Convoy HX 138 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)

CONVOY HX 138 Departed Halifax on July 11-1941 and arrived Liverpool on July 27.
Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" agrees with 47 ships in this convoy.

Transcribed from several documents received from Roger Griffiths (Advance Sailing Telegram) - His source: Public Records Office, Kew.

Crossed out ships did not sail - underlined ships returned to port.

The A 1 form is not available and, therefore, stations are not known, but see A. Hague's listing for HX 138 at Ships in all HX convoys, which also explains why some of these ships returned to port.

Ship

Nationality

Cargo

Destination

Remarks

Varanger

Norwegian

Tanker B

Clyde

Aruba

Dutch

steel - lumber

Bristol

From HX 137

Vanja

Norwegian

Adm. tanker B

Clyde

Spinanger

"

Adm. tanker B

Clyde

–

Biafra

British

general

Manchester

Returned to Halifax
(does not show up again until SC 67)

Thorshøvdi

Norwegian

Tanker B

Manchester

From HX 137
Returned to Halifax
(does not show up again until HX 151)

Mirlo

"

Tanker B

Clyde

–

Empire Steel

British

Tanker W

Swansea

From HX 137

El Aleto

"

Tanker B

London

From HX 137

Stigstad

Norwegian

Tanker B

Manchester

From HX 137

Comanchee

British

Tanker B

Mersey

Returned to Halifax
Sailed in HX 140

Ville d'Anvers

Belgian

general

Mersey

–

Heranger

Norwegian

general

Mersey

–

City of Yokohama

British

general

Manchester

–

Garonne

Norwegian

Tanker W

Milford Haven / Southampton

From HX 137

Daronia

British

Tanker

Avonmouth

–

Polar Chief

"

Tanker B

London

Also cancelled from HX 139
Listed in HX 141

City of Paris

"

none given

Mersey

–

Tai Shan

Norwegian

general

Mersey

–

Baron Graham

British

sulphur - special

Belfast / Hull

To SC 37

Roxane

French

Adm. tanker B

Clyde

From HX 137
Listed in HX 144

Solfonn

Norwegian

Tanker B

Mersey

–

Triton

Dutch

general

Cardiff

–

Ingria

Norwegian

general

London

Sailed in HX 139

Robert F. Hand

British

Tanker W

Avonmouth

–

San Emiliano

"

Tanker W

Manchester

–

British Diligence

"

Tanker W

Manchester

Returned to Halifax
Listed in HX 141

Lodestone

"

steel

Clyde f. o.

Sailed in HX 139

Mamura

Dutch

Tanker B

Grangemouth

Mendoza

British

general

Mersey

–

Taron

"

Tanker W

London

From HX 137

Empire Activity

"

steel - scrap - special

Leith

From SC 37

Newbury

"

general - wheat

London

–

Holmbury

"

wheat

Belfast / Clyde

From SC 37

Dalgoma

"

sugar - copper

Clyde

–

City of Guildford

"

general

Manchester

–

Historian

"

general

Clyde

Returned to Halifax
(does not show up again till HX 151)

Streefkerk

Dutch

general

Belfast (d.g.) / Liverpool

–

Dagrun

Norwegian

sugar

Clyde

From HX 137 (Bermuda section)

British Power

British

Tanker W

Clyde

Returned to Halifax
Listed in HX 141

Dorcasia

"

Tanker W

Avonmouth

–

Havsten

Norwegian

Tanker B

Milford Haven / Southampton

–

Barrister

British

general

Liverpool

–

Neleus

"

general

Mersey

–

Clausina

"

Tanker W

Hull

–

Kars

"

Tanker W

Manchester

–

Stylianos Chandris

Greek

wheat

Avonmouth

From HX 133
(dropped out - see notes below)

City of Oxford

British

sugar

Mersey

From HX 133
returned to St. John's
Sailed in HX 140

Zephyros

Greek

iron ore

Newport

–

New York City

British

trucks - general - explosives

Swansea

Prins Willem III

Dutch

sugar - rum

Mersey

From HX 137

Sydney Section (SHX) - Sailed July 13

Pachesham

British

steel - newsprint

London

–

Cairnesk

"

general

Leith

–

Elg

Norwegian

grain

London

–

Manchester Progress

British

general - refrig. - special

Holyhead / Manchester

–

Anna

Greek

grain

Avonmouth

To SC 37

Antar

British

flour - special

Leith

–

Broompark

"

flour

Mersey (Manchester)

–

Bic Island

Canadian

general

Swansea

–

Langleetarn

British

wheat

Barry dock

–

Dorelian

"

general

Clyde

–

Saint Bertrand

"*

general

Clyde

–

* Roy Martin has told me:
Sain Bertrand was the ex German Chemnitz (war prize). His sources: Lloyd's List and Lloyd's Register 1941/42.

Notes:
Commodore A. Macrae (D.S.C, R.D., R.N.R.) was in Cairnesk, Vice Commodore was Captain Cruikshanks of Robert F. Hand.

(One of the documents states that commodore was in Biafra, and that A. Macrae in Cairnesk was Vice Commodore - not sure what this means, but it could be that this info is for only parts of the convoy, which had ships from Sydney and St. John's, as well as from Halifax. Also, as can be seen above, Biafra returned to port).
Bristol Channel Commodore vessel - Robert F. Hand
Clyde Commodore vessel - Dorcasia.

Arrived rendezvous on July 23

Average speed - 6.09 knots.

The convoy had 47 ships - 45 present at rendezvous, Stylianos Chandris having dropped out of convoy during fog and bad visibility at approximately 22:00 on July 22 - 60 32N 25 12W, and New York City having left to join the slow Convoy 6 miles astern at 18:00 on July 24 - 59 57N 60 00W, as she could not maintain speed.

Rescue Vessel Zaafaran joined July 23 and remained until July 27.

Commodore Macrae says
that he found "navigation very difficult through Straits of Belle Isle owing to fog and ice. Altering course by sound 20 degs. at a time (i.e. making the True course to be altered to) was found to be a complete success after more than 24 hrs of continuous fog whilst navigating Straits of Belle Isle, during which time several alterations of course and speed (which could not be foreseen and arranged for in advance) were made the Convoy was still to be found intact. The remainder of the voyage was uneventful".

He suggests that "ships should be warned when in two columns and overtaking the ships ahead that they should pull outwards and not inwards. (This happened when leaving Liverpool in a fog on the outward voyage, nearly causing a collision. One ship the City of Auckland missed the convoy by returning to port, apparently due to this danger). Also when ships are in more than two columns in similar circumstances they should pull out to windward. (Turning to Leeward is liable to blow them foul of the next column, and causes more time to be wasted getting back, also causing attention to be diverted from keeping a look out for other dangers). This particularly applies to under powered light ships".

With the heading "Reducing the Front in an Emergency" the Commodore adds that the "signal at present for both Wing columns is not sufficient for this manoeuvre when in 9 (nine) columns, especially when entering The Minches or in the Straits of Belle Isle (where fog and ice make it dangerous to manoeuvre in Nine columns). It is suggested that the following signal may be inserted: "HZ" Columns indicated by distinguishing signal(s) hoisted superior take station astern of columns indicated by distinguishing signals hoisted inferior (he then gives an example of what he means, which I've attempted to duplicate in the following):

.........thus reducing the front by half".

Ocean Escorts: HMS Broadwater, HMS Polyanthus, and HMCS St. Laurent joined at 16:30 on July 15 in 51 51N 54 59W.
HMS Burwell, HMS Richmond, HMCS Cobalt, HMCS Rimouski and Leith at 12:00 July 16 in 54 00N 51 20W.
Parted company at 06:30 on July 23 in 64 25N 24 00W.
Local Escorts: HMCS Napanee and HMCS Dauphin joined off Sydney at 02:30 on July 13 - parted company at 22:30 July 13 in 48 30N 59 40W.
HMCS Annopolis and HMCS St. Croix joined at 12:50 July 14 in 50 00N 58 00W - parted company at 21:00 July 15 in 52 21N 54 15W.
HMS Boadicea, HMS Beagle, HMS Orchis, St. Lomas, HMS Picotee, HMS Heather, HMS Roxborough, HMS Arab, and HMS Lady Madeleine joined at 04:00 July 23 in 60 25N 24 28W - parted company off Loch Ewe.
Air Escort: One (Hampden) off Belle Isle from the afternoon of July 15 until 22:10 same day in 52 29N 54 10W.

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