Convoy HX 68 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)
CONVOY BHX 68 and HX 68 BHX 68 departed Bermuda on Aug. 23-1940
HX 68 left Halifax on Aug. 24-1940 and arrived Liverpool on Sept. 8.
Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" gives 47 ships in the combined convoy.
| Transcribed from Advane Sailing Telegram received from Tony Cooper, England - His source: Public Records Office, Kew. |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ship | Nationality | Cargo | Destination | Remarks |
| Bermuda Section of Convoy HX 68 (joined HX 68 on Aug. 28) | ||||
| Abraham Lincoln | Norwegian | none given | Liverpool | – |
| Swedish | Copra - zinc | Liverpool | To BHX 69 - but crossed out See * below | |
| Appalachee | British | Tanker W | Avonmouth | – |
| Athelbeach | " | sugar (Tanker) | Hull | – |
| Athelqueen | " | molasses (Tanker) | Birkenhead | – |
| British Governor | " | Admiralty tanker B | Clyde | – |
| Californian | American / MoWT 1940 | steel - iron - motor boats | Glasgow | (Renamed Empire Kite, later Empire Seal) From BHX 67 |
| British | Tanker W | Clyde f. o. | From BHX 67 Joined (B)HX 72 (to Halifax) Joined HX 80 | |
| American / MoWT 1940 | lead bunker - pulp | Liverpool | (Renamed Empire Elk later Norw. Norvarg) Sailed in HX 69 | |
| Diplomat | British | steel - general - explosives - motor boats | Liverpool | From BHX 67 |
| Germanic | " | scrap | Barrow | – |
| Kavak | " | bauxite | Newport | – |
| Kongsgaard | Norwegian | Tanker B | To Halifax to await orders | See ** below |
| Oakfield | British | Admiralty tanker | Liverpool | – |
| Greek | sulphur | Garston | Sailed in HX 69 | |
| British | Admiralty tanker | Clyde | To BHX 69 - but crossed out See * below | |
| Politician | " | steel - copper - general - explosives | Holyhead / Liverpool | – |
| Robert F. Hand | " | Tanker W | To Halifax to await orders | See ** below |
| Samuel Bakke | Norwegian | lead - lumber | Manchester | – |
| Silveray | British | general - aeroplanes - motorboats | Liverpool | – |
| * In the document for the Bermuda portion of the next convoy, HX 69, there's a note next to Anten and Patella saying simply "HX 68", which might indicate they both had sailed in HX 68 afterall(?) - see also A. Hague's listing below. Additionally, Varand is crossed out from that form, with the same note, and Tricula and Winamac, sailing in HX 69, are said to have come from HX 68.** As can be seen from A. Hague's listing for this convoy below, he has not included Kongsgaard and Robert F. Hand; it's possible they proceeded to Halifax independently. According to this document showing Kongsgaard's voyages in this period, she sailed from Bermuda on Aug. 22, arriving Halifax on the 25th, and did not leave again until Sept. 26, joining Convoy HX 76. (She had been scheduled for the earlier Convoy HX 70, but again there's a note in the convoy document saying that she was to be held back in Halifax). Robert F. Hand does not show up again until HX 78. |
| Convoy HX 68 Cruising Order Departed Halifax on Aug. 24-1940 and arrived Liverpool on Sept. 8 (Arnold Hague gives 47 ships for the combined convoy in his "The Allied Convoy System"). | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transcribed from a document received from Don Kindell, based on Arnold Hague's database (see ships in all HX convoys). B = Ships joining from Bermuda S = Ships joining from Sydney, C.B. Br=British, Norw=Norwegian, Sw=Swedish, Am=American, Du=Dutch, Gr=Greek | ||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 11 Anglo Indian grain (Br) | 21 Silverfir general (Br) | 31 Varand petrol (Br) | 41 Ethel Radcliffe grain (Br) | 51 Cornish City steel (Br) | 61 Baron Newlands timber (Br) | 71 Harbledown* steel (Br) | 81 Tilsington Court grain (Br) | 91 Sveve dieso (Norw)* |
| 12 Kelso general (Br) | 22 Baron Ogilvy lumber (Br) | 32 Para pig iron (Norw) | 42 Sovac lub. oil (Br) | 52 Eleni steel (Gr) | 62 Philipp M pit props (Br) | 72 Mount Kitheron pit props (Gr) | 82 Anten** ore - copra (Sw) | 92 S Photinia iron ore (Br) |
| 13 S Empire Mermaid* steel - scrap metal (Br) | 23 Patella** FFO (Br) | 33 Meandros steel - scrap metal (Gr) | 43 S Baron Haig pit props (Br) | 53 S Dorelian general (Br) | 63 S Annavore lumber (Norw) | 73 S Kenbane Head general (Br) | 83 S Mount Kassion general (Gr) | 93 B Athelbeach molasses (Br) |
| 14 S Nurturetown steel - paper (Br) | 24 S Mansepool steel - lumber (Br) | 34 S Batna iron ore (Br) | 44 S Varøy lumber (Norw) | 54 S Baltonhall steel - paper (Br) | 64 S Sulairia general (Br) | 74 S Manchester Progress general (Br) | 84 B Germanic scrap iron (Br) | 94 |
| 15 B British Governor FFO (Br) | 25 B Oakfield FFO (Br) | 35 B Abraham Lincoln general (Norw) | 45 B Politician steel (Br) | 55 B Silveray general (Br) | 65 B Kavak bauxite (Br) | 75 B Appalachee aviation gas (Br) | 85 | 95 |
| 16 | 26 B Clavella*** FFO (Du) | 36 B Samuel Bakke lead - lumber (Norw) | 46 B Diplomat steel - pulp - paper (Br) | 56 B Athelqueen molasses (Br) | 66 B Californian steel - scrap metal (Am/MoWT 1940) | 76 | 86 | 96 |
| * Harbledown later joined up with the slow Convoy SC 2. Empire Mermaid had originally been scheduled for that convoy. Note also that there's a statement in connection with Convoy SC 2 saying that the Norwegian Balla and Havtor, which both sailed in SC 2, originally came from HX 68. (Adding Tricula and Winamac mentioned further up on this page, that's 4 ships we know of that were shceduled for this convoy but did not sail, in addition to those crossed out from the Bermuda portion - there may have been more).** As can be seen, A. Hague has included both Anten and Patella, which are crossed out on the Advance Sailing Telegram. (A. Hague adds that Anten was chartered to the British Government on Nov. 9-1940). *** Clavella is not listed in the Advance Sailing Telegram for the Bermuda portion. * See Advance Sailing Telegram for HX 63, Baron Ogilvy had been scheduled for HX 66 and possibly HX 67. |
Notes: The convoy arrived rendezvous on Sept. 5.
A. Hague names the following escorts for Convoy HX 68 (extracted from this list of HX convoy escorts received from D. Kindell; dates are European style, day/month/year):
Assiniboine - From 24/08/40 to 25/08/40
Aurania - From 24/08/40 to 04/09/40
Cairo - From 07/09/40 to 08/09/40
Fleur de Lys - From 07/09/40 to 08/09/40
French - From 24/08/40 to 25/08/40
Sageuenay - From 24/08/40 to 26/08/40
St. Laurent - From 07/09/40 to 08/09/40
To the next HX convoy in my list HX 69
| 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 |
