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D/S Norjerv To Norjerv on the "Ships starting with N" page. Manager: Nortraship Info from Barbara Mumford (her source: "Empire Ships"): One of the ships built under United States Shipping Board contracts (WW I) and purchased from U.S.A. by British Ministry of War Transport at the beginning of WW II. Design 1080 Ames-type - 8800 tdw, 410 ft x 54 ft. Engines: T3cyl. 5775 gt. Built by Ames Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., Seattle, Wash. Completed as West Islip (USSB) in 1919. Sailed as Golden Rod (Oceanic & Oriental SN Co., San Francisco) 1928, Willhilo (Williams SS Co. Inc., New York) 1935, Indianan (American Hawaiian SS Co.) 1937, Empire Eagle (M.O.S.) 1940. This was one of 19 ships transferred to Nortraship in 1942; Empire Ships on my page "Ship Statistics & Misc." gives the names of the other 18. Norjerv was taken over in Hull, April 14-1942 (she had arrived U.K. from Halifax as Empire Eagle in Convoy SC 74 - see also Convoy WN 263 and Convoy FS 764, both external. Note that she's listed as Empire Eagle in several previous convoys on this website, use the Search page to find them, with "Empire Eagle" as keywords). Most of the "Empire"-named ships that were transferred from the British to the Norwegian flag during the war years were given the prefix "Nor", others were named for members of the (exiled) Norwegian Royal Family. Captain: Karl Johan Hamre Her voyages are listed on these original images from the Norwegian National Archives: Please compare the above voyages with Arnold Hague's Voyage Record below.
(Received from Don Kindell - His source: The late Arnold Hague's database). Follow the convoy links provided for more information on each.
As mentioned further up on this page, Norjerv was taken over by Nortraship in Hull on April 14-1942, having previously arrived U.K. as Empire Eagle in Convoy SC 74. Shortly thereafter, she joined the westbound Norh Atlantic Convoy ON 90*, which originated in Liverpool on Apr. 28 and arrived Halifax on May 15; Norjerv, however, was bound for Philadelphia, where she arrived (via New York) on May 21, having started out from Loch Ewe on Apr. 28 - see Page 1. Aun, Bjørkhaug, Borgholm, Heimgar, Lido, Lisbeth (returned), Nea, Norvarg, Ørnefjell, Rio Verde, Selbo, Snar, Suderøy and Velox are also listed in this convoy. Norjerv was scheduled to return with the slow Convoy SC 87 from Sydney, C.B. on June 12, but instead joined the next convoy on June 19, SC 88, steel and cotton for Liverpool. Acanthus, Montbretia, Potentilla and Rose are named among the escorts (see SC convoy escorts). In July we find her, along with Albert L. Ellsworth, Bjørkhaug, Borgholm, Bruse Jarl, Evviva, Facto, Fidelio, Gezina, Hjalmar Wessel, Ingerfem, Lisbeth, Loke, Ragnhild, Selvik and Titanian (returned), in the westbound Convoy ON 112*, departing Liverpool on July 13. Norjerv arrived New York on Aug. 1, continuing to Baltimore that same day. The following month she's listed in Convoy SC 99 from Halifax, later joining the westbound Convoy ON 140* (originated in Liverpool Oct. 17, arrived New York Nov. 7). Brush, Corneville, Haakon Hauan (returned), Hallanger, Harpefjell, Solsten and Stirlingville are also named in this convoy, but note that they were not all present from the U.K. Norjerv was bound for Baltimore, where she arrived on Nov. 9, having started out from Oban Oct. 18. According to Arnold Hague she now joined Convoy SC 111*, which left New York on Nov. 25-1942, but she returned to port (Halifax - see Page 1), later joining SC 112*, which had originated in New York on Dec. 4 (Norjerv joined with the Halifax portion a few days later). Both these convoys had several Norwegian ships, namely Brush, Gudvor, Harpefjell, Heimgar, Novasli, Sevilla and Sir James Clark Ross in SC 111 (though like Norjerv, some of these went to Halifax; it looks like this convoy encountered bad weather) and Acasta, Aragon (for St. John's only), Borgholm, Dageid, Fjordheim, Garnes (also for St. John's), Harpefjell, Heimgar, Primo (for Halifax), Sir James Clark Ross, Solitaire and Tropic Star (returned) in SC 112. Judging from the archive document, Norjerv's final destination was London on that occasion. In Febr.-1943 she's listed in Convoy ON 165, bound for Philadelphia, station 22 (the Commodore's narrative is also available). Eglantine and Acanthus were among the escorts for a while. Norjerv arrived her destination on March 1, having sailed from Loch Ewe on Febr. 2. At the end of March we find her in the Halifax-U.K. Convoy SC 125 but she returned to port, arriving St. John's, N.F. on Apr. 6, according to Page 2. Eglantine, Potentilla and Rose are again named among the escorts. She left St. John's again on Apr. 18, joining Convoy SC 127, which had started out from Halifax on Apr. 16; it'll be noticed when following the link that she's not mentioned on my page about this convoy, but Halifax ships only are currently included there (will be updated). In May she's listed, along with Lago and Lisbeth, in the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ONS 8*, which left Liverpool on May 17 and arrived Halifax on June 1. Norjerv's destination is given as Hampton Roads; she arrived New York on June 4, Hampton Roads June 7, having started out from Clyde on May 17. In July that year she sailed back to the U.K. in Convoy SC 136 from Halifax (Commodore in Titanian). She subsequently made a voyage to Buenos Aires. Together with Facto, Selvik and Tigre she's listed in Convoy OS 53/KMS 23, which left Liverpool on Aug. 8-1943 and split up on the 17th, the KMS portion arriving Gibraltar on Aug. 18, while the OS convoy, in which Norjerv sailed, had Freetown as its final destination, arriving there on Aug. 27 - ref. external link provided within the Voyage Record above. Norjerv had a cargo of chemicals sailing in station 123 of the convoy, and arrived Buenos Aires on Sept. 12, having detached from the OS convoy on Aug. 20. She's also said to have made a voyage from Freetown to Gibraltar in Convoy SL 138, which left Freetown on Oct. 13. This convoy, which also included Kristianiafjord and Norefjord, joined up with MKS 28 from Gibraltar on Oct. 24, before proceeding to the U.K. as a combined convoy (Hallfried was sunk - follow link for more details), but as mentioned, Norjerv stopped at Gibraltar, arriving Oct. 25. From Gibraltar, she made a voyage to Alexandria, having joined Convoy KMS 30*, which left Gibraltar on Oct. 31 (Selvik and Topdalsfjord are also included); she arrived her destination on Nov. 11. Her subsequent voyages are shown on Page 2. In Apr.-1944 she shows up in Convoy SL 154/MKS 45. The SL portion of this convoy, in which Norjerv took part (Hardanger is also listed), left Freetown on Apr. 1 and joined up with the MKS portion* from Gibraltar en route, the combined convoy arriving Liverpool on Apr. 23 (link in table above). Norjerv was on a voyage from Rosario to Mersey with a cargo of wheat, corned beef and general. Again, see also Page 2, which shows that she had left Rosario on Febr. 27 and had arrived Freetown, via Buenos Aires, on March 24. She now remained in Liverpool for several weeks, before proceeding to Swansea, where she arrived June 15 (Page 3).
Norjerv was sunk as blockship at Normandy in 1944. I've come across conflicting dates, Aug.-1944, June 26, July 20, and July 16. I'm inclined to lean towards the latter date as it comes from the diary of Hjalmar Holthe (see crew list below), which can be found on this external page (text is Norwegian). He says they departed Barry in the evening of July 6, anchored up for the night, then continued the next morning, joining a large convoy and arriving France on July 10 - note that A. Hague has included her, together with Leiv Eiriksson, in Convoy EBC 34 (external link); see also Page 3. They remained there for several days enduring many air attacks, before Norjerv was eventually sunk on July 16, whereupon those who had been on board were taken aboard a landing craft and landed in Southampton on July 18. Crew List:
Raised in 1949 but broke in two on June 3-1949 while in tow of tugs Tradesman (ex Empire Julia) and Rifleman (ex Empire Vera) bound for Strangford Lough, N. Ireland, for scrapping. Both parts sank. Related external links: Mulberry - From the comprehensive website Skylighters. Back to Norjerv on the "Ships starting with N" page. The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Sjøforklaringer fra 2. verdenskrig", Norwegian Maritime Museum, Volume II, and misc. (ref. My sources).
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