Convoy HX 209 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)

CONVOY HX 209 Departed New York City on Sept. 24-1942 and arrived Liverpool on Oct. 9.
Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" gives 35 ships in this convoy.

Transcribed from several documents received from Roger Griffiths - His source: Public Records Office, Kew.

The ships are listed in the order in which they appear on the various documents.

~~Crossed out~~ ships did not sail, underlined ships returned to port.

For info, some of the ships in this convoy had previously arrived the U.S. with the westbound Convoy ON 125 (see also ON 123).

Ship

Nationality

Cargo

Station

Destination

Remarks

Serooskerk

Dutch

wheat

London

–

Southern Empress

British

Admiralty tanker B

–

Clyde

From HX 208
Returned to port - see notes
To SC 104 (Oct. 3) - sunk
(see also Fagersten)

Pan Delaware

American

Tanker B

Avonmouth

–

Soekaboemi

Dutch

sugar

Clyde

–

Skiensfjord

Norwegian

general

Mersey

Commodore Vessel

~~Ocean Stranger~~

British

general

–

Glasgow

–

~~Ethan Allen~~

American

general - army - steel

–

Mersey

~~Arabian Prince~~

British

general

–

Cardiff

–

City of Hankow

general - 14 passengers

Liverpool

–

Kent

general - 2 passengers?

Liverpool

–

Tarananki

general - 8 passengers

Avonmouth

See E-mail at end of Page 2

Port Campbell

general - 10 passengers

Liverpool

–

Ocean Victory

general

Liverpool

–

Fort Confidence

general

Barry Dock

–

San Amado

Admiralty tanker B

Swansea

–

~~Novelist~~

general - explosives

–

Liverpool

British Statesman

Tanker W

Stanlow

–

Luculus

Tanker B

Mersey

–

Ocean Courage

general

Manchester

–

Amastra

Tanker W

Stanlow

–

Empire Tarpon

general

Milford Haven f. o.
(Southampton)

Sank - See notes below

~~Barrister~~

sugar

–

Liverpool

Sailed in HX 210

Stancleeves

"(?)

general

Milford Haven f. o.
(Southampton)

–

British Tenacity

Tanker W

Stanlow / Mersey

–

~~Christian Holm~~

Danish / MOWT 1941

Tanker B

–

Stanlow

–

Joining from Halifax

Potter

Panamanian

general

–

Mersey

From HX 208
Returned to Halifax - see notes

Bayano

British

general

Liverpool

See notes

Ocean Vagabond

grain

–

Loch Ewe f. o.

From HX 208
Sent to St. John's
torpedoed & damaged
See notes

Ocean Wayfarer

general

Cardiff

From HX 208

~~Modavia~~

general

–

Avonmouth

Sailed in HX 210

Empire Jet

Tanker W

Bowling

–

Donax

Tanker B

Avonmouth

–

Fanad Head

general

Belfast / Manchester

–

Empire Bittern

general

Avonmouth

–

Askepot

Norwegian

general

–

Greenland

Not on A 1 form
Proceeded to Halifax - (see notes)

Henry R. Mallory

American

general

–

St. John's

Not on A 1 form

The above is from the Advance Sailing Telegram. Askepot and Henry R. Mallory may have started out from New York, or joined at sea(?). They are not included on the A 1 form, nor are they mentioned in the Commodore's notes listing the ships in the Halifax section. He says the following ships joined from Halifax at 10:00 on Oct. 27:
Bayano, Ocean Wayfarer, Ocean Vagabond, Potter, Empire Jet, Empire Bittern, Donax, Fanad Head, Lady Rodney and Lord Kevin (the latter 2 are not mentioned in the Advance Sailing Telegram nor on A 1 form).

The following ships are listed on a separate document - no details on port of origin or sailing date, and no info on cargo given:

Rhode Island

American

Tanker

Bowling

–

Tivives

–

Clyde

–

Fernwood

Norwegian

–

Manchester

–

Salamis

Tanker

Birkenhead

–

Lewis Luckenbach

American

–

Liverpool

–

Trondheim

Norwegian

Tanker

Belfast / Heysham

–

Acme

American

Tanker

Dingle

–

Robert H. Colley

American

–

81?

Clyde

Not on A 1 form
Broke in half,
not considered salvable
(See discussion on Page 2)

Michigan

Panamanian

–

Glasgow

–

Samuel Bakke

Norwegian

–

Liverpool

–

Notes:
Commodore W. R. B. Magee DSO R.N.R. was in Norwegian Skiensfjord, Vice Commodore was to be the captain of Arabian Prince, but this ship did not sail.

The convoy had 31 ships on departure (at 05:30 Sept. 24), 32 were present on rendezvous with local escort.
Average speed: 9.3 knots. (Daily positions of convoy at 08:00 BST are available, and can be supplied on request - my contact address is at the bottom of this page).

The Commodore says:
"Fine weather was met with for most of voyage. From 4th Oct. onwards heavy weather reaching whole gale force was encountered with the regrettable loss of Robert H. Colley. (See discussion Page 2). As regards enemy action voyage was uneventful. A very good convoy."

City of Hankow reported that smoking was mainly due to Pennsylvanian coal which they were burning. Ship was bunkered at South Wales and New York.
Fort Confidence also blamed the poor quality coal for her excessive smoke. She was bunkered with British Columbian coal at New York.
Ocean Courage reported that undue smoking was due to the very bad coal which was a new type supplied in New Orleans where the ship was bunkered.
British Statesman was burning oil fuel and reported that there was water in the fuel, and that she had some broken burners in her fires - these things combined made the ship smoke rather badly.

Southern Empress returned to New York with engine trouble at 18:30 on Sept. 24 in 40 05N 72 25W (later joined SC 104 where she was sunk).

Potter returned to Halifax at 11:30 Sept. 27, being unable to keep up with convoy speed.

Askepot proceeded to Halifax at 23:25 on Sept. 27 without orders.

Ocean Vagabond was sent to St. John's with engine trouble at 11:30 on Sept. 29. Torpedoed and damaged by U-513 that same day.

Henry F. Mallory proceeded to port of destination (St. John's) at 11:30 on Sept. 29.

Empire Tarpon was "a continued bad offender throughout the voyage. Report was not obtained from her as she dropped out with engine trouble which may have been reason for her smoking". This ship fell out at 10:00 on Oct. 7 in 57 22N 14 57W. There's a note in the Advance Sailing Telegram saying simply "Sunk", and according to the website about the Empire Ships that I've linked to at the end of this text she sank on Oct.14-1942 while in tow in 57 24N 07 45W, after having been abandoned with engine trouble.

The Commodore also mentions Lady Rodney and Lord Kelvin under the heading "Ships that parted company with convoy" - as mentioned, these are not included in the Advance Sailing Telegram.

Commodore Magee adds:
"Robert H. Colley broke in two in heavy sea at 16:45 4th Oct." Again, Page 2 has more on this.

Bayano left the convoy against orders, and got into trouble for doing so, as follows:

Commodore's report on conduct of Master - S/S Bayano:
Bayano broke convoy during dark hours of 7/8th October. Signals concerning this matter are given below:

To Commodore - from Bayano:
"Request permission to proceed at 14 knots to Liverpool at 20:00/7."

To HMS Highlander - from Commodore:
"Bayano requests permission to proceed at 14 knots to Liverpool at 20:00. Suggest she remains with escort."

Reply:
"I consider she should stay with convoy. Liverpool always lets us know if they want ships sent in ahead. But think this is up to you."

Reply to Bayano:
"Consider that you should stay with convoy. Liverpool always lets us know if they want any ships in ahead."

Letter from the captan of Bayano to The Secretary, Convoy Section, Naval Control, Liverpool - dated Oct. 9-1942:
"My reasons for leaving the Convoy HHX 109 on Wednesday 9th inst as follows:
At the tail end of the convoy there was a crowd of ships blowing whistles etc. and I was unfortunate enough to be in the centre of this mess up. As it was very dark and heavy rain I cleared the crowd and proceeded to Liverpool at full speed." Name illegible (last name looks like Wallin or Sallin).

Part of a letter from Naval Control Service Officer, Mersey, to Director of Trade Division, Admiralty, dated Oct. 12-1942:
....Bayano arrived at the Bar Light Vessel at (time illegible) on 8th October. She was not required ahead of the rest of the convoy and by coming on at full speed did not save a tide. No ships of this Convoy could have been accepted any earlier owing to congestion in the Docks. I consider the Master's explanation of his behaviour most unsatisfactory and would submit that the matter may be taken up with his owners."

Local Escort (Southern) - Joined Sept. 24 off Gedney Buoy (time illegible):
HMS Montgomery, HMS Roxborough, HMCS Ville de Quebec (left at 10:00 Sept. 27 in 44 17N 61 26W), and HMCS Shediac.

Local Escort (Northern) - Joined Sept. 27 in 44 16N 61 33W (time looks like 09:20): HMS Georgetown, HMCS Camrose, HMCS Cobalt (left at 12:45 on Sept. 29 in 47 27N 51 18W), and HMCS Midland.

(Names of Ocean Escorts not availabe, but HMS Highlander must have been one of them. HMS Pennywort and HMS Beverley are also mentioned - see Page 2).

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