Vadheim

Vadheim is a village in the municipality of Høyanger in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway.

The population of Vadheim in 2003 was 222 [cite web|publisher=Statistics Norway|title=Urban settlements. Population and area, by municipality.|date=1 January 2003|url=http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/02/01/10/beftett_en/arkiv/tab-2003-11-07-01-en.html] , but since 2004 Vadheim is no longer considered an urban settlement by Statistics Norway, and so its data is no longer recorded. [cite web|publisher=Statistics Norway|title=New and omitted urban settlements.|date=1 January 2004|url=http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/02/01/10/beftett_en/arkiv/tab-2004-05-28-04-en.html]

History

Though not widely known, Vadheim is the resting place for one of the most famous warships of World War I. During that conflict, Germany converted a number of merchant ships in armed surface raiders. These ships cruised the world's shipping lanes and captured/sank Allied shipping. The most famous and successful of these was the SMS Möwe. One of the ships she sank was the SS Mount Temple which carried dinosaur skeletons destined for the British Museum in London, England. [citation|title=The 1916 Sinking of the SS Mount Temple: Historical Perspectives on a Unique Aspect of Alberta's Paleontological Heritage.|last1=Tanke|first1=D.H.|last2=Hernes|first2=N.L.|last3=Guldberg|first3=T.E.|year=2002|journal=Canadian Paleobiology|volume=7|pages=5-26]

SMS Möwe survived the war and was renamed several times over the next several decades. During World War II, she was called D/S Oldenburg, and used in support of the Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany. On 7 April 1945 Bristol Beaufighter aircraft from 144 squadron (England), 455 Squadron (Australia) and 489 Squadron (New Zealand) sank the Oldenburg at her moorings following an intense strafing and rocket attack.

References

reflist
SognFjordane-geo-stub