Convoy HX 127 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)
CONVOY HX 127 Cruising Order & Advance Sailing Telegram
(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 127 Cruising Order Departed Halifax on May 16-1941 and arrived Liverpool on June 2 (Arnold Hague says 56 ships). | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transcribed from A 1 from received from Roger Griffiths (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 World War Two", Jürgen Rohwer "The World's Merchant Fleets 1939", R. W. Jordan. "Lloyd's War Losses", Vol I. Br=British, Am=American, Norw=Norwegian, Du=Dutch s=sunk, † = dead MOWT = Ministry of War Transport |
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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 11 Barrdale wheat - trucks Loch Ewe (Br) | 21 Standella gasoline Loch Ewe (Br) | 31 Tilsington Court cereal - trucks U.K. (Br) | 41 Acavus gas oil Loch Ewe (Br) | 51 F. J. Wolfe Adm. fuel Clyde(Br) | 61 Aircrest grain Loch Ewe (Br) | 71 Regent Lion gasoline Clyde (Br) | 81 Trelissick wheat Manchester (Br) | 91 Comanchee lube oil Mersey (Br) | 101 Lord Byron wheat Barry Roads (Br) | 111 British Pride benzine Swansea (Br) | 121Temple Yard grain Belfast (Br) |
| 12 Winona County wheat Loch Ewe (Am/MOWT 1941) | 22 Ondina lube oil Loch Ewe (Du) | 32 Laurelwood Adm. fuel Loch Ewe (Br) | 42 Coimbra lube oil Loch Ewe (Br) | 52 Petter diesel oil Clyde (Norw) | 62Leiv Eiriksson Adm. fuel Clyde (Norw) | 72 Mosli fuel oil Clyde (Norw) | 82 Wellington Court wheat Liverpool (Br) | 92 Brasil gasoline Liverpool (Norw) | 102 British Integrity gasoline U.K. (Br) | 112Rotterdam gasoline Barry Roads (Du) | 122 |
| 13 Harmonic wheat Loch Ewe (Br) | 23 |
33 Empire Flamingo steel - scrap Grangemouth (Br) | 43 Leiesten lube oil Loch Ewe (Norw) | 53 Empire Shearwater steel - general Glasgow (Br) | 63 Boreas steel Clyde (Norw) | 73 Ganymedes sugar Clyde (Du) | 83 Kheti sugar Liverpool (Br) | 93 Stigstad lube oil Liverpool (Norw) | 103 Dramatist general Liverpool (Br) | 113 Spind lumber Sharpness (Norw) | 123 Skiensfjord general Barry Roads (Norw) |
| 14 |
24 Empire Hartebeeste pig iron Hull (Br) | 34 Elmdale flour Loch Ewe (Br) | 44Gravelines lumber London s - 11† (Br) | 54Stad Vlaardingen pig iron Glasgow (Du) | 64 Empire Seal general Glasgow (Br) | 74 Dalcroy flour Glasgow (Br) | 84 Inverness grain Liverpool (Br) | 94 Ittersum grain Liverpool (Du) | 104 Teddington grain U.K. (Br) | 114 Trefusis wheat U.K. (Br) | 124 Norefjord grain U.K. (Norw) |
| 15 | 25 | 35 Seapool grain Loch Ewe (Br) | 45 | 55 | 65 Empire Hawksbill steel scrap Clyde (Br) | 75 | 85 Cristales general Liverpool (Br) | 95 | 105 | 115 | 125 |
| See Advance Sailing Telegram below for the names of other ships that cancelled from this convoy. |
| Bermuda section (BHX 127) Cruising Order joined at 18:00 on May 19 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Escorted by HMS Chitral. Commodore for Bermuda section was in Sepia. | ||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| B 11 Sepia Adm. fuel Scapa (Br) | B 21 Laristan Adm. fuel Loch Ewe (Br) | B 31 Adula benzine Loch Ewe (Br) | B 41 Athelqueen molasses Liverpool (Br) | B 51 Solfonn fuel oil Scapa (Norw) | B 61 Carelia aviation spirits Manchester (Br) | B 71 Chr. Th. Boe fuel oil Manchester (Norw) | B 81 Ranja diesel oil Manchester (Norw) | B 91 Vardefjell fuel oil Manchester (Norw) |
| B 12 | B 22 | B 32 British Commodore fuel oil Scapa (Br) | B 42 | B 52 President de Vogue Adm. fuel Clyde (Norw) | B 62 | B 72 | B 82 | B 92 |
| Advance Sailing Telegram Transcribed from several documents received from Tony Cooper - His source: Public Records Office, Kew. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ship | Nationality | Cargo | Destination | Remarks |
| Halifax section | ||||
| British | sugar - rum | Belfast | From HX 126 Listed in HX 128 | |
| Dramatist | " | steel - cotton - 2 Lockheeds - 1 MB | Liverpool | – |
| British Pride | " | Tanker W | Manchester | – |
| French / MOWT 1940 | lumber | London | To HX 128 - did not sail To HX 129 - did not sail Listed in HX 130 | |
| Petter | Norwegian | Tanker B | Clyde | – |
| Seapool | British | grain | Hull | – |
| Barrdale | " | wheat - trucks | Tyne | – |
| Comanchee | " | Tanker B | River Mersey | – |
| Dalcroy | " | flour | Glasgow | – |
| Empire Flamingo | " | steel - scrap iron | Grangemouth | – |
| Empire Seal | " | general - depth charges - tanks(?) - special | Glasgow | – |
| Romanian /MOWT 1940 | Tanker B | Swansea | Listed in HX 128 | |
| Ondina | Dutch | Tanker B | Hull | – |
| Stigstad | Norwegian | Tanker B | River Mersey | – |
| Coimbra | British | Tanker B | London (Purfleet) | – |
| Empire Hartebeeste | " | pig iron - steel | Hull | – |
| Harmonic | " | grain | Leith | – |
| Kheti | " | sugar | Greenock | – |
| " | wheat | Hull | Listed in SC 32 | |
| Temple Yard | " | grain - 4 Douglas bombers | Liverpool | Straggled - See Notes |
| Wellington Court | " | wheat - 4 bombers | Liverpool | – |
| Elmdale | " | flour | London | – |
| Empire Hawksbill | " | steel - scrap | Immingham | – |
| " | grain - flour | London | Listed in HX 128 - sunk | |
| Ganymedes | Dutch | sugar | Hull | – |
| Inverness | British | grain | Manchester | – |
| Norwegian | Tanker W | Avonmouth | To HX 128 - did not sail To HX 129 - did not sail To HX 130 - did not sail Joined HX 131 - returned Sailed in HX 132 | |
| British | grain | London | To HX 128 - did not sail Listed in SC 32 | |
| Spind | Norwegian | lumber | Sharpness | Returned to Halifax/repairs d.g. To HX 129 - did not sail Listed in HX 130 |
| Leiv Eiriksson | " | Adm. tanker B | Clyde | From HX 125 Returned to Halifax/repairs steering gear Listed in HX 128 |
| Trelissick | British | wheat | London | From HX 126 |
| Boreas | Norwegian | steel | Newport | – |
| Stad Vlaardingen | Dutch | pig iron - shells - explosives | Glasgow | From HX 123 Straggled - See Notes |
| British | grain | Hull | From HX 126 Listed in HX 129 | |
| Lord Byron | " | grain | Barry Docks | From HX 126 |
| Norwegian | scrap iron | Grangemouth | From HX 126 To HX 128 - did not sail Listed in HX 129 | |
| Skiensfjord | " | general - 5 Hurricanes - ammunition | Avonmouth | From HX 126 |
| American / MOWT 4/1941 | steel - scrap iron | Clyde | (Renamed Empire Opossum) From HX 126 Listed in SC 32 | |
| F. J. Wolfe | British | Adm. tanker B | Clyde | From HX 126 |
| Norwegian | Tanker B | Ardrossan | From HX 126 Listed in HX 128 | |
| Acavus | British | Tanker B | London (Purfleet) | From HX 126 |
| Mosli | Norwegian | Adm. tanker B | Reykjavik | From HX 126 |
| Standella | British | Tanker W | London | From HX 126 |
| Regent Lion | " | Tanker W | Clyde | From HX 126 |
| Brasil | Norwegian | Tanker W | Avonmouth | – |
| Empire Shearwater | British | pig iron - bombs & shells - special | Glasgow | – |
| Ittersum | Dutch | grain | London | – |
| Aircrest | British | grain | London | Commodore Vessel |
| Laurelwood | " | Adm. tanker B | Scapa | – |
| " | grain | Manchester | Listed in SC 32 | |
| Tilsington Court | " | cereals - trucks - special | London | Vice Commodore |
| Leiesten | Norwegian | Tanker B | London (Purfleet) | From HX 125 |
| Gravelines | French / MOWT 1940 | lumber | London | Sunk - See Notes |
| Cristales | British | general - refrig. - 4(?) Hurricanes | Newcastle | – |
| British Integrity | " | Tanker W | Manchester | – |
| Teddington | " | grain | Glasgow | – |
| Rotterdam | Dutch | Tanker W | Avonmouth | From HX 125 Straggled - See Notes |
| Trefusis | British | wheat | Hull | Returned to Halifax - See Notes To HX 132 - did not sail Listed in HX 133 |
| Norefjord | Norwegian | grain | Hull | From HX 126? |
| Winona County | American / MOWT 1941 | wheat | Newcastle | (Renamed Empire Whale) From HX 126 |
| Joining from Bermuda - Sailed May 14 | ||||
| Adula | British | Tanker W | London (Shellhaven) | – |
| Athelqueen | " | molasses | Bromborough | – |
| Carelia | " | Tanker W | Manchester | – |
| Chr. Th. Boe | Norwegian | Tanker B | Manchester | – |
| British Commodore | British | Adm. tanker B | Scapa | – |
| " | Tanker W | Swansea | Listed in HX 128 | |
| Laristan | " | Adm. tanker B | Loch Ewe | – |
| President de Vogue | Norwegian | Adm. tanker B | Scapa | – |
| Ranja | " | Tanker B | Manchester | – |
| British | Adm. tanker B | Scapa | Listed in HX 130 | |
| Solfonn | Norwegian | Adm. tanker B | Clyde | – |
| Vardefjell | " | Tanker B | Manchester | – |
| Sepia | British | Adm. tanker B | Londonderry | – |
Notes:
Commodore was in Aircrest, Vice Commodore was the captain of Tilsington Court.
Commodore to Barry was in Lord Byron.
The convoy had 46 ships upon departure from Halifax, joined by 11 from Bermuda for a total of 57.
Average speed: 8.01 knots.
Trefusis returned to Halifax at 20:00 on May 19, 43 27N 50 00W (condenser defects).
Gravelines, on a voyage from St. John, N.B. for London with 1101 standards of timber, fell out in fog on the night of May 27/28 and was torpedoed by U-147 on May 31-1941. She had a crew of 34 and 2 gunners - 11 died. "Back broken. Afterpart sunk by gunfire. Forepart in tow and arrived Clyde June 3. Forepart beached Kames Bay. C.T.L. Cargo completely discharged by November 1941. In Rothesay Bay Jan. 5, 1942 for breaking up". ("Lloyd's War Losses", Vol I).
Rotterdam also lagged astern on the night of May 27/28, as did Stad Vlaardingen and Temple Yard.
The Commodore's report is handwritten, and the names of escort vessels are difficult to decipher, but it looks like they were:
HMS Ramillies (S.O.), Larkspur, Begonia, Restigouche, Ottawa, Salisbury, Philante, Agazzis, Hambledon, Sutlej, Farndale, Stork, Skate, and St. Kenan. Also, the Commodore mentions a vessel that looks like Eskimo in his notes.
More details on all the Norwegian ships named in this table can be found in the alphabetical ship lists of this website.
Related external links:
The attack on Gravelines
Empire Ships - More information on the Empire ships sailing in this convoy.
To the next HX convoy in my list HX 128
| 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 |
