Idefjord
| Name | Idefjord | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 4.287 tons | ||
| Completed | 1921 - Canadian Vickers Ltd, Montreal, Quebec | ||
| Owner | Den Norske Amerikalinje A/S, Oslo | ||
| Homeport | Oslo | ||
| Date of attack | 22 Apr, 1945 | Nationality:  Norwegian | |
| Fate | Damaged by U-997 (Hans Lehmann) | ||
| Position | 69.40N, 33.14E - Grid AC 8852 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | ? men (1 dead and ? survivors). | ||
| Convoy | PK-9 | ||
| Route | Kirkenes - Liinahamari - Murmansk | ||
| Cargo | Ballast | ||
| History | On 30 Dec, 1944. the Idefjord left Loch Ewe in convoy JW-63, carrying supplies (including 200 tons gifts from British and American aid organizations) and 32 passengers (medical personnel for Kirkenes), arriving the Kola Inlet on 8 Jan, 1945. On 20 January, the Idefjord and the Soviet ship Vjatka left for Liinahamari, escorted by four Norwegian and two Soviet warships. The Soviet vessel was torpedoed and damaged, but both arrived at their destination. On the morning of 22 January, the Idefjord departed for Kirkenes, again under a strong Norwegian and Soviet escort, arriving that same afternoon. The ship brought the first much needed supplies for the Norwegian civilians in the Finnmark, because the retreating German forces had burnt everything. Stockholm Radio was apparently quite excited about this event and announced to all the world that a large Norwegian transport had arrived Kirkenes with supplies. At 16.15 hours on 8 Feb, 1945, U-995 (Hess) fired a spread of two torpedoes at the Idefjord, lying at the pier in the harbour of Kirkenes. 20 minutes later another torpedo was fired, but all torpedoes missed the ship by 30-40 metres. The next day, the Idefjord departed with a Norwegian escort for Liinahamari after unloading her cargo and proceeded then also escorted by Soviet warships and aircraft to Kola Inlet. On 17 February, the ship departed in convoy RA-64 with 500 civilian evacuees from Sørøy on board, arriving the Clyde on 1 March. | ||
| Notes on loss | On 11 Mar, 1945, the Idefjord left the Clyde in convoy JW-65 loaded with supplies, proceeded via Kola Inlet to Kirkenes and unloaded her cargo until 20 April. Then she continued to Liinahamari together with the Onega. On 22 April, they left this harbour as the only merchants in the convoy PK-9. At 04.50 hours on 22 Apr, 1945, U-997 fired Gnats on two destroyers and claimed one destroyer sunk, but only end-of-run detonations were observed by the Karl Libknecht and the Soviet patrol craft BO-225. The Idefjord was struck by one torpedo on the port side in the bow. One British gunner was lost and the crew abandoned ship in the lifeboats, but most of them returned after the Norwegian M/S-trawlers HNoMS Tromøy and HNoMS Karmøy had investigated the damages. The ship was taken in tow stern-first, arriving in Murmansk at 04.00 hours on 23 April for temporary repairs. On 5 Aug, 1945, the Idefjord left Murmansk for Gothenburg, but was forced spend some time in Stavanger, because the temporary repairs proved insufficient. The ship arrived at Gothenburg on 7 September for permanent repairs. | ||
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