Convoy UGS 45 - warsailors.com (original) (raw)
According to Arnold Hauge's "The Allied Convoy System", the UG series commenced as a result of Operation Torch, the invasion of French North Africa, and was the responsibility of the USN. The convoys usually formed in Hampton Roads, though some ships departed from New York City and joined them directly after they had already sailed, in which case Hampton Roads would not appear in their voyage records. Escorts in the Atlantic were the USN's responsibility, with British escorts provided from the Mediterranean.
At first, Casablanca was the terminal port for the UG convoys, but as the land forces progressed eastwards, the eastern terminal port of the slow UG convoys became Port Said until the end of 1944, at which time UGS 60 reverted to Oran as its terminal.
PLEASE NOTE that both original documents appear to have a number of spelling errors in them. I've endeavoured to put it right, but my guesses may not be 100 % correct.
From David's document:
Commodore: Rear Admiral C.H.G. Benson DSO in the British Samfreedom. According to the Commodore, she was a suitable ship, but "Magnetic compass not reliable. Maiden voyage. Undermanned and inexperienced". He adds, "Samfreedom fitted with topmast. Excellent for flag signalling. Recommend general adoption in Sam & Liberty ships" and "With the increasing number of Sam Ships, suggest they are particularly suitable for British Commodore in GUS and UGS convoys. The company running them to be noted and a list kept by NCSO".
US Vice Commodore was in the Liberty Ship Carlos Carrillo.
86 ships, convoy speed: 8.5 knots.
HMS Colombo was with the convoy when taken over from US Commodore 301600B June '44. Parted company 010630B off Bizerta.
HMS Sharpshooter (Senior Officer) Shiel, Gloxinia, Primula took over from US escort group 010800 July '44.
USS Taney (Senior Officer), USS? Campbell, USS Chase, USS Lowe, USS Loy, USS Laning (probably*), USS Barber, USS Burrows, USS Mosley, USS Newell, USS Pride, USS Falgout, USS Fessenden, Coutelao?, USS Livermore, USS Madison – with convoy when taken over from US Commodore 301600B July 44. Parted company off Bizerta 010815B.
For info, some of these vessels went on to escort Convoy GUS 45 back to the U.S.
HMS Gloxinia & Primula parted company position 309 060745C, and Sharpshooter and Shiel parted company position 399.
*David's records has this ship as Lansing (DE-388), but this appears to be incorrect. I've received an E-mail from Terry A. Moberg, Coordinator of the USS/USCGC Lansing Assn. (see link below), saying that this ship was conducting training operations at Portland Maine at the time UGS 45 sailed. Lansing departed on June 24 for the next convoy, UGS 46. He suggests that it's possible that the Lansing has been confused with the Laning, which, as will be seen by clicking on the link to GUS 45 above, also escorted that convoy back to the U.S.
T. Moberg adds in his mail to me:
"The ships you have listed (Fessenden 142, Newell 322, Pride 323, Falgout 324, Lowe 325) were a different Escort Division. The Lansing was part of Escort Division 45 which consisted of: Vance 387, Lansing 388, Durant 389, Calcaterra 390, Chambers 391, Merrill 392. I do not have information on which Escort Division the first-named ships were part of but the Lansing was not in UGS 45".
Related external links:
USS Lansing (DE-388) - The ship's various convoy duties as found on the USS Lansing website. As can be seen UGS 45 is not mentioned, instead UGS 46 is on the list.
USS Taney - looks like the full name was originally Roger B Taney, later shortened to Taney.
More details on many of the other American vessels escorting UGS 45 can be found on this page:
Destroyer Escorts - a section of DANFS.
Ships joining and parting company en route: (for info, some of these ships later returned with Convoy GUS 46, others with GUS 47)
At Bone, a tug departed, while Ocean Trader joined.
At Philipville Lucia departed (is this the Italian Lucia C? This ship was under Allied control from 1943 [ex _Lucia_] ).
At Bizerta Cossatot (USS Cossatot - AO 77?), the Liberty Ships Crosby S. Noyes and William N. Pendleton, Nassarius and the British Empire Bombardier and Longwood left the convoy, while the Norwegian Hjalmar Wessel joined.
At Malta the following joined: F.T. 13 and MCV Campidoglio.
At Augusta the following joined: The British Vasco, Thistledale and Empire Baxter, and the Liberty Ship John Stagg.
while these ships parted company: The Liberty Ships Asa Gray, Andrew Briscoc, Carrillo (this might be the Commodore's ship Carlos Carillo?), Charles Piez, Chatham C Lyon, Daniel Carroll, Francis Marion, George F Patten, Henry Jocelyn, James Jackson, Joseph H Martin, Joseph S Emery, Joseph Goldberger, Joseph McKenna, Justin S Morrill, Langdon Cheves, Louis D Brandeis, Moses Austin, Paine Wingate, Patrick Henry, Robert F Stockton, Robert T Hill, Theodore Foster, Tristram Dalton, Washington Irving, William G Fargo, Woodbridge N Ferris. Also, Cape Howe (British?), the British Dallington Court, Empire Rock, Valldemosa and Ocean Trader, Crackshot (nationality?), the American tanker Esso Baltimore, Frank Klasen (this is probably the Panamanian Franz Klasen), John Tay (should this be John Jay?), Kobad (French), Motia (Italian?), Norheim, Norholm, Hjalmar Wessel and Roald Amundsen, and the USS ATR 1, ATR 1 Class Rescue tug.
At Alexandria, these ships parted company: The British Samouse, Samtruth, Samdak, and Vasco, as well as F.T. 13.
Final summary:
78 ships were taken over from US Commodore, 8 joined, 56 parted company and 30 arrived at Port Said (this is a few more than are named in the table below). As mentioned, Arnold Hauge says this convoy had 74 ships.
| Convoy UGS 45 on Arrival Port Said Arrival Port Said July 7. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-1 form received from Mike Holdoway, England | |||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 11 Thistledale | 21 Samforth | 31 John M Parker * | 41 Haywood Broun * | 51 Samfreedom | 61 John B Ashe * | 71 Samtay * | 81 John A Donald * |
| 12 John Stagg | 22 Anna Howard Shaw * | 32 Samteviot | 42 Mount Revelstoke Park | 52 William D Hoard * | 62 Stevenson Taylor | 72 Samcree | 82 Samingoy |
| 13 | 23 Felipi Debastrop * | 33 Nathan Hale | 43 James Kerney | 53 Eclipse | 63 William A Richardson * | 73 Mary M. Dodge | 83 Matthew B Brady * |
| 14 Empire Baxter | 24 Denewood? | 34 Samsmola | 44 Høegh Silverstar | 54 Samearn | 64 | 74 Samettrick | 84 MCV Campidoglio |
* NOTES TO THE ABOVE: In the original A-1 (convoy form) the ship in station 31 was listed as John Parker, 41 was Heywood Brown, 61 was John Ashe, 71 was Sambay, 81 was John Donald, 22 was Anna Shaw, 52 was William Hoard, 23 was Felipede de Bastrop, 63 was William Richardson, and the ship in station 83 was listed as Matthew Brady - I believe they are the Liberty Ships as named in my table above (ref. links to Liberty Ships related sites at the end of this text).
Related external links:
Chronological list of UG convoys (with the returning GU convoys).
Liberty Ships - Alphabetical list.
List of Liberty Ships by Hull No. - Includes info on the men for whom the ships were named (from Wikipedia).
Empire Ships - Also has a listing of the "Sam"-ships, ex Liberty Ships that came under the British flag (and other Liberty ships).