Convoy SC 97 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)
CONVOY SC 97 Advance Sailing Telegram & Cruising Order (Will be updated - please compare with A. Hague's listing for this convoy at ships in all SC convoys. See also SC escorts).
Departed Halifax on Aug. 22-1942 and arrived Liverpool on Sept. 7
(Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" gives 59 ships)
Advance Sailing Telegram
Transcribed from several documents received from Tony Cooper, England (his source: Public Records Office, Kew).
Additional details have been added with the help of:
"Axis Submarine Successes of World War Two", Jürgen Rohwer
"The World's Merchant Fleets 1939", R. W. Jordan
"Lloyd's War Losses", Vol I.
"The Allied Convoy System"
"Convoy Rescue Ships", both by Arnold Hague.
Crossed out ships did not sail, underlined returned to port.
MOWT = Ministry of War Transport
Ship
Nationality
Cargo
Destination
Remarks
Scottish Heather
British
Adm. tanker B
Londonderry
Berto
Norwegian
lumber
Boston
–
(U.S.S.) Pegasus
American
general
Iceland
–
Malantic
"
general
Iceland
–
Wichita Falls
"
general
Iceland
–
Katla
Icelandic
general
Iceland
–
Oliver Ellsworth
American
general
Iceland
–
Empire Toiler
British
steel - lumber
London
–
Pacific
Swedish
general - 10 passengers
Cardiff
Dunsley
British
steel - general
Avonmouth
From SC 96
Hjalmar Wessel
Norwegian
lumber
Sharpness
–
Akabahra
"
lumber
Bristol
From SC 96
Bruse Jarl
"
lumber
London
Listed in SC 98
Keila
Estonian
steel - general
Milford Haven f. o. (Southampton)
–
Richard Bassett
American
general
Iceland
–
(U.S.S.) Aquila
"
general
Iceland
–
Blairdevon
British
paper pulp
London
–
Barrwhin
"
general
Cardiff
–
E. G. Seubert
American
Tanker B
Mersey
–
Flowergate
British
general
Swansea (Southampton)
–
Blairnevis
"
steel - lumber
Milford Haven f. o. (Southampton)
–
City of Fort Worth
American
general
Iceland
Beacon
"
Adm. tanker B
Clyde
–
Empire Moon
British
steel - general
Newport
–
Stornest
"
general
Barry Dock
–
Henrik Ibsen
Norwegian
steel - general
Mersey
Returned to Halifax
(w/collision damage)
To SC 98 - returned to port
Uranienborg
Danish / MOWT 1940
sugar
Greenock
–
Arizpa
American
general
Milford Haven f. o. (Plymouth)
–
Dunav
Yugoslavian
steel - general
Milford Haven f. o. (Southampton)
–
Albert le Borgne
French / MOWT 1940
general
Liverpool
–
Lord Byron
British
sugar
London
–
Radport
"
general
Manchester
From HX 203
Medina
American
gas oil - general
Iceland
From HX 203
Empire Nightingale
British
steel - general
Hull
From HX 203
Bronxville
Norwegian
general
Liverpool
From HX 203
Sunk - See Notes
Evviva
"
lumber
Kings Lynn
–
Tore Jarl
"
lumber
London
To SC 98 - did not sail
Kathariotisa
Greek
lumber
Methil d. g. / Boston
Texas
American
general
Mersey
–
Pendeen
British
steel - general
Hull
Listed in SC 98
Empire Merganser
"
refrig. - general
Liverpool
To SC 98 - did not sail
Empire Steelhead
"
cotton
Belfast f. o.
Returned to Halifax
Listed in SC 98
Empire Gareth
"
steel - lumber
London
Listed in SC 98
Empire Norse
"
Tanker B
Avonmouth
Returned to Halifax
(could not find convoy)
Listed in SC 98
Capira
Panamanian
general
Glasgow
Sunk - See Notes
Ampteco
Belgian
Tanker B
Belfast for Heysham
Returned to Halifax
To HX 204 but did not sail?
(see * below)
Listed in SC 98
Empire Flame
British
steel - general
Glasgow
–
Zouave
"
phosphates
Avonmouth
–
Aquarius
American
general - mail 25
Newport
Joined HX 204 at sea (Aug. 25)
Egba
British
general
Manchester
–
Novasli
Norwegian
steel - general
Loch Ewe f. o.
Listed in SC 98
Thorsholm
"
Adm. tanker B
Scapa
Listed in SC 98
Bridgepool
British
general
Liverpool
–
Dramatist
"
sugar
Liverpool
–
El Almirante
Panamanian
general
Iceland
–
Zagloba
Polish
general - 1 passenger
Manchester
–
Capulin
American
(Pan. flag?)
general
Mersey
Joined HX 204
Puerto Rican
American
general
Belfast f. o.
Bonneville
Norwegian
general
Avonmouth
–
Peter Helms
American
general
Iceland
–
H. H. Rogers
Panamanian
Tanker B
Clyde
–
Marga
Norwegian
lumber
Sharpness
Listed in SC 98
Bjørkhaug
"
lumber
Preston
Listed in SC 98
Jurko Topic
Yugoslavian
steel - lumber
London
–
Ballot
Panamanian
general
Iceland
Listed in SC 99
American Robin
American
general
Belfast f. o.
Alcoa Scout
"
general
Belfast f. o.
Listed in HX 204
Exilona
"
general - mail
Belfast f. o.
Shirvan
British
Tanker W
Hull
–
Empire Cormorant
"
general
Cardiff
–
President de Vogue
Norwegian
Adm. tanker B
Clyde
–
West Maximus
American
general
Manchester
–
British Dominion
British
Tanker W
Avonmouth
From HX 204
* Ampetco is said to have gone out with the ships in Convoy HX 204, but she's also listed in the next SC convoy, SC 98 - she could not have sailed in both. My guess is that when she went out with the ships in Convoy HX 204, she may, for instance, have gone out to test gunnery, or for another reason than to join HX 204.
Included on a document listing ships joining from Sydney, C.B. (SSC 97 - sailed Aug. 23), but did they join from Halifax?
Star
Norwegian
flour
Milford Haven f. o. (Southampton)
–
Agios Vlasios
Greek
steel - lumber
London
–
Berkel
Dutch
steel - lumber
Mersey
–
Norse King
Norwegian
general
Liverpool
Bur
Swedish
flour
Glasgow
Listed in SC 98
Dimitrios Chandris
Greek
general
Liverpool
Listed in SC 98
Rossum
Dutch
timber
Preston
Llandaff
British
grain - trucks
London
Returned to Halifax
(lost convoy)
Listed in SC 98
Loke
Norwegian
grain
Swansea
–
Moscha D. Kydoniefs
Greek
grain
London
Returned to Halifax
Listed in SC 98
Newton Pine
British
grain
Hull
Listed in SC 98
Ravnefjell
Norwegian
general
Glasgow
–
Clarissa Radcliffe
British
steel - lumber
Mersey
Listed in SC 98
Dinara
Yugoslavian
flour
Bristol
To SC 98 - did not sail
Listed in SC 99
Oropos
Greek
grain
Cardiff
Listed in SC 98
Lisbeth
Norwegian
aluminium - pulp
Mersey
Listed in SC 98
Joining from Newfoundland (WSC 97) (sailed Aug. 24)
Dago II
Latvian / MOWT 1940
lumber - pulp
Belfast Dock
Kingman
Panamanian
general
Iceland
Facto
Norwegian
newsprint
Ridham Dock
Listed in WSC 98
Ashbury
British
iron ore
Barry
Listed in WSC 98
The Rescue Vessel Perth was also with this convoy (requisitioned on Oct. 14-1940). She was on her 16th voyage as such, having started this voyage from Clyde on Aug. 2 with the westbound Convoy ON 118 (to Halifax Aug. 18), then returned with SC 97 from Halifax on Aug. 22, to Clyde Sept. 6-1942.
Notes:
Commodore was in Dramatist, Vice Commodore in Bonneville, Rear Commodore in Empire Steelhead.
Bronxville was sunk by U-609 on Aug. 31-1942 - more details are available on my page about this ship.
Capira, on a voyage from New York for Glasgow (via Halifax) with general cargo, was also sunk by U-609 that day. She had a crew of 41 and 13 U.S. gunners - 5 perished.
There were no casualties from Bronxville, all 39 being picked up by the Rescue Vessel Perth, which then turned her attention to Capira, saving 33, while other survivors were picked up by an escorting corvette.
The ships left Halifax in the following order (as mentioned, some later returned to port):
The first to leave at 13:21 was Texas, followed at 15:01 by Dramatist, then with just a few minutes between each ship:
Empire Nightingale, Katla, Bonneville, Lord Byron, Radport, Wichita Falls, Malantic, Medina, Oliver Ellsworth, USS Aquila (K 47), Barrwhin, Hjalmar Wessel, City of Fort Worth, Richard Bassett, Bronxville, Beacon, Flowergate, the unnamed Catapult freighter (Z4863 on Hurricane), E. G. Seubert, Dunsley, Keila, Capira, Blairdevon, Empire Toiler, Kathariotisa, Empire Norse (whale oil factory), Blairnevis, Empire Moon (Catapult freighter), Arizpa, Dunav, Albert le Borgne, Star, El Almirante, Empire Cormorant, Zagloba, Llandaff, Jurko Topic, Dimitrios Chandris, Uranienborg, Akabahra, West Maximus, Shirvan, Peter Helms, Empire Flame (Catapult fr.), Berkel, Berto, Zouave, Agios Vlasios, Egba, Henrik Ibsen, Bridgepool, President de Vogue, Evviva, Loke, Aquarius, Empire Steelhead, British Dominion, H. H. Rogers, Ampetco, Stornest, Perth (by then the time was 18:55) and Ravnefjell (no time given).
More details on all the Norwegian ships in this convoy can be found with the help of the alphabet index below, or via the Ship Index.
Related external links:
The attack on Capira
To the next SC convoy in my list SC 98