M/S Tercero - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

M/S Tercero
Updated Aug. 24-2012

For information on voyages made in between those mentioned here, please see the documents received from the National Archives of Norway and A. Hague's Voyage Record above. Follow the links provided for more convoy information; several Norwegian ships took part.

As will be seen when going to Page 1 of the archive documents, Tercero was in Buenos Aires when war broke out in Norway on Apr. 9-1940, having arrived there from New York on Apr. 3. The document also shows most of her 1941 voyages, while the rest are listed on Page 2.

On Jan. 3-1942, Tercero was stopped by light cruiser Omaha (CL-4) and destroyer Somers (DD-381) in the Atlantic, after having failed to answer challenges, with the result that Omaha sent an armed boarding party on board (source: Robert Cressman - see link to "Hyperwar" at the end of this page). According to Page 2, she was en route from Hampton Roads to Buenos Aires on that date. It'll also be noticed that she spent several weeks in New York that spring.

Tercero rescued 33 survivors from the Swedish Agra early in the morning of Apr. 21-1942, about 200 n. miles northwest of Bermuda (torpedoed the night before - ref. external link at the end of this page), and took them to Bermuda the next day, then continued her own voyage to Rio(?) - (the archive document says she arrived Buenos Aires on May 18).

Her subsequent voyages are listed on Page 2; convoy information for some of them can be found in the Voyage Record (as can be seen, she had occasional long stays in port. She also remained in New York for over a month at the end of 1942/beginning of 1943 and again in the spring of 1943).

Skipping now to June 27-1943, when I have her in the slow Convoy SC 135 from Halifax, general cargo for Liverpool, where she arrived July 11. With Bestik, Acasta, Boreas, Karmt, Marie Bakke, Norhauk, Snar and Solstad, she now joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ONS 14*, departing Liverpool on July 26, arriving Halifax Aug. 9; Tercero, however, was bound for New York, where she arrived Aug. 12 - her voyages in this period are shown on Page 3. Having made a voyage to Boston and on to Halifax, she headed back to the U.K. again on Sept. 3 in Convoy SC 141, and the following month we find her, together with Arosa, Bestik, Cetus, Elg, Iron Baron, Snar, Solstad, Tropic Star and Vinland, in the westbound Convoy ONS 20*, which originated in Liverpool on Oct. 9 and arrived Halifax Oct. 26; Tercero was again bound for New York, and arrived there on Oct. 29, having started out from Milford Haven on the 9th. She remained in New York for about 3 weeks, before proceeding to Boston on Dec. 22, continuing to Halifax in order to join Convoy SC 150 from there on Dec. 30, general cargo for Glasgow, with arrival Jan. 14-1944.

In Febr.-1944, she's listed in Convoy ONS 29*, which left Liverpool Febr. 12 and arrived Halifax Febr. 29; Tercero arrived Boston on March 2, having sailed from Clyde Febr. 13. Atlantic, Geisha (Commodore Vessel), Heimgar, Iron Baron, Nordanger, Norfalk, Ruth I, Suderøy and Vav are a also included, while Acanthus, Eglantine and Rose are named among the escorts (see ONS convoy escorts). In the notes for the westbound Convoy ON 224 there's mention of Tercero, saying the following in connection with Casimir Pulaski, a ship in ON 224 (to avoid any misunderstandings, please note: Tercero was not part of this convoy herself):
"In collision Tercero (ONS 29), damage above waterline. Picked up one Tercero boat".
According to Arnold Hague, this collision took place on March 1 while both ships were in the Halifax to Boston Convoy XB 98 (external link), Tercero having joined this convoy from ONS 29. The Stavern Memorial (link at the end of this page) lists Cook Sverre Pettersen as having died at sea on March 1-1944 following an accident. He may have lost his life as a result of this collision with Casimir Pulaski?

It'll be noticed, when going back to Page 3, that Tercero subsequently remained in Boston for quite a long time; perhaps repairs had been necessary? She left Boston again for Sydney, C.B. on May 9 in order to join the Sydney portion of Convoy HX 291 on May 13, bound for Hull, carrying a general cargo and explosives. This convoy, for which Høyanger served as the Vice Commodore's ship, originated in New York on May 10. Tercero eventually arrived Hull, via various other ports, on June 6, and later that month, we find her in the westbound Convoy ON 242*, departing Liverpool on June 25 (Tercero sailed from Loch Ewe that day), arriving New York July 11. She had again been in the company of several other Norwegian ships, namely Ferncliff, Fernmoor, Fjordheim, Havkong, Marit II, Molda, Peik, Samuel Bakke (Vice Commodore), Skiensfjord, Solstad, Solsten, Stirlingville, Thorshov and Vera.

Her next few voyages are shown on Page 3, while the rest of her 1944 voyages are listed on Page 4 (as can be seen, she had another long stay in New York late that fall) - again, convoy information for some of them can be found in A. Hague's Voyage Record. With a general cargo for Liverpool, she headed across the Atlantic again on Dec. 2-1944 with the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 162, returning with Convoy ONS 39*, which departed Liverpool on Dec. 28 and arrived Halifax Jan. 13-1945, but Tercero was bound for New York, where she arrived on Jan. 16 (remaining there for over a month). Annik, Cetus, Ferncliff, Germa, Mui Hock and Novasli are also named in this convoy.

A. Hague has later included her, along with Askepot, Biscaya, Brønnøy, Brush, Chr. Th. Boe, Frontenac, Geisha (Commodore Vessel), Romulus and Titanian, in Convoy SC 170*, departing Halifax on March 17-1945, arriving Liverpool on the 31st; Tercero, carrying grain and gliders, stopped at Loch Ewe that day, continuing to Hull a few days later.

Again, see Page 4 for a listing of her subsequent voyages, with convoy information in the Voyage Record above. From Page 5, we learn that she went home to Norway in Dec.-1945; in fact, it looks like Christmas and New Years Eve were celebrated in Norway that year (the document shows voyages to Apr.-1946 - see also this Guestbook message).

* The ON and ONS convoys will be added to individual pages in my Convoys section in due course, along with further details on each. In the meantime, the ships sailing in them (and escorts) are named in the section listing ships in all ON convoys, and on the page for ships in all ONS convoys. The entire SC series will also be updated and completed (including the already existing convoys - some have already been updated), but for now, see ships in all SC convoys for the names of other ships in Convoy SC 170.

More information on the Norwegian ships mentioned here can be found via the alphabet index at the bottom of this page, or go to the Master Ship Index.

Renamed Milos in 1947, Rederi A/B Helsingborg (O. Hillerström), Helsingborg, Sweden. From 1949, owned by Rederibolaget Re-Be (Hans van Rettig), Åbo, Finland under the name Arabella. From 1954, Rederi A/B Ankaret (Arendt de Jounge), Slite, Sweden, renamed Koala. Sold in March-1960 to Carl Persson & Söner A/B. Broken up at Ystad, 1st quarter 1961.

Related external links:
Hyperwar - Chapter IV of R. Cressman's book, scroll down to Jan. 3 to find the incident mentioned in the narrative above.

The attack on Agra

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