# Australia Calling Re: M/T Bjordholm.



## Ian (Mar 27, 2004)

Help Wanted.Any detail, maybe image of M/T Bjordholm Build !951.Norwegian I think.any comment welcome.
Clive.


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## gdynia (Nov 3, 2005)

*Bjordholm.*

Clive
Is this the correct spelling as nothing shows for the above. Theres a Fjordholm and a Bjornholm


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## Ian (Mar 27, 2004)

*Australia Calling Re:M/T Bjordholm.?*

Neville.
That is the spelling I have for this vessel but it may well be incorrect. I know in 1964/65 she became M/T Millers McArthur and I just wanted to know a little bit about her prior history, where she was built etc etc. It was a vessel that traded on the Australian coast for only about 3 years. She was a victim of crew manning problems. Does any of this tie in with either of the 2 vessels you have been able to track down?

Regards Clive


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## gdynia (Nov 3, 2005)

Clive
Theres a very small bit of info on the following

http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A150432b.htm


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## ruud (Dec 6, 2004)

Ahoy Clive,

Björgholm built in 12-1951 at Eriksberg M/V A/B Gothenburg
Renamed in 1964 Millers McArthur
GT:11744
DWT:18500
LR:504557
LOA x B x D:559'4" x 70'0" x 30'4¾"
Eng: 2SA 8 Cy.740x1400
Collision SS WESTERN FARMER[Swedish] and tanker BJORGHOLM (Norwegian), in Dover Straits, 20 August 1952.
Sorry no piccie


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## gdynia (Nov 3, 2005)

Ruud
Abit on the collision on following

www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/moa/boards/westernfarmer.pdf


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## john shaw (Jun 23, 2006)

here's a pic of Bjorgholm and a bit about the collision with Western Farmer ex Henry Lomb

20-21 August 1952: The New York s.s. Western Farmer, Norfolk, Virginia, to Bremen with coal, collided with the Norwegian tanker Bjorgholm 18 miles east-south-east of Ramsgate, Kent. Both the Dover lifeboat Southern Africa and the Ramsgate lifeboat Prudential launched, the former diverted to Walmer to pick up a doctor. When the Prudential arrived the steamer was anchored one and a half miles north of Sandettie Bank buoy and had started to break up. Coxswain Kirkaldie took off seven of the crew, an operation made much more difficult by leaking diesel oil. The ship's Master ordered all of his crew into the two ship's lifeboats which got clear just before the wreck broke into two. The Ramsgate lifeboat took on board men from one boat and a man who had jumped into the sea. The Dover lifeboat took the 13 men from the second boat, but five men still remained on the wreck's stern part which was partly awash and drifting. Coxswain Kirkaldie went alongside, took them off and landed them at Ramsgate at 3.16 a.m.

the owners' details were:
A/S Hakedal (Hjalmar Bjorge managers), Oslo,

a pic of this ship was sold on ebay 3.5.06 to jolly2jack by gwil6362-- if you have an ebay account and contact the purchaser he might be prepared to send you a scan?It is stated to have been a Skyfotos shot but there appears to be no reference to it on Skyfotos-- may even be this same shot!


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## john shaw (Jun 23, 2006)

and here's the Western Farmer, with a VERY small bows on shot of her newly built as Henry Lomb

You probably know this bit from "Time" 1965?:

Friday, Feb. 5, 1965

Out of Brisbane harbor last week sailed the coastal tanker Millers McArthur, carrying a cargo of crude oil from the fields at Moonie, Queensland, to a refinery in Kwinana, Western Australia. The tanker's long coastal voyage earned it a special distinction: it was the first Australian ship ever to carry Australian oil. Its journey also marked the high point in a one-man crusade to save Australia's $118 million coal industry from an onslaught by foreign oil companies, which have been saturating the market with vast quantities of low-cost, waste-product fuel oil from their Australian refineries.


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## Ian (Mar 27, 2004)

*Australia Calling Re:M/T Bjordholm=BJORGHOLM.*

Neville.Ruud.John.
The information I was using had incorrect spelling of vessel's name. Many thanks for all the detail and images supplied. I guess all ships have quite an interesting history to them once you look into it. From this information I will be able to trace right through to its fate, hopefully.

Thanks again, regards Clive


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## Ian (Mar 27, 2004)

*Australia Calling Re:Bjorgholm.*

Thanks again.
Should be able to post an image of Bjorgholm in her later guise as Millers McArthur very soon I hope.
Clive.


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## john shaw (Jun 23, 2006)

Here's the collision story, pasted together from contemporary reporting:

(AP: Tanker Rams Liberty Ship; All 37 Saved-

NORWEGIAN TANKER RAMS LIBERTY SHIP: The Norwegian tanker Bjorgholm out of Oslo, came through with without serious damage, after ramming the American ship Western Farmer in the gale-swept English Channel early today. The Western Farmer broke in two and sank three hours after the collision. All 37 crewmen aboard the Liberty ship were rescued by British lifeboats.


The Berkshire Evening Eagle Edition England-- lifeboats hauled the crewmen of the American Liberty ship, Western Farmer, to safety according to an announcement made by ship officials this morning after their ship, rammed by a Norwegian tanker, split in two and sank. The tanker Bjorgholm, only it’s bow damaged, stood by away from the listing freighter until the rescue boats picked up the crew of the ill-fated 7239 ton Western Farmer. The collision occurred after 10 last night in a wind - driven rain near the Goodwin Sands, the "channel graveyard" eight miles off England. The crash put the American ship's engines and radio out of action, but emergency signals from the tanker brought rescue rushing to the stormy scene wreck. The tanker's bow smashed into the Western Farmer amidships "right into the engine and operations room", the forward part of the stricken ship broke away and the crew abandoned her, some taking to the ship's boats and others going over the side straight into the rescue craft, The lifeboats landed the rest of the crew, some bruised and battered but all safe ,at this famous old port of Southeast England and at nearby Ramsgate. The Western Farmer which sailed under the name Henry Lomb during World War II, was on her way to Bremen, Germany with a load of coal. She was owned by the Western Navigation Co. of New York .


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