SS Norjerv Norjerv was a cargo ship that was built in 1919 as West Islip by Ames Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co , Seattle , Washington , United States for the United States Shipping Board ( USSB ) . In 1928 , she was sold and renamed Golden Rod . A further sale in 1935 saw her renamed Willhilo . She was renamed Indianan after a sale in 1937 . In 1940 , she was transferred to the Ministry of Supply ( MoS ) and renamed Empire Eagle , passing later that year to the Ministry of War Transport ( MoWT ) . In 1942 , she was transferred to the Norwegian Government and renamed " Norjerv " , serving until June 1944 when she was transferred to the British Government . In July 1944 , she was sunk as a blockship at Juno Beach , Calvados , France to reinforce Gooseberry 4 . Description . The ship was built in 1919 by Ames Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co , Seattle , Washington . She was yard number 17 . The ship was long , with a beam of . She had a depth of , and a draught of . As built , she was assessed at 5 , 775 GRT , 3 , 572 NRT . The ship was propelled by a 369 nhp triple expansion steam engine , which had cylinders of , and diameter by stroke . The engine was built by Ames . It drove a single screw propeller and could propel the ship at . History . Pre - war . " West Islip " was built in 1919 for the USSB . She was launched on 24 June , and the United States Official Number 218782 was allocated . She was in service by October , arriving at Shanghai , China on 20 October from Seattle . In 1928 , she was sold to the Oceanic & Oriental Steam Navigation Co , San Francisco , California and was renamed " Golden Rod " . The Code Letters LSNC were allocated and her port of registry was San Francisco . On 6 February 1931 , " Golden Rod " ran aground at the mouth of the Fraser River , British Columbia , Canada . She was refloated the next day and sailed to Seattle . In 1935 , " Golden Rod " was sold to the Williams Steamship Co Inc , New York and renamed " Willhilo " . In 1937 , " Willhilo " was sold to the American - Hawaiian Steamship Co and was renamed " Indianan " . The Code Letters KIKX were allocated and her port of registry was New York . World War II . In 1940 , " Indianan " was transferred to the MoS . " Indianan " departed from Cristóbal , Panama on 31 March 1940 for New York , arriving on 10 April . She departed three days later for Baltimore , Maryland , where she arrived on 15 April . She departed five days later for Tampa , Florida , arriving on 26 April and then sailing three days later for Bermuda , where she arrived on 5 May . " Indianan " was a member of Convoy BHX 41 , which departed from Bermuda on 7 May 1940 and joined Convoy HX 41 at sea on 13 May . She was carrying a cargo of phosphate s . Convoy HX 41 had departed from Halifax , Nova Scotia , Canada on 8 May and arrived at Liverpool , Lancashire , United Kingdom on 23 May . " Indianan " was bound for Garston , Liverpool . " Indianan " was renamed " Empire Eagle " . The MoS became the MoWT later that year . The United Kingdom Official Number 167583 and Code Letters GLJC were allocated . She was placed under the management of Runciman ( London ) Ltd and her port of registry was changed to London . She was assessed as 5 , 582 GRT , 3 , 468 NRT . " Empire Eagle " was a member of Convoy OB 186 , which departed from Liverpool on 20 July and dispersed at sea on 22 July . Her destination was Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , where she arrived on 8 August . She departed a week later and sailed to Sydney , Cape Breton , Nova Scotia , where she arrived on 20 August . " Empire Eagle " departed on 25 August as a member of Convoy SC 2 , which arrived at Liverpool on 10 September . She was carrying a cargo of scrap iron and steel , bound for Barrow in Furness , Lancashire , which was reached by detaching from the convoy and sailing to the Clyde , where she arrived on 10 September . She sailed for Barrow - in - Furness two days later , arriving on 15 September . " Empire Eagle " departed from Barrow - in - Furness on 28 September and sailed to Liverpool . She then joined Convoy OB 221 , which departed on 29 September and dispersed at on 3 October . " Empire Eagle " put back into Liverpool . She then joined Convoy OB 226 , which departed on 9 October and dispersed at sea on 12 October . " Empire Eagle " was in ballast and bound for Boca Grande , Florida , United States , where she arrived on 30 October . She sailed on 3 November for the Hampton Roads , Virginia , arriving on 8 November and departing three days later for Halifax , where she arrived on 15 November . " Empire Eagle " was a member of Convoy HX 89 , which departed on 17 November and arrived at Liverpool on 1 December . She was carrying a cargo of phosphates bound for London . On 27 November , she straggled behind the convoy due to an engine breakdown . She detached from the convoy and arrived at Stornoway , Outer Hebrides on 1 December , departing the next day to join Convoy WN 47 , which had departed from the Clyde on 30 November and arrived at Methil , Fife on 4 December . She departed two days later as a member of Convoy FS 354 , which arrived at Southend , Essex on 8 December . " Empire Eagle " departed from Southend on 16 January 1941 as a member of Convoy FN 385 , which arrived at Methil on 18 January . She then joined Convoy EN 69 / 1 , which departed on 9 February and arrived at Oban , Argyllshire on 13 February . She detached from the convoy and sailed to Loch Ewe , arriving on 13 February , then sailing to New York , where she arrived on 3 March . She departed on 21 March for Halifax , arriving on 24 March . She then joined Convoy HX 117 , which departed on 27 March and arrived at Liverpool on 15 April . " Empire Eagle " was carrying general cargo and steel , bound for London . During the voyage , she made excessive smoke at times , the cause of which was stated to be the low quality of the coal she was burning . She arrived at Loch Ewe on 13 April and then joined Convoy WN 114 , which had departed from the Clyde that day and arrived at Methil on 16 April . She then joined Convoy FS 466 , which departed on 17 April and arrived at Southend on 19 April . " Empire Eagle " departed from Southend on 19 May as a member of Convoy EC 22 , which arrived at the Clyde on 24 May . She left the convoy at Methil on 21 May , sailing six days later to join Convoy EC 25 , which had departed from Southend on 26 May and arrived at the Clyde on 31 May . She left the convoy at Oban on 30 May , departing two days later to join Convoy OB 329 , which had departed from Liverpool on 31 May and dispersed at on 5 June . She was bound for Phildadelphia , where she arrived on 20 September . Having loaded a cargo of steel , " Empire Eagle " departed on 12 October for Halifax , arriving on 16 October . She was a member of Convoy HX 142 , which departed from Halifax on 1 August and arrived at Liverpool on 18 August . She arrived at the Clyde on 17 August . " Empire Eagle " departed from the Clyde on 5 September to join Convoy ON 13 , which had departed from Liverpool that day and dispersed at sea on 11 September , although she had straggled behind the convoy the previous day . She arrived at Philadelphia on 20 September , departing on 12 October for Halifax , where she arrived on 16 October . " Empire Eagle " was a member of Convoy HX 162 , which departed on 27 November and arrived at Liverpool on 11 December . She was carrying a cargo of steel and vehicles . " Empire Eagle " returned to Halifax , arriving on 7 December . " Empire Eagle " departed from Halifax on 12 March as a member of Convoy SC 74 , which arrived at Liverpool on 28 March . She was bound for Hull , Yorkshire . which was reached by detaching from the convoy and sailing to Loch Ewe , arriving on 27 March and joining Convoy WN 263 to Methil , where she arrived on 29 March . She then joined Convoy FS 764 , which departed on 30 March and arrived at Southend on 1 April . She arrived at Hull on 31 March . On 14 April , " Empire Eagle " was transferred to the Norwegian Government and renamed " Norjerv " . The Code Letters LNAJ were allocated and her port of registry was changed to Oslo . She was placed under the management of Nortraship . She had a crew of 37 , of whom seven were British . On or about 23 April , she joined Convoy FN 688 , which had departed from Southend on 22 April and arrived at Methil on 25 April . She then joined Convoy EN 76 , which departed that day and arrived at Oban on 27 April . She left the convoy at Loch Ewe that day and sailed to Liverpool , arriving on 28 April . " Norjerv " then joined Convoy ON 90 , which departed that day and arrived at Halifax on 15 May . She departed that day with Convoy XB 20 , which arrived at Boston , Massachusetts on 17 May . " Norjerv " left the convoy at the Cape Cod Canal and sailed to New York , arriving on 18 May and departing two days later for Philadelphia , where she arrived on 21 May . She departed on 2 June for New York , arriving later that day and then sailing to the Cape Cod Canal , joining Convoy BX 23B , which departed from Boston on 8 June and arrived at Halifax on 10 June . She then joined Convoy HS 13 , which departed the next day and arrived at Sydney on 18 June . " Norjerv " was due to have joined Convoy SC 87 , which departed from Sydney on 12 June and arrived at Liverpool on 27 June , but did not arrive at Sydney until after the convoy had sailed . She joined Convoy SC 88 , which departed on 19 June and arrived at Liverpool on 4 July . She was carrying a cargo of cotton and steel . " Norjerv " was a member of Convoy ON 112 , which departed from Liverpool on 13 July and arrived at Cape Cod on 30 July . Her destination was New York , where she arrived on 1 August , sailing later that day for Baltimore , arriving on 4 August . She departed on 20 August for New York , arriving on 26 August and sailing four days later for Cape Cod , from where she joined Convoy BX 36 , which departed from Boston on 2 September and arrived at Halifax two days later . " Norjerv " was a member of Convoy SC 99 , which departed on 5 September and arrived at Liverpool on 20 September . She was carrying a cargo of steel . She left the convoy at Loch Ewe on 20 September and joined Convoy WN 339 , which sailed the next day and arrived at Methil on 23 September . She then joined Convoy FS916 , which departed on 24 September and arrived at Southend two days later . She left the convoy at Hull on 25 September . " Norjerv " departed from Hull on 11 October to join Convoy FN 836 , which had departed from Southend that day and arrived at Methil two days later . She then joined Convoy EN 150 , which departed on 14 October and arrived at Loch Ewe on 17 October . She sailed on to Oban , arriving on 18 October and departing that day to join Convoy ON 140 , which departed from Liverpool on 17 October and arrived at New York on 7 November . She departed the next day for Baltimore , where she arrived on 9 November . " Norjerv " departed on 17 November for Philadelphia , arriving that day and departing on 20 November for New York , where she arrived that day . Laden with general cargo , she then joined Convoy SC 111 , which departed on 25 November and arrived at Liverpool on 17 December . She left the convoy and put into Halifax , arriving on 30 November and departing on 6 December to join Convoy SC112 , which had departed from New York on 4 December and arrived at Liverpool on 25 December . She left the convoy at Loch Ewe and joined Convoy WN 376 , which arrived at Methil on 27 December , sailing three days later with Convoy FS 1000 , which arrived at Southend on 2 January 1943 . Laden with a cargo of chalk , " Norjerv " departed from Southend on 25 January for Loch Ewe , which was reached via convoys FN 927 and EN 190 , arriving on 31 January . She then joined Convoy ON 165 , which departed from Liverpool on 2 February and arrived at New York on 1 March . Her destination was Philadelphia , where she arrived that day . She departed on 22 March for New York , arriving the next day and departing on 25 February for Boston , arriving the next day . She then joined Convoy BX 39 , which departed on 27 March and arrived at Halifax two days later . " Norjerv " was a member of Convoy SC 125 , which departed on 31 March and arrived at Liverpool on 16 April . She left the convoy and put into St . John ' s Newfoundland , arriving on 6 April . " Norjerv " departed on 19 April to join Convoy SC 127 , which had departed from Halifax on 16 April and arrived at Liverpool on 3 May . She was carrying general cargo , bound for the Clyde , where she arrived that day . " Norjerv " departed on 17 May to join Convoy ONS 8 , which had departed from Liverpool that day and arrived at Halifax on 1 June . She then joined Convoy XB 56 , which arrived at Boston on 3 June . She left the convoy at the Cape Cod Canal and sailed to New York , arriving on 4 June , departing the next day for the Hampton Roads , where she arrived on 7 June . " Norjerv " departed from the Hampton Roads on 20 June for New York , arriving the next day and departing the day after that for Boston , from where she departed on 30 June as a member of Convoy BX 60 . She arrived at Halifax on 2 July . " Norjerv " was a member of Convoy SC 136 , which departed from Halifax on 8 July and arrived at Liverpool on 23 July . She was carrying a cargo of ammunition and steel . " Norjerv " was a member of Convoy OS 53KM , which departed from Liverpool on 8 August and separated at sea on 17 August to form convoys OS 53 and KMS 23 . The latter convoy arrived at Gibraltar on 18 August . " Norjerv " was in the part of the convoy that formed OS 53 and arrived at Freetown , Sierra Leone on 27 August . She was carrying a cargo of chemicals bound for Buenos Aires , Argentina . Her armament consisted of a 4 - inch or 4 . 7 - inch gun , a 12 - pounder gun and four Oerlikon gun s . She arrived at Buenos Aires on 12 September , sailing a week later for Montevideo , Uruguay , wher she arrived on 20 September . The next day , " Norjerv " departed for Freetown , arriving on 11 October . She departed on 13 October with Convoy SL 138 , which rendezvoused with Convoy MKS 28 on 24 October . That convoy had departed from Gibraltar on 23 October and the combined convoys arrived at Liverpool on 5 November . She was bound for Gibraltar , where she arrived on 25 October . " Norjerv " then joined Convoy KMS 30 , which departed on 31 October and arrived at Port Said , Egypt on 11 November . She left the convoy at Alexandria , on 11 November . She departed on 20 November for Port Said , arriving the next day and then sailing to Suez , from where she departed on 24 November for Aden , arriving on 30 November . " Norjerv " was a member of Convoy AKD 8 , which departed on 3 December and arrived at Durban , South Africa on 19 December . She left the convoy at Lourenço Marques , Mozambique on 16 December . " Norjerv " departed from Lourenço Marques on 1 January 1944 for East London , South Africa , arriving three days later and sailing on 5 January for Buenos Aires , where she arrived on 27 January . She sailed on 18 February for Rosario , arriving the next day and departing on 27 February for Buenon Aires , where she arrived the next day . She departed on 4 March for Freetown , arriving on 24 March . " Norjerv " was a member of Convoy SL 154 , which departed on 1 April 1944 and rendezvoused at sea with Convoy MKS 45 on 11 April . MKS 45 had departed from Gibraltar on 10 April . The combined convoys arrived at Liverpool on 23 April . Apart from general cargo , " Norjerv " was carrying corned beef and wheat . " Norjerv " departed from Liverpool on 13 June for Swansea , Glamorgan , arriving two days later . She sailed on 18 June for Barry , arriving later that day . At midnight on 26 June , ownership of " Norjerv " was transferred to the British Government . She departed on 7 July as a member of Convoy EBC 34 , which arrived at the Seine Bay , France on 9 July . On 16 July , " Norjerv " was sunk to reinforce Gooseberry 4 at Juno Beach , Calvados , France . Post - war . " Norjerv " was raised in 1949 and sold for scrap . On 3 June 1949 , she broke in two whilst being towed by the tugs and to Strangford Lough , County Down , Northern Ireland for scrapping . Both halves of the ship sank .