Convoy HX 278 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)

CONVOY HX 278 Departed New York on Febr. 5-1944 and arrived Liverpool on the 20th.
Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" gives 51 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.

A 1 form is not available and, therefore, the station numbers are not known.

For info, some of this ships in this convoy later joined JW 58 to Murmansk, returned with RA 59.

Ship

Nationality

Cargo

Destination

Remarks

A. Frank Lever

American

general

Liverpool

–

John Merrick

"

general

Glasgow

–

John Davenport

"

general

Liverpool

–

El Oceano

Panamanian

general

Garston

–

George T. Angell

American

general

Glasgow / Avonmouth

–

Mobile City

"

general

Cardiff

–

Samuel Colt

"

general

Liverpool

–

Henry S. Lane

"

general

Liverpool

–

Florence Crittenton

"

general

Swansea

–

William McKinley

"

general

Manchester

–

William Pepperell

"

general

Newport

–

Alan-A-Dale

Panamanian

general

London

–

Joseph Jefferson

American

general

Milford Haven / Southampton

–

Harvey Cushing

"

general

Mersey f. o.

Returned to port (Halifax)
Listed in HX 281

Julius Rosenwald

"

general

Liverpool

Grant Wood

"

general

Milford Haven / Plymouth

–

Henry Watterson

"

general

Manchester

–

John N. Maffitt

"

general

Liverpool

–

Robert Toombs

"

general

Swansea

–

W. R. Keever

"

general

Immingham

–

Anthony Wayne

"

general

Mersey f. o.

To HX 279 - did not sail
Sailed in HX 280

Mataroa

British

refrig. - general

Avonmouth

Vice Commodore

Avristan

"

general

Liverpool

Commodore Vessel

Empire Strength

"

refrig.

Cardiff

–

Port Adelaide

"

refrig. - general

Mersey f. o.

Fort St. Croix

"

lumber

Liverpool

–

Cornwall

"

refrig. - general

Liverpool

–

Orari

"

refrig. - general

Liverpool

–

Trojan Star

"

refrig. - general

Glasgow

–

F. J. Wolfe

"

Tanker B

Swansea

To HX 279 - returned to port
Sailed in HX 280

Sovac

"

Tanker B

Avonmouth

–

Athelduke

"

Tanker - molasses

Liverpool

–

Cymbula

"

Tanker B

Liverpool

–

Vacport

"

Tanker W

Hull

Sailed in HX 279

San Vito

"

Tanker W

Avonmouth

–

Longwood

"

Tanker B

Clyde

–

James J. Maguire

"

Tanker W

Humber / Saltend

–

Andrew A. Humphreys

American

Tanker

Mersey / Manchester

–

Belgian Gulf

Panamanian

Tanker B

Birkenhead

–

Irwin Russell

American

Tanker B

Avonmouth

–

Fjordaas

Norwegian

Tanker B

Liverpool

Ovula

Dutch

Tanker B

Clyde

–

Andrea Gritti

Italian

general

Liverpool

–

Brimanger

Norwegian

general

Liverpool

–

Fernwood

"

general

Milford Haven / Southampton

–

Edward D. White

American

general

Clyde / Roseneath

–

Omar E. Chapman

"

general

Milford Haven / Plymouth / Southampton

–

George G. Crawford

"

general

Glasgow

Kelmscott

British

newsprint

London

Joining from Wabana
Torpedoed by U-845 Febr. 9 & damaged
Returned to St. John's in tow - no casualties

Joining from Halifax - Sailed Febr. 7

Benjamin H. Grierson

American

grain - general

London

–

Henry George

"

grain - general

London

–

John G. Whittier

"

grain - general

Liverpool

–

Samuel Nelson

"

grain - general

Glasgow

To HX 279 - did not sail
Sailed in HX 280

Empire MacMahon

British (M.A.C.)

Admiralty tanker B

Clyde

–

Victor Herbert

American

grain - general

Milford Haven / Southampton

–

Stephen B. Elkins

"

grain - general

Glasgow

–

Bayano

British

meats - metal

London

–

Ariguani

"

meats - metal

Liverpool

–

Cairnesk

"

grain - meats - general

Tyne

Put back to St. John's
Sailed in HX 280

David F. Houston

American

general - Army supplies

Newport

Edward Everett

"

general

Avonmouth

–

Jeremiah O'Brien

"

grain - general

Leith Dock

–

James I. McKay

"

general

Barry Dock

–

John Chandler

"

grain - general

Hull

–

Walter A. Luckenbach

"

general

Barry Dock

–

Montgomery City

"

grain - lumber

London

–

Egbert Benson

"

general

Cardiff

–

Additionally, Rescue Vessel Fastnet - see Notes.

Notes:
Commodore, Rear Admiral Sir E. Manners was in Avristan, Vice Commodore on Mataroa.

According to Arnold Hague's "Convoy Rescue Ships 1940-1945" the Rescue Vessel Fastnet also joined this convoy from Halifax. She was on her 3rd voyage as such, having started this voyage from Clyde on Jan. 13-1944 with the westbound Convoy ONS 27, to Halifax Jan. 31 - returning with HX 278 from Halifax on Febr. 7, to Clyde Febr. 20. She had covered most of the voyage alone, having lost touch with the convoy in bad weather, and due to her low speed was not able to catch up.

Commodore's notes are not available.

Note that all the Norwegian ships in this convoy are discussed on this website - use alphabet index below to find them.

The following list of escorts was received from Don Kindell; his source: Arnold Hague. Don's work, which covers "Royal & other Navies Day-by-Day in World War 2", sofar up to and including March-1942, can be viewed at this website (a section of Gordon Smith's Naval-History.net).

Related external links:
Liberty Ships - The vast majority of the ships listed as American in the table above were Liberty ships. This website lists them alphabetically. (The Advance Sailing Telegrams do not always spell the ships correctly, and I always check the spelling of each and every Liberty Ship against what is found on this site before I upload a convoy).

Back to Convoy Index

To the next HX convoy in my list HX 279