Convoy SC 65 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)

CONVOY SC 65 Departed Halifax on Jan. 17-1942 and arrived Liverpool on Febr. 4
(Arnold Hague gives 36 ships in this convoy)

Initially transcribed from A 1 form received from Ted Agar, England (with station numbers - His source: A diary, which lists ships joining from Halifax only).
Supplemented with information found in the original Advance Sailing Telegram received from Tony Cooper - His source: Public Records Office, Kew.
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 65 at ships in all SC convoys. In some cases, he has given different station numbers than those provided in the diary and these have been added in parenthesis below.

The stations given are the intitial stations on departure Halifax; these may have changed as the voyage progressed.

~~Crossed out~~ ships did not sail, underlined returned to port, except those that are linked, which will automatically be underlined. The Norwegian Tore Jarl, however, did return.

MoWT = Ministry of War Transport

Ship

Nationality

Cargo

Station

Destination

Remarks

Katvaldis

British
(see Notes)

steel - wood pulp

Manchester

–

~~Despina~~

Greek

grain

–

Swansea

Empire Lightning

British

general

station not known
(A. Hague says 21)

Leith / Middlesbrough

Mount Taygetus

Greek

general

Bristol

–

Randa

Canadian
(see Notes)

general

Preston

–

Empire Shackleton

British (C.A.M.)

grain

Manchester

–

Empire Gale

grain

Liverpool

–

Norwegian

general

Liverpool

Iroquois

British

Tanker W
(paraffin)

Manchester

–

Euthalia

Greek

grain

34 (33)

Cardiff

From SC 64
(Ashore in Barrow)

Celtic Monarch

British

iron ore

14 (13)

Middlesbrough

–

Losada

general

Liverpool

–

Saint Margaret

general - 2 passengers

Avonmouth

–

Nolisement

wheat

A. Hague gives 31

London

From SC 63

Souliotis

Greek

iron ore

Barrow

~~Tovelil~~

Danish / MoWT 1940

flour

–

Hull

From SC 64
Sailed in SC 66

Norwegian

pulp wood

station not known
(A. Hague gives 43)

Grimsby

From SC 64

palm nuts

23 (22)

Hull

Returned to port
To SC 67 - returned
Sailed in SC 69

Boston City

British

general

station not known
(A. Hague says 81)

Swansea

Bateau

Panamanian

general

Archangel

(Joined PQ 12 - March 1
returned to Iceland
Joined PQ 13)

Dneprostroi

Russian

general
(A. Hague says petrol)

25 (23)

Archangel

Joined PQ 12
(returned w/QP 10)

Zagloba

Polish

general

Manchester

–

Dorelian

British

general

Glasgow

Commodore Vessel

Norwegian

timber

station not known
(A. Hague says 42)

Milford Haven / Southampton

From SC 64
("no advice of return")

~~Empire Unity~~

British

Tanker B

–

London

From SC 64
("no advice of return")
To SC 66 - did not sail
To SC 68 - did not sail
Sailed in SC 69

Penhale

grain

Leith

–

~~Sithonia~~

general

–

London

Sailed in SC 66

Glendene

general

Manchester

Exterminator*

Panamanian

general

15 (14)

Archangel

From SC 64
Returned to port (St. John's)
To SC 68 - did not sail
Shows up again in SC 72 - returned
Joined SC 73 from New Foundland
(Later joined PQ 14)

Baron Vernon

British

sugar - 3 passengers

Greenock

–

Makawao

Honduran

general

station not known
(A. Hague gives 34)

Murmansk

Joined PQ 11 - Febr.-1942

~~Belgique~~

Belgian

general

–

London

Norwegian

Adm. tanker B
(FFO)

station not known
(A. Hague says 53)

Clyde

From HX 169
("not shown as returned")

Lautaro

British

nitrates - cotton - tin - 17 mail D.

station not known
(A. Hague gives 75)

Liverpool

–

~~Lago~~

Norwegian

general

–

Archangel

Ex HG 76 - See * below
(Not listed in any convoy to Russia)

~~Ingerto~~

sulphur

–

Glasgow

Sailed in SC 66

~~Kolkhosnik~~

Russian

general

–

Archangel

(Not listed in any convoy to Russia,
already lost - see ** below)

Themisto

Dutch

general

Liverpool

–

Bonita

Panamanian

general

Newport

–

~~Brynymor~~

British

nitrate soda

Newport

Essex Lance

general

Holyhead / Manchester

–

~~Mount Pindus~~

Greek

general

–

Manchester

Sailed in SC 66

~~Mount Taurus~~

grain

–

London

To SC 66 - did not sail
Sailed in SC 67

Rajahstan

British

grain

Tyne

–

Theoskepasti

Greek

grain

Hull

–

~~Atlanticos~~

grain

–

Leith

To SC 66 - did not sail
Sailed in SC 67

~~Carslogie~~

British

grain

–

Cardiff

Sailed in SC 66

~~Helmspey~~

grain

–

Hull

~~Daleby~~

general

–

Newcastle

Sailed in SC 66

Norwegian

Tanker B
(fuel oil)

station not known
(A. Hague gives 54)

Clyde

Manaqui

British

general

33 (32)

Milford Haven / Southampton

–

Michael L. Embiricos

Greek

grain

station not known
(A. Hague gives 65)

Tyne

–

Ted Agar's document also lists the following as sailing from Halifax, which are not included in the Advance Sailing Telegram:
British Fintra - station 54; note that this ships is also listed in Convoy SC 69, Febr. 10.
British Nascopie - station 16

From Newfoundland (WSC 65)

Empire Cabot

British

phosphates

station not known

Hull

From SC 64
Returned (could not find convoy)
To SC 66 - returned
Sailed in SC 68

~~Spero~~

Norwegian

general

–

Bristol

From SC 62
To SC 66 - did not sail
Sailed in SC 68

Enseigne Maurice Préchac

French

iron ore

station not known

Port Talbot

~~Baron Ogilvy~~

British

iron ore

–

Belfast f. o.

To SC 66 - returned
Sailed in SC 69

Notes:
It'll be noticed, when going to A. Hague's listing for SC 65 at ships in all SC convoys, that he has also included the Norwegian Glittre in this convoy, not mentioned in the Advance Sailing Telegram. She had initially been in Convoy HX 171, but became a straggler from that convoy.

*Also, he has a note for Exterminator saying that she arrived Bay Bulls with steering defects.

* There's a hand written note in the Advance Sailing Telegram in connection with Lago which I'm unable to read. She's listed in Convoy HG 76 from Gibraltar, with arrival U.K. Dec. 30-1941, so perhaps the note has something to do with her not having been able to make a voyage to Halifax in time to return to the U.K. with SC 65 on Jan. 17(?). In fact, Lago also shows up in the Liverpool-Gibraltar Convoy OG 79, which left on Jan. 26-1942.

** Kolkhosnik had been wrecked off Sambro Island, Nova Scotia on Jan. 16-1942. ("The World's Merchant Fleets 1939", R. W. Jordan).

According to the diary, the ships departed Halifax in the following sequence (note that this list is incomplete - several more ships are named in the Advance Sailing Telegram as per table above): The first to leave at 10:28 was the British Dorelian (Commodore ship), followed by Empire Gale (Hurricane LUE), then with a few minutes between each ship:
Losada, Penhale, Brynymor (did not sail), the Greek Theoskepasti, the Polish Zagloba, British Baron Vernon, Panamanian Exterminator and Bonita, Greek Euthalia and Mount Taygetus, British Glendene and Iroquois, Greek Souliotis, Norwegian Evanger, British Katvaldis (Lithuanian, under Ministry of War Transport [R. W. Jordan]), Norwegian Finnanger (no pendant No. given), British Fintra (probably did not sail, also shows up in SC 69), Randa (Danish, Canadian Gov. 1940-1945 according to R. W. Jordan) and Manaqui, Russian Dneprostroi, flying a Russian flag at stern, mainmast and a British flag at foremast, British Rajahstan, Saint Margaret, Empire Shackleton (Hurricane NJN) and _Essex Lanc_e, the Panamanian Bateau, British Lautaro (no pendant No. given for the latter), Empire Lightning, Celtic Monarch, Nascopie (not in this convoy?), Norwegian Tore Jarl and the Dutch Themisto as the last ship to leave at 13:40.

The convoy arrived rendezvous on Jan. 29.

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):
Annapolis - From 17/01/42 to 20/01/42
Burlington - From 17/01/42 to 18/01/42
Caldwell - From 29/01/42 to 30/01/42
Gentian - From 29/01/42 to 31/01/42
Honeysuckle - From 30/01/42 to 02/02/42
Kamsack - From 20/01/42 to 29/01/42
Lunenburg - From 17/01/42 to 20/01/42
Napanee - From 20/01/42 to 29/01/42
Red Deer - From 17/01/42 to 20/01/42
Rimouski - From 20/01/42 to 29/01/42
St. Laurent - From 20/01/42 to 29/01/42
The Pas - From 17/01/42 to 20/01/42
Trail - From 20/01/42 to 29/01/42
Trillium - From 20/01/42 to 29/01/42
Vanoc - From 29/01/42 to 01/02/42
Walker - From 29/01/42 to 01/02/42

Related external link:
Russian Convoys - PQ 11, PQ 12, PQ 13 and PQ 14 are included (see also my own page about PQ 13 and PQ 14).

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To the next SC convoy in my list SC 66