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M/S Heimvard
Updated Oct. 12-2011

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


Source: Kaare S. Sidselrud (see Lidvard) who says the picture was taken in Dakar.


Received from and painted by Jan Goedhart, Holland.

Manager: Lauritz Kloster, Oslo
Tonnage:
4851 gt

Built in Malmö, Sweden in 1930.

Captain: I. Strand (there's a note at the end of my page about Lidvard, saying that a Captain Ivar Strand took over command of that ship in Sept.-1946 - same person?).

Related items on this website:
Interned Ships
A Series of postings to my Ship Forum from someone who has some pictures of I. Strand and family, and who would like to get in touch with his descendants to share these pictures with them.
Forum posting from the son of Ken Fabian, who served on Heimvard (as well as Norfold, Sjøbris and Toulouse), and would like to get in touch with someone who knew him.

Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives:
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3


Please compare the above voyages with Arnold Hague's Voyage Record below.

Voyage Record
From March-1943 to May-1945:

(Received from Don Kindell - His source: The late Arnold Hague's database).

Follow the convoy links provided for more information on each.

Errors may exist, and many voyages are missing.

Departure From To Arrival Convoy Remarks
1943 March 28 Freetown Takoradi Apr. 2 ST 60 Earlier voyages, Page 1
Convoy available at ST convoys
(external link)
Missing voyages, Page 1
May 5 Takoradi Freetown May 10 TS 38 Convoy available at TS 38
(external link)
May 11 Freetown SL 129 Rendezvoused w/MKS 13, May 24.
Convoy available at SL 129
(external link)
May 24 SL 129 & MKS 13 joined up Liverpool June 1 SL 129/MKS 13 Convoy available at SL 129/MKS 13
(external link)
July 24 Liverpool New York City Aug. 7 ON 194 Convoy will be added.
See ships in ON convoys
Aug. 27 Hampton Roads Port Said Sept. 24 UGS 16 For Port Said.
Convoy available at UGS convoys
(external link)
Missing voyages, Page 1.
Oct. 25 Aden Bombay Nov. 3 AB 18 Missing voyages:
Page 1 (Bombay not mentioned) & Page 2
1944 Jan. 25 Port Said Hampton Roads* Febr. 22 GUS 29 Port Said to USA.
Convoy available at GUS convoys
(external link)
*Arrived New York, left May 20
(Page 2).
May 23 Hampton Roads Port Said June 18 UGS 43 Convoy available at UGS convoys
(external link)
Missing voyages, Page 2
June 26 Aden Bandar Abbas July 3 AP 73 Convoy available at AP convoys
(external link)
Missing voyages, Page 2
Oct. 28 Freetown SL 175 Rendezvoused w/MKS 66, Nov. 8.
Convoy available at SL 175
(external link)
Nov. 8 SL 175 & MKS 66 joined up Liverpool* Nov. 15* SL 175/MKS 66 Convoy available at SL 175/MKS 66
(external link)
*Page 2 gives arrival Avonmouth Nov. 14
(also, missing movements)
Dec. 4 Liverpool* New York City Dec. 22 ON 270 *From Barry
(Page 2).
1945 Jan. 18 Hampton Roads* Gibraltar Febr. 1 UGS 69 *From New York Jan. 17
(Page 2).
Convoy available at UGS convoys
(external link)
Missing voyages, Page 2
Febr. 24 Casablanca* Casablanca Febr. 26 MKS 85G Returned.
Convoy will be added.
See ships in MKS convoys
Febr. 28 Casablanca Hampton Roads* March 16 GUS 74 Casablanca to USA.
Convoy available at GUS convoys
(external link)
*According to Page 2, she left Gibraltar on Febr. 24 and arrived Casablanca Febr. 26, departing for Baltimore Febr. 27, with arrival March 16. Left Baltimore March 24, arrived Hampton Roads same day.
March 29 Hampton Roads Gibraltar Apr. 14 UGS 83 Convoy available at UGS convoys
(external link)
Missing voyages, Page 2
Apr. 27 Oran Hampton Roads May 14 GUS 86 Convoy available at GUS convoys
(external link)
Subsequent voyages:
Page 2 & Page 3


 Internment and Escapes: 
It'll be noticed that some of the dates and info here don't quite match up with what can be found on Page 1 of the archive documents.

Heimvard was 1 of the 26 Norwegian ships interned in North and West Africa 1940-1942. She had arrived Dakar on Apr. 18-1940 having come from Saigon with a cargo of rice, then after unloading the cargo she continued to Kotonu to take on board palm oil and coco beans for Dunkirk, departing for the journey to Europe on June 13(?*). En route, she was redirected back to Dakar, and was subsequently interned. "Nortraships flåte" gives the internment date as June 22-1940. Going to Page 1 above, we learn that she had arrived Dakar on June 20.

* Note that the archive document also says she had been to Dunkirk in May, and that she had been at Tabou on June 15 - according to Wikipedia, there's a place by that name on the Ivory Coast, West Africa, but I'm not sure that's the place referred to in her sailing list.

According to Guri Hjeltnes' "Sjømann - Lang vakt", Heimvard had a crew of 29, all Norwegian, a total of 21 escaped.

12 men from Heimvard escaped to Bathurst in a lifeboat on March 5-1941, among them were Ingvald Dyrland, Edvard Jensen, Ludvig Thomassen and the brothers Nils Lund and Vermund Lund. From Bathurst, they got passage to Freetown on the Danish Dagø on March 9, arriving 4 days later, then signed on various other ships. A few days later, another 6 also escaped, then on Apr. 27, Radio Operator/Mate Ola Johansen, 2nd Engineer Mortensen, 3rd Engineer Vikenes, Electrician Karlsen, Cook Moen and Mechanic Melsether managed to get out in one of Heimvard's gigs. After an eventful voyage they arrived Bathurst safely; from there they were sent to Freetown on board a Dutch vessel that had escaped from Dakar the year before (M/S Rolf?). 32 escapees from Dakar were then sent from Freetown to the U.K. on board the troop transport Windsor Castle, arriving Clyde on May 16.

Related external link:
The Great Ocean Liners has more on Windsor Castle on this page.

 Free at last! 

In "Krigsseileren No. 2 for 1985 there's an article written by Ola Johansen, detailing their arrival in U.K. and describing the destruction from the air attacks. He starts off by saying they had to stay on board Windsor Castle until May 18 at which time they were taken to the railway station in Glasgow under military escort (as they had come from an enemy area and had no passports). He describes the destruction of the shipyards outside Glasgow and all along the route to London. On May 11, London had suffered one of its worst air attacks of the war and when they were taken by car through the city they saw clear evidence of that raid. Their destination was Royal Victoria School in the Battersea district which was utilized as a transit point for escapees from enemy territories. Papers were checked and questions asked, and on May 25 the escapees from Dakar had "cleared" security and were picked up by a representative of the Norwegian authorities. While they stayed at County Hotel near Nortraship's offices at Tavistock House, trips to the various offices to get new identification papers, passports, ration cards etc. followed, before they were again ready to join allied service, and the group from Dakar was scattered. Ola Johansen joined D/S Marga in June, but on arrival Grimsby from Canada in Sept. he payed off together with the Mate Bryde and almost the entire complement; he says no one seemed to like it on board. According to Marga's Voyage Record for this period, she arrived Grimsby on Sept. 18. The following month, Ola Johansen joined D/S Hardanger and later sailed on D/S Biscaya and Høegh Silverlight, then worked his way home from New York to Norway on M/S Hermund in the late fall of 1945.

 Some Voyages 

Heimvard was back in Nortraship's fleet by March 20-1943, following Operation Torch in Nov.-1942, which freed all the interned ships. When going back to Page 1 of the documents received from the Norwegian archives, we see that she left Dakar on March 21-1943 and arrived Freetown March 24, subsequently making voyages to Takoradi, Matadi and Pointe Noire, then back to Takoradi and Freetown (she left Pointe Noire on Apr. 27 and arrived Freetown, via Takoradi, on May 10). She's now listed in Convoy SL 129, which departed Freetown on May 11 and arrived Liverpool on June 1, having joined up with Convoy MKS 13 off Gibraltar on May 24. She had a cargo of coffee, bauxite and other general; voyage is given as Pointe Noire-Clyde. The Norwegian Belnor, Fernhill and Vest are also listed. Follow the link provided within the Voyage Record above for more convoy details. Towards the end of the following month, we find her in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 194, departing Liverpool on July 24, arriving New York on Aug. 7. This convoy will be added to an individual page in my Convoys section; in the meantime, the ships sailing in it are named in the section listing ships in all ON convoys. Anna Odland, Belinda, Brimanger, Dagrun, Fernmoor, G. C. Brøvig, Germa, Kaia Knudsen, Lista, Morgenen, Noreg, Norheim and Skandinavia are also included, while Acanthus, Potentilla and Rose are named among the escorts - see ON convoy escorts.

From the U.S., she now headed to Port Said, Suez and Aden, and in Oct.-1943, I have her in Convoy AP 50 / AB 18 (departing Aden Oct. 25), together with Egerø, Havkong and Kong Sverre. As can be seen when following the link, Heimvard's voyage information is given as New York to Fremantle - according to Page 1, she arrived Fremantle on Nov. 16, continuing to Adelaide the next day.

She returned to the U.S. again in Jan.-1944, then back to Port Said and Suez etc. - see her Voyage Record and Page 2 (it'll be noticed that she had spent a long time in New York). Skipping now to Oct.-1944, when she's listed in Convoy SL 175, which departed Freetown on Oct. 28, joined up with Convoy MKS 66 from Gibraltar on Nov. 8, the combined convoy arriving Liverpool on Nov. 15. Heimvard had a general cargo consisting of oilcake, maize, cased meats, fats, bone material, leather, casein and hair (the archive document states she arrived Avonmouth on Nov. 14). Again, follow the external link provided in the table above. The Norwegian Toledo and Ragnhild also took part in this convoy, Ragnhild joining from Gibraltar. (The MKS portion will also be added to my own website, but for now, the ships sailing in it are named in the section listing ships in all MKS convoys).

The following month, Heimvard made another voyage to New York, having sailed in Convoy ON 270, along with several other Norwegian ships, as will be seen when clicking on the link. She arrived her destination on Dec. 22.

She subsequently travelled to Augusta, Naples, Gibraltar and Casablanca, before heading back to the U.S. at the end of Febr.-1945, arriving Baltimore on March 16 - according to A. Hague she had joined Convoy MKS 85, which started out in Gibraltar on Febr. 24. He says she joined from Casablanca, but returned to that port; I'm not entirely sure this is correct. She did, however, leave Gibraltar on Febr. 24 and arrived Casablanca Febr. 26, then proceeded to Baltimore from there the next day. Again, see Page 2 and Voyage Record above. Page 3 shows the rest of her voyages. From this document, we learn that she got to go home to Norway in Aug.-1945, and again in Nov.-1945. Also, on Dec. 10 that year, she left Baltimore for Kirkwall and Oslo, but arrival Oslo is not given.

 POST WAR: 

Sold in 1950 to DDG Hansa, Bremen, Germany, and renamed Axenfels. Sold to Japanese breakers and arrived at Hirao on Dec. 24-1961 to be broken up.

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