SS Norlom Norlom was a Design 1105 cargo ship that was built in 1919 as Editor by Skinner & Eddy Corporation , Seattle , Washington , United States for the United States Shipping Board ( USSB ) , which became the United States Maritime Commission ( USMC ) in 1937 . In 1941 , she was transferred to the British Ministry of War Transport ( MoWT ) and renamed Empire Dunlin . She was transferred to Norway in 1942 and renamed " Norlom " . She served until 2 December 1943 when she was bombed and sunk at Bari , Italy . Description . The ship was built in 1919 by Skinner & Eddy Corporation , Seattle , Washington . She was yard number 60 . The ship was long , with a beam of . She had a depth of . She was assessed at 6 , 326 GRT , 3 , 972 NRT . Her DWT was 9 , 698 . The ship was propelled by a 510 nhp triple expansion steam engine , which had cylinders of , and diameter by stroke . The engine was built by Hoover , Owens , Rentschler and Company , Hamilton , Ohio . It drove a single screw propeller and could propel the ship at . History . Pre - war . " Editor " was launched in 1919 , and completed in September of that year . She was built for the USSB . The United States Official Number 218887 and Code Letters LSTG were allocated . Her port of registry was Seattle . From 1921 – 24 , she served on the Rotterdam , Netherlands – New York route . With the change of Code Letters in 1934 , " Editor " was allocated KOBG . " Editor " was transferred to the USMC in 1937 . World War II . SS Editor . " Editor " departed from Houston , Texas on 24 January 1941 for Halifax , Nova Scotia , Canada , arriving on 5 February . She loaded a cargo of scrap iron , " special cargo " , steel and vehicles . She was due to sail with Convoy HX 114 , which departed on 11 March for the British port of Liverpool , Lancashire but she did not sail . Instead " Editor " departed on 20 March as a member of Convoy SC 26 , which arrived at Liverpool on 8 April . Her destination was Manchester , Lancashire . SS Empire Dunlin . " Editor " was then transferred to the MoWT and renamed " Empire Dunlin " . She was allocated the United Kingdom Official Number 168161 and the Code Letters GNLL . Her port of registry was changed to London and she was placed under the management of J Billmeir & Co Ltd . She departed from Liverpool on 25 May as a member of Convoy OG 63 , which arrived at Gibraltar on 7 June . She detached from the convoy , and sailed to Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , arriving on 13 June . She departed that day and sailed to the Hampton Roads , Virginia , arriving on 14 June and remaining at anchor there until 2 August . " Empire Dunlin " sailed on that day , but returned to the Hampton Roads on 7 August . She again remained at anchor until 23 September , when she departed for Sydney , Cape Breton , Canada , arriving on 28 September . Laden with a cargo of scrap steel , she departed the next day as a member of Convoy SC 47 , which arrived at Liverpool on 20 October . " Empire Dunlin " left the convoy at Oban , Argyllshire , on the west coast of Scotland on 17 October . She departed two days later with Convoy WN 195 , which arrived at Methil , Fife ( on the Scottish east coast ) on 22 October . She left the convoy at Kirkwall , Orkney Islands on 21 October , departing the next day to join Convoy WN 196 , which had left Oban on 20 October and arrived at Methil on 23 October . She then joined Convoy FS 629 , which departed the next day and arrived at Southend , Essex on 26 October . She left the convoy at Hull , Yorkshire on 26 October , for repairs to collision and weather damage . " Empire Dunlin " joined Convoy FN 556 , which had departed from Southend on 18 November and arrived at Methil on 20 November . She then joined Convoy EN 9 , which departed that day and arrived at Oban on 23 November . She left the convoy at Loch Ewe on 22 November and then sailed to New York , arriving on 17 December . " Empire Dunlin " departed from New York on 4 January 1942 and sailed to Sydney , arriving on 8 January . She then joined Convoy SC 64 , which departed the next day and arrived at Liverpool on 23 January . She was carrying general cargo bound for London . She left the convoy at Loch Ewe and sailed to Southend via convoys WN 235 , WN 236 , FS 712 and FN 631 , arriving on 31 January . " Empire Dunlin " departed from Southend on 14 February as a member of Convoy FN 631 , which arrived at Methil on 16 February . She then joined Convoy EN 49 , which departed on 20 February and arrived at Oban on 23 February . She was in ballast , and left the convoy at Loch Ewe on 22 February . " Empire Dunlin " then sailed to Philadelphia , arriving on 18 March . She departed on 24 April and sailed to New York , arriving the next day . On 26 April 1942 , " Empire Dunlin " was on a voyage from New York to the United Kingdom with a cargo of steel when she ran aground on Valient Rock , off New London , Connecticut , United States . The ship developed a leak and was abandoned . She was refloated on 11 May and towed to New York for repairs , arriving on 13 May . " Empire Dunlin " departed from New York on 25 August , sailing to Cape Cod Bay , Massachusetts , where she joined Convoy BX 35 , which departed from Boston on 26 August and arrived at Halifax two days later . Carrying general cargo and steel , she joined Convoy SC 98 , which departed from Halifax on 29 August and arrived at Liverpool on 13 September . She left the convoy at Loch Ewe on 12 September and joined Convoy WN 336 , which arrived at Methil on 15 September . She then joined Convoy FS 909 , which departed the next day and arrived at Southend on 18 September . She left the convoy at Hull on 18 September . SS Norlom . On 1 October , " Empire Dunlin " was transferred to the Norwegian Government and renamed " Norlom " . She was placed under the management of Nortraship . Her port of registry was changed to Oslo , even though Norway was occupied by the Germans . She departed from Spurn Head on 27 October to join Convoy FN 850 , which had departed from Southend the previous day and arrived at Methil on 29 October . She then joined Convoy EN 156 , which departed that day and arrived at Loch Ewe on 1 November . She sailed on to Oban , arriving that day and departing eight days later to join Convoy ON 144 , which had departed from Liverpool on 7 November and arrived at New York on 27 November . Her destination was Halifax , where she arrived on 25 November . Laden with general cargo , " Norlom " departed from Halifax on 15 December as a member of Convoy HX 219 destined for Liverpool but left the convoy at Loch Ewe on 28 December and sailed to the Tyne via Methil , arriving on 1 January 1943 . " Norlom " left the Tyne on 29 January to join Convoy FN 930 , which had departed from Southend the previous day and arrived back at Methil on 30 January . joining Convoy EN 191 , which departed that day and arrived at Loch Ewe on 1 February . " Norlom " sailed the next day , bound for Iceland , where on 8 February she joined Convoy ON 165 from Liverpool and arrived at New York on 1 March . On 17 February , a fault developed with her rudder when she was at . " Norlom " was bound for New York , but put in at St . John ' s Newfoundland , arriving on 23 February . She departed from St . John ' s on 25 April as a member of Convoy JH 50 , which arrived at Halifax two days later . " Norlom " then joined convoy XB 49 , which departed on 2 May and arrived at Boston two days later . She left the convoy at the Cape Cod Canal and sailed to New York , arriving on 5 May and departing the next day for Baltimore , Maryland , where she arrived on 7 May . She departed from Baltimore on 19 May and sailed to Boston via New York . " Norlom " was a member of Convoy BX 54 , which departed on 26 May and arrived at Halifax on 28 May . Laden with steel and general cargo , she departed from Halifax on 5 June as a member of Convoy SC 133 , which arrived at Liverpool on 19 June . She left the convoy at Loch Ewe and joined Convoy WN 433 , which sailed that day and arrived at Methil on 21 June . She then joined Convoy FS 1148 , which departed that day and arrived at Southend on 23 June . She left the convoy at Middlesbrough , Yorkshire , arriving on 22 June . " Norlom " departed from Middlesbrough on 9 July to join Convoy FN 1068 , which had departed from Southend the previous day and arrived at Methil on 10 July . She then joined Convoy EN 254 , which departed on 11 July and arrived at Loch Ewe two days later . She sailed on to Oban , arriving on 14 July and sailing the next day to join Convoy ONS 13 , which had departed from Liverpool on 14 July and arrived at Halifax on 29 July . She then joined Convoy ON 193 , which had departed from Liverpool on 16 July and arrived at New York on 31 July . " Norlom " departed from New York on 5 August as a member of Convoy NG 378 , which arrived at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba on 12 August . She departed that day with Convoy GAT 80 , which arrived at Trinidad on 18 August . She left the convoy at La Romana , Dominican Republic on 14 August , departing eight days later for San Pedro de Macorís , where she arrived on 23 August . Laden with a cargo of sugar , " Norlom " departed from San Pedro de Macorís on 25 August and sailed to Guantanamo Bay . She then joined Convoy GK 754 , which sailed on 28 August and arrived at Key West , Florida on 31 August . She departed the next day with Convoy KN 262 , which arrived at New York on 7 September , departing two days later for Boston , from where she departed on 11 September as a member of Convoy BX 73 , which arrived at Halifax on 13 September . " Norlom " was a member of Convoy SC 142 , which departed from Halifax on 15 September and arrived at Liverpool on 29 September , although " Norlom " did not arrive until 30 September . Carrying a cargo of coal and lorries , " Norlom " departed from Liverpool on 27 October as a member of Convoy OS57KM , which split at sea on 9 November . Convoy OS 57 arrived at Freetown , Sierra Leone on 27 October . She was in the part of the convoy which formed Convoy KMS 31 and arrived at Gibraltar on 10 November . " Norlom " was armed with a 4 - inch or 4 . 7 - inch gun and ten machine guns . Passing Gibraltar , she then joined Convoy KMS 31 , which arrived at Port Said , Egypt on 21 November . Her destination was Augusta , Italy , where she arrived on 16 November . " Norlom " departed the next day with Convoy AH 9 , which was bound for Bari . She left the convoy at Taranto on 18 November . She departed on 24 November for Bari , arriving the next day . Loss . On 2 December , " Norlom " was in port at Bari when a large force consisting 105 Junkers Ju - 88 aircraft of the Luftwaffe bombed the port . The Liberty ship , laden with a cargo of ammunition , was hit and exploded . Another Liberty ship , the was carrying a cargo of US mustard gas bombs , some of which released their contents . A bulk fuel line was severed , and blazing fuel set fire to a number of ships , including " Norlom " , which sank . In total , eighteen ships were sunk , and six were damaged in the raid . Of " Norloms " crew of 32 and six DEMS gunners , three crew and a gunner were killed in the raid . Her first officer died on 14 December from injuries received in the attack . A sixth crewmember died after the war from the effects of the mustard gas . " Norlom " was assessed as " possibly salvable " . Those lost on board " Norlom " are commemorated at the Minnehallen , Stavern , Norway . The ship was refloated in November 1946 and scrapped at Bari in 1947 .