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Under Admiralty control from 1940 (Royal Fleet Auxiliary).

Sandar can be found in Convoy HX 51 in June/July-1940 - follow link for cruising order.

Some of Sandar's War Voyages - 1941-1942:

From crew member Dag Midbøe's personal documents (used here with permission), received from Neil Carlsen, Norway. Midbøe was on board from Dec.-1940 until Febr.-1942 - see also text under Leiv Eiriksson.

Sandar departed Swansea for Gourock on Jan. 23-1941, joined Convoy OB 277 for Curacao on the the 24th, arrived the latter on Febr. 26. On March 7 she departed Wilhelmstad for Halifax where she arrived on March 17, then joined Convoy HX 117 on March 27 for Clyde, arrived Gourock on Apr. 15. Returned across the Atlantic on Apr. 23 in Convoy OB 313 and arrived New York on May 10. On July 1 she departed New York for Halifax where she arrived on July 5, and the following day she joined Convoy HX 137 and arrived Gourock on July 21. Departed Courock on Aug. 12 in Convoy OS 3, arrived Curacao on Sept. 2, then left again on the 3rd for Freetown with arrival on Sept. 20. Departed Freetown on Sept. 28, arrived Gibraltar Oct. 9, then headed back to Curacao on the 15th, arriving Nov. 1. Departed the following day for New York where she arrived on Nov. 12. On Dec. 18 she headed for Halifax and Sydney N.S., arriving Dec. 23, then departed in Convoy HX 168 on Jan. 2-1942, with arrival Old Kilpatr. on Jan. 18.

Some more details on the above mentioned convoys as given by "The Allied Convoy System", Arnold Hague:
OB 277 departed Liverpool on Jan. 22-1941, dispersed Jan. 27 - 25 ships.
HX 117 departed Halifax on March 27-1941, arrived Liverpool Apr. 15 - 41 ships, 1 sunk, namely the Dutch Prins Willem II which straggled and was torpedoed and sunk by U-98 on Apr. 9 (the British Armed Merchant Cruiser Rajputana is also listed as sunk in this convoy, by U-108 on Apr. 13).
OB 313 departed Liverpool on Apr. 22-1941, dispersed on Apr. 28 - 38 ships.
HX 137 departed Halifax on July 6-1941, arrived Liverpool on July 22 - 53 ships.
For more details on OS 3 - see the link mentioned below.
HX 168 departed Halifax on Jan. 2-1942, dispersed Jan. 13 - 36 ships (Swedish Yngaren straggled, sunk on Jan. 12 by U-43).

The first external website that I've linked to below also lists Sandar in station 86 of Convoy OS 20 in Febr.-1942, on a voyage from Clyde to Curacao in ballast. Follow the link for more convoy details; several Norwegian ships took part.

Final Fate - 1942:

Torpedoed amidships and sunk on May 2-1942 by U-66 (Zapp), on a voyage from Port of Spain to Gibraltar with 11 500 tons fuel oil, position 11 42N 61 10W. The midships section was set on fire, including the bridge, but some of those who were on duty there managed to get down to the deck with the help of a ladder. The starboard lifeboat was destroyed, but the port boat was launched with 25 men. Shortly afterwards they spotted the motorboat, and at the same time they heard another explosion from the engine room. The ship started to sink by the stern and was gone within 2 minutes (about half an hour after the torpedo had struck). The motorboat capsized so that some of the men ended up in the water. The port boat rowed over to it to see if anyone was injured and they were told that the captain was terribly burnt. 2 men were missing, namely the 1st mate, who had been on duty on the bridge, and the boatswain. They searched for them for quite a while but could not see them. The U-boat came up and headed for the boats. The survivors were asked the usual questions about the ship, cargo and destination etc., then they were given some food and first aid articles as well as the course and distance to Trinidad (215°, 60 n. miles) before it took off in a southeasterly direction.

The survivors were rescued the next day when 25 n. miles north of the inlet to Port of Spain, having been spotted by an aircraft which directed the American Alcoa Pilot to their assistance. The captain was immediately admitted to a hospital upon landing in Port of Spain but died shortly thereafter.

Jürgen Rohwer lists this ship as a motor vessel (not a tanker), this is incorrect.

Crew List:

Survivors:
2nd Mate Harald Johan Wiik	3rd Mate Alf Lund	Radio Operator Patrick Redmond Hayden (Irish)	Carpenter Paulus Eriksen	Able Seaman Samson Johansen Mehus	Able Seaman Olav Alexander Henjum
Able Seaman Anton Valle	Able Seaman Rolf Marius Knudsen	Able Seaman Bjarne Sørvåg	Able Seaman Leif A. B. Syvertsen	Able Seaman Henry Johansen	Able Seaman/ Gunner Konrad Myklebust
Ordinary Seaman Helge Haugestad	Ordinary Seaman Einar Tancred Alexandersen	Ordinary Seaman William George Evans (British)	1st Engineer Fritz Osvald Moe	2nd Engineer Erik Kai Albertsen (Danish)	3rd Engineer Alf Holm Hansen
4th Engineer Ernst Martin Totland	Electrician Harald A. Johansen	Mechanic Martin Paulsen	Mechanic Fritz Thoresen	Mechanic Makes Rapankichs (Greek)	Mechanic Nils Sjøstrøm
Mechanic Ragnar Kjærås	Mechanic Olav Kasper Lindtvedt	Mechanic Ole Jørgen Nilsen	Oiler William Matheson (Australian)	Engine Boy Robert McCarroll (Scottish)	Steward Gullik A. Gulliksen
Cook Alf Henry Lorentzen	Galley Boy John Kelly (Scottish)	Mess Boy John McNeil (Canadian)	Saloon Boy John Thomsen (Scottish)
Casualties:
† Captain Leif Wichberg Lie	† 1st Mate Arvid Borgersen	† Boatswain Magnus Strandeness

The maritime hearings were held in New York on May 25-1942 with the 2nd mate, Able Seaman Henjum (helmsman), Able Seaman Sørvåg, and the 2nd engineer appearing. The latter had been on duty in the engine room.

External websites related to the text on this page:
OS and OS/KMS Convoys - This website lists all the ships in quite a few of these convoys, along with their convoy stations and info on their destination. As can be seen, Sandar is listed in Convoy OS 3 and OS 20.

More on the casualties - Memorial for seamen in Stavern, Norway.

U-66

Norway also had a Sandar later on. This was originally the German tanker Kattegat (6031 gt) which was en route to Narvik with supplies for the invasion fleet on Apr. 9-1940, but had to take refuge in the Glomfjord south of Bodø, due to the danger of mines in Vestfjord. She was discovered, and M/S Nordkapp was sent on Apr. 10 to seize her. She was scuttled, but saved and put into service under the Norwegian flag with the name Bodø. En route to Tromsø she was attacked and damaged by German aircraft. After the Norwegian capitulation of the North of Norway (summer of 1940) she again ended up in German control, was repaired and put into service under her original name Kattegat. At the end of the war she was badly damaged and being repaired at Sandefjord, where she again came under the Norwegian flag with the name Sandar. ("Handelfsflåten i krig", book 5, Lauritz Pettersen).

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "The Allied Convy System, Arnold Hague, "Axis Submarine Successes of World War II", Jürgen Rohwer, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Volume II (Norwegian Maritime Museum), Dag Midbøe's personal documents, and misc. - (ref. My Sources).