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CONVOY HX 102
Departed Halifax on Jan. 11-1941 and arrived Liverpool on the 29th.
Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" gives 30 ships in this convoy.

(Will be updated - please compare with A. Hague's listing for this convoy at ships in all HX convoys. See also HX escorts).

Transcribed from several documents received from Roger Griffiths - His source: Public Records Office, Kew.

A 1 form is not available to me, therefore, I don't know the station numbers of these ships, except for the Bermuda portion (A 1 form received from Tony Cooper, England).

Crossed out ships did not sail, underlined ships returned to port.

MOWT = Ministry of War Transport

Ship
Nationality
Cargo
Destination
Remarks
Bermuda Section - Sailed Jan. 9 -1941
escorted by HMS Ranpura
Charlton Hall
British
lumber
Swansea
Station 91 in Bermuda portion
Returned to port
Listed in HX 106
Dromus
"
Tanker W
benzine
Holyhead / Southampton
Station 71 in Bermuda portion
Elg
Norwegian
phosphates
Aberdeen
Station 42 in Bermuda portion
Returned to port
Listed in HX 105
Empire Shearwater
British
sulphur
Garston
From HX 101
Joined HX 103 - returned to port
(see * below)
Forest
"
sugar
Liverpool
Station 72 in Bermuda portion
Hopepeak
"
sugar
Liverpool
Station 62 in Bermuda portion
From HX 101
Laguna
"
general
Liverpool
Station 51 in Bermuda portion
Returned to port
Listed in HX 106
Laurits Swenson
Norwegian
general - special
Liverpool
Station 61 in Bermuda portion
See Notes at end of this table
Llanover
British
phosphates
Hull
Station 22 in Bermuda portion
Returned to port
Mijdrecht
Dutch
Tanker W
London
Sailed in HX 103
Pacific Exporter
British
general
Liverpool
Station 41 in Bermuda portion
(Vice Commodore)
Ramsay
"
phosphates
Glasgow
Station 11 in Bermuda portion
Returned to port
Sandanger
Norwegian
Tanker W
benzine
Avonmouth
Station 81 in Bermuda portion
San Ernesto
British
Tanker W
Glasgow
Station 21 in Bermuda portion
Returned to port **
To HX 103 - did not sail
Sailed in HX 104
Tiradentes
Norwegian
steel - lumber
London
Station 52 in Bermuda portion
Returned to port
Listed in HX 105
Tottenham
British
phosphates
London
Station 32 in Bermuda portion
Returned to port
To HX 104 - did not sail
Listed in HX 107
British Dominion
British
Tanker W
motor spirit
Avonmouth
Station 31 in Bermuda portion
Returned to port (Halifax)
* Empire Shearwater is listed as sailing in station 52 of Convoy HX 111 with a note saying "from HX 103", so it looks as though she didn't get away until the end of Febr.
** San Ernesto returned to Bermuda with degaussing gear out of action at 12:00 Jan. 9.
Halifax Section - Sailed Jan. 11
Bintang
Dutch
general - special
Liverpool
Muneric
British
pig iron
Grangemouth
Sesostris
Egyptian
general
Liverpool
From HX 101
To SC 19
(sunk Jan. 29 - U-106)
Sydland
Swedish
steel - scrap - special
Grangemouth
From HX 101
Urla
British
steel - lumber
Manchester
From HX 101
Straggled - Sunk Jan. 28, Italian Luigi Torelli
All 42 survived
West Wales
"
steel
Newport
From HX 101
To SC 19
(sunk Jan. 29 - U-94)
Cape of Good Hope
"
steel - scrap
Manchester
From HX 101
Trehata
"
steel - scrap
Middlesbrough
From HX 101
Sailed in HX 103
Emmaplein
Dutch
steel - lumber
Middlesbrough
Sailed in HX 103
(struck Br. mine Jan. 31 - no casualties)
Spondilus
British
Tanker B
Clyde
From HX 101
Gandia
Belgian
general
Liverpool
From HX 101
Sailed in HX 103
Cornwallis
British
general
Belfast d. g. / Liverpool
To HX 103 - did not sail
Listed in HX 104
Canada
Swedish
general
Liverpool
Dagrun
Norwegian
grain
Glasgow
From HX 101
Solferino
"
steel - dry pulp
Manchester
From HX 101
Talthybius
British
general - special
Liverpool
Solstad
Norwegian
Tanker B
Sunderland
From HX 101
Duquesne
American / MOWT 1941
Steel - scrap iron
Leith
Became British Empire Kudu '41
Cairnesk
"
general
Newcastle / Leith
Gregalia
"
general
Glasgow
Heina
Norwegian
general
River Mersey
Einar Jarl
"
pit props
Hull
Listed in SC 20
Jean Jadot
Belgian
general - special
Liverpool
Sailed in HX 103
Orminster
British
phosphates
Hull
To HX 104 - did not sail
Listed in SC 21
Trecarrell
"
steel - paper
Clyde f. o.
To HX 103 - did not sail
Listed in HX 104
Bengore Head
"
general
Belfast / Dublin
Empire Buffalo
"
steel - trucks
London
Sacramento Valley
"
steel - trucks
Manchester
Puck
Polish
newsprint
Glasgow
Gallia
Norwegian
Tanker W
Stanlow?
From SC 19
Induna
British
steel - lumber
London
Leerdam
Dutch
general
Liverpool / Cardiff
Emile Francqui
Belgian
grain - general
Liverpool
Wearwood
British
wheat
Returned to Halifax (leak)
Listed in HX 104
Sovac
"
Tanker B
Birkenhead
Idefjord
Norwegian
general
Avonmouth / Swansea
Rio Blanco
British
steel - lumber
London
Returned to Halifax
(steering gear problems)
To HX 104 - did not sail
Listed in HX 105

Notes:
There's a note in the escorting HMS Ranpura's report on BHX 102 for 14:30 on Jan. 12 (3 days after departure Bermuda) saying,
"Picked up Laurits Swenson, told her to proceed and rendezvous on the 14th."
Then for Jan. 13 it says,
"14:05 - Met Vice Commodore in Pacific Exporter.
21:00 - Exchanged signals with Norwegian tanker Hallanger, passing on opposite course.
23:00 - Laurits Swenson was again sighted and was told to take station on starboard side of Vice Commodore.
17:44Z - The following signal was received from HMS Voltaire (presumably the escort for the Halifax portion):
'HX 102 11 hours late. Will endeavour to rendezvous Bermuda section at 12:00 GMT Wednesday 15th in 44 28N 49 40W'."

From Jan 11 there had been a strong wind, eventually reaching hurricane force, with wind from the southeast, resulting in the scattering of BHX 102. When Ranpura arrived at the rendezvous position at 10:15 on Jan. 14, only the British Dromus was present. A non-commital signal in Merchant Navy Code was consequently transmitted at 14:01 and 16:10 GMT, reading as follows,
"BHX 102 endeavour rendezvous 12:00 GMT 15th 111 miles 063° from rendezvous".
It was believed that the rest of the ships from BHX 102 were some hours astern, and the Vice Commodore was given instructions as to the new rendezvous position and course of HX 102 to the new rendezvous, whereupon Ranpura proceeded on a reverse course to search for the other ships, having notified HMS Voltaire of the action taken. At 13:20 that day (still the 14th) Ranpura made contact with the Norwegian Sandanger and was "disconcerted to find that she had not received my W/T signal. Gave her instructions as to the new rendezvous and told her to proceed on her way".

When no further ships had been sighted by the morning of Jan. 15, Ranpura headed for Halifax, in heavy wind and snow, increasing to gale force until the morning of the next day. Ranpura arrived Halifax at 09:35 on Jan. 17.

Commodore for the combined convoy was in Gregalia, Vice Commodore in Cairnesk. No report is available.

The convoy arrived rendezvous with local escort on Jan. 23-1941.

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