Convoy HX 50 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)
CONVOY HX 50 Cruising Order & Advance Sailing Telegram
| Convoy HX 50 Cruising Order Departed Halifax on June 13-1940 and arrived Liverpool on the 30th (Arnold Hague says 49 ships). | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transcribed from A 1 form received from Roger Griffiths (his source: Public Records Office, Kew). I have added the nationalities of the ships with the help of "The World's Merchant Fleets 1939". R. W. Jordan. Note that some ships are missing from this form - see the Advance Sailing Telegram below. Br=British, Gre=Greek, Du=Dutch, Norw=Norwegian, Sw=Swedish, Fr=French, Pa=Panamanian B = Bermuda portion | ||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 11 Urla lumber Glasgow (Br) | 21 Manchester Commerce general Manchester (Br) | 31 Baltrover general Liverpool(Br) | 41 Prince Rupert City steel scrap Newport (Br) | 51 City of Hankow general Hull (Br) | 61 Pacific President general London (Br) | 71 Kingswood wheat London (Br) | 81 Vigrid general Brest(Norw) | 91 Louis L-D.* general Brest (Fr) |
| 12 Trecarrell steel - timber Glasgow (Br) | 22 Marathon grain Liverpool(Gr) | 32 Joannis pit props Birkenhead (Gr) | 42Mill Hill iron Swansea (Br) | 52 Antonis pulp London(Gr) | 62 Prins Maurits flour - general London(Du) | 72 Rio Dorado wheat London (Br) | 82 Grey County general Brest (Norw) | 92 Ekaterini Coumantarou general Brest (Gr) |
| 13 | 23 Nolisement wheat Mersey (Br) | 33 Toronto City general Cardiff (Br) | 43 Auretta steel Swansea (Br) | 53 Falsterbo wood pulp Thames(Sw) | 63Gitano steel - general Hull (Br) | 73 |
83 Balla copper - sugar St. Nazaire(Norw) | 93 Risanger general Brest (Norw) |
| 14 | 24 Canadian general Liverpool(Pa) | 34 Haakon Hauan gasoline Milford Haven (Norw) | 44 Chelsea grain Cardiff (Br) | 54 Arosa* lumber Falmouth (Norw) | 64 Michael L. Embiricos steel - lumber Southampton (Gr) | 74 | 84 | 94 |
| 15 BBritish Viscount fuel oil Belfast for Scapa (Br) | 25 B Bradford City grain - lumber Glasgow (Br) | 35 B Conus fuel oil Clyde (Br) | 45 B Raranga refrig. Liverpool (Br) | 55 B |
65 B Geo W. McKnight crude oil Southampton(Br) | 75 B Cornish City wheat - lumber London (Br) | 85 B Zealandic refrig. London (Br) | 95 B Cardita* crude oil Brest (Br) |
| 16 B Athelmonarch molasses Greenock (Br) | 26 B Athelprincess molasses Greenock (Br) | 36 B Athelduke molasses Liverpool (Br) | 46 B Monkleigh scrap iron Swansea (Br) | 56 B Appalachee kerosene East - West (Br) | 66 B |
76 B Mactra fuel oil East - West (Br) | 86 B Culebra sugar London(Br) | 96 B Athelking* Crude oil Brest (Br) |
| 17 | 27 | 37 | 47 BQueen Victoria (Br) | 57 | 67 | 77 B Somerville (Norw) | 87 | 97 |
| * According to Arnold Hague, Louis L-D. "deserted convoy when diverted to UK" - see also Notes further down on this page. He says Arosa became a straggler on June 15, and that Cardita returned to Bermuda. Additionally, he has the Norwegian Hilda Knudsen in station 86 (crude oil for Havre), joining from Bermuda, but returned. This ship is not included in the original A 1 form, but does appear in the Advance Sailing Telegram below. Hague's listing for HX 50 is available on the page naming ships in all HX convoys, and as will be seen, some of his station numbers differ from the above. Note also that he has not included Athelking in this convoy (this ship may also have returned, see note in the Advance Sailing Telegram).* British Ardour and Shirak have been crossed out on the original form, with a notation next to their names saying "Halifax". They may have sailed with the Bermuda convoy, but went into Halifax(?) - See also Hilda Knudsen and Henry Dundas in the Advance Sailing Telegram. |
| Advance Sailing Telegram Transcribed from several documents received from Tony Cooper - His source: Public Records Office, Kew. Note that some of the ships in this AST are not mentioned on the A 1 form above | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ship | Nationality | Cargo | Destination | Remarks |
| Halifax section | ||||
| Balla | Norwegian | sugar | Bristol | From HX 49 |
| " | lumber | Falmouth | From HX 49 To HX 51 - did not sail To HX 52 - did not sail (Follow link to Pollux) | |
| " | pit props | Hull | From HX 49 To HX 51 - did not sail To HX 52 - did not sail (Follow link to Ravnanger) | |
| Prince Rupert City | British | scrap iron | Newport | From HX 49 |
| Trecarrell | " | steel - lumber | Liverpool | From HX 49 |
| Panamanian | Tanker B | Southampton | From HX 48 To HX 51 - did not sail ("to remain at Halifax until further orders") | |
| Greek | grain - timber | London | To HX 51 - did not sail To HX 52 - did not sail Listed in HX 53 | |
| Marathon | " | grain | Liverpool | – |
| " | grain | Dublin | – | |
| British | pit props | Tyne | Listed in HX 51 | |
| Joannis | Greek | pit props | Birkenhead | – |
| Toronto City | British | general | Cardiff | – |
| Swedish | steel | Bordeaux | To HX 51 - did not sail (Sunk Aug. 3-1940 - see this external page) | |
| Canadian | Panamanian | general | Liverpool | – |
| British | timber | Preston | Listed in HX 53 | |
| Baltrover | " | general | Liverpool | Commodore Vessel |
| " | grain | Hull | Listed in HX 51 | |
| Panamanian | Tanker B | Brest f. o. | From HX 49 | |
| Falsterbo | Swedish | wood pulp | London | – |
| Ekaterini Coumantarou | Greek | general | Liverpool | – |
| Rio Dorado | British | grain | London | – |
| " | steel - lumber | Liverpool | Listed in HX 51 | |
| Auretta | " | steel | Swansea | – |
| Chelsea | " | grain | Cardiff | – |
| Gitano | " | steel - general | Hull | – |
| Grey County | Norwegian | general - copper | Belfast f. o. | – |
| Manchester Commerce | British | general | Manchester | – |
| Mill Hill | " | pig iron | Swansea | – |
| Pacific President | " | general | London | Vice Commodore |
| Prins Maurits | Dutch | tin plate - general | Portland / London | – |
| Risanger | Norwegian | steel | Portland / London | – |
| Kingswood | British | grain | London | – |
| Greek | grain | Belfast | Listed in HX 51 | |
| Nolisement | British | grain | Manchester | – |
| Greek | cotton - sulphur | Mersey | Listed in HX 51 | |
| The following ships appear on a separate document - note that some of these belong in the Bermuda portion, denoted with a B (Hilda Knudsen is not mentioned on the A 1 form) | ||||
| Bradford City | British | grain - lumber | Liverpool | From HX 51B |
| " | Tanker | East-West | B "to be sent back to Halifax" See * in Notes Listed in HX 59 | |
| Urla | " | lumber | Leith | From HX 49 |
| Haakon Hauan | Norwegian | Tanker | Manchester | From HX 49 |
| City of Hankow | British | general | Hull | – |
| Antonis | Greek | pulp | London | – |
| Arosa | Norwegian | lumber | Cardiff | See Notes |
| Michael L. Embiricos | Greek | steel - lumber | Southampton | From HX 49 |
| Vigrid | Norwegian | general | Portland f. o. | – |
| Hilda Knudsen | " | Tanker | Brest | B Returned to port? (destination has been changed to Bermuda) |
| Lous L-D | French | general | Belfast f. o. | See Notes |
| Joining from Bermuda - Sailed June 12 | ||||
| Swedish | Tanker B | Falmouth | From HX 49 (does not show up again on this site until HX 79) | |
| Raranga | British | refrig. | Liverpool | From HX 49 |
| Cornish City | " | grain - lumber | London | – |
| French / Br. July-1940 | Tanker B | Brest f. o. | To BHX 51 - returned (taken over by Br. at Bermuda) | |
| Cardita | British | Tanker B | Brest f. o. | Returned to port? (destination has been changed to Bermuda) |
| Athelking | " | Tanker B | Brest f. o. | Returned? (destination has been changed to Bermuda) |
| " | Tanker W | East-West | "to be sent back to Halifax" See * in Notes (listed in HX 56) | |
| Appalachee | " | Tanker W | London | – |
| British Viscount | " | Adm. tanker B | Clyde | – |
| Monkleigh | " | scrap iron | Swansea | – |
| Athelmonarch | " | Tanker - molasses | Greenock | – |
| " | Tanker W | Milford Haven f. o. | "to be sent back to Halifax" See * in Notes (listed in HX 56) | |
| Geo. W. McKnight | " | Tanker B | Southampton | – |
| Queen Victoria | " | wheat | Liverpool | – |
| Zealandic | " | refrig. | Portland / London | – |
| Athelduke | " | Tanker - molasses | Liverpool | – |
| " | bauxite | Manchester | To HX 51 - did not sail HX 54 - did not sail Listed in HX 55 | |
| Conus | " | Adm. tanker B | Clyde | – |
| Somerville | Norwegian | general | Mersey f. o. | – |
| Athelprincess | British | Tanker - molasses | Liverpool | – |
| Culebra | " | sugar | London | – |
| Mactra | " | Tanker B | Manchester | – |
| Again, note that Bradford City also joined from Bermuda - see A 1 form above. |
Notes:
Commodore Rear Admiral N. C. Allen (retired) was in Baltrover, Vice Commodore was Captain J. S. Stuart of Pacific President, Rear Commodore in Raranga.
* I believe Shirak, British Ardour and Henry Dundas, which have been crossed out in the Advance Sailing Telegram, may have sailed with the Bermuda convoy, but went into Halifax and did not join the main convoy.
There were initially 29 ships in the convoy - 16 are said to have joined with the BHX feeder convoy from Bermuda for a total of 45 ships, 43 of which were still present at the local escort rendezvous point - the Norwegian Arosa having dropped astern ("not under control") in 41 15N 53 40W - did not rejoin - and the French Louis L-D having "deserted the convoy during the night of Saturday 22nd June 1940 - unobserved, but probably about 2200 in hazy weather and before moon rise" (according to Commodore's comments). Approx. position 49N 25W .
The Bermuda portion joined at 12:30 on June 19 in 43 47N 38 42W, one day late due to dense fog and very low visibility.
Average convoy speed: 8 knots.
Commodore's comments on station keeping: "British ships - very good. Neutrals - fair. There were 15 neutrals in this convoy - 11 of these for their first time. A number of them were unable to make 9 knots in fine weather."
Commodore's comments on W/T signalling: "There was a certain amount of oscillation taking place in the convoy and I had to make signals about it. It was found impossible to trace it by D.F., but the Ocean Escort and my own Chief P. O. Telegraphist both suspected a Greek ship named Joannis - position 32 immediately astern of Commodore."
Commodore's comments on ship's unable to maintain pre-arranged speed: "Norwegian ship Balla (very small), Greek Joannis, British ship Nolisement were the worst offenders. None of these ships appeared capable of more than 8 3/4 knots in the finest weather, and then only for a short period. No other reasons are known."
Ocean Escort: Armed merchant cruiser (former passenger vessel) HMS Voltaire in company from Halifax until 13:15 on Monday, June 24-1940, parting company in 50 21N 17 43W.
Local Escorts: Corvettes HMS Heartsease and HMS Arabis for "A" portion, destroyers HMS Whirlwind (S.O.) and HMS Volunteer.
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):
Arabis - From 25/06/40 to 27/06/40
Assiniboine - From 13/06/40 to 14/06/40
Heartsease - From 25/06/40 to 27/06/40
Saguenay - From 13/06/40 to 14/06/40
Voltaire - From 13/06/40 to 24/06/40
Volunteer - From 25/06/40 to 27/06/40
Whirlwind - From 25/06/40 to 27/06/40
To the next HX convoy in my list HX 51
| Aa–Al | An–Ar | As–Av | Ba | Be | Bi–Bl | Bo | Br–Bu | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E | F | G | Ha | He | Hi–Hy | Hø | I | J | K |
| L | M | N | O | PQ | R | Sa–Sc | Se–Sj | Sk–Sn | So |
| Sp–St | Su–Sø | Ta–Te | Th–Ti | To | Tr–Tø | U | V | W | Ø |
