Convoy OA 98GF & OB 98 (OG 20F) (original) (raw)
CONVOY OA 98GF & OB 98GF
(GF=Gibraltar/Fast)
Joined up to form OG 20F
Some facts about the OA Convoys (form Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System"):
This series, together with the concurrent OB series, were the first outward bound oceanic convoys from the U.K., OA 1 being the first one, leaving the Downs on Sept. 7-1939. Until mid-1940 this series had a dual purpose in that it contained ships proceeding overseas, as well as ships bound for British ports, with the 2 portions splitting off Lands End. Often, ships joined from Southampton, Plymouth and Falmouth. The oceanic section of the convoys would meet up with the OB convoy of the same number (from Liverpool) to continue as a joint convoy under the OB title. About every 5th convoy the merged OA/OB convoy assumed a new title and went south to Gibraltar with the designation OG.
My page for OB 169 has more information on the OB series. See also the external links at the end of this page.
Here are some HG convoys (Gibraltar-U.K.) from the same time period.
| Convoy OA 98GF Cruising Order Departed Southend on Febr. 24-1940, formed OG 20F on Febr. 27 (together with OB 98GF), arrived Gibraltar on March 4 with 38 ships(Arnold Hague says the OA portion had 19 ships). | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| List received from Tony Cooper (his source: Public Records Office, Kew). | ||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 11 Atlantic coal Gibraltar(Br) | 21 Helenus general - passengers Port Said - Malta (Br) | 31 Surat general - mail Gibraltar - Port Said (Br) | 41 Ocean Escort | 51 Bretwalda Barry (Br) |
| 12 Levernbank general Calcutta - Port Said (Br) | 22 Merjerda coal Savona | 32 |
42 Cymbula ballast Constanza (Br) | 52 |
| 13 |
23 Eclipse ballast Beaumont, Tx. (Br) | 33 Dromus ballast Port Said(Br) | 43 Egyptian general Gibraltar - Malta - Alexandria (Br) | 53 |
| 14Cameron(?) general - stores Gibraltar (Br) | 24 Draco general - coal Genoa-Ledhorn(?)-Savona (Br) | 34 Beechwood ballast San Domingo (Br) | 44 Trehata coal Lisbon (Br) | 54 |
| 15 |
25 |
35 Polarica? ballast Seville | 45 |
55 British Honour Curacao (Br) |
| Commodore for this portion was Vice Admiral Washington was in Surat(?), Rear Commodore was Captain P. Cavery of Helenus.Urla may not have sailed, it looks like she too has been crossed out from station 13. |
| Convoy OB 98GF Cruising Order Departed Liverpool on Febr. 24-1940, formed OG 20F (with OA 98GF) on Febr. 27, arrived Gibraltar on March 4 with 38 ships(Arnold Hague says the OB portion had 20 ships). | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 11 | 21 | 31 | 41 | 51Sagaing general Gibr. - Rangoon (Br) | 61Glen Ogilevie * general Port Said - Bombay | 71 Sardinian Prince general Gibr. - Alexandria (Br) | 81 Cornwall general Dakar (Br) | 91CraftsmanKingston, Jam. (Br) |
| 12 | 22 | 32 | 42 | 52Baron Tweedmouth coal Caronte (Br) | 62Clan Murdoch general Port Said - Columbo(Br) | 72 British Zeal ballast Port Said - Abadan (Br) | 82 Apapa general Dakar (Br) | 92SangaraMadeira (Br) |
| 13 | 23 | 33 | 43 | 53 Shuna coal Malta (Br) | 63Lublin ballast Gibr. - Haifa (Po) | 73 Garonne ballast Constanza (Norw) | 83 British Ardour ballast Texas (Br) | 93Aguila Lisbon (Br) |
| 14 | 24 | 34 | 44 | 54 Estrellano coal Alexandria (Br) | 64 British Sincerity ballast Abadan (Br) | 74 Beaconhill ballast Aruba (Pa) | 84 Inverilen ballast Dayton., Tx (Br) |
Notes:
* Should the ship in station 61 be Clan Ogilvy? (There was also a Clan Macgillivray).
Commodore for this portion was Vice Admiral Sommerville - ship not known.
Related external links:
OG Convoys - The site also has a chronological list of OA and OB convoys.
To the next OA convoy in my list OA 99
To the next available OB convoy in my list OB 169
| 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 |
