Owner: "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig" gives owner as Skibs-A/S Arizona, while R. W. Jordan's "The World's Merchant Fleets 1939" gives owner as A/S Abaco, Aruba, Astrea & Noruega.
Manager: Leif Høegh & Co. A/S, Oslo
Tonnage: 7715 gt, 4730 net, 10 550 tdwt
Dimensions: 465' 6" x 58' 4"
Machinery (when built): 5 cylinder two stroke cycle double acting oil engine by the shipbuilders
Call Sign: BNWQ.

General cargo vessel completed by Burmeister & Wain, Copenhagen in March-1940.

Captain was Dag Arnesen until early 1942, then Edgar Waaler (previously of Høegh Silverstar) took over while the ship was in New York.
1st Mate was Petter von Tangen, who had joined Høegh Silverdawn in Dec.-1941, at age 27. He had previously served as 2nd mate on Høegh Silvercloud, under Captain Odd Findahl.

Related items on this website:
Norwegian victims of Michel - a detailed account on her loss.
Guestbook message from someone who is looking for information on the Dutch Navy Airmen who were on board at the time of Høegh Silverdawn's loss; I have since found their names (included in the crew list on the above page), but the poster of that message appears to have changed his E-mail address, so I'm unable to let him know - if anybody knows him, please pass this information on.
See also this message from the daughter of R. A. Guldberg, one of the survivors of the sinking.

Some War Voyages:

(More will be added).

Together with the Norwegian Alar and Vilja, Høegh Silverdawn is listed in Convoy TAG 5, which departed Trinidad on Sept. 12-1942 and arrived Guantanamo on the 16th. She subsequently joined Convoy GN 5, which left Guantanamo on Sept. 19-1942 and arrived New York on the 26th - Alar was again in company.

The following month we find her, with destination Cristobal, in Convoy NG 316, departing New York on Oct. 24-1942, arriving Guantanamo on the 30th (the Norwegian Thorsholm is also included). She left Guantanamo again the next day in Convoy GZ 10, which arrived Cristobal on Nov. 4. The company's Høegh Scout also took part in this convoy, as did Dea, Fernhill, and Toledo.

Jumping now to March-1943, when she's listed in Convoy ZG 25, departing Cristobal on March 15, arriving Guantanamo on the 19th, then left Guantanamo again the next day, together with Britamer and Ragnhild, in Convoy GN 48, which arrived New York on March 28. About a month later she's listed, with the Norwegian Maud, in Convoy NG 357, departing New York on Apr. 22-1943, arriving Guantanamo on the 28th, and 2 days later she joined Convoy GZ 30 from Guantanamo, which arrived Cristobal on May 4.

All these convoys are available by following the instructions provided at the external link below. More details on all the other Norwegian ships mentioned here can be found with the help of the alphabet index at the end of this page, or go to the Master Ship Index.

In addition to the above convoy voyages, she probably made several independent voyages. She was on a voyage from Fremantle to Basra, having departed Fremantle on June 10-1943, with 9000 tons general cargo, frozen meat and war materials, such as shells, tractors, guns and aviation fuel, when she was attacked without warning by the German auxiliary cruiser Michel on June 15, and sunk 25 40S 92E, southeast of the Coco Islands.

There had been 58 people on board, 11 of whom were passengers. 27 were killed, (6 passengers) and several injured. 6 of her complement appears to have been taken aboard the raider by von Schack with the motor torpedoboat Esau (they are said to have died when Michel was sunk on Oct. 17), while 3 others got away on a raft and were picked up on June 26 by the American M/S Franklyn P. Mull in position 25 38S 90 40E and taken to Colombo on July 12. They were John Bakkemyr, Sverre Karlsen and Arthur Hansen. John Bakkemyr was one of 9 men who had spent 49 days on a raft the year before, after the sinking of M/S Moldanger. 17 crew (including the captain) and the 5 surviving passengers got away in a damaged lifeboat, which in the course of 31 days covered 2865 miles, and landed on the coast of India, about 130 n. miles southwest of Calcutta Light Vessel. Please see my page "Norwegian victims of Michel" below which, in addition to a detailed account on the attack itself, includes a summary of the weeks the 22 from Høegh Silverdawn spent in the lifeboat, and what happened to them once they reached land, as well as a picture of the survivors, and a crew list. 3 had died on the way; the 1st died on June 15, the 2nd on June 23, and the last on June 28, making the total loss of life 36 (this number includes the 6 who died later when Michel was sunk. The numbers vary according to source; one says the captain, 13 crew and 5 passengers reached land - Leif Høegh's fleet list says 14 reached India).

For more on the above, please continue to Norwegian victims of Michel

Related external link:
Misc. convoys - By clicking on "Ship Search", using "Silverdawn" as keyword, the above mentioned convoys will come up.