D/S Heien
Updated Oct. 10-2011

To Heien on the "Ships starting with H" page.


Source: Roger W. Jordan collection.
(Taken off the Normandy beaches on June 6-1944, while discharging cargo overside into DUKW's).

Some Convoy Voyages:

For information on voyages made in between those mentioned here, please see the documents received from the Norwegian archives and Hague's Voyage Record above. Follow the convoy links provided for more details on them; several Norwegian ships took part.

Heien is listed in the original Advance Sailing Telegram for Convoy HN 19 from Norway to the U.K. in March-1940, bound for Liverpool with a cargo of timber. According to Page 1, she left Liverpool again on Apr. 4 in order to return to Norway, but put into Kirkwall on Apr. 11, probably because of the German invasion being underway on Apr. 9 (perhaps she had been intended for Convoy ON 25, which left Methil Roads for Norway on Apr. 5?).

In July-1940, she's listed, together with Caledonia, Carmelfjell, Ibis, Iris, John P. Pedersen, Lyra, Para and Suderholm, in Convoy OB 187, originating in Liverpool on July 21, dispersed on the 25th - ref. external link provided within the record above. No destination is given for Heien, but from the archive document, we learn that she arrived Sydney, C.B. on Aug. 4, having started out from Milford Haven. The following month, we find her in the slow Sydney (C.B.)-U.K. Convoy SC 4. Heien, carrying lumber, was bound for Sharpness, where she arrived on Sept. 28. A few weeks later, she's listed as bound for Sydney, C.B. in Convoy OB 232, originating in Liverpool on Oct. 21, dispersed on the 26th, Heien arriving Sydney on Nov. 3, proceeding to Richibucto 3 days later - again, see external link provided for more on this convoy, which also included Lysaker IV, Måkefjell, Polyana, Rimfakse, Siak, Skiensfjord (Commodore Vessel) and Tyr. Heien headed back to the U.K. on Nov. 22 with Convoy SC 13 from Sydney, C.B., cargo of pit props for Immingham, with arrival there, via Clyde and Methil Roads, on Jan. 26-1941.

Skipping now to Aug.-1941, when we find her in station 75 of the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 7, but she was only bound for Iceland (arrived Reykjavik Aug. 22, having started out from Loch Ewe on the 17th - see Page 2). According to A. Hague, she went back to the U.K. (from Iceland) with Convoy SC 41, which had started out in Sydney, C.B. on Aug. 24 and arrived Liverpool Sept. 11; Heien arrived Clyde on the 12th, having sailed from Reykjavik on Sept. 5. This convoy is not yet available among the SC convoys included in my Convoys section, but will be added - see ships in all SC convoys. The Norwegian Astra, Akabahra, Audun, Balduin, Blink, Carrier (returned), Einvik (sunk - follow link for info), Evviva, Fagersten, Fanefjeld, Grado, Gudrun, Heien, Hestmanden, Hildur I, Ledaal, Leka, Lom, Marga, Nesttun, Orania (returned), Reiaas, Siak and Spes are also listed. More information on these ships can be found with the help of the alphabet index below (or via the Master Ship Index).

Her 1941 voyages continue on Page 3, while the rest are shown on Page 4, which also lists some of her 1942 voyages - see also Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8 and Page 9 for information on her other 1942 voyages. Her 1943 voyages start on the latter document. Convoy information for some of these can be found in Hague's Voyage Record.

At the beginning of June-1943, I have her in Convoy RU 76 from Reykjavik to the U.K., together with Erica, Nandi and Lyra. Heien was bound for Glasgow in ballast, and arrived there on June 6/7. From Page 10, we learn that she had been in Iceland for almost a month, having arrived there from Loch Ewe on May 6 (in Convoy UR 73, according to A. Hague; ref. link in the table above). More 1943 voyages are shown on Page 11.

Heien took part in Operation Neptune, the maritime side of the invasion of Normandy in June-1944, discharging her cargo from June 6 until June 11, according to "Nortraships flåte" (not included on Page 12). The picture at the top of this page was taken off the Normandy beaches on June 6-1944, while discharging cargo into DUKW's. (Further 1944 voyages can be found on Page 13 and Page 14 - the latter page also has some early 1945 voyages).

I found the following under Fri. 9 March, 1945 - Europe on the website Hyperwar (external link):
Source: The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II, Robert J. Cressman.

"Submarine chaser PC-564, outgunned and badly damaged, manages to outrun the German force engaged late on 8 March and is grounded on the French coast at Pierre de Herpin light. French fishing boats arrive to help the wounded, and the next day, PC-564 is towed into St. Malo harbor. Shortly after PC-564 is knocked out of action, German raiding party attacks Granville, demolishing installations, releasing German POWs held there, and sinking small British freighters Kyle Castle, Nephrite, and Parkwood, and Norwegian merchantman Heien. The Germans seize collier Eskwood and tow her to Jersey, in the Channel Islands. German minesweeper M 412 runs aground and is blown up when it is realized that extricating her from her predicament is impossible in the time allowed".

Note that Heien is not listed as sunk in any of my Norwegian sources. However, when going to Page 15 of the archive documents, we see that she was indeed in the area in question at that time (she had arrived Cancale Roads from Plymouth on March 5), and A. Hague also mentions the incident in his Voyage Record for Heien, saying she was damaged in the attack. More information on this raid on Granville on March 8/9-1945 is available at the external websites that I've linked to at the end of this page. Heien returned to the U.K. (from St. Malo) on March 12, arriving Newport on the 14th, heading back to Granville just a few days later.

Page 16 and Page 17 list more 1945 voyages. It looks like Heien did not get to go home to Norway until Febr.-1946 - see Page 18.

POST WAR:

Sold to Germany in 1950 (Wilhelm Joerk, Hamburg) and renamed Kapt Wilh Joerk. Broken up in Germany in the spring of 1955.

Related external links:
German raid on Granville

The Granville Raid

Back to Heien on the "Ships starting with H" page.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, E-mails from Roger W. Jordan - and misc.