Convoy HX 139 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)
CONVOY HX 139
Departed Halifax on July 16-1941 and arrived Liverpool on the 31st.
Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" agrees with 60 ships in the convoy.
See also Voyage Report & Collision Report 
(Will be updated - please compare with A. Hague's listing for this convoy at ships in all HX convoys. See also HX escorts).
| Transcribed from several documents received from Roger Griffiths (Advance Sailing Telegram, A 1 form, reports) - His source: Public Records Office, Kew. The information has been supplemented with details received from Roy Martin - His sources: Southampton Library and Lloyd's list and Lloyd's Register 1941/42. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ship | Nationality | Cargo | Station | Destination | Remarks |
| Empire Foam (C.A.M.) | British | grain | 115 (?) | Mersey | – |
| Dolabella | " | Tanker B lub. oil | 21 (21) | London | Loch Ewe Commodore |
| " | grain | – | Mersey | To Convoy SC 38 | |
| Ingria | Norwegian | general | 114 (65) | Mersey | From HX 138 |
| Barbro | " | Tanker B gas oil | 103 (103) | Swansea | – |
| British | refrig. - general | – | Clyde f. o. | To HX 141 | |
| " | Tanker W | – | Clyde | To HX 141 (not listed) Sailed in HX 142 | |
| Nanking | Swedish | rice - ore | 14 (44) | Clyde | Transferred to HX 140 |
| British | Tanker B fuel oil | Belfast | From HX 138 To HX 141 | ||
| Athelprincess | " | Tanker (molasses) | 11 (52) | Clyde | – |
| Norwegian | steel - scrap iron | – | Newport | Sailed in HX 140 | |
| British Confidence | British | Tanker B & W benzine | 101 (?) | Dublin | – |
| Largs Bay | " | general - refrig. | 31 (31) | Glasgow | – |
| Dutch | general | – | Hull | Sailed in HX 140 | |
| San Cipriano | British | Tanker W gasoline | 81 (91) | Swansea | – |
| San Ambrosio | " | Tanker W gasoline | 82 (82) | Manchester | collided - see report Page 2 |
| Empire Energy | " | pig iron - scrap iron - special | 12 (12) | Middlesbrough | Transferred to HX 140 |
| Vanja | Norwegian | Adm. tanker B Admiralty fuel | 53 (?) | Londonderry | From HX 138 |
| Lodestone | British | steel | 54 (54) | Glasgow | From HX 138 |
| Mamura | Dutch | Tanker B fuel oil | 44 (14) | London | From HX 138 Transferred to HX 140 |
| Empire Heron | British | phosphates - special | 83 (83) | Holyhead / Mersey | – |
| Egton | " | sugar | 73 (22) | Humber | Collided with ? (see page 2) |
| Ondina | Dutch | Tanker B fuel oil | 32 (32) | London | – |
| Canadian | steel - paper | – | London | Sailed in HX 140 | |
| Ampetco | Belgian | Tanker B fuel oil | 24 (24) | London | – |
| British Pride | British | Tanker W gasoline | 22 (73) | Barry Dock | – |
| British Endurance | " | Tanker W pool oil | 104 (41) | Clyde | – |
| Empire Redshank | " | scrap iron - steel | 41 (104) | Swansea | Clyde Commodore |
| Empire Oryx | " | scrap iron - steel | 43 (64) | Manchester | – |
| Ocana | Dutch | Tanker W gasoline | 45 (?) | Belfast | – |
| San Demetrio | British | Tanker W gasoline | 72 (72) | Manchester | collided - see report Page 2 |
| Silversandal | " | general - supercargo | 61 (61) | Belfast / Cardiff | Commodore Vessel |
| " | Tanker B & W | – | London | Sailed in HX 140 | |
| Norwegian | general | – | Mersey | Sailed in HX 140 | |
| Dromore | British | steel - general | 92 (71) | Manchester | – |
| Kelso | " | general | 13 (13) | Hull | – |
| Luminetta | " | Tanker B fuel oil | 52 (11) | Grangemouth | – |
| " | Tanker B | – | Ardrossan | To HX 140 (but not on A 1 form) Listed in HX 141 | |
| Lindenhall | " | steel | 112 (16) | London | – |
| King William | " | steel | 111 (101) | Newport | – |
| Sicilian Prince | " | general | 91 (81) | Manchester | Vice Commodore |
| " | sugar | – | Clyde f. o. | Sailed in HX 140 | |
| Norwegian | Tanker W | – | Belfast f. o. | Sailed in HX 140 | |
| British | Tanker W | – | Medway | Sailed in HX 140 | |
| Vancouver | " | gasoline | 33 (33) | Medway | |
| Dutch | Tanker B | – | London | Sailed in HX 140 | |
| Norwegian | Tanker B | – | Manchester | Sailed in HX 140 | |
| Prinses Maria-Pia | Belgian | phosphates | 84 (84) | Port Talbot | – |
| Sepia | British | Adm. tanker B fuel oil | 34 (34) | Scapa | – |
| Birchbank | " | general | 63 (95) | Manchester | – |
| Chr. Th. Boe | Norwegian | Tanker B | (66) | Grangemouth | Transferred to HX 140 |
| President De Vogue | " | Adm tanker B crude oil | 64 (43) | Clyde | – |
| Barendrecht | Dutch | Tanker W gasoline | 102 (102) | Avonmouth | – |
| Glaucus | British | general | 62 (62) | Mersey | – |
| " | Tanker W | – | Avonmouth | To HX 140 (but not on A 1 form) Listed in HX 141 | |
| Riley | " | sugar | 74 (74) | Mersey | – |
| British Colony | " | Tanker B fuel oil | 23 (23) | London | – |
| F. J. Wolfe | " | Adm. tanker B fuel oil | 51 (51) | Clyde | – |
| Otaio | " | general - refrig. | 55 (63) | Mersey | – |
| Vivi | Norwegian | Tanker W | (92) | Milford Haven | – |
| British | Adm. tanker B | – | Clyde | Sailed in HX 143 | |
| Norwegian | Tanker B | – | Milford Haven f. o. | Sailed in HX 140 | |
| Miralda | British | Tanker B fuel oil | 42 (42) | Ardrossan | – |
| Kentar | Dutch | general - special | 113 (36) | Leith | – |
| Contractor | British | general - special | 94 (75) | Holyhead / Manchester | – |
| Dutch | Tanker B | – | Mersey | Sailed in HX 140 | |
| Baron Semple | British | iron ore | 65 (26) | Immingham | – |
| Acavus | " | Tanker B gas oil | 71 (53) | Clyde | – |
| NOTES: There are 2 A 1 forms available for this convoy. One is typewritten, and appears to show the stations on departure Halifax. 48 ships are included on this form. The 2nd form is handwritten, and if I've guessed correctly, this shows the stations after the Sydney and Wabana ships had joined, because 60 ships are listed. The numbers in parenthesis indicate the stations given on the latter form (some remained in the same station as before). Unfortunately, I'm not able to tell which ships sailed in the 11th column on this form (5 ships).Not included on the typewritten A 1 form are Vivi, which has station 92 on the handwritten form and Chr. Th. Boe which has been given station 66 on the latter form. Additionally, the hand written form has an Empire Chac or Chal in station 93, which is not mentioned in the Advance Sailing Telegram. As far as I can see from the Empire Ships website, there was no ship by that name. | |||||
| Sydney Section (SHX) - Sailed July 17, joined July 19 w/ HMS Southern Prince According to the Commodore's notes, there were 8 ships in the Sydney section. Hjalmar Wessel and Heina are listed among the ships in the Halifax section in the Advance Sailing Telegram, but they are not included on the typewritten A 1 form, which made me suspect they might belong in the Sydney Section - Roy Martin's investigations have since confirmed this. (Unfortuantely, the Advance Sailing Telegram for these 2 sections is almost impossible to decipher. I have guessed most of the names by comparing to names found on the A 1 form, and with some extra help from Roy Martin). | |||||
| Norwegian | pulp | – | Manchester | Sailed in HX 140 | |
| Greek | grain | – | Tyne | – | |
| Bur | Norwegian | steel - lumber | (15) | London | Lost touch in fog - see notes (joined HX 140) |
| Harmatris | British | sugar | (45) | Clyde? | – |
| Twickenham | " | steel - lumber | (?) | Belfast | – |
| Barrington Court | British | wheat - beans? - special | (35) | London | – |
| Greek | grain | – | Hull | – | |
| Norwegian | sulphate | – | London | To SC 38 | |
| Ramsay | British | grain | (56) | London | – |
| " | flour | – | London | Roy Martin says: An Atlantian sailed from Sydney but for Barbados Could be Atlantic? (see HX 140) | |
| Helmspey | " | flour - special | (46) | Hull | – |
| Hjalmar Wessel | Norwegian | pulp - paper | (55) | Glasgow | From HX 137 |
| Heina | " | general | (85) | Mersey | From HX 137 |
| Wabana Ships - Joined July 22 w/ HMS Fleetwood | |||||
| Enseigne Maurice Prechac | British | iron ore | (?) | Port Talbot | Via St Johns NF |
| Maritima | " | flour - grain | (94) | Avonmouth | – |
| Evinos | Greek | iron ore | (105) | Newport | – |
| Norwegian | iron ore | – | Newport | To SC 38 | |
| * Short name, looks like Senta (or similar), but tonnage doesn't fit. Tonnage is also illegible, but looks like 5766 gt. Additional details from Roy Martin: Enseigne Maurice Prechac is not in the books but sister Enseigne Marie Saint-Germain was managed by Wm. Reardon Smith Rose Castle sailed from Wabana July 16 with Senta, so perhaps the illegible ship above is Senta afterall? (Others that sailed at this time were the Armathia (Gr) for Sydney and the Panamanian Halcyon for Sydney plus the Watuka for Louisberg). |
Notes:
Commodore D.S. Robinson was in Silversandal, Vice Commodore was G. Gillander in Sicilian Prince.
Average speed - 8.11 knots.
The convoy had 49 ships from Halifax, 8 from Sydney and 3 from Wabana for a total of 60, 55 were present at arrival local rendezvous point July 27.
Empire Energy, Mamura, Nanking, Chr. Th. Boe and Bur were last seen at 12:00 on July 20 in 48 21N 48 46W when the convoy encountered thick fog. They all show up again in HX 140, possibly joining from Iceland(?)
The Commodore says Harmatris slowed convoy down considerably, reported inferior coal. Otherwise, station keeping and signalling "very good" (see also the Commodore's Voyage Report).
Ocean Escort: HMS Ranpura and HMS Southern Prince. Ranpura parted company at 16:00 on July 26, in 61 18N 23 06W, at which time the local escort was met. The convoy was 5 hours late.
Other Escort Vessels: 1 sloop, 2 coastguard cutters and 2 corvettes.
Local Escorts: 4 destroyers, 1 sloop, 1 trawler.
Air Escort sighted at 21:00 on July 25.
Please note that more information on all the Norwegian ships mentioned in this convoy can be found with the help of the alphabet index below.
To the next HX convoy in my list HX 140
| 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 |
