Convoy HX 115 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)

CONVOY HX 115 Departed Halifax on March 17-1941 and arrived Liverpool on Apr. 3
Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" gives 30 ships in this convoy.

Transcribed from several documents received from Roger Griffiths (Advance Sailing Telegrams and A 1 forms) - His source: Public Records Office, Kew.

Further details have been added with the help of:
"The Allied Convoy System", Arnold Hague
"Axis Submarine Successes of WW II", Jürgen Rohwer
"The World's Merchant Fleets", R. W. Jordan
"Lloyd's War Losses", Vol I.

† = dead, surv.=survived

The ships are listed in the order in which they appear on the various documents.

Ship

Nationality

Cargo

Station

Destination

Remarks

Ittersum

Dutch

grain

Liverpool

~~Nellie~~

Greek

grain

Avonmouth

From HX 114
Sailed in HX 116

~~Indier~~

Belgian

steel - trucks

–

Glasgow

Peleus

Greek

grain

Avonmouth

See *** in Notes

~~Braddock~~

Am. / MOWT 1941

phosphates - gun powder

–

Clyde

Renamed Empire Redshank

~~Henry Dundas~~

British

Tanker B

–

Avonmouth

Also cancelled from HX 116
Sailed in HX 117

~~Westpool~~

American / MOWT 1941

scrap iron

–

Middlesbrough

Joined SC 26 - sunk

~~West Caddoa~~

American / MOWT 1940

scrap iron

–

Grangemouth

(Renamed Empire Guillemot)
Sailed in HX 117

Athelduchess

Tanker - molasses

Liverpool

–

Eulima

Tanker B - gas oil

Manchester

–

Norman Prince

sugar

Liverpool

–

Prins Willem III

Dutch

bauxite

Loch Ewe

From HX 114

~~Tornus~~

British

Tanker W

–

London

Sailed in HX 116

Trefusis

wheat

Avonmouth / Glasgow

~~Birgitte~~

Danish / MOWT 1940

bauxite

–

Tyne

Sailed in HX 116

Boston City

British

general

Bristol

See *** in Notes

~~Coulbeg~~

wheat - lumber

–

London

From HX 114
Sailed in HX 116

~~Grey County~~

Norwegian

general

–

Avonmouth

Sailed in HX 116

~~Lyras~~

Greek

grain

–

Manchester

Sailed in HX 116

~~Nueva Granada~~

Norwegian

Tanker B

–

Avonmouth

Sailed in HX 117

Ringstad

general

Avonmouth

See * in notes

Treverbyn

British

steel - lumber

Belfast

–

City of Johannesburg

general

Liverpool

–

British Valour

Tanker B - fuel oil

London

–

~~San Florentino~~

Adm. tanker B

–

Clyde

Sailed in HX 116

Malaya II

general - special

71
later 74

Avonmouth / Newport

From HX 114
See ** and *** in Notes

Gand

Belgian

steel - scrap

River Mersey

From HX 114

Hylton

British

wheat - lumber

Tyne

Sunk by U-48, March 29
0 † - 44 surv.
(number incl. Commodore + staff)
See * in notes

Bridgepool

steel - lumber

Garston

From HX 113
See * in notes

Germanic

wheat

Liverpool

Sunk by U-48, March 29
5 † - 35 surv.
See * in notes

~~Anna Knudsen~~

Norwegian

Adm. tanker B

–

Clyde

From HX 113
Sailed in HX 116

Arabian Prince

British

general

Cardiff

From HX 114
See *** in Notes

Masunda

wheat

Liverpool

–

Norwegian

general - 500 tons T.N.T

Clyde / Glasgow

–

Buesten

Norwegian

Tanker W - gasoline

Milford Haven / Southampton

See *** in Notes
and text for Buesten

Cowrie

British

Adm. tanker B - fuel oil

Reykjavik

See * in notes

San Cirilo

Tanker W - gasoline

Clyde

Collided w/British Statesman
Ref. report at end of table

Athelprince

Tanker - molasses

Liverpool

–

~~Ferncastle~~

Norwegian

Tanker B

–

Clyde

Sailed in HX 116

British Statesman

British

Tanker W - benzine

London

Collided w/San Cirilo
Ref. report at end of table

~~Finnanger~~

Norwegian

Adm. tanker B

–

Clyde

From HX 114
Joined SC 27

~~Magician~~

British

lumber - general

–

Liverpool

Oakworth

wheat - lumber

Hull

From HX 114

British Viscount

Tanker W

–

Returned to Halifax
Joined SC 26 - sunk

Limbourg

Belgian

phosphates

Aberdeen

Sunk by U-48, March 29
? † - 2 surv.
See * in notes

Iroquois

British

Tanker W - kerosene

Clyde

British Reliance

Tanker B

–

Clyde

Returned to Halifax
Joined SC 26 - sunk

Willesden

wheat - flour

London

See * in notes

Moveria

general - special

Belfast / Liverpool

See * in notes

On the A 1 form, there's also a ship named Hercules crossed out from station 23 (not included in Advance Sailing Telegram), replaced by Limbourg. (Hercules sailed in the next convoy, HX 116).

Notes:
Commodore E. O. Cochrane was in Norwegian, Vice Commodore E. B. Ransay in Hylton, Rear Commodore N. H. Gale in Malaya II.

* From Commodore's notes: Moveria, Willesden, Limbourg and Ringstad joined the convoy just outside Halifax - reason for delay not known.
Hercules, Nellie, British Reliance and British Viscount did not sail.
Cowrie was diverted to Reykjavik at 12:50 on March 28 - 60 49N 26 00W.
Hylton (voyage Vancouver-Tyne), Germanic (Halifax-Liverpool) and Limbourg (voyage Curacao-Halifax-Aberdeen) were torpedoed in 61 16N 22 12W at 03:25/04:05, March 29. First emergency turn during attack carried out by all ships except 2. Second emergency turn during attack carried out by all ships except 1.

"Bridgepool had difficulty in keeping up 8 1/2 knots except when U-boat was chasing when she managed a good 9 1/2. She complained of bad coal. It is considered that ships of Ropner's Navy should not be included in 9 knot Convoys."

The Commodore adds:
Norwegian, Captain Cook, Commodore's ship - Captain Cook and officers most efficient, ship well handled.
City of Johannesburg, Captain W. A. Owen - Station keeping and signalling very good.
** Malaya II, Captain V. Kraglund - Ship was deep and heavy and handled badly but station keeping was not good after making due allowances. She endangered the whole convoy by sheering across from 71 to 41 one dark night. After this incident she was placed to post 74.

Ocean Escort: HMS California sailed with convoy from Halifax, parted company at 16:30 on March 28 in 60 55 1/2N 24 57W.
HMS King George V joined at 08:28 on March 20 in 42 30N 51 45W, parted company at 19:30 on March 28 in 60 56 1/2N 24 00W.
HMS Thunderbolt joined at 10:46 on March 20 in 42 35N 50 30W, parted company at 16:30 on March 28 in 60 55 1/2N 24 57W (there's a further note saing: "05:50/29th 61 15N 21 31W about right" which I understand to mean the pre-arranged time, date and position for departure of ocean escort, with the "about right" meaning that the actual departure was "close enough" to pre-arranged departure - but my guess could be wrong). HMS Anthony is also mentioned among the ocean escorts.
Escort from Halifax: HMCS St. Croix
Local Escort: (Rendezvous on March 29) HMS Venomous, HMS Wellington, HMS Reading?, HMS Sabre, HMS Dianella and 3 more (names are difficult to decipher).

Commodore's report of collision between San Cirilo and British Statesman:
"During the night of 22nd March, the San Cirilo Convoy No 41 and British Statesman Convoy No 31, both tankers, the former's cargo being gasolene and the latter's benzene, found themselves on converging courses with the result they came into rubbing contact, suffering the following damage:-

San Cirilo
Shell plating forward set in and a few rivets leaking, also similar damage to after end of main deck and slight damage to upper structure aft.

British Statesman
Shell plating of one tank buckled and tank leaking. Shell plating of poop for about 80 feet buckled, leak kept under control by pumping water from tank bottom.

Cause of collision
San Cirilo is of the opinion that British Statesman was off her course and not keeping a proper lookout, as she was abaft San Cirilo's beam. San Cirilo hoisted N.U.C. lights after collision to warn next astern.

British Statesman thinks the San Cirilo came across from her starboard side and considers that her showing N.U.C. lights after collision is a confession of guilt.

It is probable that both ships were steering slightly converging courses - wind and sea on beam made steering difficult, both H.M. Ships, King George V and California were in difficulties that night from steering trouble.

I would assess blame equally. The night was dark, but not excessively so, except during rain squalls. It was during one of these squalls that I had switched on a shaded stern light. San Cirilo had followed motions and was burning a shaded stern light at time of collision."

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

*** Among the documents related to HX 115 there's also another collection of notes, signed by N. H. Gale in Malaya II, dated Apr. 5-1941, pertaining to a convoy of 7 ships from Belfast. Malaya II was commodore vessel for this convoy (Rear Commodore vessel from Halifax). This was, in fact, Convoy BB 3 (external link), which left Belfast on Apr. 3-1941 and arrived Milford Haven on the 5th, consisting of the British Arabian Prince, Boston City, Cape Verde, and Malaya II, the Greek Pandias and Peleus, and the Norwegian Buesten.

Escorts were HMS Woolston, HMS Avon Vale and HMS illgeible (looks like Troubador or similar) - Coastal Escort from Halifax.
Bomber escort met at 07:30, Apr. 4 in 53 37N 05 12W, parted company at 20:10, Apr. 4 in 52 15N 05 38W.
Fighter escort met at 13:30, Apr. 4 and parted company at 15:30 that same day.

Commodore Gale says that...
the convoy sailed from Belfast at 22:00 on Apr. 4, formed up off New Island and was in station by 01:00 on the 5th. The convoy was attacked by two enemy aircraft in 52 12N 05 39W. The attacks were delivered separately but in quick succession, the first attack coming from the starboard bow, the second from astern. Both were very low level attacks and both were concentrated on Cape Verde and were preceeded by severe machine gun fire. Three bombs were dropped in each attack, one from the second aircraft scoring a hit on Cape Verde in the vicinity of No. 5 hatch.

It's the Commodore's opinion "that the fact of the Bomber escort frequently flying low over the Convoy had lulled the Convoy into a sense of false security, and that when the enemy was sighted flying directly at the ships, the convoy thought that it was our escort returning."

Buesten left convoy at detaching point for Milford Haven at 01:00 on Apr. 5. Cape Verde left convoy off Milford Haven at 05:00 Apr. 5 to proceed to Milford Haven for repairs, as result of the attack. Greek Pandias left convoy at detaching point for Swansea at 10:40, Apr. 5. The remaining 4 ships arrived ? (illegible, first letter looks like B - about 8 letters) Light Vessel at 13:10, Apr. 5.

Note that Cape Verde and Pandias were not among the ships sailing from Halifax in HX 115 - Pandias had been in HX 114.

Buesten also experienced an attack by enemy aircraft before reaching her final destination. She was sunk on Apr. 9 with the loss of 28 men - see my text for this ship.

More details on all the other Norwegian ships mentioned on this page can be found in the alphabetical ship lists of this website - ref. index below.

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To the next HX convoy in my list HX 116