Convoy HX 225 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)

CONVOY HX 225 Departed New York on Jan. 30-1943 and arrived Liverpool on Febr. 13.
Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" gives 38 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.

Stations in parantheses show pendant numbers flown on departure, where different from A 1 form.

For info, some of the ships in this convoy are listed in the westbound ON 155, ON 157 and ON 159 (see also Convoy ON 170).

MOWT=Ministry of War Transport

Ship

Nationality

Cargo

Station

Destination

Remarks

Elona

British

gas. - alcohol

112

Stanlow

–

Comanchee

lub. oil

(121) - 111

Mersey

–

Isipingo

general - 47 passengers - mail

101

Liverpool

–

Empire Faith

general

Liverpool

Commodore Vessel

Sansu

general - passengers

Liverpool

–

Empire Chapman

aviation fuel

Bowling / Ardrossan

–

Sovac

lub. oil

(54) - 53

Mersey

Largs Bay

troops - reefer - general

Liverpool

–

Schuylkill

gas oil

Swansea

–

~~Désirade~~

French / MOWT 1940

frozen - general - mail

Mersey f. o.

Fort Livingstone

acetone - general

(23) - 43

Hull

–

~~Empire Waimana~~

–

Mersey f. o.

–

British Harmony

aviation fuel

103

Avonmouth

–

Toorak

Tanker B (gas.)

Stanlow

–

Empire Silver

Tanker W (gas.)

Stanlow

–

Empire Fletcher

aviation fuel

(93) -92

Milford Haven / Falmouth

–

British Engineer

aviation fuel

(53) - 52

Stanlow

–

Santa Barbara

American

passengers - general

Liverpool

–

~~Sun~~

Navy fuel

Dingle

–

~~G. Harrison Smith~~

Tanker B

–

Clyde

Sailed in HX 226

Noreg

Norwegian

Admiralty fuel

(31) - 33

Scapa

–

Esso Dover

American

gas oil

Avonmouth

–

Copacabana

Belgian

general - passengers

Liverpool

–

Norheim

Norwegian

aviation fuel

102

Milford Haven (discharge)

~~Taria~~

Dutch

Tanker B

–

Avonmouth

From HX 224
Sailed in HX 226

~~Norbris~~

Panamanian

fuel oil

~~111~~

Stanlow

Norwegian managers
Listed on N-page

~~Fjordaas~~

Norwegian

Admiralty fuel

Clyde

Sailed in HX 226

Jean L-D

French

sugar

Clyde

Vice Commodore

Maihar

British

general

(12) - 31

London

–

British Valour

Admiralty fuel

Clyde

–

~~Norsktank~~

Norwegian

Admiralty tanker

–

Clyde

Joined HX 226 - returned to port

Somerville

general

(132) - 122

Liverpool

–

Wanderer

British

general - explosives - mail

(92) - 104

Liverpool

–

Asphalion

refrig. - general - mail - passengers

(44) - 51

Liverpool

–

Erria

Danish / MOWT 1940

sugar - general - mail - 1 passenger

(104) - 91

Clyde

–

~~Dromore~~

British

phosphate - grain

–

Manchester

Menelaus

general - passengers

113

Liverpool

–

~~Bengkalis~~

Dutch

general

–

London

–

Ivaran

Norwegian

general (Army)

Liverpool

–

Fernwood

general - explosives

Cardiff

–

Skiensfjord

general - explosives

(91) - 94

Swansea

–

Axel Johnson

Swedish

general

(94) - 93

Avonmouth

From HX 224

Markay

American

Navy fuel

Iceland

–

~~Medina~~

general

–

Iceland

To HX 226 - did not sail

Gallia

Norwegian

aviation fuel

Avonmouth

–

Cape Neddick

American

general - mail

(13? last digit missing) - 121

Liverpool

–

Carrillo

refrig. - passengers

123

U.K.

Lost touch - returned to port (Halifax)
Sailed in HX 226

Point Pelee Park

British

fuel oil

Halifax

–

Cyrus Field

–

Halifax

–

Orizaba

American

passengers

St. John's

–

Also, Stanvac Manila (listed as Panamanian), crude oil for Halifax.
Evita (Norw) - diesel oil for U.K., station 122, cancelled (may have joined UGS 5? See my text for Evita).
(the above 2 ships are not mentioned in Advance Sailing Telegram)

Joining from Halifax Febr. 2
(had departed Febr. 1)

Corner Brook

British

general

123

Manchester

~~Daghestan~~

grain

–

Liverpool

Sailed in HX 226

Joining from St. John's Febr. 5

Norvinn

Panamanian

Tanker B

Liverpool

From HX 224
Norwegian managers
listed on N-page

Andrew Moore

American

general

Loch Ewe f. o.

From HX 224

Notes:
Commodore R. H. R. Mackay was in Empire Faith, Vice Commodore in Jean L-D.

Point Pelee Park and Stanvac Manila left for Halifax with local escort at 18:45, Febr. 2.

Orizaba detached with local escort to St. John's (Febr. 5), Markay detached for Iceland unescorted at 14:27, Febr. 5, 48 43N 50 45W.

Noreg straggled during the night of Febr. 10.
Santa Barbara reported hove to on Febr. 11.

Commodore's notes - (the first paragraph below appears to refer to a ship in the westbound Convoy ON(S) 156, with the same Commodore):
"Gloucester City, 13 knots, speed of convoy 7.5 knots. This ship was continually dropping astern owing to bad work on the part of the firemen. I saw the Master at New York, who showed me the log entries of 1st January. A fireman, C. May, who deliberately disobeyed orders was to be discharged and sent home to be dealt with. Suggested this case be followed up".

With regard to HX 225 he adds:
Empire Faith "serves admirably for Commodore. Speed is absolutely regular. She has a projector which proved most useful. Commodore has a cabin in the bridge.
More hoist is required for flag signals and coloured lights. The triatic stay is 35' from the bridge without taking into account chart-house and oerlikon gun platforms. A light topmast and yard could be easily fitted in place of R.D.F. pole now used for triatic, this is a real need, especially in view of the so frequent changes of route with 5 flag (or more) hoists. The Master (H. Field), is most helpful and is a careful navigator. D.R. on which we had to depend very much has been remarkably accurate. D.G. needs attention, standard compass was useless in heavy weather".

Remarks on oiling by British Valour:
"Oiler British Valour - operations rather a failure, so much time was taken to get in tow. Hosepipe was twice cut by craft taking oil according to British Valour's report. There was some sea and swell. Probably with more practice operations will take less time. Convoy speed was reduced to 9 knots."

Largs Bay, Cape Neddick, Menelaus and Ivaran left for Liverpool with escort at 04:00 Z on Febr. 12, 56 36N 13 46W.

Andrew Moore left for Loch Ewe at 15:00 Z on Febr. 13, 56 19N 11 23W, with Drumheller. Clyde portion (Jean L-D, Empire Chapman, British Valour and Erria) was detached at 13:00, same day, while Belfast portion was detached at 14:15 (Schuylkill, Empire Fletcher, Skiensfjord, Fernwood, Gallia, Axel Johnson, Norheim, British Harmony, Esso Dover, Fort Livingstone).

Local Escort: Grandmere, Hepatica - (parted company for Halifax at 18:45, Febr. 2 with Point Pelee Park and Stanvac Manila).

Escort from 16:30, Febr. 2: Arrowhead, Niagara, Chientima, Chedabucto (joined with Corner Brook in 43 42N 62 28W).

Ocean Escort (met at 11:00 Z on Febr. 5, with Andrew Moore and Norvinn):
Waveney, Lagan, Sherwood, Salisbury, Morden, Drumheller and Polyanthus, 48 26N 57 15W.

Primrose joined on Febr. 9, while Salisbury left.

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