Convoy SC 72 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)
CONVOY SC 72
Departed Halifax on Febr. 28-1942 and arrived Liverpool on March 17
(Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" says 19 ships.
Transcribed from original documents received from Tony Cooper, England (Advance Sailing Telegram) - His source: Public Records Office, Kew.
Station numbers and sequence of departure were received from Ted Agar - His source: A diary. Stations are pendants flown on departure Halifax, and may have changed as the voyage progressed. As can be seen from these numbers, the convoy had 8 columns and 3 rows.
Names of escorts and cargoes for the tankers have been extracted from documents recived from Don Kindell, based on the late Arnold Hague's database - see his listing for SC 72 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.
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 Snow
British
steel ingots
41
Manchester
Empire Clive
"
grain
51
Holyhead / Liverpool
–
Hartbridge
"
grain
11
Leith / London
–
Empire Lawrence
"
grain
61
Mersey
–
Norwegian
Tanker W
(paraffin)
72
Avonmouth
–
Vulcanus
Dutch
phosphates
13
Ipswich
Norwegian
phosphates
–
Glasgow
From SC 71
To SC 73 - did not sail
Listed in SC 75
Seattle Spirit
American
general
32
Clyde/ Archangel
From SC 71
Later joined Convoy PQ 14 - returned
Joined PQ 15
(see also QP 12)
Minotaur
"
general
33
Clyde/ Archangel
From SC 71
Later joined Convoy PQ 14,
see also QP 10
British Renown
British
Tanker W
(benzine)
62
Avonmouth
From SC 71
Philip T. Dodge
"
general
83
Manchester
From SC 70
Grodno
"
general
31
Liverpool
From SC 71
Argolikos
Greek
sugar
23 (22)
Clyde
–
War Admiral
Panamanian
general
63
Liverpool
–
Norwegian
steel - general
73
Preston
–
Empire Union
British
general
71
Milford Haven / Southampton
Moscha D. Kydoniefs
Greek
grain
–
Hull
(Does not show up again until SC 86)
Guido
British
general
–
Mersey
Listed in SC 73
Yorkmoor
"
grain
12
London
–
Chagres
Panamanian
general - mail 58
–
Liverpool
To SC 73 - returned
(w/collision damage)
Listed in SC 77
Parkhaven
Dutch
wheat
–
Mersey
(Shows up again as cancelled from SC 78 and SC 79
Listed in SC 80)
Dunav
Yugoslavian
general
–
Mersey
Listed in SC 73
Uranienborg
Danish / MoWT 1940
grain
–
London
To SC 73 - returned
(w/collision damage).
Does not show up again until SC 81
West Cheswald
American
general
22 (21)
Clyde / Archangel
Later joined Convoy PQ 14,
see also QP 11
Baron Cochrane
British
grain
–
London
Listed in SC 73
Lackenby
"
general
–
Tyne
From SC 71
To SC 73 - did not sail
Shows up again in SC 79
Leonidas N. Condylis
Greek
grain
–
London
To SC 73 - did not sail
Listed in SC 74
Mariposa
British
general
82
Glasgow
–
Montcalm
"
icebreaker
42
Clyde f. o.
Exterminator
Panamanian
general
not known
Clyde f. o.
From SC 68
Joined from New Foundland,
returned to St. John's
Joined SC 73
(later joined PQ 14,
see also QP 13)
The diary also lists the British Milcrest (station 81 - cancelled from SC 68 and SC 69) and Talaralite (24) as leaving port with the ships in this convoy. As can be seen they are not mentioned in the Advance Sailing Telegram, however, according to A. Hague, Milcrest did join, but returned to port (again, see his listing for SC 72 at ships in all SC convoys). She shows up again in SC 73 (with a note in the Advance Sailing Telegram saying that she was indeed from SC 72). Talaralite, on the other hand, probably left port that day for other reasons than to join SC 72 - she's also mentioned in connection with Convoy SC 75, but again, I don't believe she was destined for this convoy.
Additionally, the diary has the British Viking Star (21) and Empire Bunting (52) as cancelled from SC 72 - again not mentioned in the AST. Empire Bunting is listed in SC 73, while Viking Star cancelled from that convoy, but sailed in SC 74.
Notes:
Commodore was in Empire Clive, Vice Commodore in Hartbridge.
The Rescue Vessel Copeland was also in SC 72 - sailing in station 53 (A. Hague says station 52). She had been requisitioned as such on Dec. 20-1940 and her first voyage was with Convoy OB 280 in Jan./Febr.-1941. She was on her 16th voyage as Rescue Vessel, having started this voyage from Clyde on Febr. 8 with Convoy ON 64 to Halifax (Febr. 24), returning with SC 72 to Clyde, Febr. 28/March 17. ("Convoy Rescue Ships 1940-1945", Arnold Hague).
The American Seattle Spirit went out early (at 10:42) for gun trials. As mentioned, she's listed in Convoy PQ 14 to Murmansk, as are West Cheswald and Minotaur. The icebreaker Montcalm is also mentioned in the notes for PQ 14. This vessel is listed in PQ 15 by Arnold Hauge in "Convoys to Russia 1941-1945".
The remaining ships left port in the following order (according to the diary):
At 11:15 the British Catapult freighter Empire Clive went out, followed at 11:17 by the British freighter Empire Union, and with a few minutes between each ship Hartbridge, Empire Snow, West Cheswald (no gun at bow, 10 tanks on deck, 'B’Flag), Grodno, Minotaur (loaded with tanks), Empire Lawrence (Catapult freighter, camouflaged, minus her Hurricane, crates on deck), Vulcanus, Copeland, Boreas ('B' flag, in other words; carrying explosives), Argolikos, War Admiral (2 bucket posts ahead of stack), Philip T. Dodge, Yorkmoor, British Renown, Solsten, Milcrest, Mariposa, Montcalm (Icebreaker), Talaralite - no times are given for the last 4 ships, ref. notes within the above table.
The convoy arrived rendezvous on March 12.
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):
Bodo - From 16/03/42 to 17/03/42
Caldwell - From 28/02/42 to 07/03/42
Eyebright - From 10/03/42 to 16/03/42
Georgian - From 03/03/42 to 04/03/42
Kamsack - From 07/03/42 to 15/03/42
Lauderdale - From 28/02/42 to 06/03/42
Rimouski - From 07/03/42 to 16/03/42
Sackville - From 28/02/42 to 05/03/42
Sherbrooke - From 28/02/42 to 16/03/42
St. Laurent - From 07/03/42 to 16/03/42
Thunder - From 28/02/42 to 06/03/42
Trillium - From 07/03/42 to 16/03/42
To the next SC convoy in my list SC 73