Convoy MKS 8 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)

Convoy MKS 8 Cruising Order
Departed Bone on Febr. 17-1943, Gibraltar Febr. 22 - arrived Liverpool on March 1
(Arnold Hague gives 48 ships).

Transcribed from A 1 form received from Robert Martin, England - His source: Public Records Office, Kew.

For info, there was also a faster convoy, MKF 8, which had left Algiers on Febr. 2-1943, arrived Clyde on the 9th.

There's no date or port of origin visible on the A 1 form, but this appears to show the formation from Gibraltar to the U.K. (see additional ships at the end of this table, with destinations other than the U.K.).

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 World's Merchant Fleets", R. W. Jordan.
"Lloyd's War Losses", Vol I.

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

11
Empire Prince
Algiers-Clyde
(Br)

21
Alcoa Trader
Gibr.-Loch Ewe
(Am)

31
Ocean Wayfarer
Algiers-Mersey
(Br)

41
Mahsud
Gibr.-Clyde
(Br)

51
Empire Day
Gibr.-Newport
(Br)

61
City of Venice
Algiers-Clyde
(Br)

71
City of Norwich
Algiers-Mersey
(Br)

81
Rajput
Algiers-Avonmouth
(Br)

91
Lublin
Gibr.-Preston
(Po)

101
Ocean Merchant
Bone-Swansea
(Br)

12
Eastern City
Algiers-Mersey
(Br)

22
Anniston City
Gibr.-Loch Ewe
(Am)

32
Dahomian
Algiers-Mersey
(Br)

42
Alcoa Banner
Gibr.-Glasgow
(Am)

52
Jenny
Gibr.-Mersey
(Norw)

62
Empire Cameron
Algiers-Mersey
(Br)

72
Fort McLeod
Algiers-Barry
(Br)

82
Empire Wyclif
Algiers-Clyde
(Br)

92
Ousel
Gibr.-Preston
(Br)

102
Ocean Virtue
Gibr.-Newport
(Br)

13
Ferncliff
Oran-Clyde
(Norw)

23
Kana
Gibr.-Loch Ewe
(Br)

33
Ocean Veteran
Algiers-Newport
(Br)

43
Empress of Russia
Gibr.-U.K.
1300 pers.
(Br)

53
Welsh Trader
Gibr.-Barrow
(Br)

63
Empire Newton
Algiers-Mersey
(Br)

73
Fort Bourbon
Algiers-Mersey
(Br)

83
Kong Sverre
Algiers-Clyde
(Norw)

93
Lochee
Algiers-Swansea
(Br)

103
Lwow
Gibr.-Mersey
(Po)

14
Hardingham
Gibr.-Mersey
(Br)

24
Port Rush
Gibr.-Loch Ewe
(Br trawler)

34
Ocean Volga
Algiers-Cardiff
(Br)

44
Ittersum
Loch Ewe
(Du)

54
Fort Simpson
Gibr.-Barry
(Br)

64
Empire Usk
Gibr.-Barrow
(Br)

74
Harpalycus
Gibr.-Mersey
(Br)

84
Trefusis?
Loch Ewe
(Br)
See * below

94
Derwenthall
Algiers-Mersey
(Br)

104
Ocean Liberty
Gibr.-Swansea
(Br)

15
Empire Ruskin
Gibr.-Newport
(Br)

25
Robin Gray
Loch Ewe
(Am)

35
James Iredell
Gibr.-Loch Ewe
(Am)

45
Ocean Vigil
Mersey
(Br)

55
Ocean Viscount
Gibr.-Swansea
(Br)

65
Clan Macbean
Gibr.-Glasgow
(Br)

75
Lewant
Gibr.-Barrow
(Po)

85
Macgregor Laird
Gibr.-Mersey
(Br)

95
HMS Deptford

105
Ocean Trader
Gibr.-Mersey
(Br)

* Comparing this with a list of ships received from Don Kindell, based on A. Hague's own research, I find that it agrees with the above, except A. Hauge has not included Trefusis and it does look like she was not in this convoy; she's said to have been in the Gibraltar-U.K. Convoy XK 2 when she was sunk on March 5 (ref. Notes below).

A. Hague has also included the the following ships in his list, which has the heading -Gibraltar Febr. 22-1943-. These ships are not mentioned on the A 1 form (the form shows the ships bound for the U.K. only):

Dutch Antonia (Bone to Algiers - also appears, with the same voyage information, in A. Hague's list for Convoy MKS 9)
Norwegian Bralanta (Algiers to Gibraltar)
British Brinkburn (Bone to Algiers)
British Cara
British Empire Tower (returned - appears to have joined Convoy XK 2, in which Trefusis was sunk - Empire Tower was also sunk)
Norwegian Hildur I (Bone to Algiers)
British MMS 47 and MMS 9 (both Bone to Algiers)
French Jamaique (Algiers to U.K. -listed in MKS 9)
American James Monroe (Algiers to Gibraltar)
French Jeanne Schiaffino (Philippeville to Bougie)
Norwegian Mammy (Bone to Oran)
American Matthew P. Deady (Algiers to Oran)
French Medie II (Algiers to Casablanca via Gibraltar)
Dutch Merope (Bone to Gibraltar)
French Nanceen (Algiers to Gibraltar)
American Nathanael Greene (Algiers - torpedoed, see Notes below)
American Orpheus (Algiers to Oran)
American Panama City (Algiers to Oran)
British Portsea (Philippeville to Oran)
French Prosper Schiaffino (Algiers to Oran)
American Reverdy Johnson
American Sahale (Algiers to Gibraltar)
American Schoharie (Algiers to Gibraltar)
American Thomas Pinckney (Algiers to Gibraltar)
American Thomas Stone (Algiers to Gibraltar)
Norwegian Troubadour (Algiers to Oran - also in MKS 9)
American Winston Salem (Algiers to Oran)