Convoy HX 249 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)
CONVOY HX 249
Departed New York on July 23-1943 and arrived Liverpool on Aug. 6.
Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" gives 62 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.
As can be seen from the station numbers, this convoy had 15 columns and 6 rows.
By going to one of the convoys for which I have given a cruising order (for instance, SC 140, which had 16 columns) it's possible to see what this convoy looked like.
Also, a blank convoy form is available for download from Mike's Holdoway's website.
Ship
Nationality
Cargo
Station
Destination
Remarks
Sovac
British
Tanker B
115
Birkenhead / Stanlow / Modewheel
Fort Sturgeon
"
lumber - lead - phosphates
45
London
–
Empire Puma
"
general
41
London
Rear Commodore
Triona
"
general
–
Mersey
Empire Chivalry
"
sugar - cotton
81
Liverpool
Commodore Vessel
Fort Dauphin
"
lumber - lead - phosphates
105
Liverpool
–
Fort Cumberland
"
general
141
Liverpool
–
Charles Treadwell
"
general
24
London
–
British Tradition
"
Tanker W
112
Stanlow
From HX 248
Comanchee
"
Tanker B
111
Birkenhead / Modewheel
Vice Commodore
Empire Cobbett
"
Tanker W
123
Avonmouth
–
Hopemount
"
Admiralty tanker B
82
Londonderry
–
Naticina
"
Tanker W
53
Bowling / Ardrossan
–
British Chivalry
"
Admiralty tanker B
62
Scapa
–
William J. Bryan
American
general - sugar
–
Clyde
Sailed in HX 250
Robert Lowry
"
general - sugar
Not on A1 form
Liverpool
Returned to port (St. John's) July 29
w/collision damage
To HX 253 - did not sail
Sailed in HX 254
Jane Long
"
general - sugar
11
Clyde
–
Thomas Todd
"
general
143
Liverpool
–
Sidney Sherman
"
general
Not on A1 form
Mersey
Returned to New York July 25
following collision with James Gordon Bennett
Sailed in HX 252
William Windom
"
general
101
Liverpool
–
George M. Bibb
"
general
94
Liverpool / Garston
–
Nicholas Herkimer
"
general
13
London
–
Elihu Root
"
general
34
London
–
Ralph Waldo Emerson
"
general
43
Immingham
–
Ephraim Brevard
"
general
83
Swansea
–
Charles Sumner
"
general
–
Cardiff
Sailed in HX 250
Cardinal Gibbons
"
general
102
Avonmouth
–
Irvin MacDowell
"
general
131
Liverpool
–
John McLoughlin
"
general
33
London
–
Henry Clay
"
general
54
London
–
Abel Parker Upshur
"
general
Not on A1 form
Glasgow
Returned to port (St. John's) Aug. 1
w/boiler trouble
Sailed in HX 250
Steel Ranger
"
general
Not on A1 form
London
Returned to port (St. John's) July 29
w/collision damage
John Marshall
"
general
64
Cardiff / Barry Dock
–
Horace Luckenbach
"
general
91
Glasgow
–
Pennsylvanian
"
general
121
London
–
James Gordon Bennett
"
general
Not on A1 form
Mersey
Returned to New York July 25
following collision with Sidney Sherman
Sailed in HX 250
Henry S. Foote
"
general
142
London
Hawaiian
"
general
–
Liverpool
Henry Wynkoop
"
"
51
Swansea
–
Janet Lord Roper
"
general
12
Hull
–
Arthur Dobbs
"
general
55
Newport
–
El Coston
Panamanian
general
Not on A1 form
London
From HX 248
Returned to port (St. John's) July 30
for fresh water
Sailed in HX 250
Nathan Towson
American
general
133
Newcastle
–
Mount Evans
"
general
–
Mersey
Listed in slow Convoy SC 138
July 30-1943
Gulfgem
"
Tanker B
32
London (Shellhaven)
–
Memphis City
"
general
–
Mersey
Sailed in HX 250
Sidney Lanier
"
general
114
Liverpool
–
Skiensfjord
Norwegian
general
61
Milford Haven / Southampton
–
Høyanger
"
general
93
Cardiff
–
Pan Aruba
"
Tanker W
122
Avonmouth
–
Spinanger
"
Admiralty tanker B
52
Scapa
–
Nueva Granada
"
Tanker W
–
Avonmouth
Dageid
"
Admiralty tanker B
44
Clyde
From HX 248
G. Harrison Smith
American
Tanker B
103
Dingle / Belfast
–
Pan-Maryland
"
Tanker W
42
Stanlow
–
Norbris
Panamanian
Tanker B
22
Clyde
Norwegian managers - listed on N-page
Straggled w/engine trouble Aug. 3
at 20:00Z in 55 51N 13 20W
Fort Grant
British
lumber - metal - grain
31
London
–
Fjordaas
Norwegian
Admiralty tanker B
92
Clyde
Biscama
American
general
–
Iceland
–
Robin Adair
"
general
84
Barry Dock
–
Anniston City
"
general
104
Newport
–
Joining from Halifax - Sailed July 25
Tjibadak
Dutch
general
25
Liverpool
–
Empire Mariner
British
general
63
Milford Haven / Southampton
–
Tjisalak
Dutch
general
35
Liverpool
–
Norefjord
Norwegian
grain
153
Avonmouth
–
Bayano
British
meat - metal
Not on A1 form
Mersey f. o.
Returned to Halifax July 26
w/collision damage
Sailed in HX 250
Jamaica Planter
"
meat - general
151
Avonmouth
–
Argolikos
Greek
general - grain
46
London
–
Benito Juarez
American
general
152
Swansea
–
Fort La Tour
British
grain - aluminium
Not on A1 form
Liverpool
Lost touch in fog July 26
Returned to Halifax
Sailed in HX 250
George Cleeve
American
general
Not on A1 form
Liverpool
Lost touch in fog July 26
Returned to Halifax
Sailed in HX 250
Joshua L. Chamberlain
"
general
–
Belfast f. o.
Sailed in HX 250
Jeremiah O'Brien
"
steel - grain
36
London
–
Moses Brown
"
general
65
Milford Haven / Southampton
–
Manchester Trader
British
general
21
Manchester
–
Manchester Progress
"
general
132
Manchester
–
Mount Kyllene
Greek
general
125
Newport
–
Port Caroline
British
general
–
Liverpool
Sailed in HX 250
Panaman
American
general - grain - steel
14
Liverpool
Troubadour
Norwegian
general
23
Liverpool
–
David L. Swain
American
general
85
Manchester / Ellesmere
–
Zamalek
British
Rescue Vessel
96
Clyde
–
Notes:
Commodore Roy Gill R.N.R. was in Empire Chivalry, Vice Commodore was Captain D. L. Pugsley of Comanchee, Rear Commodore was Captain J. D. Ramsay of Empire Puma.
68 ships in convoy.
Average speed: 9.6 knots.
No further details are available on collisions mentioned in the table above.
Zamalek was on her 20th voyage as Rescue Vessel. She had started this voyage from Clyde with the westbound Convoy ON 189 on June 16-1943, to Halifax June 28, then travelled from Halifax to St. John's with Convoy HJ 60 July 7-July 10 (having been requested to transport 224 RCN personnel to St. John's). She subsequently went back to Halifax with Convoy JH 60 July 17-July 20 (with 88 naval personnel), to return to Clyde with Convoy HX 249 from Halifax on July 25. ("Convoy Rescue Ships 1940-1945", Arnold Hague).
Daily positions of convoy at 08:00 BST are available on request via my contact address below.
Escorts:
Buxton, Nipigon, Barrie, Quesnel, Buctouche, Saskatchewan, Burnham, Skeena, Burges, La Malbaie, Bittersweet, Mayflower, Pictou
(Ocean escort joined at 09:00Z on July 29 in 48 04N 46 59W).
Note that all the Norwegian ships sailing in this convoy are discussed on this website. More info on them can be found via the alphabet index at the end of this page, or go to the Master Ship Index.
Related external links:
Liberty Ships - Some of the ships listed as American in the table above were Liberty ships. This website lists them alphabetically.
This site has more on the the "Fort" ships mentioned in this convoy.
Empire Ships listed in alphabetical order. The site also has a section listing the Liberty ships.
To the next HX convoy in my list HX 250