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 , . 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 United States Shipping Board. 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