Convoy ON 123 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)

Convoy ON 123 Cruising Order
Departed Liverpool on Aug. 21-1942, arrived Boston Sept. 3 (Arnold Hague says 39 ships).

Transcribed from several documents received from Roger Griffiths (his source: Public Records Office, Kew).

Br=British, Norw=Norwegian, Du=Dutch, Sw=Swedish, Pa=Panamanian, Am=American, Fr=French, Ru=Russian
Pass=passengers, MOWT=Ministry of War Transport.

Ships sailing from:
L=Liverpool, M=Milford, Bel=Belfast, G=Clyde, A=Aultbea.

For info, some of the ships in this convoy had previously arrived England with Convoy HX 200, others had arrived with HX 201 (see also HX 198 and HX 199).
A few of them subsequently returned to England with Convoy HX 208 (a couple are listed in HX 209, Manchester Commerce in SC 101).

11 (L)
William Johnson
(Am)

21 (L)
Thomas Stone
(Br)

31 (L)
Rancher
(Br)

41 (L)
Delftdijk
30 Pass.
(Du)

51 (G)
Cairnvalona
(Br)

61 (L)
Cymbula
(Br)

71 (G)
Terkoelei
(Du)

81 (L)
Manchester Commerce
(Br)

91 (L)
Fanad Head
(Br)

101 (L)
Stuart Prince
(Br)

12 (L)
John Marshall
(Am)

22 (L)
Argon
(Am)

32 (A)
Sommerstad
(Norw)

42 (L)
San Venancio
(Br)

52 (G)
Southern Princess
(Br)

62 (M)
Tetela
10 Pass.
(Br)

72 (L)
Sovac
(Br)

82 (L)
Morgenen
(Norw)

92 (G)
Hilary
360 Pass.
(Br)

102 (M)
Fernmoor
(Norw)

13 (L)
Mobile City
(Am)

23 (L)
Metapan
(Am)

33 (Bel)
Cartago
(Am)

43 (A)
Stigstad
(Norw)

53 (A)
Vestfold
(Norw/Pa)

63 (G)
F. J. Wolfe *
(Br)

73 (G)
Hagood
(Am)

83 (M)
Elona
(Br)

93 (M)
Franche Comte
Fr/MOWT 1940

103 (G)
Empire Bittern
(Br)

14 (M)
Vaalaren
12 Pass.
(Sw)

24 (M)
Abangarez
(Am)

34 (M)
Alcoa Voyager
(Am)

44 (M)
Aruba
(Du)

54 (G)
Empire Flamingo
(Br)

64 (G)
Taria
(Du)

74 (M)
Gulf of Mexico
(Am)

84 (A)
Nyanza *
(Br)

94 (A)
Cape Breton
(Br)

104 (G)
Empire Mordred?
(Br)

35 (A)
Ilmen *
(Ru)

65 (G)
Bury
Rescue Vessel
(Br)

* Nyanza and Ilmen also show up in the next convoy.
F. J. Wolfe is listed in ON 125 as well as ON 127.
Perhaps these ships followed the convoys to Iceland only?
(They would not have had time to travel all the way to the U.S. and back to join these convoys).

Notes:
Commodore W.E.B. Magee was in Cairnvalona, Vice Commodore in Manchester Commerce, Rear Commodore in Rancher.

The convoy had 38 ships - 34 were present at point of dispersal.
Average speed: 9.4 knots.

Daily positions of convoy at 08:00 BST (from Aug. 23 through Sept. 3) are available on request via contact address provided at the bottom of this page. Or, go to this page on Mike Holdoway's website (external link) - I sent him the coordinates, and he made a chart of the voyage (click on "Charted convoy routes").

Bury (requisitioned on Aug. 14-1941) was on her 6th voyage as rescue vessel. She started this voyage from Clyde with ON 123 on Aug. 22 (to St. John's Sept. 1, then with Convoy JH 15 from St. John's to Halifax Sept. 6-Sept. 9) and returned to the U.K. with Convoy HX 207 from Halifax on Sept. 13, to Clyde Sept. 24. ("Convoy Rescue Ships 1940-1945", Arnold Hague).

Several ships had problems with smoke, as follows:
Bury - Reported that the only reason was the coal they were burning, this they obtained at Glasgow and was Fifeshire coal.
Empire Bittern - Made it known that her bunkers consisted of Scottish and Dominion coal, the latter which she obtained in Halifax was very difficult to control, especially after burning fires. The Scotch coal was put on board at Glasgow.
Rancher - Chief engineer reported that he was doing his best to make as little smoke as possible but could not avoid some when cleaning fires. Burning Yorkshire coal and was bunkered at Liverpool.
Morgenen - The only reason given was that the construction of the boilers made the ship a bad smoker.
Cairnvalona - The Chief engineer reported that smoke was due to the coal which was Northumberland and Scottish. Also said that the stoking was to blame. Ship was bunkered at Newcastle-on-Tyne.

Escorts:
Local escort - illegible (possibly HMS Witherington, HMCS Matapedia, HMCS Moosejaw and 3 more).
Ocean Escort: HMS Broke (S.O.) joined at 11:30 Aug. 21 in 55 32N 06 30W - parted company at 08:00 Aug. 31 in 44 32N 52 24W.
HMCS Eyebright, HMCS Battleford, HMCS Orillia, HMCS Chilliwack joined at 11:32 Aug. 21 in 55 32N 06 30W - parted company at 09:30 Aug. 31 in 44 32N 52 47W.
The Commodore also mentions HMS Nasturtium, but no further details.

Air Escort:
A Sunderland flew around convoy once at 06:55 Aug. 24 in 54 20N 16 38W.
Also at 08:25 Aug. 25 in 52 45N 22 00W.
Catalinas were sighted at 10:00 Aug. 31 in 44 32N 50 55W till 21:30 (11 1/2 hours).
Again from 06:00 Sept. 1 in 44 25N 58 20W till 20:00 (14 hours).
Hudsons were sighted at 06:00 Sept. 2 til 20:00 (14 hours).
Various aircraft flew around from 12:00 Sept. 3 in 42 21N 69 15W until convoy dispersed at 18:30.

Related external link:
Liberty Ships - Some of the ships listed as American in this convoy were Liberty Ships (station 11, 21 and 12); this website has more information on them.

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To the next ON convoy in my list ON 124