Convoy HX 219 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)

CONVOY HX 219 Departed New York City on Dec. 13-1942 and arrived Liverpool on the 29th.
Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" gives 45 ships in this convoy.

Transcribed from several documents received from Roger Griffiths (Advance Sailing Telegram, A 1 form etc.) - His source: Public Records Office, Kew.

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

Note that some ships only had Halifax or St. John's as their destination.

For info, some of the ships in this convoy later returned to the U.S. in Jan.-1943 with Convoy ON 159 - some are listed in ON 161 or ON 162, see also ON 164 and ON 165.

Ship

Nationality

Cargo

Station

Destination

Remarks

City of Kimberley

British

general

Mersey f. o.

Returned to New York (collision damage)
See Notes

~~Henri Jaspar~~

Belgian

general - passengers - mail

–

Liverpool

Good Gulf

Panamanian

Admiralty fuel

Clyde

Returned to port (St. John's)
See Notes
Sailed in HX 220

~~Esso Charleston~~

American

Admiralty tanker

–

Clyde

–

~~Slemmestad~~

Norwegian

general

–

Clyde

–

~~Consuelo~~

British

copper - sissl. tobacco

–

Liverpool

Sailed in HX 220

Esso Dover

American

diesel oil

122

Manchester

–

Gallia

Norwegian

aviation fuel

Manchester

–

Pan Delaware

American

aviation fuel

Swansea

–

Pan Aruba

Norwegian

gasoline

Avonmouth

–

~~Orville Harden~~

Panamanian

Tanker B

–

Avonmouth

–

Lucellum

British

gas. - oil

Belfast for Heysham

–

Diloma

aviation fuel

102

Manchester

–

City of Durban

ore - general

Manchester

Returned to New York
See Notes

Merchant Prince

seeds - pig iron - mail

Liverpool

–

City of Glasgow

dairy produce - mail

101

Liverpool

–

Clan Macnair

tobacco - general

Manchester

–

Tijuca

Norwegian

general (pig iron, wheat) - mail

Hull

–

Fagerfjell

fuel oil

Avonmouth

Helencrest

British

grain

121

Avonmouth

–

Tjisalak

Dutch

general

131

Avonmouth

–

Godfrey B. Holt

British

general (rubber) - passengers

Greenock

From HX 218
Vice Commodore

British Statesman

aviation fuel

104

Glasgow

From HX 218

Salawati

Dutch

general

Glasgow

Returned to port (St. John's)
See Notes

Dilworth

American

aviation fuel

103

Glasgow / Ardrossan

–

Cape Porpoise

general (Army stores)

114

Mersey

–

Montevideo

Norwegian

general

Liverpool

–

~~Bralanta~~

Admiralty tanker
(heavy oil)

–

To HX 220 - did not sail

Blommersdijk

Dutch

steel - general

Liverpool

–

~~C. J. Barkdull~~

American?

Tanker B

–

Dingle

–

~~Esso Bayway~~

American

Admiralty tanker

–

Umtali

British

refrig. - passengers - mail

Liverpool

–

British Pride

gasoline

111

Belfast Dock

From HX 218

Empire Jet

gasoline

112

Belfast for Dublin

From HX 218

Fort Reliance

lumber - general

Liverpool

From HX 218

Fort Vermillion

lumber - general

London

From HX 218

Jamaica Planter

general - passengers

Avonmouth

Commodore Vessel

Empire Tamar

general - phosphates - explosives

Liverpool

From HX 218

Elona

gas. - alcohol

Manchester

–

Atlantic City

general

Liverpool

–

British Valour

Admiralty fuel

Belfast Dock

~~Voco~~

Tanker

–

Mersey

Tungsha

Norwegian

general - 10 passengers

Cardiff

From HX 218

Westernland

Dutch / MOWT Nov.-1942

flour - passengers - mail

Clyde / London

–

Congonian

British

general - passengers - mail

Bramborough

–

Strinda

Norwegian

fuel oil

Liverpool

–

Audacious

Panamanian

steel - Army stores - passengers

Newport

–

Rapana

British

gasoline

113

Avonmouth

–

Jean

American

Army stores - passengers

123

Belfast Dock / Cardiff

–

Nigerstroom

Dutch

general - passengers

132

Glasgow

–

Velma

Norwegian

Admiralty fuel

Clyde

Gulftide

American

crude

Halifax

–

Stanvac Manila

crude oil

Halifax

–

W. W. Mills

crude oil

Halifax

–

Fort Townshend

British

general

St. John's

–

Additionally, the A 1 form for this convoy lists the following ships (not mentioned in the Advance Sailing Telegram):
Norwegian Askepot in station 11, bound for St. John's with Army stores.
USS Yukon, reefer - destination St. John's, station 21.
Siboney (Am), troops and Army stores - St. John's, station 22 (went to Halifax following collision - see Notes).
The Commodore also mentions Lady Rodney in his notes, bound for St. John's.

Clan Murdoch

British

general

–

Glasgow

From HX 216
Joined from St. John's - see Notes

Joining from Halifax
departed Dec. 15 - joined at 18:30 Dec. 16 - the Commodore says 8 ships joined from Halifax
These ships are not included on the A 1 form, so I don't know their station numbers

Mount Kylllene

Greek

general

Avonmouth

Norlom

Norwegian

general

Tyne

Ex Empire Dunlin
(See Norlom)

Modavia

British

general

Liverpool

–

Meerkerk

Dutch

general - passengers - mail

Liverpool

From HX 218

Fort Concord

British

grain

Immingham

Returned to port (St. John's)
See Notes

Brant County

Norwegian

general - mail

Holyhead / Avonmouth

–

Bayano

British

general - refrig.

Milford Haven / Southampton

–

~~Empire Tide~~

grain

Mersey f. o.

Sailed in HX 220

~~Tropic Star~~

Norwegian

general

Mersey

From Convoy SC 112
Sailed in HX 220

~~Mathew Luckenbach~~

American

general

Glasgow

Sailed in HX 220

Notes:
Commodore Vice Admiral L. E. Crabbe CB CIE DSO was in Jamaica Planter, Vice Commodore was Rear Admiral J. Powell in Godfrey B. Holt.

Average speed of convoy: 8.67 knots.

The convoy had 50 ships.

At 19:15 on Dec. 14, Westmoor joined the convoy (having lost Convoy SC 113, which had departed New York on Dec 12).
At 18:30 on Dec. 19, Clan Murdock joined from St. John's.

At 22:00 GMT on Dec. 13, in 40 07N 72 04W, City of Durban returned to New York with engine trouble.

At 08:30 on Dec. 15, in 41 17N 65 46W, City of Kimberley proceeded to Halifax after being in collision (the AST says she returned to New York).

At 18:15 on Dec. 16, in 44 31N 60 43W, the following ships proceeded to Halifax:
Stanvac Manila, Gulftide, Westmoor, Siboney (the latter following collision Dec. 15).

The following ships left the convoy for their destination St. John's at 15:15 on Dec. 19, 47 27N 47 58W:
USS Yukon, Askepot, Fort Townshend and Lady Rodney.

At 19:40, Dec. 19, in 48 01N 47 56W, Salawati proceeded to St. John's owing to damage in heavy weather losing both lifeboats. Second Officer washed overboard.

At 15:00 on Dec. 19, in 47 26N 47 58W, Audacious lost convoy in heavy weather.

At 07:00 on Dec. 21, in 51 56N 43 53W, the following ships lost convoy during gale:
Tungsha, Good Gulf, Fort Concord and Helencrest.

At 10:00 GMT on Dec. 27 all ships over 11 1/2 knots ordered to proceed to their destinations independently, and Loch Ewe ships to proceed independently (56 34N 09 53W), order of C. in C. W.A. Vice Commodore Rear Admiral J. Powell then took charge of the remainder of the convoy.

Commodore's notes:
Congonian - maximum speed 9.75 knots. This ship should not have been in a 10 knot konvoy. Master appears to have no idea of destination or the speed of his ship before leaving harbour.
Norlom - maximum speed 9.75 knots should also not have been included in convoy.

On Dec. 28 at 03:00 Norwegian Tijuca (Captain F. Fredriksen) fired a snowflake, his reason being that another ship of the convoy was too close to him. This is a gross misuse of appliances supplied and also endangered the safety of the convoy.

During the whole passage, Empire Tamar, Master Ridley made excessive smoke, the cause being coal bunkered at Jacksonville.

There have been no enemy incidents with the convoy during the voyage. HMS Hesperus sank an enemy submarine by ramming on the night of Dec. 26 about 30 miles astern of convoy.
From a few hours after leaving New York until Christmas morning almost continuous bad weather was experienced the wind often being of gale force but always abaft the beam, and the speed of the convoy seldom reduced below 8 knots.
On night of Dec. 14 City of Kimberley and Siboney were in collision and were sent to Halifax for repairs.

Escort Vessels:
Local escort (south):
From 12:45, Dec. 13, 40 08N 73 05W - Brantford (S.O.), Dundas, Truro, Edmundston, Lavender.

Joining from Halifax at 18:30, Dec. 16, 44 33N 60 41W:
St. Clair (S.O.), Nipigon?

Ocean escort Joining from St. John's at 14:20, Dec. 19, 47 18N 47 58W:
Hesperus (S.O.), Vanessa, Gentian, Heather, Sweetbriar.

Joining from St. John's (escorting Clan Murdoch) at 18:30, Dec. 19, 47 51N 47 58W:
Mignonette.

Leaving with the Halifax ships at 18:35, Dec. 16 in 44 34N 60 40W:
Nipigon and Edmundston.

Leaving with St. John's ships at 15:15, Dec. 19 in 47 27N 47 58W:
St. Clair (S.O.), Brantford, Dundas, Truro, Lavender.

Hesperus proceeded to home port with damaged bow at 12:00 on Dec. 27 in 56 28N 09 23W, after ramming U-boat.

Air Escort:
Present on Dec. 15, Dec. 24 and Dec. 25.

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