Manager: Harald Grieg Martens, Bergen
Tonnage: 1369 gt

Built in Krimpen ann de Ijsel, Holland in 1917. Previous name Troldtind.

Captain: Leif V. Christiansen.

Misc. War Voyages:

(More will be added).

For info, I found the following under Saturday, Febr. 3-1940 in a diary for the northeast of England (both these links are external, and go to a site by Roy Ripley and Brian Pears):
"Saturday, 3rd February, 1940 - 'SS Jernfjeld' (1,370t) a Norwegian ship ran aground 800 yds S of St Mary's lighthouse at Briardene, due to heavy seas. The crew of eighteen escaped in their own lifeboat". I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere else (not sure if it's correct).

In July-1941 we find her in station 56 of Convoy OS 1. This was a Freetown bound convoy, which left Liverpool on July 21 and arrived Freetown Aug. 10, but Jernfjeld was only bound for Glasgow - see the external link at the end of this page for more convoy information; other Norwegian ships are also listed, including the Norwegian Erviken, on a voyage from Milford to Tampa, Florida in Station 23 of the convoy. Later that year Jernfjeld, with destination Iceland only, joined the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 12, which left Liverpool on Sept. 1-1941. In Nov.-1941 she shows up in station 14 of the westbound Convoy ON 35, again bound for Iceland. Both these convoys had several Norwegian ships, as will be seen when going to my pages about them.

According to the external website already mentioned, she made another voyage to Iceland at the beginning of Febr.-1942 with Convoy UR 11, and is said to have returned to Loch Ewe with a convoy that has been given the designation QP 7A*, departing Seidisfjord on Febr. 25-1942, arriving Loch Ewe on the 28th.

*This convoy is not included in "Convoys to Russia" by Arnold Hague and Bob Ruegg. QP 7 is included, however. It originated at Murmansk on Febr. 12 and dispersed on the 15th, the ships in it arriving Seidisfjord by Febr. 22; in fact, it consisted of the same ships as those named in QP 7A, except Jernfjeld, so it's possible they later proceeded to the U.K. in a convoy with this designation.

Jernfjeld was at Falmouth on Aug. 29-1942 when German bombers attacked. One of the bombs fell so close by that she sprang a leak. She was beached, then towed to dock a couple of days later and repaired.

According to the Memorial for Seamen in Stavern, Norway, she lost a crewmember on Sept. 30-1943, namely Able Seaman Trygve Løberg, who is said to have died at sea on that date, following an accident on board.

She was used as supply ship for the invasion of Normandy (Overlord), arriving Omaha Beach on June 11-1944, departing again on July 8 (the first external website below has information on some of the convoys she was in during this time period). According to "Nortraships flåte" the reason for this long stay was the fact that a storm had caused a flash flood, which resulted in Jernfjeld and several other vessels drifting so far up on the beach that there was not enough water beneath them to enable them to go out at high tide. Bulldozers dug a channel in the sand so that she was finally able to get out.

She's listed in several convoys to Antwerp and back to the U.K. from the end of Jan.-1945 and onwards (again, see website below). On VE Day, she's said to have been in Antwerp, having arrived there from Southend on May 7-1945 with Convoy TAM 160 (together with Martin Bakke), departing again on May 10 with Convoy ATM 150, with arrival Southend the next day.

Related external links:
OS and OS/KMS Convoys - OS 1 is included. Note also that by going to this section of the same site and clicking on "Ship Search", using "Jernfjeld" as keyword, several convoys that are not mentioned in my own text will come up, including many local U.K. convoys. Here are UR 11, QP 7A, TAM 160, and ATM 150, all mentioned in the above narrative.

Stavern Memorial commemoration - As mentioned, Able Seaman Trygve Løberg is commemorated.

Omaha Beachhead

Omaha Beach - includes several Maps