Convoy SC 80 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)
Departed Halifax on Apr. 17-1942 and arrived Liverpool on May 3
(Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" gives 29 ships)
Advance Sailing Telegram
Transcribed from several original documents received from Tony Cooper, England - His source: Public Records Office, Kew.
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 80 at ships in all SC convoys.
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
Cotati
American / MoWT 1942
(Empire Avocet)
frozen meat
31
Clyde f. o.
From SC 79
Returned to Halifax
Listed in SC 82
Dinaric
Yugoslavian / MoWT 1940
lumber
13
Grimsby
–
Parkhaven
Dutch
wheat
23
Glasgow
From SC 79
Katvaldis
Latvian / MoWT 1940
steel - pulp
–
Manchester
From SC 79
Listed in SC 81
Carslogie
British
grain
11
Immingham
From SC 79
Coulmore
"
sugar
42
Greenock
From SC 79
Roxane
French
Tanker B - 2 passengers
(fuel oil)
72
Manchester / Ardrossan
From SC 79
Flowergate
British
general
–
Liverpool
From SC 79
To SC 81 - did not sail
Listed in SC 82
Gunvor Mærsk
Danish / MoWT 1940
phosphates
22
Aberdeen
–
Empire Flame
British
grain
91
Liverpool
CAM ship
Anna
Greek
grain
24
Ipswich
From SC 79
Norwegian
Adm. tanker B
(FFO)
82
Londonderry
From SC 79
Dalmore
British
phosphates
52
Garston
From SC 79
Wisla
Polish
general
63
Manchester
Empire Kittiwake
British
steel - general
73
Garston
See * below
Empire Redshank
"
general
81
Avonmouth
–
Kedoe
Dutch
general - 3 passengers - mail 43
32
Clyde
Benedict
British
general
61
Liverpool
From HX 185
Gyda
Danish / MoWT 1940
general
53
Manchester
–
Port Nicholson
British
general - 2 passengers - mail 114
51
Avonmouth
–
City of Ripon
"
general - mail 30
62
Swansea
From HX 185
Empire Steelhead
"
general
54
Holyhead / Liverpool
–
Picotee
"
grain
12
London
–
Radchurch
"
general
–
London
Norwegian
general
–
Dundee
To SC 81 - did not sail
To SC 82 - did not sail
Listed in SC 83
Widestone
British
phosphates
21
Leith
Norwegian
Adm. tanker B
(FFO)
41
Scapa
–
Parklaan
Dutch
general
83
Manchester
–
Vimeira
British
Tanker B
–
Dingle
Listed in SC 81
British Ardour
"
Tanker W
–
Stanlow
Daleby
"
grain
–
London
Listed in SC 81
Empire Cabot
"
grain
44
Manchester
–
Empire Breeze
"
grain
64
Manchester
–
Norwegian
general
–
Avonmouth
Listed in SC 81
"
Tanker W
–
Avonmouth
Listed in SC 81
Wanstead
British
grain
–
Newcastle
To SC 81 - did not sail
Listed in SC 83
Rajahstan
"
grain
–
London
Listed in SC 81
Oregon I
Danish / MoWT 1940
grain
–
Barry Dock
To SC 81 - did not sail
Listed in SC 82
Ilissos
Greek
grain
–
Newcastle
Nicolaos Michalos
"
grain
33
London
–
Westmoor
British
grain
92
Dublin
Returned to port (St. John's)
Listed in SC 81
Dean Emery
Panamanian
Tanker B
(dieso)
43
Clyde
Empire Cheetah
British
general
71
Hull
–
Mount Taygetus
Greek
general
93
Belfast d. g. / Grimsby
From SC 79
* Empire Kittiwake was handed over to Nortraship in Mersey on May 15-1942 - became Norwegian Norfalk.
Notes:
Commodore was in Port Nicholson, Vice Commodore in Empire Redshank, Rear Commodore in Widestone.
Clyde Commodore: In Cotati.
The ships left port in the following order (according to the diary - as mentioned, some later returned to port):
The first ship to leave at 10:12 was Gyda, followed at 10:54 by Empire Cheetah and with a few minutes between each ship, Port Nicholson, Empire Redshank (crated planes), Hallanger, Carslogie, Picotee, Widestone, Dalmore, Benedict, Kedoe, Spinanger, Empire Flame (Catapult freighter, NJW on Hurricane), Gunvor Mærsk, Westmoor, City of Ripon, Dean Emery, Anna, Parklaan, Roxane, Empire Cabot, Mount Taygetus, Empire Steelhead, Coulmore, Parkhaven, Nicolaos Michalos, Empire Breeze, Wisla, Empire Kittiwake, Dinaric, and Cotati as the last ship to go out at 14:30.
Shortly after Anna had gone out at 12:19 there's a note for 12:20 saying: "Prins Willem III, Dutch freighter, comes in, signalling that she was sinking and needed immediate assistance. There was considerable excitement and a proposal to stop the convoy but this was not done and the Prins Willem III was taken into the Furness Withy Wharf where the water is shallow so that if she sank she would settle on a soft bottom." (This ship is listed as leaving in Convoy HX 187 on Apr. 26-1942).
Convoy arrived rendezvous on Apr. 28.
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):
Battleford - From 22/04/42 to 03/05/42
Bodo - From 03/05/42 to 03/05/42
Calgary - From 17/04/42 to 22/04/42
Columbia - From 17/04/42 to 22/04/42
Lethbridge - From 22/04/42 to 02/05/42
Midland - From 17/04/42 to 22/04/42
Prescott - From 22/04/42 to 03/05/42
Primrose - From 22/04/42 to 02/05/42
Reading - From 22/04/42 to 02/05/42
Shawnigan - From 22/04/42 to 03/05/42
Walker - From 17/04/42 to 22/04/42
To the next SC convoy in my list SC 81