Convoy HX 224 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)

CONVOY HX 224 Departed New York on Jan. 22-1943 and arrived Liverpool on Febr. 5.
Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" gives 57 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.

Further details have been added with the help of:
"Convoy Rescue Ships", Arnold Hague
"Allied Convoy System", Arnold Hague
"Axis Submarine Successes of World War Two", Jürgen Rohwer.
"The World's Merchant Fleets", Roger W. Jordan.

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.

Please note that the station numbers given below are stations as per Febr. 2-1943. Some ships had become stragglers by then and, therefore, are not listed on the form (no ships are listed in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd columns).

For info, some of the ships in this convoy are listed in the westbound ON 155 and ON 157.
(See also and ON 166 and ON 170)

MOWT=Ministry of War Transport.

Ship

Nationality

Cargo

Station

Destination

Remarks

Fort Halkett

British

lumber - wheat - metal

–

Milford Haven / Southampton

Eastgate

general

142

Liverpool

Testbank

general

–

Hull

Not on A 1 form

~~Glenapp~~

general

–

Liverpool

From HX 223

Empire Pakeha

reefer - general - mail

113

Liverpool

–

Athelregent

Tanker B

Clyde

–

Settler

sugar

Greenock

–

Cymbula

Tanker W

Milford Haven (discharge)

–

Markhor

general

141

Glasgow

From HX 223

Empire Reynolds

Tanker W

121

Bowling

From HX 223

Empire Glade

general

124

Liverpool

–

Matheran

general - explosives

Hull

Vice Commodore

Eulima

Tanker W

Mersey

–

British Glory

Admiralty tanker - 6 passengrs - mail

Liverpool

–

~~Athelprince~~

Tanker B

–

Stanlow

To Convoy SC 118

Empire Marvell

Tanker W

103

Avonmouth

–

Erin

reefer - general - 14 passengers

Avonmouth

Commodore Vessel

~~Sovac~~

Tanker B

–

Mersey

~~Lossiebank~~

ore - wheat

–

Belfast f. o.

Empire Salvage

Admiralty tanker

Scapa

–

Inverilen

Tanker B

Stanlow

Sunk Febr. 3 by U-456
31 died - 16 survived

Saintonge

French / MOWT 1940

Admiralty tanker

Liverpool

–

Ocean Vigour

British

grain

Hull

–

~~Ocean Valour~~

grain

Not for U.K.

–

Empire Might

refrig - 1 passenger - mail

Avonmouth

–

Abraham Baldwin

American

general - planes - cargo

123

Liverpool

–

Clavella

Dutch

Tanker B

Stanlow

–

Westland

general

111

Liverpool

–

~~Rådmansö~~

Swedish

sulphur

–

London

To Convoy SC 118

Prinses Maria-Pia

Belgian / MOWT 1940

sugar

Clyde

–

Murena

Dutch

Admiralty tanker

Clyde

–

Kaia Knudsen

Norwegian

Admiralty tanker

Clyde

–

Norvinn

Panamanian

Admiralty tanker

–

Clyde

Norwegian managers - listed on N-page
Arrived St. John's with defect
Sailed in HX 225

~~Axel Johnson~~

Swedish

general - 48 Navy

–

Belfast f. o.

Sailed in HX 225

Thomas Hartley

American

explosives - planes

Clyde f. o.

For info, listed in JW 53 Febr. 15
See Arctic Convoys
(did not return till Nov. 1, Convoy RA 54A)

Franz Klasen

Panamanian

Tanker B

Liverpool

–

Palembang

Dutch

general

–

London

From HX 223

Morgenen

Norwegian

Tanker B

104

Mersey

From HX 223

Vaalaren

Swedish

refrig. - 12 passengers - mail

Liverpool

From HX 223

Skandinavia

Norwegian

Tanker W

102

Stanlow

–

Esso Baton Rouge

American

Tanker B

Swansea

–

Taria

Dutch

Tanker B

–

Dingle

Not on A 1 form
Returned to port (St. John's)
To HX 225 - did not sail
Sailed in HX 226

El Estero

Panamanian

general

115

Newport

–

Fernmoor

Norwegian

general - explosives

133

Swansea

–

Metapan

American

Army stores - explosives - 3 planes

122

Barry dock

–

Reinholt

Norwegian

general - explosives - passengers

132

Liverpool

From HX 223

Samuel Bakke

reefer - explosives

101

Manchester

From HX 223

The following ships are listed on a separate document, port of origin not given - probably sailed from New York(?)

Jeremiah Van Rensselaer

American

Army stores - general

Clyde f. o.

Torpedoed by U-456, Febr. 2
sunk by escort (see Notes)
47 (46?) died - 24 survived

El Costen

Panamanian

general - mail

Iceland

Not on A 1 form
Returned to port (St. John's)

Cordelia

British

Admiralty tanker

Clyde

Straggled, Sunk by U-632, Febr. 3
46 died - 1 survived

Joseph E. Johnston

American

general

Clyde f. o.

Thomas Scott

general

Clyde f. o.

Not on A 1 form

City of Omaha

general

Clyde f. o.

Not on A 1 form
Also in Convoy JW 53, Febr. 15

Mobilgas

Tanker W

Avonmouth

–

John Laurance

general

Clyde f. o.

Also in Convoy JW 53, Febr. 15

James Bowie

general

Clyde f. o.

Also in Convoy JW 53, Febr. 15

William Brewster

Army stores - mail

Mersey

Not on A 1 form

Katapa*

bombs - passengers

–

Swansea

See * below

Alcoa Cutter

general - mail

Manchester

Not on A 1 form

Emma Bakke

Norwegian

general

114

Belfast Dock / Cardiff

–

Pan-Maine

American

Tanker B

131

Avonmouth

–

Banffshire

British

general

143

Manchester

*Katapa is not included on the A 1 form, but there is a ship named Zacapa, station 73, and I'm wondering if this might be the ship I've interpreted as Katapa? (text hard to decipher in places).
Additionally, Norw. Biscaya for Greenland, and Panamanian Permian for Halifax were in this convoy.
The Commodore also mentions the Norwegian Lutz, American Dorchester and Panamanian Alcedo in his notes - left for St. John's (as did Biscaya) at 17:00, Jan. 27, in 47 19N 51 22W. It looks like Biscaya, Lutz and Dorchester (and possibly also Alcedo?) subsequently joined Convoy SG 19 for Greenland - see my page about Biscaya, as well as the entry for Febr. 3-1943 on this site and Uboat.net's page about Dorchester.

Joining from St. John's in 47 19N 51 22W - probably on Jan. 27

Salawati

Dutch

general

Glasgow

Not on A 1 form

Clan Alpine

British

general - 2 passengers - mail

Liverpool

Fort Concord

grain

London

Not on A 1 form

~~Andrew Moore~~

American

–

Loch Ewe f. o.

Sailed in HX 225

~~Deido~~

British

general

–

Mersey

From HX 223
To Convoy SC 118

Joining from Halifax at 11:48 Jan. 25 - 44 30N 61 34W (sailed Jan. 24)

~~Corner Brook~~

British

general

–

Liverpool

Booker T. Washington

American

general

Belfast Dock / Cardiff

From HX 223
Not on A 1 form

Rapana

British

Tanker W

105

Stanlow

–

~~Makedonia~~

Greek

flour

–

Hull

To SC 118

Accrington

British

Rescue Vessel

Clyde

–

Notes:
Commodore T. L. Owen was in Erin, Vice Commodore was R. Hodgson, the captain of Matheran.

The convoy had 58 ships.

Commodore's notes:
08:30, Jan. 26, in 45 00N 56 23W - El Costen missed from convoy. She apparently fell out during night.
Norvinn returned to St. John's with engine defect at 08:00 on Jan. 28 in 47 38N 49 44W.
During the night of Jan. 30/31 in approx. 50 50N 33 50W, Fort Concord, Fort Halkett, Salawati, Testbank, Cordelia, Thomas Scott, William Brewster, City of Omaha, Alcoa Cutter, Booker T. Washington, Palembang fell out in heavy weather.

At 14:00 on Febr. 4 in 56 54N 13 05W Erin, Empire Might, Empire Glade, Banffshire, Samuel Bakke, Reinholt, Skandinavia, Westland and Vaalaren left on orders from C in C W.A.

Station keeping was "fairly good, considering weather conditions. Athelregent, R. Roberts Master, kept very good station and succeeded in inducing remainder of convoy to do the same".
Signalling was "good. Most signalling was carried out under somewhat adverse weather conditions".
All ships capable of at least 9.5 knots in good weather.

Matheran, R. Hodgson Master, was of great assistance in passing signals. Her Master carried out V/C duties very well.

Commodore's narrative of voyage:
"Voyage without incident until at 08:35/28 escort plane suddenly crashed into the sea in position 47 59N 47 56W, and there were no survivors. Her depth charges exploded. The same day convoy ran into very heavy weather which continued until February 3rd. On Feb 2nd at 01:05 U.S. Jeremiah Van Rensselaer was torpedoed during very heavy weather. No further attacks were made on convoy that night but at 00:55/3 Br. Inverilen was torpedoed, during night of 3rd/4th two attacks were driven off by escort. At 14:00/4 in company with eight other ships I left main convoy and proceeded to Belfast. Convoy HX 224(F) dispersed at 10:30 in 55 35N 07 00W and proceeded independently to their destination".

Rescue Vessel Accrington (requisitioned in March-1942) was on her 3rd voyage as such, having started this voyage from Clyde on Dec. 25-1942 with the westbound Convoy ON 156 to Halifax (Jan. 13-1943), returning with HX 224 to Clyde (Jan. 24 - Febr. 7-1943). She rescued survivors from Jeremiah Van Rensselaer, as follows:

"The American Jeremiah Van Rensselaer with a crew of 42 plus 28 USN gunners was torpedoed by U-456 on 2 February and burst into flames. Accrington closed the wreck and, with great difficulty, recovered eight men from a lifeboat. Search then revealed two further rafts containing eighteen survivors in an advanced state of exhaustion. Two of Accrington's seamen therefore jumped overboard and succeeded in boarding the rafts and securing lines to all eighteen men. They were then, in company with their rescuers, hauled inboard from the Rescue Ship whose carpenter spent the entire rescue over the side in the scrambling nets assisting the survivors. Unfortunately, two of the men were found to be dead and a further man died in the rescue ship. Accrington continued the search for any remaining survivors but without success, and then closed the wreck. A further man was seen still onboard and a boat was sent to recover him and examine the ship as the fire was dying down. Accrington's 2nd Engineer succeeded in entering the engine-room to find it slightly flooded and red hot. Subsequently fire again broke out and the wreck was sunk by one of the escorts." (Arnold Hauge, "Convoy Rescue Ships"). See also Uboat.net's info on this ship, link below.

Escorts:
Fennel, Cowichan(?), Chedabucto, Dunvegan (left at 11:48, Jan. 25, in 44 30N 61 30W)
At 12:00 Jan. 25, in 44 30N 61 30W - Hamilton, Dundas, Garanouque, Brantford joined (left when ocean escort joined, date and position below).

Ocean Escort: Highlander, Restigouche, Asphodel, Sherbrooke, Amherst, Collingwood joined at 17:00 Jan. 27 in 47 19N 51 22W.

At 13:30 (15:30?) on Febr. 3, in 56 20N 26 35W, Clare and Londonderry joined.

Related external links:
Uboat.net's page about Jeremiah Van Rensselaer, info differs slightly from mine above. The site also has details on the sinking of Inverilen and Cordelia.
Liberty Ships - Quite a few of the ships listed as American in this convoy were Liberty Ships (the ones with names of people), this website has an alphabetical list of them.

Back to Convoy Index

To the next HX convoy in my list HX 225