Two Trondas

Further to John Cook’s recollections of his sea time on the Salvesen ship Folda, his references to the Tronda and Maurice Napier’s comprehensive technical resume of the first mentioned vessel, a reader adds some further information which may be of interest.

“An earlier Tronda sailed for a Salvesen company from 1887 until 1926,” he says. “She had been built at John Readhead’s shipyard at South Shields as Monaco for a local owner. In 1887 she was acquired, transferred and renamed to Damps, Selsk Tronda.

“In 1918 she came under the control of The Shipping Controller, London with Salvesen becoming managers.

“After First World War service she returned to the Norwegian register.

“In the 1920s she was transferred to the Olna Whaling Company for use as a pier and store, presumably in the (South) Shetlands, where she could have been used as a ‘prop’ for the filming of the film Hell Below Zero as Mr Cook describes.

“However, just to complicate matters, there was a second Tronda which was completed by Goole Shipbuilding & Repair company in 1937 as the Andoni. Salvesen acquired her 12 years later.

“In 1961 she was acquired by Metcalf Motor Coasters and became the Moira M eventually being broken up at Inverkeithing in 1968.

“Throughout the 1960s other vessels in the Metcalf coastal shipping ‘family’ fleet which included Daniel M, David M, Ellen M, Jim M, Monica M, Paul M, Polly M, Rose-Julie M and Thomas M were employed in the bulk fertiliser trade from Immingham to Perth, mainly for Fisons Ltd.”