Convoy HX 55 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)

Convoy HX 55 Cruising Order
Departed Halifax on July 3-1940 and arrived Liverpool on the 18th (Arnold Hague also says 40 ships).

Transcribed from A 1 form received from Roger Griffiths (his source: Public Records Office, Kew).

Additional details have been added with the help of:
"The Allied Convoy System", Arnold Hague,
"Axis Submarine Successes of World War Two", Jürgen Rohwer,
"The World's Merchant Fleets 1939", R. W. Jordan,
"Lloyd's War Losses", Vol I.

Br=British, Am=American, Norw=Norwegian, Gr=Greek, Du=Dutch
s = sunk, † = dead

MoWT = Ministry of War Transport

B = ships joining from Bermuda.

11
Beaverdale
general
London
(Br)

21
Beaverford
general
London
(Br)

31
Edam
general
Clyde
(Du)

41
Quebec City
steel - scrap
Glasgow
(Br)

51
Anglo Saxon
steel - general ev.
Newport
(Br)

61
Manchester Progress
general
Manchester
(Br)

71
Hopestar
scrap iron - general ev.
Birkenhead
(Br)

81
Assyrian
general
Bristol
(Br)

91
Stylianos Chandris
zinc concentr.
Swansea
(Gr)

12
Dalemoor
cereal
Ipswich
(Br)

22
Induna
grain
Hull
(Br)

32
Rangitata
refrig.
Methil for
London
(Br)

42
Alnmoor
Glasgow
(Br)

52
San Casimiro
fuel oil
Grangemouth
(Br)

62
Manipur
general
London
s - 14†
(Br)

72
Mount Kassion
grain
Liverpool
(Gr)

82
Kalliopi S
grain
Milford Haven
(Gr)

92
Fowberry Tower
grain
Avonmouth
(Br)

13
Baron Ramsay
pit props
West Hartlepool
(Br)

~~Generton~~

see station 25

B Somerset
refrig. general
Glasgow
(Br)

33
Trehata
lumber
London
(Br)

43
~~Eastern Trader~~
steel - general
Liverpool
(Am/MoWT 1940)

B Pacific Enterprise
lumber - general - aircraft
Liverpool
(Br)

53
Scottish Minstrel
fuel oil
Methil for
London
s - 9†
(Br)

63
West Cobalt
scrap iron
Liverpool
(Am/MoWT 1940)

73
Aelybryn
scrap steel
Birkenhead
(Br)

83
Errington Court
scrap iron - steel
Milford Haven
(Br)

93
Nurtureton
wheat
Methil for
London
(Br)

34
Danby
steel - lumber
Leith
(Br)

15 B
Dalhanna
sugar
Methil for
London
(Br)

25
~~Somerset~~
see station 23

Generton
scrap iron - steel
Middlesbrough
(Br)

35 B
~~Alexia~~
Admiralty fuel
Scapa
(Br)

45 B
~~Pacific Enterpise~~
(moved to 43)

55 B
San Ubaldo
crude oil
Ardrossan
(Br)

65 B
Loch Don
wheat - lumber
Methil for
London
(Br)

75 B
Sofie Bakke
nitrates - general
Belfast for
degaussing
then London
(Norw)

85 B
Dunkeld
wheat
Liverpool
(Br)

95 B
Hoperidge
zinc - lumber
Methil for
London
(Br)

36 B
Ioannis Frangos
wood pulp
London
(Gr)

46
~~Peder Bogen~~
fuel oil
Belfast
(Br)

B Erodona
aviation spirit
Manchester
(Br)

56
~~Erodona~~
(moved to 46)

66 B
Mount Helmos
general
Liverpool
(Gr)

76 B
Lycia
bauxite
Manchester
(Br)

86 B
Fiscus
scrap iron
Swansea
(Br)

It looks like Peder Bogen did join the Bermuda portion, but not the main convoy and is crossed out for that reason. See the note in Advance Sailing Telegram below.

It'll be noticed, when comparing the above with Arnold Hague's listing for HX 55 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.

Notes:
Commodore Vice Admiral G. T. C. P. Swabey was in Manchester Progress, Vice Commodore was Captain D. S. Robinson R.N.R. in Edam, and Rear Commodore was in Pacific Enterprise.

There were 26 ships in the convoy upon departure Halifax, and according to the Commodore's notes, another 14 joined with the feeder convoy from Bermuda (BHX 55) for a total of 40 (however, there are less that 14 ships listed for the Bermuda portion). 38 ships remained at local escort rendezvous, 56 25N 17 0W.

Speed: 8.36 knots.

Lycia broke down when the Bermuda section joined at 09:00 on July 7 in 40 22N 47 15W, and was not seen again until she rejoined the convoy in the North Channel during the night of Tuesday July 16.

West Cobalt dropped astern of the convoy during the night of July 15, last seen by Loch Don at 01:00 on July 16 in 56 23N 17 35W.

Beaverford, Beaverdale, Dalhanna, Dalemoor, Baron Ramsay, Induna, Generton, Rangitata, Trehata, Danby, Ioannis Frangos, San Casimiro, Manipur, Loch Don, Nurtureton, and Hoperidge parted company as planned at 11:35 on July 16 in 56 13N 09 37W, while the Greek Kalliopi S parted company at 18:15 in 55 04N 08 09W that same day. The commodore says: "I had told him to wait till dusk at 21:00 when the ship would be north of Inishtrahull in accordance with programme, but she did not wait till then. Her destination is Limerick via Irish territorial waters."

Edam, Somerset, Quebec City, Alnmoor and San Ubaldo parted company at 06:15 on July 17 in 55 07N 05 46W for Clyde ports.

Sofie Bakke parted company at 09:10 on July 17 in 54 45N 05 20W in order to go to Belfast for degaussing.

Scottish Minstrel, on a voyage from New York for London (via Scotland) with 9200 tons of fuel oil, was torpedoed by U-61 on July 16-1940, sank the next day. She had a crew of 41, 9 of whom perished.

Manipur, on a voyage from Baltimore for London with general cargo (including steel, iron, lumber and zinc slabs as well as copper, was sunk by U-57 on July 17 (convoy designated HX 55A at that time). She had a crew of 79, 14 died.

The convoy arrived rendezvous on July 15.

Ocean Escort: HMS Montclare
Halifax Local Escort: HMCS Assiniboine and HMCS Ottawa (Canadian destroyers)
Home Local Escort: HMS Folkestone (S.O.), HMS Winchelsea (destroyer), HMS Gardenia (corvette), HMCS Skeena (Canadian destroyer).

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 03/07/40 to 04/07/40
Folkestone - From 14/07/40 to 18/07/40
Gardenia - From 15/07/40 to 17/07/40
Montclare - From 03/07/40 to 15/07/40
Ottawa - From 03/07/40 to 04/07/40
Skeena - 15/07/40
Winchelsea - From 14/07/40 to 14/07/40

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