Convoy SC 58 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)

CONVOY SC 58 Departed Sydney, C.B. on Dec. 4-1941 and arrived Liverpool on the 21st.
Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" gives 50 ships in this convoy.

Transcribed from several original documents received from Tony Cooper (Advance Sailing Telegram) - His source: Public Records Office, Kew.
The station numbers, cargoes for the tankers and names of escorts have been extracted from documents recived from Don Kindell, based on the late Arnold Hague's database - see his listing for SC 58 at ships in all SC convoys.

Further details have been added with the help of:
"Convoy Rescue Ships 1940-1945", Arnold Hague
"The World's Merchant Fleets 1939", R. W. Jordan
"Lloyd's War Losses", Vol. I.

~~Crossed out~~ ships did not sail, underlined returned, except those that are linked, which will automatically be underlined.

See also Convoy ON 30, ON 31, ON 32 and other westbound convoys from this time period.

Ship

Nationality

Cargo

Station

Destination

Remarks

Suecia

Swedish

ground nuts
(A. Hague adds pig iron & 8 passengers)

Mersey

Empire Razorbill

British

steel

Newport

From SC 57
Vice Commodore

Nicolas

Greek

grain

Manchester

From SC 57

~~Ampetco~~

Belgian

Tanker B

–

London (Shellhaven)

From SC 57
To SC 59 - did not sail
To SC 60 - did not sail
Listed in SC 61

Norwegian

sulphur

Manchester

From SC 57
Lost - follow link to Nidardal

Stylianos Chandris

Greek

wheat

Immingham

From SC 57
Lost - See Notes

Norwegian

nitrates

102

Newport

From SC 57

Skåne

Swedish

general

Glasgow

From SC 57

The above ship is listed as Boren in some previous convoys on this site - see HX 81 and HX 117.

Eugenie S. Embiricos

Greek

corn

London

From SC 57

Aneroid

Panamanian

general

Archangel

From SC 55
(joined Convoy PQ 7B, returned w/QP 6)

Norwegian

general

Manchester

–

Biela

British

wheat - general
2 passengers - mail 43

Mersey

From SC 57

Empire Cougar

steel

Hull

From SC 57

~~Roumanie~~

Belgian

general

–

London

Becheville

British

general

Hull

From SC 57

Léopold II

Belgian

wood pulp

Gravesend

From SC 56
Lost - See Notes

Zypenberg

Dutch

general

104

Cardiff

From SC 57
In collision - see Notes
Returned to port (St. John's)
Listed in SC 60

Jersey

British

sugar - copra

Clyde

From SC 57

Zeus

Greek

wheat - oats

London

From SC 57

Ingman

British

wood pulp

Gravesend

–

Amstel

Dutch

phosphates

Garston

From SC 57

Norwegian

sulphur

Garston

From SC 57

general

Liverpool

From SC 57

flour

London

–

Empire Sun

British

grain

Glasgow

CAM ship

Empire Penguin

general

Londonderry

–

Baron Kinnaird

calcine coke

Belfast d. g. / Swansea

–

Rokos Vergottis

Greek

grain

London

–

Empire Impala

British

flour

Glasgow

–

Katingo Hadjipatera

Greek

corn

103

Hull

–

Linge

Dutch

phosphates

Aberdeen

–

Somme

British

general - mail 15

London

Rear Commodore

Stad Arnhem

Dutch

grain

London

–

Baltara

British

refrig. - general

105

Avonmouth

–

Wentworth

phosphates

London

–

City of Fort Worth

American

general

Iceland

See Notes below.

~~Empire Clive~~

British

general

–

Liverpool

Empire Flame

grain

101

Manchester

CAM ship

~~Langleecrag~~

general

–

Manchester

Listed in SC 59

~~North Devon~~

phosphates

–

Methil f. o.

Listed in SC 59

Veerhaven

Dutch

general

Manchester

–

~~W. H. Libby~~

Panamanian

Adm. tanker B

–

Clyde

Yearby

British

general

Liverpool

Commodore Vesssel

~~Acasta~~

Norwegian

Adm. tanker B

–

Liverpool

Listed in SC 59

Bengloe

British

sugar - mail 17

Greenock

–

~~Blairesk~~

general

–

Belfast

Listed in SC 59

British Corporal

Tanker W
(vap. oil)

Isle of Grain

–

~~Clare Lilley~~

general

–

Liverpool

Listed in SC 59

~~Dimitrios Chandris~~

Greek

general

–

London

English Monarch

British

general

Cardiff

–

Hartbridge

general

Manchester

–

~~Jobshaven~~

Dutch

manganese - general

–

Barrow

Listed in SC 59

Kelso

British

general

Hull

–

Mamura

Dutch

Tanker W
(petrol)

Avonmouth

–

Norwegian

corn

Avonmouth

–

Merton

British

general

Liverpool

See Notes below.

~~Orfor~~

phosphates

–

London

Listed in SC 59

~~Prins Maurits~~

Dutch

sugar - rum

–

Greenock

Listed in SC 59

~~Wichita Falls~~

American

general

–

Reykjavik

~~Aikaterini T.~~

Greek

grain

–

Swansea

Listed in SC 59

~~Arena~~

Irish

grain

–

Dublin

From SC 57
Listed in SC 59

D. L. Harper

British

Tanker
(petrol)

66 (later 56)

Avonmouth

Returned to port (Halifax)
Does not show up again until HX 173

Woensdrecht

Dutch

Tanker W
(petrol)
1 passenger

56 (later 45)

Milford Haven for Falmouth

–

Pontypridd

British

grain

London

–

Aeas

Greek

sugar

Clyde

From SC 57

Stalowa Wola

Polish

general

Mersey / Manchester

From SC 57

Earlston

British

general

76 (later 56)

Avonmouth

Spokane

Panamanian

general

Liverpool

From SC 57
Returned to Sydney
Listed in SC 59

Irish Beech

Irish

grain

86 (later 76)

Dublin

From SC 57

Also, the Rescue vessel Zamalek - see Notes below.

According to A. Hague, the British Bretwalda, sailing in Convoy HX 163, joined up with SC 58. Also, he says that the Icelandic Katla joined from Iceland together with the Rescue Vessel (again, see his listing for SC 58 at ships in all SC convoys). These ships are not mentioned in the Advance Sailing Telegram.

Notes:
Commodore was in Yearby, Vice Commodore in Empire Razorbill, Rear Commodore in Somme.

The Rescue Vessel Zamalek was also with this convoy for a while. She was on her 13th voyage as such, having started this voyage from Clyde with the westbound Convoy ON 38 on Nov. 19-1941, detached for Iceland Nov. 25, then returned to Clyde with Convoy SC 58, Dec. 16-Dec. 20 - having been delayed in Iceland due to atrocious weather.
The rescue Vessel Toward (on her 16th voyage) had sailed from Iceland on Dec. 12-1941 in order to join Convoy SC 58, but had to return because of the weather. She later arrived Clyde from Reykjavik on Dec. 18. (Toward had started this voyage from Clyde with the westbound Convoy ON 44 on Dec. 7, detached to Iceland Dec. 12).

The Dutch Zypenberg rammend and sank HMCS Windflower, one of the escorts of SC 58, on Dec. 7 with the loss of 23 men on the corvette.

Nidardal was sunk on Dec. 16 - my page about this ship has further details.

Stylianos Chandris, on a voyage from Montreal and Methil Roads for Hull with 7285 tons of grain, struck a mine on Dec. 22, 2 miles 235° from 62D Buoy, Humber. She had a crew of 30, all of whom were saved.

Léopold II, on a voyage from Clarke City and Methil Roads for London with 4500 tons of wet wood pulp, struck a mine and sank on Dec. 23, in 13 fathoms 205° 1/2 mile from No. 56 Buoy, off R. Ouse. She had a crew of 41 including 6 gunners - 33 crew and 2 gunners lost their lives.

According to A. Hague, City of Fort Worth stranded on arrival Iceland. For Merton, he has a note saying "grounded Pluckington Bank, broke back" - no date is given.

The convoy arrived rendezvous on Dec. 15.

A. Hague names the following escorts (extracted from this list of SC convoy escorts, received from D. Kindell; dates are European style, day/month/year):
Broke - From 15/12/41 to 16/12/41
Buctouche - From 06/12/41 to 15/12/41
Camellia - From 15/12/41 to 18/12/41
Drumheller - From 04/12/41 to 06/12/41
Hepatica - From 06/12/41 to 15/12/41
Kamsack - From 04/12/41 to 06/12/41
Montbretia - From 15/12/41 to 20/12/41
Moose Jaw - From 06/12/41 to 15/12/41
Nasturtium - From 06/12/41 to 07/12/41
Pictou - From 06/12/41 to 15/12/41
Shawnigan - From 04/12/41 to 06/12/41
St. Laurent - From 06/12/41 to 15/12/41
Summerside - From 04/12/41 to 06/12/41
Thunder - From 04/12/41 to 06/12/41
Watchman - From 15/12/41 to 19/12/41
Windflower - From 06/12/41 to 07/12/41

Related external links:
HMCS Windflower

The Empire Ships - Provides more information on the Empire Ships sailing in this convoy.

Back to Convoy Index

To the next SC convoy in my list SC 59