Convoy HX 143 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)

Convoy HX 143 Cruising Order
Departed Halifax on Aug. 5-1941 and arrived Liverpool on the 20th (Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" says 73 ships).

Original list received from Ted Agar. (His source: A diary, which includes ships joining from Halifax only and gives the initial stations upon departure Halifax).

The info has been supplemented by a separate list of ships received from Tony Cooper (his source: Public Records Office, Kew) whose info has been added here in italic text. Tony's list also includes ships joining from Sydney, C.B. and Newfoundland. On the whole it agrees with the diary, but in some instances it conflicts with it; this could simply mean that the ships moved to different stations as the voyage progressed.

Cargoes have been extracted from a document received from D. Kindell, based on the late Arnold Hague's database - see his listing for HX 143 at Ships in all HX convoys.

See also Convoy ON 11 and subsequent ON convoys.

Br=British, Du=Dutch, Po=Polish, Norw=Norwegian, Sw=Swedish, Da=Danish, Fr=French, Gr=Greek.

MoWT = Ministry of War Transport.

11
Clydebank
general
(Br)

21
Empire
Lapwing
phosphates
(Br)

31
Grainton
phosphates
(Br)

41
Patella
fuel oil
(Br)

51
Iroquois
gas oil
(Br)

61
Madura
general
(Br)

71
Pacific
Exporter
general
(Br)

Bayano
general
(Br)

81
Empire
Opal
petrol
(Br)

91
Empire
Ibex
general
(Br)

101
Egyptian
Prince
general
(Br)

111
Eulima
petrol
(Br)

121
Regent
Lion
petrol
(Br)

Empire Ray
(see 124)

12
Nyanza
steel - lumber
(Br)

22
British
Dominion
benzine
(Br)

32
King
Neptune
steel
(Br)

42
Ganymedes
sugar
(Du)

52
Celtic
Monarch
sugar
(Br)

62
Trojan
Star
general
(Br)

Pacific Exporter
(see 71)

72
Empire
Shearwater
steel
(Br)

82
Kirkpool
phosphates
(Br)

92
Athelknight
molasses
(Br)

102
Zagloba
general
(Po)

112
Regent Lion
(see 121)

122
Bellhaven
general
(Br)

13
Teddington
phosphates
(Br)

23
Corbis
gas oil
(Br)

33
Magdala
gas oil
(Du)

43
Trojan Star
(see 62)

53
Port
Dunedin
refrig.
(Br)

63
Athelviscount
molasses
(Br)

73
French
tanker

Saintonge
fuel oil
(Fr [Br]*)

83
Belinda
petrol
(Norw)

93
Norw.
tanker

Southern Empress
fuel oil
(Br)

103
Inverilen
petrol
(Br)

113
Ceronia
dieso
(Du)

123
Malayan
Prince
general
(Br)

14
Aymeric
phosphates
(Br)

24
San Delfino
aviation gas
(Br)

34
Andrea Brøvig
fuel oil
(Norw)

44
Charles
L.D.
sugar
(Fr / MoWT 1940)

54
Mosli
FFO
(Norw)

64
Thorshavn
fuel oil
(Norw)

74
Kedoe
sugar - hemp
(Du)

84
City of
Cardiff
general
(Br)

94
Silverguava
general
(Br)

104
Novelist
general
(Br)

114
Chesapeake
petrol
(Br)

124
Empire
Ray
grain
CAM ship
(Br)

Treminnard
flour
(Br)

15
Tisnaren
general
(Sw)

25
San
Arcadio
fuel oil - crude oil
(Br)

35
Generton
grain
(Br)

45
Petter
gas oil
(Norw)

55
Jean L. D.
general
(Br / ex Fr)

65
Lacklan
gas oil
(Br)

75
Ravnefjell
general
(Norw)

85
Baron
Ogilvy
sugar
(Br)

Carmelfjell general
(Norw)

95
Salamis
petrol
(Norw)

105
Katy
(see 125)

115
Anna
Mazaraki
grain
(Gr)

Empire Spring
grain
CAM ship
(Br)

125
Katy**
benzine
(Norw)

Anna Mazaraki (see 115)

16
Trevilley
steel
(Br)

26
Sylvia de Larrinaga
grain
(Br)

36
Hjelmaren
phosphates
(Sw)

46
Sydland
iron ore
(Sw)

56
Tiba
flour
(Du)

66
Baron Ogilvy
(see 85)

76
Gyda
general
(Da / MoWT)

86
Empire Whale
steel - scrap
(Br)

96
Gaasterkerk
general
(Du)

106
Empire Lightning
grain
(Br)

116
Primero
wheat
(Norw)

126
Boston City
general
(Br)

107

117

127
Benwood
iron ore
(Norw)

Patella had previously been cancelled from Convoy HX 139. Petter had started out in HX 140, but returned to port (Sydney, C.B.) with engine trouble.

The diary also has a 13th column, with just one ship listed, namely the Swedish Tisnaren in station 135, right next to Katy. Tony says there were only 12 columns, and that Tisnaren was in station 15. The sequence list below also mentions Losada, station number not given and, therefore, not included above. Note, however, that A. Hague has not included Losada in HX 143, instead, he has listed her in Convoy SC 40, which left Sydney, C.B. on Aug. 10 - see Ships in all SC convoys. (She did leave Halifax on Aug. 5, but was en route to Sydney, C.B. at the time, so the author of the diary who saw her leave with the other HX convoy ships probably assumed she was destined for this convoy).

A. Hague lists Ceronia as British. For City of Cardiff, he has a note saying "new prop shaft fitted at Liverpool". He also says that Ravnefjell became a straggler - date not given.
He has Empire Lightning in station 88, which gives the convoy 8 rows. It'll be noticed, that he also has many of the other ships in different stations than what is shown above; again, see his listing for HX 143 at Ships in all HX convoys.

Notes:
*Saintonge was originally the Danish Henning Mærsk, sold to France in 1939, sailed under The Ministry of War Transport from 1940, back to France 1945 ("The World's Merchant Fleets 1939", R. W. Jordan).

**Tony gives me station 105 for Katy, this could simply mean she moved into that station from 125 later on. Also, he gives station 85 for Carmelfjell, which conflicts with Baron Ogilvy; again this could mean that there was a change in positions as the convoy progressed. As will be noticed some ships, including the Norwegian Petter, Ravnefjell, Carmelfjell, Primero, Benwood and Salamis, are not mentioned in the list below, which probably means that these joined from a feeder convoy from Sydney, C.B. or Newfoundland later on. When the additional ships in Tony's list are added, there are 73 ships.

The ships left Halifax in the following sequence (according to the diary, which does not include ships joining from Sydney, C.B. and Newfoundland):
The first to leave at 11:00 was the British Madura, followed a few minutes later by the British Iroquois, Eulima, Athelviscount, Aymeric, Bellhaven, San Arcadio, British Dominion, Trojan Star, the Dutch Magdala, Swedish Tisnaren, the British Chesapeake, Norwegian Belinda, British Charles L. D., Dutch Kedoe, an unnamed French tanker, British Corbis, Athelknight, Egyptian Prince, Silverguava, Dutch Ceronia, British Kirkpool, Jean L. D., Southern Empress, Inverilen, King Neptune, Empire Ibex, Norwegian Thorshavn and Mosli, British Baron Ogilvy, Empire Opal, Regent Lion, Nyanza, Novelist, Norwegian Andrea Brøvig, British Empire Shearwater, Pacific Exporter, Dutch Ganymedes, British Teddington, Greek Anna Mazaraki, British Port Dunedin, Norwegian Katy, British Celtic Monarch, unnamed Norwegian tanker, British Grainton, City of Cardiff, Empire Lapwing, Losada (as mentioned above, this ship is listed in the slow Convoy SC 40 from Sydney, C.B.), Polish Zagloba, British Empire Spring, Malayan Prince, Lacklan, Empire Ray, Dutch Gaasterkerk and the escorting HMS Wolfe which left Pier 23 at 16:00 and followed the convoy to sea. At 15:10 there's a notation that a tanker "goes out"; whether this means that the tanker goes out to sea, or whether it leaves the convoy is not clear.

A. Hague names the following escorts (extracted from this list of HX convoy escorts, also received from D. Kindell; dates are European style, day/month/year):
Agassiz - From 08/08/41 to 17/08/41
Annapolis - From 05/08/41 to 05/08/41
Arabis - From 17/08/41 to 20/08/41
Burnham - From 08/08/41 to 17/08/41
Dauphin - From 06/08/41 to 07/08/41
Galt - From 08/08/41 to 17/08/41
Levis - From 08/08/41 to 17/08/41
Malcolm - From 17/08/41 to 20/08/41
Mayflower - From 08/08/41 to 17/08/41
Napanee - From 06/08/41 to 07/08/41
Niagara - From 05/08/41 to 05/08/41
Northern Gem - From 17/08/41 to 20/08/41
Northern Pride - From 17/08/41 to 20/08/41
Northern Wave - From 17/08/41 to 20/08/41
Sardonyx - From 17/08/41 to 20/08/41
Scimitar - From 17/08/41 to 20/08/41
Verbena - From 17/08/41 to 20/08/41
Violet - From 17/08/41 to 20/08/41
Watchman - From 18/08/41 to 20/08/41
Wolfe - From 05/08/41 to 17/08/41

Related external link:
The Empire Ships - More information on all the Empire Ships sailing in Convoy HX 143.

Back to Convoy Index

To the next HX convoy in my list HX 144