Convoy HX 128 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)
Convoy HX 128 Cruising Order
Departed Halifax on May 20-1941 and arrived Liverpool on June 6 (Arnold Hague says 43 ships).
Transcribed from a list received from Tony Cooper, England - his source: Public Records Office, Kew.
Further details, including Commodore's report were received from Roger Griffiths (using same source as above).
Please note that ships joining from Bermuda (except La Paz) are not included in this form - they are named in the Advance Sailing Telegram below.
Br=British, Norw=Norwegian, Sw=Swedish, Rom=Romanian, MOWT=Ministry of War Transport.
s=sunk, †=dead
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
11
Empire Sunbeam
wheat/flour
Loch Ewe
(Br)
21
Empire Storm
wheat
Loch Ewe
s - 3†
(Br)
31
Empire Mahseer
steel - scrap
Clyde
(Br)
41
Pilar de Larrinaga
scrap iron
Clyde
(Br)
51
Cape Clear
wheat
Liverpool
(Br)
61
Silvercedar
general
Liverpool
(Br)
71
Gloucester City
general
Barry Roads
(Br)
81
Montreal City
general
Barry Roads
(Br)
91
Harperley
sugar
Belfast
(Br)
12
Alhama
bauxite
Tyne
(Br)
22
Treminnard
wheat
Loch Ewe
(Br)
32
Leiv Eiriksson
Admiralty
fuel
Clyde
(Norw)
42
Thorshavn
fuel oil
Clyde
(Norw)
52
Swiftpool
wheat
Liverpool
(Br)
62
Skaraas
gasoline
Liverpool
(Norw)
72
Dorcasia
benzine
Swansea
(Br)
82
Oltenia II
crude oil
Swansea
(Rom/MOWT 1940)
92
Suderøy
whale oil
Belfast
(Norw)
13
Aymeric
grain
Loch Ewe
(Br)
23
Llanover
grain
Loch Ewe
(Br)
33
43
Hjelmaren
steel
Clyde
(Sw)
53
Empire Kittiwake
wheat
Birkenhead
(Br)
63
Inger Lise
lumber
Preston
(Norw)
73
Lancaster Castle
Liverpool
(Br)
83
British Colony
fuel oil
Glasgow
(Br)
93
Alaska
steel - trucks
Newport
(Norw)
14
24
Thorshavet
fuel oil
Oban
(Norw)
34
44
Torborg
crude oil
Ardrossan
(Norw)
54 B
La Paz
general
Liverpool
(Br)
64
Tilapa
general
Liverpool
(Br)
74
Barrwhin
Liverpool
(Br)
84
94
Baron Haig
lumber
Liverpool
(Br)
Advance Sailing Telegram
Transcribed from several documents received from Tony Cooper - His source: Public Records Office, Kew.
Ship
Nationality
Cargo
Destination
Remarks
Halifax section
Cape Clear
British
flour - wheat - aircraft - special
Liverpool
Commodore Vessel
Alaska
Norwegian
steel - trucks
Newport
–
Barrwhin
British
grain
Liverpool
–
Lyras
Greek
grain - trucks
London
Silvercedar
British
general - aircraft - 3 bombers
Liverpool
–
Suderøy
Norwegian
Tanker - whale oil
Belfast d. g. & f. o.
Straggled - See Notes
Listed in HX 129
Alhama
British
bauxite
Tyne
Straggled - See Notes
Aymeric
"
grain
London
–
Empire Mahseer
"
steel - scrap
Immingham
–
Empire Sunbeam
"
grain - flour
Hull
Straggled - See Notes
Gloucester City
"
general - ammunition - machine guns
Cardiff
–
Hjelmaren
Swedish
steel
Mersey f. o.
–
Llanover
British
grain - aircraft
Tyne
–
Montreal City
"
general
Bristol
–
Pilar de Larrinaga
"
scrap iron - TNT
Clyde f. o.
Skaraas
Norwegian
Tanker W
Mersey
–
Saluta
British
wheat
London
Listed in HX 129
Treminnard
"
wheat - 6" shells
Liverpool
–
Swiftpool
"
grain - trucks
Liverpool
–
Leonidas M
Greek
grain
Mersey f. o.
Listed in HX 129
Baron Haig
British
lumber
Manchester
–
Saltersgate
"
sugar
Clyde f. o.
Listed in HX 129
Peterston
"
sugar
Clyde f. o.
Listed in HX 129
Thorshavn
Norwegian
Adm. tanker B
Liverpool
Erna II
Danish (Erna) / MOWT 1940
–
Silloth
From HX 126
Listed in HX 129
Braganza
Norwegian
scrap iron
Grangemouth
Torborg
"
Tanker B
Ardrossan
From HX 127
Chagres
Panamanian
general
Belfast d. g. / Liverpool
Nurtureton
British
grain
London
From HX 127
Listed in SC 32
Danae II
French / MOWT 1940
lumber
London
From HX 127
To HX 129 - did not sail
Listed in HX 130
Oltenia II
Romanian / MOWT 1940
Tanker B
Swansea
From HX 127
Harperley
British
sugar - rum
Clyde
From HX 127
Empire Storm
"
grain - flour
London
From HX 127
Vice Commodore
Sunk - See Notes
James Hawson
Norwegian
Tanker W
Avonmouth
From HX 127
To HX 129 - did not sail
To HX 130 - did not sail
Joined HX 131 - returned
Sailed in HX 132
Thorshavet
"
Adm. tanker B
Clyde
Straggled - See Notes
British Chivalry
British
Adm. tanker B
Scapa
–
Leiv Eiriksson
Norwegian
Adm. tanker B
Clyde
Rapana
British
Tanker B
Loch Ewe
B
(Also listed in document for Bermuda portion)
Returned to Bermuda
Listed in HX 129
Empire Kittiwake
"
iron - scrap
Mersey f. o.
Inger Lise
Norwegian
lumber
London
Tilapa
British
general - refrig. - special
Leith / London
–
Dorcasia
"
Tanker W
Barry Dock
From Bermuda portion of HX 127
Lancaster Castle
"
grain
Liverpool
–
British Colony
"
Tanker B
Glasgow
–
Joining from Bermuda - Sailed May 18
Amsterdam
Dutch
Tanker W
Avonmouth
–
Basil
British
oil cake - general
Liverpool
British Diligence
"
Tanker W
Mersey
–
British Fusilier
"
Tanker B
London (Purfleet)
–
Cardita
"
Tanker W
London (Purfleet)
–
Charles Racine
Norwegian
Tanker B
Avonmouth
–
Clavella
Dutch
Tanker B
London (Shellhaven)
–
Designer
British
general - 3 Lockheeds - MB's
Liverpool
–
D. L. Harper
"
Tanker B
Clyde
Drammensfjord
Norwegian
sugar
Newport
–
Eulima
British
Tanker W
London (Thameshaven)
–
Explorer
"
steel - rosin wood - aircraft
River Mersey
Listed in HX 129
Iroquois
"
Tanker W
Clyde
Listed in HX 130
La Paz
"
general
Liverpool
Rapana
"
Tanker B
London
See above
Listed in HX 129
San Cirilo
"
Tanker W
Avonmouth
–
Thistlegorm
"
sugar
Clyde f. o.
–
Vulcanus
Dutch
phosphates
Belfast
Notes:
Commodore Vice Admiral F. A. Sommerville was in Cape Clear, Vice Commodore was the captain of Empire Storm.
Vice Commodore to Oban was in Tilapa.
Commodore says the convoy had 32 ships upon departure from Halifax, joined by 12 from Bermuda for a total of 44, minus 2 which were sent to SC 32 = 42 ships in all. 37 still remained at local escort rendezvous point, according to the Commodore, however, when subtracting the 7 ships named below the numbers don't quite add up (looks like the Commodore has not included the 2 ships that were sent to SC 32 in his numbers).
Empire Storm, on a voyage from Montreal for Loch Ewe with 6494 tons of grain and 2983 tons of flour, became a straggler on May 25 and was sunk by U 557 on May 29. She had a crew of 39 and 4 gunners - 3 crew died (survivors picked up by the Norwegian Marita - listed in Convoy SC 32).
Empire Sunbeam, Thorshavet, Alhama and Suderøy also lost touch with the convoy on May 25. Suderøy shows up again in the next convoy, HX 129.
La Paz and Inger Lise, being too slow and "should not have been in fast convoy", were detached on May 28 to join the slower Convoy SC 32.
Commodore's Comments:
Station keeping - Exceptionally good.
Signalling - Very good.
Kites:
24 ships had masthead fittings. 18 were flown the first day but only about 10 the second - a curious "pocket of air" caused five kites to fall into the sea. The foremast fitting appears nearly useless as the kites invariably foul the W/T Æ, six ships had foul kites at one time.
The first part of the voyage was "rather a nightmare of dense fog - seven days of it - during which period we were rerouted twice and had to turn back for 12 hours - five ships were missing at the end of ? (text missing). Contact with BHX (Bermuda section) four days late. SC 32 and Revenge in (company? word missing) forming one convoy of 72 ships from May 28 for 3 days." (Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" gives the date of departure for SC 32 as May 19, with 28 ships).
The Commodore suggests that "'mersigs' should be non-confidential so that ships officers may have a chance of reading it".
Escort Vessels:
HMS California from Halifax to Clyde.
HMS Revenge from May 28 till May 30 (escort of SC 32?).
HMS Totland, HMS Sennen, HMS Walney from Halifax to Clyde.
Local Escorts were met as arranged on June 1(?), 49 40N 29 30W. 14 escort vessels in all (3 destroyers, 3 sloops, 4 corvettes, 3 cutters + HMS Malcolm? Text in margin missing on the document).
Air escort intermittently from P.M. on June 3.
More details on all the Norwegian ships named in this table can be found in the alphabetical ship lists of this website.
To the next HX convoy in my list HX 129