Convoy HX 79 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)

CONVOY HX 79 (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 79 Cruising Order
Departed Halifax on Oct. 8-1940 and arrived Liverpool Oct. 23 (Arnold Hague gives 49 ships).
This does not mean that all the ships arrived that port on that date; some ships had other destinations as detailed below.

List received from Ted Agar, England. (His source: A diary).

Further details have been added with the help of:
"The Allied Convoy System", Arnold Hague
"Axis Submarine Successes of World War Two", Jürgen Rohwer.

The stations given for the majority of the convoy forms from Ted are the intitial convoy stations on departure; these may have changed as the voyage progressed.

S = Ships joining from Sydney, C. B. (stations given in Notes).
B = Ships joining from Bermuda (stations given in Notes).

Br=British, Sw=Swedish, Du=Dutch, Norw=Norwegian, s=sunk, dam=damaged, †=dead.

11
City of Lancaster
general
Hull
(Br)

21
Harlesden
steel - pit props
Hull
(Br)

31
Empire Swansteel
Glasgow
(Br)

41
Sandanger
kerosene
Clyde
(Norw)

51
Salacia
general
Liverpool
(Br)

61
Caprella
fuel oil
Mersey
s - 1†
(Br)

71
Harbury
steel - scrap iron
Liverpool
(Br)

81
Matheran
iron - zinc - general
Liverpool
s - 9†
(Br)

91
Cadillac
gas - kerosene
Barry Roads
(Br)

12
San Robertofuel oil
Methil
(Br)

22
Erna III*
pit props
Immingham
(Br)

32
Rydboholm
steel
Glasgow
(Sw)

42
Egda
gas - kerosene
Clyde
(Norw)

52
Marathon
wheat
Liverpool
(Gr)

62
Whitford Point
steel
Liverpool
s - 37†
(Br)

72
Atland
iron ore
Port Talbot
(Sw)

82
Biafra
general
Liverpool
(Br)

92
Bilderdijk
grain - general
Liverpool
s - 0†
(Du)

13
Flowergate
pig iron
Methil
(Br)

23
Gunda
pit props
Tyne
(Sw)

33 S
Loch Lomond
steel - lumber
Methil
s (Br)

43 S
Cairnvalonageneral
Newcastle
(Br)

53
Cape Corso
steel rails
Clyde
(Br)

63
Janus
fuel oil
Clyde
s (Sw)

73 S
Ravnefjell
general
Mersey
(Norw)

83 S
Brittany
general
Manchester
(Br)

93 S
Uganda
steel - lumber
Milford
Haven
s - 0†
(Br)

14 S
Baron Carnegie
pit props
Tyne
(Br)

24 S
Wellington Court
maize
Methil
(Br)

34 S
Enseigne Maurice Préchac
iron ore
Methil
(Br)

44 S
Tiba
grain
Methil
(Du)

54 S
Rio Blanco
lumber
UK
(Br)

64 S
Campus
lumber
Manchester
(Br)

74 S
Axel Johnson
general
Liverpool
(Sw)

84 S
Thyra
sulphite pulp
Manchester
(Norw)

94 B
La Estancia
sugar
Belfast - Middlesbrough
s - 1†
(Br)

15 S
Induna
pit props - steel
Hull
(Br)

25 S
Benwood
iron ore
Middlesbr.
(Norw)

35 S
Blairnevis
pit props - steel
Hull
(Br)

45 B
Empire
Trader
refrig. general
Avonmouth
(Br)

55 S
Kiruna
iron ore
Glasgow
(Sw)

65 S
Sir Ernest Cassel
iron ore
Glasgow
(Sw)

75 B
Athelmonarch
molasses
Liverpool
dam. (Br)

85 B
Høyanger
pulp - lead - lumber
Liverpool
(Norw)

16 B
Wandby
lead - zinc - lumber
Middlesbr.
s - 0†
(Br)

26 B
Baron Minto*
scrap iron
Hull
(Br)

36 B
Shirak
kerosene
London
dam. s - 0†
(Br)

56 B
Triton
wheat - wool - steel
Liverpool
(Norw)

66 S
Ruperra
steel - scrap iron - aircraft
Glasgow
s - 30†
(Br)

57 B
Sitala
crude oil
Manchester
s - 1†
(Br)

67 B
Tribesman
general
Liverpool
(Br)

* Erna III probably did not sail (or returned to port), she's also listed in the slow Convoy SC 9.

*Baron Minto put in to Sydney C.B. - listed in next convoy (Sydney section).

For info, some of the ships in this convoy had previously been cancelled from Convoy HX 78

Notes:
Enseigne Maurice Préchac was originally a French ship, under Ministry of War Transport control.
Erna III was the Danish Erna, under Ministry of War Transport from June-1940 (R. W. Jordan).

According to the Advance Sailing Telegrams for the next convoy, HX 80, it appears several ships had been scheduled for HX 79, but did not sail, namely:
John P. Pedersen Teneriffa Elg Empire Kittiwake (also cancelled from HX 80, SC 9, SC 10, SC 11, and SC 12 - Listed in HX 86)Kyleglen Botwey Ostende (also cancelled from HX 80 and HX 81).

Some ships were also cancelled from the Bermuda portion, namely:
Contractor (general - River Mersey)
Oilfield (tanker - Halifax f. o.)
Scottish Maiden (Halifax f. o.)
Yngaren (steel, lumber and paper - Liverpool).
Contractor and Yngaren are listed in HX 80.

Joining from Sydney (SHX 79): Baron Carnegie, station 11, Induna, station 12, Wellington Court, station 21, Benwood, station 22, Loch Lomond, station 31, Enseigne Maurice Préchac in 32, Blairnevis in 33, Cairnvalona in 41, Tiba in 42, Rio Blanco in 51, Kiruna in 52, Campus in 61, Sir Ernest Cassel in 62, Ruperra in 63, Ravnefjell in 71, Axel Johnson in 72, Brittany in 81, Thyra in 82, Uganda in 91.

Joining from Bermuda (BHX 79) - Sailed Oct. 6: Wandby, station 11, Baron Minto in 21, Shirak in 31, Empire Trader in 41, Triton in 51, Sitala in 52, Tribesman in 61, Athelmonarch in 71, Høyanger in 81, La Estancia in 91.

Wandby - 8900 tons lead, zinc and lumber for Middlesbrough, sunk by U-47 Oct. 19, no casualties.
Loch Lomond steel/lumber for Methil, straggled, sunk by U-100 Oct. 20.
Shirak - Kerosene for London, damaged by U-47 Oct. 19, sunk by U-48 Oct. 20, no casualties.
Sitala - 8444 tons crude oil for Manchester, sunk by U-100 Oct. 20, 1 died.
Caprella - 11 300 tons fuel oil for Mersey, sunk by U-100 Oct. 20, 1 died.
Whitford Point - 7840 tons steel for Liverpool, sunk by U-47 Oct. 20, 37 died.
Bilderdijk - 8640 tons grain/general, sunk by U-47 [Uboat.net says U-38] Oct. 19, no casualties.
Janus - fuel oil for Clyde, straggled, sunk by U-46 Oct. 20.
Ruperra - steel/scrap iron/aircraft for Glasgow, sunk by U-46 Oct. 19, 30 died.
Athelmonarch - Molasses for Liverpool, damaged by U-47 Oct. 20.
Matheran -3000 tons iron/1200 tons zinc/general for Liverpool, sunk by U-38 Oct. 19, 9 died.
Uganda - 2006 tons steel/6200 tons lumber for Milford Haven, sunk by U-38? Oct. 19 [Arnold Hague says U-47], no casualties.
La Estancia - 8333 tons sugar for Belfast, sunk by U-47 Oct. 20, 1 died.

See also this thread on my Ship Forum for a more detailed analysis of these attacks.

More information on all the Norwegian ships listed in the above table can be found on this website - see the alphabet index below.

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