. Hansen
Please compare the above voyages with Arnold Hague's Voyage Record below.
Voyage Record
From Febr.-1940 to Sept.-1940:
(Received from Don Kindell - His source: The late Arnold Hague's database).
Follow the convoy links provided for more information on them (it'll be noticed that some listings are incomplete).
|
Departure |
From |
To |
Arrival |
Convoy |
Remarks |
|
|
1940 |
Febr. 8 |
Norwegian waters |
– |
– |
– |
|
|
Febr. 10 |
Detached from HN 10 |
Liverpool |
Febr. 13 |
Independent |
– |
|
|
March 22 |
Norwegian waters |
Methil |
March 25 |
– |
||
|
March 25 |
Methil Roads |
Tyne |
March 26 |
FS 129 |
Convoy available at FS 129 |
|
|
March 27 |
Tyne |
Hull |
March 29 |
FS 131 |
Convoy available at FS 131 |
|
|
Apr. 3 |
Hull |
Tyne |
Apr. 5 |
FN 136 |
Convoy available at FN 136 |
|
|
Apr. 26 |
Tyne |
Southend |
Apr. 28 |
FS 156 |
A. Hague says: |
|
|
May 2 |
Rouen |
Downs |
– |
Independent |
Archive doc gives arrival May 4 |
|
|
May 4 |
Downs |
Hull |
May 6 |
FN 162 |
Convoy available at FN 162 |
|
|
May 11 |
Hull |
Downs |
May 13 |
FS 168 |
Convoy available at FS 168 |
|
|
May 13 |
Downs |
Verdon |
May 17 |
– |
Missing voyages, archive document |
|
|
June 1 |
Port Talbot |
Newport |
June 1 |
– |
– |
|
|
June 4 |
Newport |
Caen |
June 6 |
Independent |
– |
|
|
June 11 |
Caen |
Downs |
June 12 |
Independent |
– |
|
|
June 14 |
Southend |
Methil |
June 16 |
FN 195A |
Arrived Grangemouth June 17, left July 19 |
|
|
July 20 |
Methil |
– |
– |
OA 187 |
Convoy available at OA 187 |
|
|
July 25 |
Dispersed from OA 187 |
Sydney, C.B. |
Aug. 2 |
Independent |
– |
|
|
Aug. 3 |
Sydney, C.B. |
Halifax |
Aug. 4 |
Independent |
– |
|
|
Aug. 11 |
Halifax |
Sydney, C.B. |
Aug. 12 |
Independent |
– |
|
|
Aug. 15 |
Sydney, C.B. |
Clyde |
Aug. 30 |
– |
||
|
Sept. 5 |
Clyde |
Methil |
Sept. 8 |
WN 13 |
Convoy available at WN 13 |
|
|
Sept. 24* |
Methil |
– |
– |
OA 219 |
*Archive doc gives departure Sept. 22. |
For information on voyages made in between those mentioned here, please see the document received from the National Archives of Norway and A. Hague's Voyage Record above. Follow the convoy links provided for further details; several Norwegian ships took part.
Asgerd is mentioned in connection with the Norway-U.K. Convoy HN 10 in Febr.-1940; the original convoy document gives her destination as Manchester, general cargo. Towards the end of March, we find her in Convoy HN 21, bound for Hull with a cargo of paper and timber. (See also the page naming ships in all HN convoys). According to A. Hague, she arrived Hull on March 29. As will be seen when going to the archive document, she was at Shields (Tyne) when war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9, later making some voyages to France. It'll also be noticed that she spent about a month at Grangemouth that summer.
She now shows up, together with Selvik and Tai Yang, in Convoy OA 187, which departed Methil on July 20 and dispersed on the 25th, Asgerd arriving Sydney, C.B. on Aug. 2, subsequently returning to the U.K. in the first, slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 1, in which the Norwegian Eva and others were sunk. Follow the links for more details.
Asgerd is said to have left Methil Roads on Sept. 22-1940, bound for Sydney C.B. in Convoy OA 219* (the Norwegian Balduin is also listed). Four days later she had disappeared, and according to my Norwegian sources, which are quite old, the official assumption was that she was torpedoed and sunk in the morning of Sept. 26 or 27 southwest of the Hebrides by U-137 (Wohlfarth, who shortly before had attacked Convoy OB 218 - see M/S Vestvard). Charles Hocking says she was torpedoed and sunk 350 miles west of the Hebrides on the 27th. Norwegian records give the position 56 35N 09 10W. However, more recent information (Jürgen Rohwer) states she was attacked and sunk by an Fw 200 (crew identified the ship as Ascero), about 195 n. miles northwest of Malin Head, Northern Ireland on the 27th.
* The convoy designation OA 219 is given in "Nortraships flåte" - Arnold Hague says in his "The Allied Convoy System" that this convoy departed Methil on Sept. 24 (as opposed to the 22nd found in the Norwegian book and on the archive document), while the earlier OA 218 departed on the 22nd. (Both convoys dispersed).
The entire crew of 17 was lost - an unidentified body drifted ashore at Canna, the Hebrides.
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Casualties - No Survivors (all Norwegian): |
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Related external link:
Stavern Memorial commemorations - Position is given as 54N 12W. The Norwegian text says 15 out of the 17 were Norwegian, yet 17 Norwegians are listed; unfortunately, since the website was redesigned, the list of names is no longer included, so the only way to find them is by clicking on "Søk 2. verdenskrig" and entering each name in the field for "Personer". The names correspond with my listing above, though some of them are spelt a little differently, and some of the titles are also different.
Back to Asgerd on the "Ships starting with A" page.
The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Norwegian Maritime Museum, Volume I, and misc. other for cross checking facts as named in the text above - ref My sources.