Convoy HX 54 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)
CONVOY HX 54 Cruising Order & Advance Sailing Telegram
| Convoy HX 54 Cruising Order Departed Halifax on June 29-1940 and arrived Liverpool on July 14 (Arnold Hague says 43 ships). | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transcribed from A 1 form received from Roger Griffiths (his source: Public Records Office, Kew). Br=British, Am=American, Norw=Norwegian, Sw=Swedish, Da=Danish, Gr=Greek, Du=Dutch s=sunk, † = dead MoWT = Ministry of War Transport B = Ships joining from Bermuda. | ||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 11 Dunaff Head general Belfast (Br) | 21 Gregalia general regrig. Glasgow (Br) | 31Pennland general Liverpool (Du) | 41 Manchester Spinner general Liverpool (Br) | 51Allende pit props Clyde (Br) | 61 Brookwood steel - lumber Clyde (Br) | 71Kainalu paperBelfast (Am / MoWT 1940, Pachesham) | 81Tresillianwheat Clyde (Br) | 91 Antigonesteel - pit props Clyde (Br) |
| 12 Leonidas wheat Cork (Gr) | 22Breedijk grain - copper Glasgow (Du) | 32 Vaalaren general - steel Liverpool (Sw) | 42 Treverbyn lumber - steel Liverpool (Br) | 52Treworlas steel - scrap iron Newport (Br) | 62 Vocolub. oil Clyde (Br) | 72 Trolleholm generalBelfast (Sw) | 82Janna* wood pulp Liverpool s - 0† (Norw) | 92 Hartington steel - lumberCardiff (Br) |
| 13Demetertoniron oreManchester (Br) | 23 B Sepia Admiralty fuel Clyde (Br) | 33Sabine ballast Glasgow(tug) | 43 San Gaspar* fuel oil Liverpool (Br) | 53 Baron Dunmore pit props Falmouth (Br) | 63 Embassage grainClyde (Br) | 73 B Holmpark scrap ironHull (Br) | 83Rupert de Larrinaga grain Clyde (Br) | 93Lars Kruse pit propsClyde(Da / MoWT 1940) |
| 14 | 24 | 34 | 44 | 54 | 64 | 74 | 84 | 94 |
| 15 B Empire Caribou sulphur Manchester (Br) | 25 B Buesten petrolFoynes (Norw) | 35 B Comancheelub. oil Clyde (Br) | 45 B Port Brisbane refrig. generalLondon (Br) | 55 B John A. Brown petrol Falmouth(detached) (Br)Stureholm general Belfast (Sw) | 65 B Dromusbenzine - benzex. Manchester (Br) | 75 B Hoperange general Clyde (Br) | 85 BBenmohr general Clyde (Br) | 95 B Bonnington Court general Clyde (Br) |
| 16 | 26 BAthelbeach molasses Liverpool (Br) | 36 BAthinai sugarGreenock (Gr) | 46 B Vimeira gasoline Clyde (Br) | 56 B |
66 BDirphys general Belfast (Gr) | 76 B Empire Moose sulphur Clyde (Br) | 86 B Jutland scrap iron Clyde (Br) | 96 B Westmorelandrefrig. - wool Liverpool (Br) |
| 17 | 27 | 37 | 47 B Sepia (moved to 23) | 57 | 67 |
77 | 87 | 97 |
| According to notes for HX 55, Sea Giant, cancelled from the Bermuda portion of that convoy, is said to have come from HX 54. This is probably the un-named tug listed in the Advance Sailing Telegram below.Note that several ships that are not mentioned on this A 1 form are crossed out on the Advance Sailing Telegram. * Janna was intended for this convoy, but could not find it and was sunk on July 11 by U-34. Follow the link for more details. San Gaspar developed engine defects and returned to port; listed in HX 58. The Bermuda portion was escorted by HMS Ascania, sailing between columns 4 and 5 (to be 6 cables apart, others to be 4 cables apart). It'll be noticed, when comparing the above with Arnold Hague's listing for HX 54 at ships in all HX convoys, that he has some of the ships in different stations from what is given in the original convoy documents. His stations probably show the formation following the junction with the Bermuda portion. Hague's listing does not include John A. Brown - this ship detached from the Bermuda convoy, before the 2 portions joined up. |
| Advance Sailing Telegram Transcribed from several documents received from Tony Cooper - His source: Public Records Office, Kew. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ship | Nationality | Cargo | Destination | Remarks |
| Halifax section | ||||
| Antigone | British | steel - pit props | Hull | From HX 53 |
| Norwegian | wood pulp | London | From HX 53 Does not show up again until HX 66 | |
| Allende | British | pit props | West Hartlepool | – |
| " | pit props | West Hartlepool | From HX 53? Listed in HX 56 | |
| Leonidas | Greek | grain | Cork | From HX 53 |
| Gregalia | British | general - steel | Glasgow | – |
| Kainalu | American / MoWT 1940 | paper | Manchester | (Later Br. Pachesham) From HX 53 |
| Dunaff Head | British | general | Belfast | From HX 53 |
| Treverbyn | " | steel - lumber | Hull | – |
| Breedijk | Dutch | general | Glasgow | From HX 52 |
| Manchester Spinner | British | general | Manchester | Commodore Vessel |
| Pennland | Dutch | general | Liverpool | From HX 52 |
| Tresillian | British | grain | London | – |
| Treworlas | " | steel - scrap | Newport | – |
| Trolleholm | Swedish | general | Belfast / London | Collided w/Holmpark - See Notes |
| British | Tanker B | – | "Not to sail" Listed in HX 55 | |
| Vaalaren | Swedish | steel - general | Liverpool | – |
| Greek | grain | Liverpool | Listed in HX 55 | |
| Rupert de Larrinaga | British | grain | Hull | – |
| " | lumber - steel | London | Listed in HX 55 | |
| Sabine | " | Tug | Glasgow | – |
| British | steel - special | Liverpool | Listed in HX 55 | |
| Embassage | " | grain | Belfast / Ipswich | – |
| The following ships appear on a separate document, with no mention of which section they belong to - note, however, that some of these belong in the Bermuda portion, denoted with a B | ||||
| Sepia | British | Adm. tanker B | Sheerness | B |
| John A. Brown | " | Tanker W | Falmouth | B From HX 53 "To return to Halifax" (detached July 1 or July 3 - hard to decipher) |
| Dromus | " | Tanker W | Manchester | B |
| Westmoreland | " | refrig. - general | Manchester | B |
| Demeterton | " | iron ore | Manchester | – |
| San Gaspar | " | Tanker B | Liverpool | "Returned to Halifax" See notes in A 1 form Listed in HX 58 |
| Baron Dunmore | " | pit props | West Hartlepool | – |
| Brookwood | " | steel - lumber | London | Vice Commodore |
| Janna | Norwegian | pulp wood | Liverpool | From HX 53 Sunk - See Janna See also * below |
| Voco | British | Tanker B | London | – |
| Hartington | " | steel - lumber | Cardiff | – |
| Lars Kruse | Danish / MoWT 1940 | pit props | West Hartlepool | – |
| * There's a note in the Advance Sailing Telegram for Janna saying she returned to port, but according to a Norwegian source she never joined, being unable to find the convoy. | ||||
| Joining from Bermuda - Sailed June 28 | ||||
| British | bauxite | Manchester | From HX 53? Listed in HX 55 | |
| Comanchee | " | Tanker B | London | – |
| " | Tanker W | – | "To Halifax to await orders" (Does not show up again on this site until HX 63) | |
| Stureholm | Swedish | general | Belfast f. o. | – |
| Empire Caribou | British | sulphur | Manchester | – |
| Vimeira | " | Tanker W | London | – |
| Norwegian | Tanker W | – | "To Halifax to await orders" Listed in HX 59 | |
| Bonnington Court | British | timber - grain | Hull | – |
| " | Tanker B | – | "To Halifax to await orders" Listed in HX 58 | |
| " | Tanker B | Clyde | To HX 56 - did not sail Listed in HX 57 | |
| " | Tanker B | – | "To Halifax to await orders" Listed in HX 55 | |
| Port Brisbane | " | refrig. | Liverpool | – |
| Benmohr | " | wool - tallow | London | – |
| Hoperange | " | timber - grain | Hull | – |
| " | Tanker B | – | "To Halifax to await orders" (Does not show up again on this site until HX 62) | |
| " | Tanker B | – | "To Halifax to await orders" (Does not show up again on this site until HX 60) | |
| Holmpark | " | scrap iron | Belfast / Hull | Collided w/Trolleholm - See Notes |
| Jutland | " | scrap iron | Tyne | – |
| Greek | general | Liverpool | Listed in HX 55 | |
| British | wheat | Liverpool | Listed in HX 55 | |
| Buesten | Norwegian | Tanker W | Foynes | – |
| (Not named - probably Sea Giant) | none given | Glasgow | To HX 55 - did not sail Listed in HX 56 | |
| Athinai | Greek | sugar | Greenock | – |
| Dirphys | " | lumber | Belfast f. o. | – |
| Athelbeach | British | Tanker - molasses | Liverpool | – |
| Empire Moose | " | sulphur | Hull | From HX 52 |
| Again, please note that the Bermuda portion had more ships than those listed above - See A 1 form. |
Notes:
Commodore vessel was Manchester Spinner, Vice Commodore was in Brookwood, and Rear Commodore in Port Brisbane (joining from Bermuda).
In the morning of July 11, the Swedish Trolleholm was in collision with Holmpark. Trolleholm was leaking badly in the forepeak but could continue at 5 knots; Holmpark was slightly damaged.
The convoy arrived rendezvous on July 11.
Ocean Escort: HMS Rajputana.
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):
Assiniboine - From 29/06/40 to 30/06/40
Harvester - 11/07/40
Havelock - From 11/07/40 to 13/07/40
Ottawa - From 29/06/40 to 30/06/40
Rajputana - From 29/06/40 to 04/07/40
Sandwich - From 11/07/40 to 14/07/40
Wanderer - From 11/07/40 to 14/07/40
To the next HX convoy in my list HX 55
| 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 |
