Convoy stations are not known.

This was the first convoy to attain the full permitted number of 32 ships. Due to the congestion in Bergen, approval had been given, as an exceptional case, for 36 ships to sail, but only 32 of them joined the escort, the other 4 having lost contact in a snowstorm and proceeding independently. After Jan. 1-1940 the assembly at Bergen was always in excess of 32 ships and a change of policy had to be considered, resulting in an increase of the permitted number of ships to 40 from Jan. 15-1940, with the escort made up to 5-7 destroyers according to the number available.

A document listing all the HN convoys states that HN 6 had 4 British, 17 Norwegian, 8 Swedish, 6 Finnish, and 1 Panamanian ship for a total of 36, 7 of which were bound for the west coast. Compare this to the following (all left Bergen on Dec. 31-1939 - dates are European style, with date/month/year):

Norwegian Granli
Arrived Methil roads 04.01.1940, arrived Sunderland 07.01.1940.

British Hague
Arrived Dundee 04.01.1940.

Norwegian Haukefjell
Arrived Methil roads 04.01.1940 for Blyth.

Norwegian Boreas
Arrived Shields 07.01.1940.

Norwegian Dux
Arrived Shields 07.01.1940 for Grimsby.

Norwegian Transport
Arrived Shields 07.01.1940 for Immingham.

Norwegian Kis
Arrived Newcastle 07.01.1940.

Finnish Hektos
Arrived Glasgow 05.01.1940.

Swedish Garm
Arrived Methil roads 04.01.1940. Arrived Shields 07.01.1940 for London.

British Majorca - Commodore Vessel
Arrived Methil roads 04.01.1940. Arrived Grangemouth 04.01.1940.

Swedish Iris
Arrived Methil roads 04.01.1940. Arrived Shields 07.01.1940 for Rochester. (For info, several other countries also had ships by this name. For instance, there was a Norwegian Iris, which appears in several ON and HN convoys).

Swedish Porjus
Arrived Methil roads 04.01.1940. Arrived Middlesbrough 07.01.1940.

Swedish Kalix
Arrived Methil roads 04.01.1940. Arrived Middlesbrough 07.01.1940.

Norwegian Ibis
Arrived Methil roads 04.01.1940. Arrived Blyth 07.01.1940.

Norwegian Ulv
Arrived Methil roads 05.01.1940. Arrived Shields 07.01.1940 for London.

Norwegian Gaston Micard
Arrived Methil roads 04.01.1940. Arrived Shields 07.01.1940 for Middlesbrough.

Norwegian Maurita
Sailed for Manchester.

Finnish Wiima
Arrived Methil roads 04.01.1940. Arrived Shields 07.01.1940 for London.

Norwegian Oria
Sailed for Barrow.

Norwegian Fagerbro
Arrived Manchester 07.01.1940.

Finnish Saimaa
Arrived Manchester 07.01.1940.

Finnish Zilos
Sailed for Cardiff.

Swedish Consul Bratt
Sailed for Bristol.

Norwegian Miranda
Arrived Methil roads 04.01.1940. Arrived Leith 04.01.1940. (For info, there was also a British ship by this name, 1108 gt).

Norwegian Eros
Arrived Methil roads 04.01.1940. Arrived Granton 04.01.1940. (For info, Gt. Britain and Sweden also had ships by this name).

Norwegian Havtor
Arrived Methil roads 04.01.1940 for Shields.

Swedish Plato
Arrived Methil roads 04.01.1940. Arrived Shields 07.01.1940.

Swedish Svartön
Sailed for Middlesbrough. Became detached from the convoy and was torpedoed by U-58 on Jan. 3-1940 with the loss of 19 men, 11 survived. It was believed at the time that she had lost the convoy by steaming too fast during the first night out. Several ships had gone ahead during the night and had to be turned back into station. (See also Uboat.net's info on this incident - external link). According to the Memorial for seamen in Stavern, several Norwegians had joined this ship in Narvik, 9 of whom lost their lives. They are named on this page (also external link).

Norwegian Skarv
Arrived Methil roads 04.01.1940. Arrived Shields 07.01.1940 for Grimsby.

British Crown Arun
Sailed for Hull.

Swedish Sirius
Arrived Methil roads 04.01.1940. Arrived Shields 07.01.1940 for Rochester. (For info, Norway also had ships named Sirius, and there was also a Finnish ship by this name).

Finnish Corona
Arrived Methil roads 04.01.1940. Arrived Shields 07.01.1940 for London. (For info, Norway also had a Corona).

Finnish Sarmatia
Arrived Methil roads 04.01.1940 for London.

Norwegian Dokka
Arrived Methil roads 04.01.1940. Arrived Shields 07.01.1940 for Rouen.

Estonian Cathrine
Arrived Methil roads 04.01.1940. Arrived Shields 07.01.1940 for Rouen.

British Glen Tilt
Arrived Dundee 04.01.1940.

Note that all the ships listed as Norwegian on this page are discussed on this website, see the Ship Index (some are included in the Homefleet section).

Escorts met the ships in Aspø Sound at 14:30 on Jan. 1-1940, in snowstorms and low visibility, and by 15:30 the leading vessels were clear of the territorial waters - course 215°, speed 6 knots, south/southeast winds force 6. Course was to be altered at 22:00 that night to 260°. At 09:00 the following morning, Jan. 2, speed was increased to 7 1/2 knots, 32 ships in company. As there were still many stragglers and ships out of their stations by 13:00 that day, it was decied at 15:00 to alter course to 220° for the night, so that the alteration could take place in daylight, though this would result in a deviation from the route initially ordered. During the afternoon, rendezvous for the escort for the westbound ships, along with the position, course and speed at 15:00, were passed to a flying boat for transmission to the Commander-in-Chief, Rosyth. However, the report was mutilated in transmission so that W/T silence had to be broken at around 22:00 in order to pass the rendezvous info to Fearless, which joined, together with Fury, at 08:00 on Jan. 3 to escort the westbound ships towards Pentland Firth. Course was altered again at 10:00 that day to 180° (winds had calmed down by then), and again at 13:30 to 120°. At 15:00, Escapade, Encounter and Eclipse were placed ahead of the convoy, running T.S.D.S., clearing sweep. At 18:00, course was altered to 180° in order to pass 15 miles west of Peterhead.

At 22:40, as the convoy was about to turn into the channel, Exmouth obtained what was believed to be a submarine contact. A depth charge was dropped, but contact was not regained, so Exmouth rejoined the convoy at 23:15.

Hague and Glen Tilt were detached for Dundee at 06:30 on Jan. 4, after passing Bell Rock. After having passed May Island, Orzel was ordered into port at 08:15. The 23 ships now remaining in the convoy had passed May Island by 09:15 that morning, and the convoy leaders were stopping off Elie Ness in order to pick up pilots, whereupon escorts Exmouth, Escapade, Encounter, Eclipse, Eskimo and Tartar left, putting into port at 11:00.

Escorts:
HMS Exmouth, Escapade, Encounter, Eclipse, Orzel (from Convoy ON 6) met ships off Aspø fjord at 14:30 on Jan. 1, outside the 3 miles limit.
2nd Cruiser Squadron sighted at 10:00 Jan. 2, and at the same time HMS Eskimo and Tartar joined, stationed 3000 yards ahead of convoy.
Fearless and Fury joined at 08:00 on Jan. 3 to escort westbound ships to Pentland Firth. For additional info, see this document, listing escorts for all HN and ON convoys.
Air Escort - Sighted at 09:30 Jan. 2.

See also text under Jan. 1-1940 on this external page.

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