Convoy SC 68 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)

CONVOY SC 68 Departed Halifax on Febr. 4-1942 and arrived Liverpool on the 20th
(Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" says 20 ships).

Transcribed from several original documents received from Tony Cooper, England (Advance Sailing Telegram) - His source: Public Records Office, Kew. Station numbers were received from Ted Agar, England (his source: A diary). Names of escorts have been extracted from a document recived from Don Kindell, based on the late Arnold Hague's database - see also his listing for SC 68 at ships in all SC convoys. It'll be noticed that in some cases, he has given different station numbers than those provided in the diary and these have been added in parenthesis below. Station numbers are stations upon departure Halifax; 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. MoWT = Ministry of War Transport
Ship Nationality Cargo Station Destination Remarks
Empire Unity British Tanker B 31 London From SC 66 Listed in SC 69
Lieutenant St. Loubert Bié French / MoWT 1941 general 41 Liverpool Commodore
Empire Elk British general Londonderry To SC 69 - did not sail Listed in SC 70 (became Norw. Norvarg)
Bridgepool " grain 12 Hull From SC 67
Senga Yugoslavian general 23 Milford Haven / Southampton From SC 67
Peribonka Belgian nitrates 73 Milford Haven f. o. From SC 67 Listed in SC 69
Novasli Norwegian grain Ipswich From SC 67 Listed in SC 69
Milcrest British steel 81 Cardiff To SC 69 - did not sail Listed in SC 73
Arosa Norwegian wheat 82 (81) Barry Docks From SC 67
Gallant Fox Panamanian general 62 (61) Clyde / N. Russia From SC 67 (Later joined Convoy PQ 13, returned w/QP 11)
Colytto Dutch iron ore 42 Middlesbrough From SC 67
Empire Bunting British general Liverpool From SC 67 To SC 72 - did not sail Listed in SC 73
Empire Plover " general Holyhead / Liverpool From SC 67 To SC 69 - did not sail Listed in SC 70
Oilreliance " Adm. fuel oil 22 Scapa From SC 67
Fjordheim Norwegian general 72 Avonmouth From SC 67
Kalliopi Greek grain London From SC 67 Listed in SC 70
Lord Byron British grain 11 London From SC 67
Radcombe " iron ore Barrow To SC 69 - returned To SC 70 - did not sail Listed in SC 71
Grey County Norwegian general 71 Avonmouth From HX 171(?)
Empire Gannet British steel - general 21 Hull
La Paz " general 33 (31) Liverpool
Athelduchess " Tanker - molasses 51 Liverpool
Margit Danish / MoWT 1940 railway ties London Listed in SC 69
Solitaire Norwegian Tanker B Grangemouth Listed in SC 69
Spar Dutch general Liverpool To SC 69 - did not sail Listed in SC 70
Irish Willow Irish general 83 (82) Dublin
Dunboyne American general 52 Archangel (See also SC 61) Listed in SC 69 (Later joined PQ 13, returned w/QP 11).
King Lud British general Tail of the Bank Listed in HX 174
Margot " general 61 Liverpool Listed in SC 70
Pennington Court British iron ore 13 Immingham
Effingham American general Archangel Listed in SC 69 (Later joined PQ 13 - sunk)
Kingman Panamanian general 34 (32) Reykjavik From HX 173
Alcedo " general 43 Reykjavik From SC 67 See also HX 173
The diary also lists the Norwegian Tore Jarl (station 32 - from SC 67), the Belgian Brabo (53) and the British Empire Liberty (63 - From SC 63) as cancelled from this convoy - these ships are not mentioned in the Advance Sailing Telegram. All 3 are listed in the next convoy, SC 69.
Joining from Newfoundland (Convoy WSC 68) Sailed Febr. 7
Baron Ruthven* British iron ore not known Newport From SC 66
Empire Cabot " phosphates not known Hull From SC 66
Glenwood " general not known Londonderry From SC 66 Listed in SC 69
Exterminator Panamanian general not known Clyde / North Russia From SC 65 Shows up again in SC 72 - returned Joined SC 73 (Later joined PQ 14)
Spero Norwegian general not known (A. Hague gives 73) Bristol From SC 67
*A. Hague has a note for Baron Ruthven saying that she arrived with boiler defects (again, see his listing for SC 68 at ships in all SC convoys).

Notes: The French Lieutenant St. Loubert Bié, which was the Commodore Ship for SC 68, had been stopped on May 18-1941 off St. Helena by the Royal Navy and became a British prize on May 29, then sailed under the control of Ministry of War Transport. (Returned to France on May 9-1945). Source: "The World's Merchant Fleets 1939", R. W. Jordan.

The ships departed Halifax in the following order (according to the diary):
The first to go out at 10:00 was the British tanker Athelduchess, followed 15 minutes later by the former French passenger vessel Lieutenant St. Loubert Bié, then with a few minutes between each ship the following went out: Fjordheim, Empire Gannet, Alcedo, Lord Byron, Grey County, La Paz, Oilreliance, Bridgepool, Senga, Pennington Court, Colytto, Irish Willow, Gallant Fox, Kingman, Arosa.

The convoy arrived rendezvous on Febr. 16.

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):
Boadicea - From 16/02/42 to 20/02/42
Bodo - From 20/02/42 to 20/02/42
Burwell - From 07/02/42 to 16/02/42
Chicoutimi - 07/02/42
Clayoquot - From 04/02/42 to 07/02/42
FS Lobelia - From 16/02/42 to 20/02/42
Heather - From 16/02/42 to 20/02/42
Lunenburg - From 04/02/42 to 07/02/42
Matapedia - From 07/02/42 to 16/02/42
Nanaimo - From 07/02/42 to 16/02/42
Narcissus - From 16/02/42 to 20/02/42
Nasturtium - From 07/02/42 to 16/02/42
Red Deer - From 04/02/42 to 07/02/42
Sudbury - From 07/02/42 to 17/02/42
The Pas - From 04/02/42 to 07/02/42

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