HNoMS Heimdal OPV (1892)

HNoMS "Heimdal" was a Norwegian warship built at Akers Mek. verksted in Kristiania, Norway in 1892 with build number 137.

She was built to patrol Norwegian territorial waters and act as a rescue ship for sea travelers. Throughout her life she served in numerous roles; as a royal yacht (1892-1905, 1905-1908), command ship (1905), [ [http://www.oslomilsamfund.no/foredrag/2005/2005-03-14-B%C3%B8rresen.html Oslo Military Society website] no icon] offshore patrol vessel and rescue ship (1892-1940),Sivertsen 2000: 45] headquarters and depot ship (1940-1943), accommodation ship (1945-1946) and civilian cargo ship (1946-1947). [Abelsen 1986: p. 209, 213, 286-287]

"Heimdal" spent most of her service life on the coasts of Finnmark and in the Arctic seas, with her first cruise from 30 September 1892 and her her first Arctic patrol in April and May 1893.

Name

She was named after Heimdall - the guardian of the Norse gods who will blow the Gjallarhorn if danger approaches Asgard.

Royal Yacht "Heimdal"

For Oscar II

In addition to her duties patrolling Norwegian waters "Heimdal" also served as a royal yacht. Her first voyage in this role took place when she took on board king Oscar II of Sweden and Norway for a cruise along the coast of Norway from 6 July to 4 August in 1896.

For Haakon VII

Heimdal's perhaps greatest moments of glory came after the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden when she was chosen as the Royal Yacht of the recently elected Haakon VII - the first modern king of Norway.

Bringing the new royal family to Oslo

When the new royal family arrived at Drøbak Sound in the Oslofjord 25 November 1905 on their way to their new country they transferred from the Danish Royal Yacht "Dannebrog", which had brought them from Copenhagen, on to "Heimdal" for the last stretch to Oslo. As the royals came on board "Heimdal" they were greeted by prime minister Christian Michelsen and his cabinet. It was when Haakon, Maud and Olav stepped off "Heimdal" at Vippetangen wharf near Akershus Fortress that the Norwegian people got their first chance to see their new royals. After the new royal family had disembarked the prime minister held a short welcome speech. [Sogn og Fjordane county archives: [http://www.sffarkiv.no/1905/Allmenne_artiklar_1905/1905Den_nye_kongen.htm 1905 - the new king and royal family] no icon]

Coronation journey

The first substantial journey the royal family took in Norway was their journey to Trondheim for the coronation of the royal couple in Nidaros Cathedral 22 June, 1906. They were brought to the city by "Heimdal", disembarking at Brattøra. [ [http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/nrk_trondelag/1.605013 The coronation festivities in 1906] no icon]

Continued service as the royal yacht

Although being transferred back her old naval duties in 1908, "Heimdal" continued to transport the royals around Norway from time to time. Amongst these trips were to the International Yacht Racing Union's fourth annual Europe week sailing regatta, held in Horten 14 to 21 July 1914 [ [http://borreminne.hive.no/aargangene/1995/03-europauken.htm Europe Week 1914 in Horten] no icon] , and when the King went to visit Molde shortly after its great fire in 1916. [ [http://www.moldebymuseum.no/text.php?type=artikler&serie=Bybrannen_i_1916/Panserskipet_Harald_H%5Baa%5Drfagres_logg Molde town museum website] no icon]

Fishery protection

When Norway introduced regulated protection of the fisheries within her economic zone "Heimdal" carried out the first ever sortie of a Norwegian fishery protection vessel on 12 March 1908. She also became the first Norwegian ship to apprehend a ship for illegal fishing when, on 11 March 1911, she stopped and took under arrest the British fishing trawler "Lord Roberts" off the coast of Finnmark. [Sivertsen 2001: 63]

The Second World War

Heimdal saw service in World War II, first in the Norwegian Campaign, then in administrative and depot functions in the United Kingdom.

Norwegian Campaign

At the outbreak of war between Norway and Nazi Germany with the German invasion of Norway "Heimdal" was posted to the 3. naval district's fisheries protection service in North Norway and based out of Narvik. [ [http://niehorster.orbat.com/022_norway/navy_03.htm Administrative order of the Royal Norwegian Navy's third district, 8 April 1940] ] Luckily for the ship she was out at sea when the invasion struck and thus avoided the fate that befell many of the other RNoN ship that were caught in port and captured by the invaders.

Escort missions and patrols

Escorting troopshipsDuring the two months of fighting "Heimdal" was based at Karlsøy, [ [http://karlsoy.com/bygdebok/periode12.html History of Karlsøy website] no icon] serving as a guard ship and escorting troopships carrying Norwegian soldiers from the Tromsø area down to the Narvik front. On 17 April she escorted first the steamers "Prins Olav" (2,147 tons) [Warsailors.com [http://www.warsailors.com/singleships/prinsolav.html D/S "Prins Olav"] ] and "Ariadne" (2,029 tons) [Warsailors.com: [http://www.warsailors.com/singleships/ariadne.html D/S "Ariadne] ] and later the same day two Hurtigruten ships, the 1,489 ton "Dronning Maud" [Warsailors.com: [http://www.warsailors.com/homefleet/shipsd.html#dronningmaud D/S "Dronning Maud"] ] and the 874 ton "Kong Haakon". [Warsailors.com: [http://www.warsailors.com/homefleetsingles/konghaakon.html D/S "Kong Haakon"] ] [ [http://www.vrakdykking.com/maud4.htm Hurtigruten ship "Dronning Maud" website] no icon] "Heimdal" repeated this task when she escorted the 921 ton steamship "Tordenskjold" [Warsailors.com: [http://www.warsailors.com/singleships/tordenskjold.html D/S "Tordenskjold"] ] north from Gisundet to Tromsø on 3 May. In this she helped bring forward the troops that were to give the Germans their first serious, if temporary, land defeat of the war.

Under air attackWhile patrolling the sound of Grøtsundet on 29 May "Heimdal" was attacked by a single Luftwaffe bomber. All the bombs missed the ship and failed to explode.

Carrying the King once again

After evacuating their headquarter in Molde on 30 April the king and his entourage was moved north on the Royal Navy cruiser HMS "Glasgow" to Rystraumen in Troms where he boarded his old ship "Heimdal" once again. "Heimdal" brought the King and his people to Tromsø, from where they moved to Målselv where they remained until leaving for the United Kingdom on 7 June.

"Heimdal" in the UK

At 7 June, 1940 all serviceable ships and aircraft of the Royal Norwegian Navy received orders to evacuate to the UK as soon as possible. [Sivertsen 2000: 28] "Heimdal" was one of the thirteen Royal Norwegian Navy vessels that made it to the United Kingdom and could continue the struggle against Nazi Germany. At 0355 hrs on 8 June "Heimdal", accompanied by the 406 ton minesweeper HNoMS "Thorodd", [Warsailors.com: [http://www.warsailors.com/singleships/thorodd.html "Thorodd"] ] left Norwegian waters and started her voyage into exile. Being a quite slow ship "Heimdal" arrived at Lerwick, Shetland 14 June, 1940 and spent two days in port there before arriving in Rosyth at 1830 hrs on 17 June. She transferred to the Norwegian Rosyth naval section as a command and depot ship on 30 June.

UK service

Being a very old ship the undermanned Royal Norwegian Navy in exile did not use "Heimdal" for any operational duties and put her to use as the headquarters and depot ship for its Rosyth section. She served in this function until being deactivated and laid up at Burntisland, Scotland on 29 October 1943.

C.O.s from 8.4.1940

* Captain S. Johnsen: 8 April 1940 - 20 December 1940
* Lieutenant Ragnar F. Christiansen: 20 December 1940 - 6 March 1941
* Lieutenant Thomas Jacobsen: 20 April 1941 - 29 April 1941
* Lieutenant Commander Aimar Sørensen: 5 January 1943 - 1 February 1943
* Lieutenant Commander Trygve Lind: 28 February 1943 - 17 December 1944
* Lieutenant Commander Harald Voltersvik: 18 December 1944 - 12 May 1945
* Lieutenant Mikal Hellesund: 12 May 1945 - 31 July 1945
* Lieutenant Commander Bjarne Sjong: 31 July 1945 - 1 January 1946

Peace and shipwreck

After VE day "Heimdal" was reactivated and sailed back home to Norway in May 1945. There she was used as an accommodation ship until sold off to civilian interests in 1946, renamed "Rovena" and converted to a cargo vessel. It was in this guise that she sank off Iceland 18 August 1947, while carrying a cargo of 2,800 barrels of herring. [Abelsen 1986: 285]

Footnotes

Literature

* Abelsen, Frank: "Norwegian naval ships 1939-1945", Sem & Stenersen AS, Oslo 1986, ISBN 82-7046-050-8 en icon/no icon
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ee also

* List of World War II ships of less than 1000 tons