Vadheim

Vadheim is a village in the municipality of Høyanger in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is located on the north shore of the Sognefjorden, along the small Vadheimsfjorden branch. The European route E39 highway runs through the village. It is located about 25 kilometres (16 mi) northeast of the village of Lavik, about 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) northwest of the village of Kyrkjebø, and about 13.5 kilometres (8.4 mi) northwest of the village of Austreim. The 0.36-square-kilometre (89-acre) village has a population (2013) of 238, giving the village a population density of 661 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,710/sq mi).

History

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 SMS Möwe. One of the ships she sank was Mount Temple which carried dinosaur skeletons destined for the British Museum in London, England.Möwe survived the war and was renamed several times over the next several decades. During World War II, she was renamed Oldenburg, and used in support of the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany. On 7 April 1945 Bristol Beaufighter aircraft from No. 114 Squadron RAF, No. 455 Squadron RAAF, and No. 489 Squadron RNZAF sank Oldenburg at her moorings following an intense strafing and rocket attack.