Received from Don Kindell, based on the late Arnold Hague's database.

Cargoes and destinations are not given.

Another document listing all the Norway-U.K. Convoys states that Convoy HN 12 had 3 British, 15 Norwegian, 8 Swedish, 1 Danish, 2 Finnish, and 1 Estonian ship, for a total of 30 (this included 3 from the Orkneys to the east coast). This does not quite match up with the list below.

According to A. Hague, the following ships took part (in alphabetical order):

Norwegian Activ
Dutch Amsterdam
Swedish Arnold Bratt
Swedish Bera (tonnage is given as 11 286 gt - for info, Norway also had a Bera, 771 gt)
Norwegian Columba
Swedish Consul Bratt
Norwegian Frode - Note that the Swedish Frode of 1535 gt is crossed out from the Advance Sailing Telegram for Convoy HN 11, and I'm wondering if the wrong nationality is given here? For info, there was also a Danish ship by this name).
Finnish Gottfrid (see also HN 10).
Norwegian Hundvaag
Swedish Iberia
Norwegian Kongshavn
Norwegian Liv
Danish Maria Toft
Norwegian Meteor
Swedish Mimer (A. Hague says this was the Norwegian Mimer, but this is incorrect. R.W. Jordan has told me this was Stockholm's Rederi-A/B Svea's Mimer).
Swedish Rex (1013 gt - for info, Norway also had a Rex, 588 gt)
Norwegian Røsten
Norwegian Roy
Norwegian Sekstant
Norwegian Skarv
Swedish Stig Gorthon
British Svanholm (1321 gt, I believe this ship was still Danish at this time? - For info, Norway also had a Svanholm. In fact, this ship appears in Convoy ON 17 in March-1940, and I'm wondering if the ship in HN 12 might also be the Norwegian one? Unless the Svanholm in ON 17 was Danish?)
Norwegian Vaga
Estonian Viiu
Norwegian Vim
Finnish Wipunen

Note that the Norwegian ships mentioned in this convoy are discussed on this website (some in the Homefleet section) - they can be reached through the Master Index page.

Report on passage is not available, however, a report regarding attacks on HN and ON convoys states that HMS Daring, which had joined the escort for HN 12 for the Orkneys-Methil part of the voyage, was torpedoed and sunk to the east of Duncansby Head during the night of Febr. 17/18-1940. Jürgen Rohwer ("Axis Submarine Successes of World War Two") gives the culprit as U-23 (Kretschmer). Uboat.net has a page about this sinking (external link).

Escorts named on this page:
Edinburgh, Arethusa, Calcutta, S/M Thistle, Inglefield, Imogen, Ilex, Delight, Daring, Gallant, Jaguar, Sikh, Nubian, Imperial.

Also, see the text under Febr. 15 and Febr. 16 (scroll down in the text) on this external page, which mentions this convoy and its escorts.

Back to Convoy Index