Convoy HX 32 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)
CONVOY HX 32
Departed Halifax on Apr. 2-1940 and arrived Liverpool on the 17th.
Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" gives 31 ships in this convoy.
Notes:
The Commodore was in Port Hunter, Vice Commodore in Lochmonar, Rear Commodore in Hopecrown.
Mike Holdoway has told me that Port Hunter collided with Queen Maud on Apr. 15, 250°/ 51m Bishops Rock, and was diverted to Southampton for repairs.
Point Bonita is listed as Greek in the Advance Sailing Telegram, as American in R. W. Jordan's "The World's Merchant Fleets 1939" - became Panamanian Bonita in 1940. Note that this ship is not included in Arnold Hague's listing for Convoy HX 32, which is available on the page naming ships in all HX convoys.
While HX 32 was underway, Norway was invaded by the Germans, and while signals were being exchanged with her on Norway's entry into the war on Apr. 9-1940, Octavian sent the following to the escorting HMS Malaya: "We will do our best. We all want to go home and go on aktive service". (Note received from Mike Holdoway, found at PRO).
The convoy arrived rendezvous with local escort on Apr. 14-1940.
Ocean Escort: HMS Malaya (station 51).
A. Hague names the following escorts (extracted from this list of HX convoy escorts received from D. Kindell; dates are European style, day/month/year):
Malaya - From 02/04/40 to 14/04/40
Restigouche - From 02/04/40 to 03/04/40
Saguenay - From 02/04/40 to 03/04/40
St. Laurent - From 02/04/40 to 03/04/40
Vanquisher - From 13/04/40 to 15/04/40
Versatile - From 14/04/40 to 16/04/40
Wild Swan - From 14/04/40 to 17/04/40
To the next HX convoy in my list HX 33