Convoy HX 60 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)
CONVOY HX 60 Cruising Order & Advance Sailing Telegram (Will be updated - please compare with A. Hague's listing for this convoy at ships in all HX convoys. See also HX escorts).
| Convoy HX 60 Cruising Order Departed Halifax on July 23-1940 and arrived Liverpool on Aug. 7 (Arnold Hague says 60 ships). | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transcribed from A 1 form received from Roger Griffiths (his source: Public Records Office, Kew). Details on ships sunk and casualties have been added with the help of: "The Allied Convoy System", Arnold Hague "Axis Submarine Successes of World War Two", Jürgen Rohwer "Lloyd's War Losses", Vol I, and "The World's Merchant Fleets 1939", R. W. Jordan. (I've referred to the latter to help establish the nationalities of the ships). Br=British, Du=Dutch, Norw=Norwegian, Am=American, Gr=Greek, Sw=Swedish, Pol=Polish, Yug=Yugoslavian, Pa=Panamanian flag. † = dead B = Ships joining from Bermuda. | ||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 11 Beaverhill general London (Br) | 21 Maasdam general London (Du) | 31 British General fuel oil London (Br) | 41 Daphnella benzine Clyde (Br) | 51 Moveria general Glasgow (Br) | 61 Manchester Citizen general Manchester (Br) | 71 Bassanogeneral ev. Liverpool (Br) | 81 Clumberhall steel - lumber Cardiff (Br) | 91 Empire Springbuck scrap iron Milford Haven (Br) |
| 12 Uganda pit props Methil (Br) | 22 Belcrest grain Methil (Br) | 32 Dalblair grain Methil (Br) | 42 Tafelberg fuel oil Clyde (Br) | 52 Ringstad general Glasgow (Norw) | 62 Dromore general Liverpool (Br) | 72Geraldine Mary newsprint Manchester **sunk - 3† (Br) | 82 King Idwal pig iron Milford Haven (Br) | 92 |
| 13King Alfred pit props Methil ****sunk - 5 (7?)**† (Br) | 23 Llanishen maize Leith (Br) | 33 Loch Lomond steel - lumber Hull (Br) | 43 Andrea Brøvig fuel oil Clyde (Norw) | 53 Margarita Chandri grain Glasgow (Gr) | 63 Manchester Exporter general Liverpool (Br) | 73San Marcos general ev. Liverpool(Am / Br) | 83 |
93W. Hendrikiron ore Cardiff (Br) |
| 14 Saturnus pulp wood Methil (Du) | 24 Beatus steel - pit props West Hartlepool (Br) | 34 |
44 Cape Nelson Glasgow (Br) | 54 Olaf Bergh scrap iron Manchester (Norw) | 64American Oriole newsprint Manchester(Am / Br) | 74 Porjus pit props Manchester (Sw) | 84 |
94Simonburn wheat Milford Haven (Br) |
| A 14 *Gogovale flour Methil ****sunk - 3 (0?)**† (Br) | A 24 * |
A 34 * Sea Giant ballast Glasgow(Br) | A 44 *Heron ballast Glasgow(Br trawler) | A 54 * San Felix fuel oil Liverpool (Br) | A 64 *Langleetarn steel powder Birkenhead (Br) | A 74 * Baron Minto pig iron Mersey (Br) | A 84 * Thala iron ore Newport (Br) | A 94 *Thornlea grain Belfast (Br) |
| B 14 | B 24 | B 34 | B 44 | B 54 *Lewantgeneral Manchester (Pol) | B 64 * Lyrastimber Milford Haven (Gr) | B 74 * Papalemostimber Cardiff (Gr) | B 84 * Bilderdijkgeneral Belfast (Du) | B 94 *Graigwen grain Belfast (Br) |
| 15 B Catrinemetal - lumber Methil (Br) | 25 B Cleadiesel - fuel - gas oil Methil (Br) | 35 B Scottish Heather Admiralty fuel Invergordon (Br) | 45 B Explorer general Manchester(Br) | 55 B Amastrafuel - diesel oilClyde (Br) | 65 B Rosewood fuel oil Clyde (Br) | 75 B IndoraTNT - general Liverpool (Br) | 85 B Custodian general Liverpool (Br) | 95 |
| 16 BAthelviscountAdmiralty fuel Scapa (Br) | 26 B Anglo Peruvian lumber - wheat Methil (Br) | 36 B Boka general Methil (Yug/Pa 1940) | 46 | 56 B Solfonnfuel - diesel oil Clyde (Norw) | 66 B Dalfonn Admiralty fuel Clyde (Norw) | 76 B Daviladiesel - fuel oil Milford Haven (Br) | 86 B El Mirlogasoline - crude oil Manchester (Br) | 96 |
| * Mabriton is crossed out, but it looks like she did join for a while; according to the Commodore's notes for HX 60 she became a straggler (shows up again in the next convoy, HX 61).* 2 rows have been inserted into this form (row 5 and 6). Instead of the usual station numbers, the ships in the 5th row have been given pendants like A 14 for Gogovale, A 24 for Winterswijk, A 34 for Sea Giant and so on. Similarly it shows B 14, B 24 etc. for the 6th row. I've chosen to number the stations exactly as the form shows. (Usually, the A numbers denote ships joining from Sydney, C.B., and B numbers ships from Bermuda, however, the AST lists all these ships in the Halifax portion). I have 2 different copies of this convoy form, one of them has ships that are not included on the other (Cape Nelson, Athelviscount, and El Mirlo). Also, on one of the forms it looks like Clumberhall and Geraldine Mary have swapped stations (there are arrows from one to the other). Ocean Escort and Commodore for Convoy BHX 60 (Bermuda portion) was HMS Alaunia, sailing between columns 4 and 5. |
| Advance Sailing Telegram Transcribed from several documents received from Tony Cooper - His source: Public Records Office, Kew. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ship | Nationality | Cargo | Destination | Remarks |
| Halifax section | ||||
| Heron | British | ballast (trawler) | Glasgow | From HX 59 "Not at rendezvous" (See Notes) |
| " | steel - lumber | West Hartlepool | From HX 59 See Notes Listed in HX 61 | |
| San Marcos | American / MOWT 1940 | general - special | Liverpool | (Became British Empire Ocelot) From HX 59 |
| " | pig iron | Glasgow | (Became Br. Empire Dorado) From HX 59 Joined HX 61 - returned To HX 63 - did not sail To HX 64 - did not sail See also HX 65 & HX 66 (Sailed in HX 67) | |
| Olaf Bergh | Norwegian | steel scrap | Manchester | From HX 59 |
| " | pig iron | Swansea | From HX 59 Listed in HX 61 | |
| Langleetarn | British | steel - general - special | Birkenhead | – |
| Margarita Chandri | Greek | grain | Liverpool | – |
| Beatus | British | steel - pit props | West Hartlepool | – |
| Geraldine Mary | " | paper | Manchester | Sunk - See Notes |
| Graigwen | " | grain | Belfast | – |
| Manchester Citizen | " | general | Manchester | Commodore Vessel |
| Manchester Exporter | " | general | Manchester | See also HX 53 |
| Moveria | " | general | Glasgow | – |
| Saturnus | Dutch | pulp wood | Rochester | – |
| Thornlea | British | grain | Belfast | – |
| Uganda | " | pit props | Hull | – |
| Baron Minto | " | pig iron | Glasgow | – |
| Belcrest | " | grain | Newcastle | – |
| Clumberhall | " | lumber - steel | Cardiff | – |
| Dalblair | " | grain | London | – |
| Dromore | " | general | Manchester | – |
| Empire Springbuck | " | pig iron | Birkenhead | – |
| Gogovale | " | flour | London | Sunk - See Notes |
| Loch Lomond | " | steel - lumber | Hull | – |
| Greek | grain | Liverpool | Listed in HX 61 | |
| " | scrap iron | Swansea | Listed in HX 61 | |
| San Felix | British | Tanker B | Liverpool | – |
| Swedish | pit props | Sunderland | See Notes | |
| W. Hendrik | British | iron ore | Ardrossan | – |
| Norwegian | general | Belfast | Listed in HX 61 | |
| Bilderdijk | Dutch | general | Liverpool | – |
| Cape Nelson | British | steel - scrap iron | Ardrossan | – |
| Norwegian | steel | Hull | Listed in HX 61 | |
| Llanishen | British | grain | Leith | – |
| Lyras | Greek | grain | Avonmouth | – |
| Yugoslavian | pig iron | Swansea | (Does not show up again on this site until HX 74) | |
| Ringstad | Norwegian | general | Glasgow | From HX 59 |
| American Oriole | American / MOWT 1940 | newsprint | Mersey | (Became British Barberrys) From HX 59 |
| King Idwal | British | pig iron | Swansea | From HX 59 |
| Thala | " | iron ore | Newport | – |
| " | lumber | Grimsby | Listed in HX 61 | |
| Porjus | Swedish | pulp wood | Manchester | (See Notes) |
| Beaverhill | British | general | London | – |
| Dutch | pit props | West Hartlepool | Listed in HX 61 | |
| Tafelberg | British | Adm. tanker | Clyde | – |
| Simonburn | " | wheat | Avonmouth | – |
| King Alfred | " | pit props | West Hartlepool | Sunk - See Notes |
| Greek | grain | Liverpool | Listed in HX 61 | |
| British | general | Liverpool | Listed in HX 61 | |
| " | general | Milford Haven | Listed in HX 61 | |
| Bassano | " | aircraft - trucks - steel | Clyde / Hull | – |
| The following ships appear on a separate document, with no mention of which section they belong to - note, however, that one of these belongs in the Bermuda portion, denoted with a B | ||||
| Sea Giant | British | tug | Glasgow | "Not at rendezvous" (See Notes) (See also HX 56) |
| Amastra | " | Tanker B | Grangemouth | B |
| Maasdam | Dutch | general | London | – |
| British General | British | Tanker B | London | Vice Commodore See also HX 54 |
| Daphnella | " | Tanker W | London | From HX 59 |
| Andrea Brøvig | Norwegian | Tanker B | Clyde | See also HX 53 |
| Lewant | Polish | general | Manchester | (See Notes) |
| Papalemos | Greek | timber | Cardiff | "Not at rendezvous" (See Notes) |
| Joining from Bermuda - Sailed July 22 | ||||
| Anglo Peruvian | British | lumber - wheat | London | From HX 59 |
| " | Tanker W | – | Listed in HX 63 | |
| Athelviscount | " | Adm. tanker B | Clyde | – |
| Norwegian | Tanker B | Avonmouth | – | |
| Boka | Yugoslavian / Panamanian 1940 | general | London | – |
| British | sulphur | Manchester | Listed in HX 61 | |
| Catrine | " | metal - lumber | Grimsby | – |
| " | Tanker W | Clyde f. o. | From HX 59 See also HX 64 | |
| Clea | " | Tanker B | London | – |
| Custodian | " | cotton - general - explosives | Liverpool | From HX 59 |
| Dalfonn | Norwegian | Adm. tanker B | Liverpool | From HX 59 |
| Davila | British | Tanker B | Avonmouth | – |
| El Mirlo | " | Tanker B | Manchester | – |
| Explorer | " | steel - cotton | Manchester | – |
| " | lumber - lead - wheat | Sunderland | Listed in HX 61 | |
| American / MOWT 1940 | lumber | Tyne | From HX 59 (Became Br. Empire Tarpon) See also HX 65 (listed in SC 2) | |
| Indora | British | steel - general - explosives | Liverpool | – |
| " | Tanker W | – | "To be sent to Halifax to await orders" Listed in HX 63 | |
| " | Tanker B | Jarrow | Listed in HX 61 | |
| " | Tanker W | – | "To be sent to Halifax to await orders" Listed in HX 69 | |
| Belgian / MOWT 1940 | general | London | To HX 61 - did not sail Listed in HX 62 | |
| Rosewood | British | Adm. tanker B | Scapa | From HX 59 |
| Scottish Heather | " | Adm. tanker B | Invergordon | – |
| Solfonn | Norwegian | Tanker B | Clyde to lay up | – |
| " | Tanker B | – | "To be sent to Halifax to await orders"To HX 62 - lost touch To HX 63 ("To be held at Halifax to await orders") Sailed in HX 68 | |
| British | lumber - grain | London | To HX 61 - did not sail Listed in HX 62 | |
| Again, note that Amastra also joined with the Bermuda portion - see A 1 form above. |
Notes:
Commodore, Vice Admiral R. A. Hornell was in Manchester Citizen, Vice Commodore, Vice Admiral Austin was in British General, and Rear Commodore in Explorer (from the Bermuda section).
The Commodore says the convoy had 59 ships, 54 of which were still present at rendezvous with local escort - however, there are more that 59 listed on the form.
Average speed: 8 knots.
Sea Giant (British salvage tug, ex USN Contocook 1940) and Heron were unable to maintain speed.
Papalemos, Mabriton, Porjus and Lewant became stragglers (the latter 2 rejoined at rendezvous) - time and position of departure unknown.
Commodore's comments on station keeping:
"Column leaders excellent. Dromore behind me particularly good. Bassano and Geraldine Mary very good indeed. Explorer Bermuda section excellent".
Visual and W/T signalling was poor with the exception of Bassano, Geraldine Mary, Dromore and Ringstad.
Skips sunk (number of casualties and survivors varies according to souce - numbers quoted below are from "Loyd's War Losses", Vol I):
King Alfred, on a voyage from St. John's to Methil with 6750 tons of pit props, was sunk by U 52 on Aug. 4 ("blown in two"). She had a crew of 39 - 5 of whom died.
Gogovale, on a voyage from Montreal for London with 6386 tons of flour, was also torpedoed by U 52 in this attack. She had a crew of 38 and 1 gunner - 2 crew and the gunner were lost. ("Drifting E.N.E. 2 knots. Tug unable to locate. Vessel presumed sunk").
Geraldine Mary, on a voyage from Botwood, N.F. to Manchester with 6112 tons of newsprint pulp and 494 tons of sulphite, was torpedoed by U 52 on Aug. 4. She had a crew of 46 and 5 passengers - 2 crew and 1 passengers were lost. Wreck sunk 1 3/4 - 2 hours after attack.
According to "Lloyd's War Losses", Vol 1, the Swedish Sigyn (crossed out on the Advance Sailing Telegram for HX 60) was on a voyage from Buctouche for Sunderland with 765 fathoms of pit props when she was sunk on Aug. 1-1940. She had a crew of 23, all of whom were saved. This sinking is also mentioned by J. Rohwer, who lists U-59 as the culprit.
Ocean Escort: HMS Ausonia sailed with the convoy from Halifax until "Eastern R.V.".
Local escort joined at 05:45 GMT on Aug. 4.
Local Escort: Canadian destroyer HMCS St. Laurent, British destroyers HMS Fortune, HMS Vanoc, HMS Winchelsea, the sloop HMS Sandwich and 1 corvette (not named).
More details on all the Norwegian ships named in this table can be found in the alphabetical ship lists of this website.
Related external links:
The attack on King Alfred
The attack on Gogovale
The attack on Geraldine Mary
To the next HX convoy in my list HX 61
| 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 |
