Convoy HX 107 - Warsailors.com (original) (raw)
CONVOY HX 107
(Will be updated - please compare with A. Hague's listing for this convoy at ships in all HX convoys. See also HX escorts).
| Convoy HX 107 Cruising Order Departed Halifax on Febr. 3-1941 and arrived Liverpool on the 28th (Arnold Hague says 21 ships). | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Received, with thanks, from Roger Griffiths. Supplemented with BHX 107 info received from Tony Cooper, England (their source: Public Records Office, Kew). 11 ships joined from Bermuda (BHX 107), escorted by HMS Ausonia. Stations in parenthesis below show the stations these ships had when in the Bermuda portion (originally consisting of 13 ships). Further details have been added with the help of:"The Allied Convoy System", Arnold Hague, "Axis Submarine Successes of WW II", Jürgen Rohwer, and "The World's Merchant Fleets", R. W. Jordan. Br=British, Norw=Norwegian, Am=American, Gre=Greek, Du=Dutch s=sunk, † = dead | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 11 Baron Dechmont steel - lumber Grimsby (Br) | 21 Tottenham phosphates Loch Ewe (Br) | 31 (71) Conus fuel oil Clyde (Br) | 41 Tresillian wheat (Br) | 51 Harmala wheat Barry Roads (Br) | 61Dan-y-Bryn wheat Liverpool (Br) | 71 Black Osprey steel - trucks Barry Roads s - 25† (Am/Br MOWT 1940) |
| 12 Jolee phosphorus Loch Ewe (Am/MOWT 1941/Empire Flamingo) | 22 (11) Bachaquero fuel oil Loch Ewe | 32 (81) John P. Pedersen fuel oil Clyde (Norw) | 42 Ruckinge pit props Samothrak(?) (Br) | 52 (41) Athelqueen molasses Birkenhead (Br) | 62 (51) Edwy R. Browngasolene - kerosene - gas oil Liverpool s - 50† (Br) | 72 (42) San Emiliano aviation spirit Barry Roads (Br) |
| 13 Hercules general London(Du) | 23 (21) Solarium kerosene - benzine Clyde (Br) | 33 Empire Blanda steel Glasgow s - 40† (Br) | 43 Lord Byron wheat (Br) | 53 (61) Tariaacetone - diesel oil - gas oil Liverpool (Du) | 63 (31) Benjamin Franklingeneral - aircraft Liverpool s - 29† (Norw) | 73 (62) San Amado gasolene - kerosene Holyhead (Br) |
| 14 | 24 | 34 Mount Rhodope steel - general Glasgow (Gr) | 44 | 54 Ann Stathatos grain Liverpool (Gr) | 64 | 74 (91) Frontenac diesel oil Belfast (Norw) |
| The BHX 107 convoy form also lists Cadillac (Br), gasoline for Barry Roads in station 52, and Alhama (Br), bauxite for Larne in station 72 of the Bermuda portion (see Notes).Additionally, according to a note for the slow Convoy SC 21, Nyanza, sailing in that convoy, had originally been scheduled for HX 107. |
Notes:
Commodore was in Harmala, Vice Commodore in Athelqueen.
BHX 107 left Bermuda at 11:00 on Febr. 1-1941. Local escort for this section was HMCS Elk, which remained till 15:00 that same day. Ocean escort was HMS Ausonia (Captain G. Freyberg), in station between columns 4 and 5. The convoy had air escort while it was forming up and until 13:00.
Average speed of Bermuda portion: 7.51 knots.
Alhama (Bermuda section) reported having insufficient coal on Febr. 2 and was ordered to proceed to Halifax to refuel.
Cadillac (also of the Bermuda section) had constant trouble with steering gear and HMS Ausonia consequently suggested on Febr. 3 that if this trouble continued it would be best for her to proceed to Halifax for repairs, rather than risk becoming a straggler later on. The captain agreed and signalled that if he could not regain station within an hour, he would proceed to Halifax. When Cadillac was not seen at daylight on Febr. 4, it was assumed that she had proceeded to Halifax as suggested.
The remaining 11 ships of the Bermuda portion, plus 7 stragglers from the HX portion that had been picked up by BHX 107, joined the HX portion at 17:30 on Febr. 7. HMS Ausonia then returned to Halifax with arrival at 15:51 on Febr. 9.
Edwy R. Brown was sunk by U-103 on Febr. 17 (no survivors).
Black Osprey was sunk by U-96 on Febr. 18. 11 survivors picked up by Norwegian Mosdale.
Empire Blanda is believed to have been sunk by U-69 on Febr. 19 (no survivors).
Benjamin Franklin was sunk by U-103 on Febr. 19 - there were no casualties from the initial attack, but the majority of the crew perished later - follow the link for more details.
All these ships had straggled from the convoy.
Ocean Escort: HMS Laconia.
Related external links (Uboat.net's accounts):
The loss of Edwy R. Brown
The loss of Black OspreyThe loss of Empire Blanda
Uboat.net also has an account on
the loss of Benjamin Franklin
To the next available HX convoy in my list HX 111
Bermuda sections only are available for HX 108, HX 109 & HX 110
| Aa–Al | An–Ar | As–Av | Ba | Be | Bi–Bl | Bo | Br–Bu | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E | F | G | Ha | He | Hi–Hy | Hø | I | J | K |
| L | M | N | O | PQ | R | Sa–Sc | Se–Sj | Sk–Sn | So |
| Sp–St | Su–Sø | Ta–Te | Th–Ti | To | Tr–Tø | U | V | W | Ø |
