D/S Fjordheim

To Fjordheim on the "Ships starting with F" page.

Crew List


Source: Bjørn Milde's postcard collection.

Some War Voyages:

(A complete Voyage Record will be added, as well as info on her westbound North Atlantic convoy voyages).

In Apr.-1941 British aircraft were stationed in Iceland. The Norwegian 330th Squadron was also placed there and in May that year Fjordheim successfully transported 18 Northrop (N-3-PB) aircraft, spare parts, ammunition and depth charges from Canada to Reykjavik, Convoy HX 125 A, unloading there on May 22.

In July-1941 Fjordheim sailed in Convoy HX 136, bound for Avonmouth with a general cargo and trucks, joining from Sydney C.B., returning across the Atlantic the following month with the westbound Convoy ON 5, which left Liverpool on Aug. 6-1941. Her destination is given as Montreal on that occasion. In the middle of Nov.-1941 we find her in the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 55, general cargo for Manchester.

She's listed among the ships in the slow Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 68 in Febr.-1942 (having cancelled from the previous convoy, SC 67 in which the Norwegian Heina was sunk), and in Apr./May that year she sailed in SC 81 (having been cancelled from the previous convoy, SC 80). That summer, in July-1942 she's listed in Convoy SC 91, general cargo for Avonmouth.

A year later, in July-1943, she shows up in Convoy SC 137 from Halifax, in Sept. she's listed in Convoy SC 143, and in Dec.-1943 she sailed in Convoy SC 149.

A couple of months later, at the end of Febr.-1944, she was in Convoy SC 154, and in May-1944 she's listed in Convoy HX 291. In July she joined the large Convoy HX 301, which originated in New York on July 25, but Fjordheim joined from Halifax, bound for Avonmouth with general cargo.

Final Fate - 1944:

For her return voyage Fjordheim joined the westbound Convoy ON 251, voyage from Swansea and Belfast Lough for Halifax with a cargo of 4000 tons anthracite (having departed Swansea on Aug. 29, Belfast on Sept. 1). Fjordheim took station 165 of the convoy, which originated in Liverpool on Sept. 1-1944 and arrived New York on the 19th. The Norwegian Bernhard, Elg, Evanger, Ferncliff (returned), Germa, Grey County, Heimgar, Henrik Ibsen, Rutenfjell, Snar, Thorhild, Tungsha, Veni and Vera were also in this convoy, as was the Panamaian Norbris, which had Norwegian managers and can be found under the N's on this website. ON 251 will be added to an individual page in my Convoys section, with more information on it; in the meantime, the ships sailing in it are named in the section listing ships in all ON convoys.

Fjordheim was torpedoed by U-482 (Matuschka) on Sept. 2, the torpedo hitting on the starboard side aft at 23:40 ship's time, between hatches No.'s 4 and 5, blowing the hatches to pieces and filling the deck with water and coal. She immediately started to sink by the stern; all 4 lifeboats were manned and launched and had gotten away from the side of the ship, when 6 minutes after the torpedo had struck the boilers exploded and she sank in position 55 20N 09 58W*.

32 men were in the boats, 1 more was picked up from the water. 5 were still missing, but 2 were found by the British S/S Empire Mallory** which had launched a boat to help in the search. The 33 in the lifeboats were picked up soon afterwards by the Canadian frigate HMCS Montreal, (K-319) and transferred to the convoy rescue ship, the British S/S Fastnet on Sept. 7, as were the 2 picked up by Empire Mallory (they were transferred to the rescue ship on Sept. 13).

The 35 survivors were landed at Halifax on Sept. 17. The maritime hearings were held there on Sept. 18-1944 with the captain, the 1st and 2nd mates, the 1st and 2nd engineers, Donkeyman Nilsen, the boatswain and Able Seaman Larsson appearing. The latter had been on lookout duty at the time of the attack, the 2nd mate was on duty on the bridge, while Able Seaman Charley Strøm was at the helm, and the 2nd engineer was on duty in the engine room along with the donkeyman.

*Rowher gives the position for the attack on Fjordheim as 55 55N 09 28W at 00:10 Sept. 3, German time, while a visitor to my website (who has access to the Public Records Office in London) has given me the position 55 20N 08 12W.

** From Gerry Calderbank, I've received the following letter, dated New York Oct. 14-1944 and written by Captain Jansen to his father, Captain W. A. Calderbank of Empire Mallory:
"I wish to express my profound thanks for your very noble act in stopping your ship and searching for survivors from my own ill-fated ship. It must give you great satisfaction to know that in doing so you were directly responsible for saving the lives of two of my men. I also wish you would express my thanks to your gallant Third Engineer for his heroic attempt to save the life of a third one who swam towards your good ship. It was almost equally sad for the two of them that the attempt failed. Your acts have been reported to the proper authorities, and I hope it will be duly appreciated. Please consider this as an acknowledgement for the receipt of ring and watch belonging to E. Hansen. I have handed same over to him some days ago, and he was most thankful for same. Hoping to have the pleasure of meeting you personally in a not too distant future,
I remain,
Very truly yours
A. Jansen"

Crew List:
Norwegian, unless otherwise noted

Survivors
Captain Arthur Jansen	1st Mate Gustav Berntsen	2nd Mate Harald Syversen	3rd Mate Lars Larsen	Radio Operator Marcus Myhre*	Radio Operator James A. Walker (British)
Carpenter August Hågensen	Boatswain Ole Augustsen	Able Seaman Ragnar Olsen	Able Seaman Hans Leiknes	Able Seaman Sverre Gudmestad	Able Seaman Einar Beruldsen
Able Seaman Charley Strøm	Able Seaman Frithjof Larsson (Danish)	Ordinary Seaman Ernst Hansen	Ordinary Seaman Kenneth Williams (British)	Ordinary Seaman Edward J. Driscoll * (British)	1st Engineer Birger Balchen
2nd Engineer Olaf Johannessen	3rd Engineer Reimath Dyrstad	Donkeyman Wilhelm Nilsen	Stoker Nils Sjøstrøm	Stoker Ole Bjørnebo	Stoker Ernst Mikenberg (Estonian)
Oiler Johannes Utne	Trimmer Carl Lundblad (Swedish)	Trimmer Andreas Selbach	Steward Hans L. Johansen	Cook Anker Kristiansen	Galley Boy Rolf B. Sandvik
Mess Boy John McMahon (British)	Gunner Ingvald Moldestad	Gunner Kristian Mælen	Gunner Thoralf Gundersen**	Gunner Alf Borge
Casualties:
† Donkeyman Harald Ballovarre	† Stoker Einar Lillås	† Stoker Håkon Johansen

* Radio Operator Marcus Myhre had previously served on Carrier and Thoris. After the loss of Fjordheim he joined D/S Henrik Ibsen, later Rutenfjell.

** Gunner Thoralf Gundersen had previously served on Hardanger, Nandi, Kolsdal, and Cetus. After the loss of Fjordheim, he joined Roseville, later Torrens.

Related external links:
Stavern Memorial commemorations - The names are spelt a little differently at this memorial for seamen in Stavern, Norway.

Operations information for U-482

U-482 - Note the info here that U-482's previously established fate has recently been altered. To add to this, Ian Wilson has told me: "A U boat wreck in the English Channel when filmed by divers was announced to be U 322. Previously it had been thought this boat had been sunk west of the Shetlands. So what was the boat sunk there? It has been concluded that it could only have been U 482 in the area that day, 24 November 1944, heading from Bergen back again to the area she sank Fjordheim and four others. In thick fog a Norwegian Sunderland flying-boat got a radar contact and led HMS Ascension to the position, which began a depthcharge attack. No. 330 (Norwegian) Squadron operated from Oban in the west of Scotland and Sullom Voe a fjord in the Shetland Islands".

Picture of HMCS Montreal - On the Naval Museum of Manitoba website.

River Class Frigates - On the WW II Canadian ships website.

Back to Fjordheim on the "Ships starting with F" page.

Norway had previously had another steam ship by this name, delivered in Oct.-1904 as Fjordheim for A/S Hekla (Mail & Holby), Christiania, 2363 gt. Purchased by A/S D/S Dicto (B. Stolt-Nielsen), Haugesund in June-1915 and renamed Dicto. Sunk on Apr. 5-1917 by UB-39 southeast of Arment Rock on a voyage Agulias-Maryport with 3560 tons iron ore. 1 died.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Våre gamle skip", Leif M. Bjørkelund & E. H. Kongshavn, "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Norwegian Maritime Museum, Volume I, and misc. for cross checking info - ref. My sources.