Convoy HX 5 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)

Convoy HX 5 Cruising Order
Departed Halifax on Oct 17-1939 and arrived Liverpool on the 29th (Arnold Hague agrees with 16 ships).

Transcribed from an original document received from Roger Griffiths (his source: Public Records Office, Kew).

s=sunk, †=dead, Br=British, Fr=French

1

2

3

4

5

6

11
Cairnglen
general
Leith
(Br)

21
Rancher
cotton
Manchester
(Br)

31
Manchester Commerce
general
Manchester
(Br)

41
Malabar
general
Avonmouth
(Br)
s - 5†

51
San Ernesto
kerosene
Milford Haven
(Br)

61
Gracia
general
Glasgow
(Br)

12
Cairnvalona
general
Leith
(Br)

22
Hindpool
ore / cotton
Liverpool
(Br)

32
Vaclite
lube oil
Birkenhead
(Br)

42
Norwegian
copper/apples/gen.
Avonmouth
(Br)

52
New Westminster City
pig iron
Swansea
(Br)

62
Penrose
pig iron
Glasgow
(Br)

13

23
Cairnmona
general
Leith
s - 3†
(Br)

33

43
Trelissick
maize
Falmouth
(Br)

53
Floride *
cotton
Bordeaux
(Fr)

63
Dunaff Head
grain / general
Belfast
(Br)

Notes:
Commodore was in Malabar, Vice Commodore in Manchester Commerce and Rear Commodore in Cairnglen.

"The Allied Convoy System", Arnold Hague says Malabar, cargo of tobacco, lumber and general was sunk on Oct. 27-1939 by U-34. However, Jürgen Rohwer's "Axis Submarine Successes of World War Two" indicates she was damaged by U-34 on this date and sunk by the same U-boat on Oct 29 (he calls the convoy HX 5A at this point of the voyage - I would assume the convoy had split up and the ships heading for their respective destinations). Rohwer also claims that the British Bronte was sunk in this convoy, but this ship was outward bound in Convoy OB 25 (voyage Liverpool-Rosario) when torpedoed by U-34 on Oct. 27, wreck later sunk by the destroyers HMS Walpole and HMS Whirlwind.

R. W. Jordan's "The World's Merchant Fleets 1939" also lists Cairnmona as sunk (calling convoy HX 5A) - torpedoed on Oct. 30-1939 by U-13, 3 died.

* Floride struck a mine off Dunkirk on Dec. 1-1939.

According to A. Hague, the escorts for HX 5 were (received from D. Kindell; dates are European style, day/month/year).
Emerald - From 17/10/39 to 28/10/39
Fraser - From 17/10/39 to 19/10/39
Gallant - From 28/10/39 to 29/10/39
Grafton - From 28/10/39 to 29/10/39
St. Laurent - From 17/10/39 to 19/10/39
Wessex - From 28/10/39 to 29/10/39
York - From 17/10/39 to 19/10/39

Related external links:
HX and HXF Convoys - In chronological order.

The attack on Malabar
The attack on Cairnmona

Convoy OB 25

Back to Convoy Index

The next HX convoy to sail was the fast HXF 6 Next HX convoy HX 6