Official Number:                       N/R

Builder:                                  Akt. Burmeister & Wain, Copenhagen

Pennant No:                   

Launched:                              5 January 1935

Into Service:                           WW2

Out of service:                        WW2

Fate:                                     1959 broken up

Items of historic interest involving this ship: –

Background Data:  One of a group of ships converted and used as an Escort Oilers during WW2

Career Data:

9 June 1934 laid down

5 January 1935  launched by Akt. Burmeister & Wain, Copenhagen as Yard Nr 612 named MOSVOLD for Mosvolds Rederi IV (Martin Mosvold, Manager) Farsund

July 1937 purchased by Skibs A/S Herbjorn (Sigurd Herlofsen & Co A/S, Managers) Oslo and renamed HERBRAND

24 September 1937 at Hamburg ran aground at Gluckstadt after arriving from Mexico with a cargo of oil. Refloated on the next high tide with no damage – source Lloyds Casualty reports

19 January 1938 Lands End Radio received message from ship that the main pump room was badly leaking. Had about 600 tons of water in the pump room. Her own pumps were keeping water level down – was making for an English port for repairs – souce Lloyds Casualty reports

22 January 1938 put into Falmouth with divers making an investigation

19 August 1939 ran aground on the north side of the south channel at Buenos Aires on arrival from Port Arthur – refloated with the assistance of two tugs and 7,000 tons of her cargo being taken off into lighters with apparently no damage – souce Lloyds Casualty reports

13 March 1940 sailed Buenos Aires for Galveston arriving 5 April 1940

7 April 1940 sailed Galveston for Beaumont arriving the same day

7 April 1940 sailed Beaumont for Port Arthur arriving the same day

9 April 1940 was at Port Arthur, Texas when War broke out in Norway

11 April 1940 sailed Port Arthur for Trinidad arriving 20 April 1940

22 April 1940 sailed Trinidad for Buenos Aires arriving 12 May 1940

21 May 1940 sailed Buenos Aires for Port Arthur arriving 15 June 1940

18 June 1940 sailed Port Arthur for Buenos Aires arriving 15 July 1940

18 July 1940 sailed Buenos Aires for Covenas

12 August 1940 sailed Covenas for Buenos Aires arriving 4 September 1940 then to Galveston arriving 2 October 1940

5 October 1940 sailed Galveston to Port Arthur arriving the next day

9 October 1940 sailed Port Arthur for Kingston, Jamaica arriving 15 October 1940

16 October 1940 sailed Kingston Jamaica for Buenos Aires

13 November 1940 sailed Buenos Aires for Aruba arriving 30 November 1940

WW2 fitted as and served as an Escort Oiler, name unchanged

4 September 1941 sailed Halifax in escorted convoy HX148 to Belfast Lough arriving 16 September 1941

21 September 1941 sailed Belfast Lough in convoy BB78 to Swansea arriving the next day

5 October 1941 sailed Swansea independently to Milford Haven arriving the same day

7 October 1941 sailed Milford Haven joining convoy ON24 until dispersal on 15 October 1941 and then independently to New York arriving 26 October 1941

1 December 1941 sailed New York independently to Aruba arriving 8 December 1941

9 December 1941 sailed Aruba independently to Curacao arriving the same day

10 December 1941 sailed Curacao independently to Halifax arriving 19 December 1941

27 December 1941 sailed Halifax in escorted convoy HX167 to Belfast Lough arriving 9 January 1942

10 January 1942 sailed Belfast Lough independently to Barrow arriving the next day

2 September 1942 sailed Curaçao in escorted convoy AH3 to Halifax arriving 10 September 1942

19 November 1942 sailed from Guantanamo in unescorted convoy GAT23 to Trinidad arriving 24 November 194

1 May 1943 sailed from New York in escorted convoy HX237 to Liverpool arriving on 17 May 1943

23 June 1943 sailed from New York in escorted convoy HX245 to Liverpool arriving on 7 July 1943

10 December 1943 sailed New York in escorted convoy HX270 to the Clyde arriving 25 December 1943. Served as an Escort Oiler during this convoy

31 December 1943 sailed the Clyde in escorted convoy ON218 to New York arriving 18 January 1944. Served as an Escort Oiler during this convoy

13 February 1944 sailed New York in convoy HX279 to Milford Haven arriving 1 March 1944. Served as an Escort Oiler during this convoy

15 August 1944 sailed from Loch Ewe in escorted convoy JW59 to Kola Inlet arriving 25 August 1944 

31 August 1945 at 0320hrs while anchored at Casco Bay, Portland, ME and shortly after discharging her cargo of 4.5 million gallons of crude oil ashore an explosion in the bows occured.  Three of the crew were killed. The crew of USS Gum Tree (AN18) provided fire fighters and extinguished the blaze which occured after the explosion by 0747hrs

October 1952 purchased by Rederi A/S Dan tank (C.K. Hansen, Manager) Copenhagen name unchanged

21 October 1959 arrived Port Glasgow for demolition by Smith & Houston Ltd