Convoy SC 11 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)
CONVOY SC 11
Sailing date was intended to be Nov 6-1940, but departed Sydney, C.B. on Nov. 9-1940, arrived Liverpool on the 26th.
Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" gives 24 ships in this convoy.
Transcribed from original documents received from Tony Cooper (Advance Sailing Telegram) - His source: Public Records Office, Kew.
The station numbers and names of escorts have been extracted from documents recived from Don Kindell, based on Arnold Hague's database - see ships in all SC convoys.
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 1939", R. W. Jordan.
"Lloyd's War Losses", Vol I.
On the documents, there's a note saying:
"Consequent holding of convoys at assembly ports owing to ocean raider, following will sail together and rendezvous on Nov. 22.
Former rendezvous dates:
SC 11 - Nov. 18
HX 85 - Nov. 12 (final destination fixed but not communicated)
HX 86 (Halifax) - Nov. 16
HX 86 (Sydney) - Nov. 16
HX 87 (Bermuda) - Nov. 20" (see also BHX 87, external link)
The "raider" in question was Admiral Scheer - see Convoy HX 84.
Crossed out ships did not sail, underlined returned to port (except those that are linked, which will automatically be underlined - the Norwegian Gulhaug, however, did return).
MoWT = Ministry of War Transport
Ship
Nationality
Cargo
Station
Destination
Remarks
Norwegian
lumber
92
Swansea
–
Bur
Swedish
phosphates
75
Londonderry
From SC 10
Returned to Sydney
To SC 13 - did not sail
(shows up again in SC 17)
Mauritz
"
lumber
63
London
From SC 10
Macgregor
British
phosphates
22
Tees
From SC 10
Dione II
Ex Fr. Dioné / MoWT 1940
iron ore
71
Birkenhead
–
Sonja Mærsk
Danish / MoWT 1940
pulp wood
11
Ridham Dock
Listed as coming from SC 10,
but not mentioned there
Norwegian
Tanker W
–
Clyde
Empire Kittiwake
British
steel - scrap
82
Swansea
From SC 10
To SC 12 - did not sail
Listed in HX 86
Norwegian
newsprint
62
Preston
From SC 10
Panaghis
Greek
maize
72
Liverpool
–
Hilversum
Dutch
phosphates
83
Newport
–
Vicia
Finnish
sugar
74
Dublin
From SC 10
Margit
Danish / MoWT 1940
pulp wood
64
Ridham Dock
Norwegian
lumber
52
Preston
Returned to Sydney
To SC 13 - did not sail
To SC 14 - did not sail
To SC 15 - did not sail, or may have?
To SC 16 - did not sail
(follow link to Gulhaug)
Inginer N. Vlassopol
Romanian
paper pulp
42
Methil d. g. / Gravesend
(Became British Hampton Lodge 1941)
See also HX 81
Norwegian
general
84
Belfast f. o.
"
iron ore
32
Glasgow
–
"
lumber
44
Ipswich
Sunk - see Notes
Yearby
British
wheat
31
Manchester
–
Alex
"
pit props
41
Milford Haven
–
Keilehaven
Dutch
steel
–
Clyde f. o.
Listed in SC 13 (w/lumber)
Alma Dawson
British
grain
21
Ipswich
Sunk - see Notes
Fintra
"
pit props
12
Tyne
–
Henri Mory
French / MoWT 1940
iron ore
61
Birkenhead
Returned to Sydney
To SC 13 - did not sail
Listed in SC 14
Theoskepasti
Greek
iron ore
–
Glasgow
Listed in SC 12
André Thomé
French
iron ore
–
Middlesbrough
Eibergen
Dutch
grain
–
Hull
Listed in SC 14
Nicolas Angelos
Greek
steel
73
Manchester
Bussum
Dutch
grain
94
Belfast
Sunk - see Notes
Dimitrios Chandris
Greek
steel
–
Glasgow
To SC 12 - did not sail
Listed in SC 13
Leise Mærsk
Danish / MoWT 1940
grain
23
Sharpness
Sunk - see Notes
Norwegian
lumber
–
London
To SC 12 - did not sail
To SC 13 - did not sail
To SC 14 - did not sail
To SC 15 - did not sail
Listed in SC 16
Blairdevon
British
timber
91
London
–
Norwegian
lumber
13
Boston
"
pit props
14
Tyne
Sunk - see Notes
"
lumber
24
Ridham Dock
–
"
lumber
33
London
–
Ootmarsum
Dutch
iron ore
34
Newport
Sunk - see Notes
Tennessee
Danish / MoWT 1940
grain
35
Ipswich
–
Justitia
British
steel - lumber
43
London
From HX 85
Sunk - see Notes
Llandilo
"
maize
51
London
–
Atlantic
"
steel - lumber
53
London
From HX 86
Norwegian
pit props
54
Tyne
–
Roxby
British
lumber
81
Sharpness
From HX 86
Bradfyne*
"
grain
93
Belfast
From HX 86
Sunk - see Notes
* See this message on my Ship Forum, as well as this thread.
Notes:
Commodore was Vice Admiral F. M. Austin in Llandilo, Vice Commodore was in Yearby.
Ships sunk (dates are according to German time):
Justitia, on a voyage from Savannah, GA for London with 5161 tons of lumber, 2248 tons steel, 40 tons turps, and 300 tons sundries, was sunk shortly after midnight, Nov. 23 by U-100. She had a crew of 38 and 1 gunner - 13 crew died.
Bradfyne, on a voyage from Montreal for Belfast with 7900 tons of grain, was sunk later that morning, also by U-100 - she had a crew of 43 - 39 died; the survivors were rescued by the Norwegian Norse King on Nov. 25.
Bruse, on a voyage from Nelson N.B. for Ipswich with 1550 tons of lumber, was also torpedoed by U-100 that morning - see my page about Bruse.
The Dutch Ootmarsum, on a voyage for Newport with a cargo of iron ore, was sunk by the same U-boat that morning. All 25 on board perished.
U-100 also sank the Norwegian Salonica, on a voyage from Pugwash for Newcastle with 3400 tons of pit props. My page about Salonica has more details.
Leise Mærsk, on a voyage from Three Rivers for Sharpness with 4500 tons of grain and general, was sunk later that morning by the same U-boat. She had a crew of 24 - 17 died.
That evening, U-100 sank the Dutch Bussum, on a voyage from Montreal for Belfast with 5200 tons of grain. All 29 on board survived.
Alma Dawson, on a voyage from Montreal for Ipswich with 5900 tons of general cargo, struck a British mine on Nov. 24 - all 35 on board survived and were picked up by the Norwegian Spurt.
The convoy arrived rendezvous on Nov. 22.
Escorts (extracted from this list of SC convoy escorts, based on Arnold Hague's database, received from D. Kindell; dates are European style, day/month/year):
Enchantress - From 09/11/40 to 26/11/40
Ottawa - From 21/11/40 to 26/11/40
Rodney - From 12/11/40 to 15/11/40
Saguenay - From 21/11/40 to 26/11/40
Skeena - From 21/11/40 to 26/11/40
St. Laurent - From 21/11/40 to 24/11/40
Related external link:
Allied ships hit by U-boats - By entering the name of each ship sunk, more information on the attacks is available.
To the next SC convoy in my list SC 12