Convoy KMS 6 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)

Convoy KMS 6 Cruising Order
Departed Clyde on Dec. 24-1942 and arrived Gibraltar on Jan. 4-1943, Bone Jan. 8 (Arnold Hague says 49 ships).

A 1 form was received from Robert Martin, England - His source: Public Records Office, Kew. His information has been compared to and supplemented with details received from Don Kindell; his source: Arnold Hague's research. (Don's work, which covers "Royal & other Navies Day-by-Day in World War 2" can be viewed at this website). A. Hague indicates the convoy left Algiers on Jan. 7-1943, and it looks like a few more ships joined en route (from Gibraltar, Algiers and Oran) - they're named at the end of this table.

Note that there was also a faster convoy, KMF 6, which left Clyde on Dec. 26-1942 and arrived Algiers on Jan. 3-1943.

See also some eastbound North Atlantic convoys from the same time period (for instance HX 213, HX 214 and onwards) as well as MKS 5X and MKS 6.

Br=British, Am=American, Norw=Norwegian, Du=Dutch.

On the A 1 form, the ships are denoted G, N, A, O, B, P or F according to which portion they sailed in on departure. (The letters for some of the ships in the last row are not visible on the document). I'm assuming the crossed out ships did not sail.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

11 G
Salacia
(Br)

21 N
Empire Mordred
(Br)

31 N
Theseus
(Br)

41 N
Lycaon
Detached at Gibraltar
(Br)

51 P
Ocean Messenger
Philippeville
(Br)

61 A

Saint Essylt

(Br)

Manchester Port
(Br)

71 A
Hopecrown
(Br)

81 A
Alphard
(Du)

91 O
Clan Murray
(Br)

101 O
Macharda
(Br)

111 O
Irénée Du Pont
(Am)

12 G
Ittersum
(Du)

22 N
Thomas Hooker
(Am)

32 N
Pacific Exporter
(Br)

42 N
Benalbanach
sunk - see Notes
(Br)

52 P
Fort McLoughlin
Philippeville
(Br)

62 A
Empire Chivalry
(Br)

72 A

Manchester Port

moved to 61

82 A
Argos Hill
Algiers
(Br)

92 O
Charles H. Cramp
(Am)

102 O
Kaipaki
(Br)

112 O
Fort Stikine
(Br)

13 N
Recorder
(Br)

23 N
Lochmonar
(Br)

33 G
Athos
Gibraltar
(Norw)

43 N
Mary Slessor
(Br)

53 B
Norton
(Br?)

63 A
Chattanooga City
(Am)

73 A
Pacific Grove
(Br)

83 A
Empire Rowan
Algiers
(Br)

93 O
Empire Confidence
Oran
(Br)

103 O
William Floyd
(Am)

113 O
Edward Rutledge
(Am)

14 N
Empire Driver
(Br)

24 N
Stad Haarlem
(Du)

34 G
President de Vogue
(Norw)

44 P
William Wirt*
(Am)

54 B
Fort Senneville
Bougie
(Br)

64 A
Empire Kangaroo
(Br)

74 A
Duke of Athens
(Br)

84 A
Levernbank
Algiers
(Br)

94 O
Havildar
(Br)

104 O
Mark Twain
(Am)

114 O
Exilona
(Am)

15 G
Empire Tower
(Br)
from Liverpool

25 N
Clan Macbrayne
(Br)

35 N
Empire Wordsworth
Bone
(Br)

45 P
Fort Battle River
(Br)

55 B
Empire Nightingale**
(Br)
did not sail?
left convoy?

65 A
Empire Darwin
(Br - CAM)
later in 71?

75 A
Clan Macbean
(Br)

Basil?
(from 46)

85 O
Tiba
(Du)
from Liverpool
(for Bone)

95 O
City of Worcester
(Br)
from Liverpool
(for Algiers)

105 O
Tristram Dalton
(Am)
from Liverpool
(for Bone)

115 O
John Davenport
(Am)
from Liverpool
(for Algiers)

16

26

36
Empire Gale
Freetown
(Br)
later in 57?

46
Basil*
(Br)
moved to 75?

56
Empire Clive
Freetown
(Br)

66 F
Belnor
Freetown
(Norw)

76 F
Wearwood
(Br)

86

96

106

116

* William Wirt, carrying cased petrol and TNT, arrived Algiers with damage from aircraft.
** This ship is not mentioned at all in A. Hague's list.

* Basil was detached to the Azores by escort Petunia on Dec. 29.

Some of the station numbers are different from the above in A. Hague's list, but this could simply mean the ships moved as the voyage progressed. In addition to the above ships, he has also named the following:
The Norwegian Akabahra (sunk, see Notes below).
The American Daniel Huger, Esso Bayway (voyage from Gibraltar to Algiers), Esso Charleston and Thomas B. Robertson.
The Norwegian Evviva (voyage from Oran to Philippeville)
and the British Hampton Lodge (which had returned to port when in the previous convoy).

Notes:
I believe the Commodore was in Manchester Port, Vice Commodore in Lycaon (or possibly in Salacia).

Commodore's narrative of voyage is not available.

Benalbanach, on a voyage from Greenock for North Africa with 800 tons of ammunition, 300 tons of military stores, 136 vehicles, and 68 tons of petrol, was attacked by aircraft on Jan. 7-1943, blew up and sank in 1 1/2-2 minutes. She had a crew of 57 and 17 gunners as well as 389 Army personnel - 44 crew, 13 gunners and 340 Army personnel were lost. ("Lloyd's War Losses", Vol I).

The Norwegian Akabahra was also sunk in this attack. As can be seen, she's not included in the above table, but appears to have joined from Algiers, in order to proceed to Bone. There were no casualties - see my page about Akabahra for further details.

Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" also indicates a ship was damaged before arrival Gibraltar, but unfortunately, I don't know which one, or how. However, he might be referring to William Wirt, already mentioned at * above.

Duke of Athens was involved in a collision at Algiers on Jan. 16-1943.

Escorts (received from Don Kindell):
Dec. 24-1942 to Jan. 5-1943: Aubretia, Balsam, Black Swan, Camellia, Campion, Carnation, Fowey, La Malouine, Myosotis, Petunia, Violet.
Dec. 29-1942 to Dec. 30: Moosejaw.
Jan. 1-Jan. 3: Drangey, Haarlem.
Jan. 4: Weyburn.
Jan. 4-Jan. 9: Boreas, Burdock, Convolvulus, Rochester, Vanoc, Verity, Wishart.

Related external links:
Liberty Ships
List of Liberty Ships by Hull No.

Empire Ships listed in alphabetical order (also has a section for Liberty Ships).
This site has more on the "Fort" (and "Ocean") ships mentioned in this convoy.

OG, OS and KMS and KMF Convoys - in chronological order, starting with 1939.

Back to Convoy Index

The next KMS convoy available to me is KMS 7, which will be added. In the meantime, the next KMS convoy on the site is KMS 10