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
Empire Moon (C.A.M.) " grain Mersey To Convoy SC 38
Ingria Norwegian general 114 (65) Mersey From HX 138
Barbro " Tanker B gas oil 103 (103) Swansea
Karamea British refrig. - general Clyde f. o. To HX 141
British Splendour " Tanker W Clyde To HX 141 (not listed) Sailed in HX 142
Nanking Swedish rice - ore 14 (44) Clyde Transferred to HX 140
Polar Chief British Tanker B fuel oil 93 Belfast From HX 138 To HX 141
Athelprincess " Tanker (molasses) 11 (52) Clyde
Olaf Bergh 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
Sembilangan 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
R. J. Cullen 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
British Prestige " Tanker B & W London Sailed in HX 140
Bonneville 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
Luxor " 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
Tudor Prince " sugar Clyde f. o. Sailed in HX 140
Evita Norwegian Tanker W Belfast f. o. Sailed in HX 140
Carelia British Tanker W Medway Sailed in HX 140
Vancouver " gasoline 33 (33) Medway
Malvina Dutch Tanker B London Sailed in HX 140
Vardefjell 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
Regent Panther " 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
Patella British Adm. tanker B Clyde Sailed in HX 143
Madrono 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
Woensdrecht 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).
Boreas? Norwegian pulp Manchester Sailed in HX 140
Agia Marina? 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
Dimitrios Inglessis? Greek grain Hull
Ila? Norwegian sulphate London To SC 38
Ramsay British grain (56) London
A?-looks like Atlantis " 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
illegible * 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.

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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 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