Convoy SC 17 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)
CONVOY SC 17
Departed Halifax on Dec. 23-1940 and arrived Liverpool on Jan 8-1941.
Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" gives 19 ships in this convoy.
Transcribed from several original documents received from Roger Griffiths - His source: Public Records Office, Kew.
Crossed out ships did not sail, underlined ships returned to port (except those that are linked, which will automatically be underlined).
MoWT=Ministry of War Transport
Ship
Nationality
Cargo
Station
Destination
Remarks
Bur
Swedish
phosphates
14
Londonderry
Norwegian
Admiralty tanker B
fuel oil
62
Clyde
"
Tanker B
fuel oil
23
London (Purfleet)
From SC 16
"
scrap iron
43
Grangemouth
From SC 16
Lost touch - see notes below
Danby
British
steel - lumber
–
Ipswich
Lautaro
"
general
24
Liverpool
Lost touch - see notes below
Rudby
"
phosphates
61
Clyde / Ipswich
Lost touch - see notes below
Gunda
Swedish
lumber
13
London
Norwegian
steel - timber
42
London
Rozenburg
Dutch
wood pulp
32
Methil / Grimsby
From SC 15
To SC 18 - returned
To SC 19 - did not sail
To SC 20 - returned to port
Listed in SC 22
Elisabeth Lensen
British
grain
11
Leith
Lost touch - see notes below
Lifland
Danish / MoWT 1940
pulpwood
33
Ridham Dock
Norwegian
moist pulp
12
Clyde / Grimsby
Lost touch - see notes below
Kingsland
British
steel - pit props
–
Tyne
Baron Elgin
"
steel - pit props
31
West Hartlepool / Middlesbrough
From SC 16
Nailsea Court
"
sugar
41
Dundee
Commodore vessel
Norwegian
pit props
–
Blyth
To SC 18 - returned
(follow link to Berto)
Rossum
Dutch
grain
73
Sharpness
–
Empire Industry
British
pit props
–
West Hartlepool
Kathariotisa
Greek
spool wood
–
Garston
From SC 13
Listed in SC 18
Norwegian
pit props
–
Immingham
Listed in SC 18
"
pit props
–
Methil / West Hartlepool
To SC 18 - did not sail
Listed in SC 19
Embassage
British
steel - scrap
21
Clyde f. o.
Returned to Halifax - see notes
Listed in SC 18
Brynhild
Danish / MoWT 1940
pit props
–
Hull
Sailed in SC 19
Penhale
British
steel - pit props
–
Tyne
Sailed in SC 19
Baron Haig
"
pit props
52
Sunderland
Lost touch - see notes below
Wisla
Polish
spoolwood
22
Ardrossan
Baron Ramsay
British
pit props
53
Hull
Lost touch - see notes below
Empire Mariner
"
general
63
Cardiff
From HX 97
Vice Commodore vessel
Lost touch - see notes below
Kelbergen
Dutch
iron ore
72
Cardiff
–
According to the A 1 form, Empire Lotus (steel and scrap for Clyde, station 51) and Aelybryn (grain for Liverpool, station 71) were also scheduled for this convoy, but did not sail. These ships are not mentioned in the Advance Sailing Telegram. Empire Lotus sailed in the next convoy, while Aelybryn joined HX 99.
Comparing the information in this table with Arnold Hague's listing for SC 17 at ships in all SC convoys, we see that he has Kingsland in station 13, but this ship is crossed out on the original Advance Sailing Telegram, and is listed in Convoy SC 18. It'll also be noticed that Hague has some of the ships in different stations from what is given above.
Notes:
Commodore E. W. Leir was in Nailsea Court, Vice Commodore was D. MacKellar in Empire Mariner.
Average speed: 7.1 knots.
The Convoy had 20 ships when leaving Halifax, 11 were present at rendezvous with local escort on Jan. 5-1941, the following ships having lost touch with the convoy:
Embassage, at 12:00 on Dec. 24 - 44 22N 60 21W
Rudby, at 06:45 Dec. 25 - 44 43N 57 26W.
Hellen, at 08:00 Dec. 26 - 45 05N 53 50W
Lautaro, at 08:00 Dec. 27 - 45 23N 59 22W
Empire Mariner, at 16:00 Dec. 31 - 52 56N 36 27W
Baron Haig, at 08:00 Jan 4-1941 - 55 63N 21 08W
Baron Ramsay, Elisabeth Lensen and Thyra same time, date and position as Baron Haig.
The Commodore says:
"With the exception of leaders of columns the station keeping was the worst I have experienced, and was not up?(word missing in margin of page) to convoys speed as the ships had a margin of (words missing) or more.
Visual signalling generally very slow and inaccurate".
He also indicates that 2 ships had to return to Halifax because they had lost lifeboats.
The convoy arrived rendezvous on Jan. 5.
Ocean Escort: HMS Maloja (parted company at 6 p.m. Jan. 3.
Other escort vessels: HMS Veteran, Wolverine and Delphinium. The latter was met at 13:10 on Jan. 6-1941, 36 hours after rendezvous time. Visibility during that period was limited to 1 to 1 1/2 miles. Convoy probably passed 10 miles to the north of rendezvous (due to no sights and bad weather).
The convoy had air escort from time to time on Jan. 7.
A. Hague lists the following 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):
Arbutus - From 07/01/41 to 09/01/41
Delphinium - From 07/01/41 to 08/01/41
Deptford - From 07/01/41 to 08/01/41
Erica - From 07/01/41 to 08/01/41
Maloja - From 23/12/40 to 03/01/41
Veteran - From 07/01/41 to 08/01/41
Wolverine - From 07/01/41 to 08/01/41
To the next SC convoy in my list SC 18