Transcribed from several documents received from Roger Griffiths (Advance Sailing Telegrams and A 1 forms) - His source: Public Records Office, Kew.

Further details have been added with the help of:
"The Allied Convoy System", Arnold Hague
"Axis Submarine Successes of WW II", Jürgen Rohwer
"The World's Merchant Fleets", R. W. Jordan.

† = dead, surv.=survived

The ships are listed in the order in which they appear in the various documents.

Also, "Convoy Rescue Ships" by Arnold Hagues says that the Rescue Vessel Toward was with the convoy from March 25 until March 30.

Notes:
Commodore, Vice Admiral F. A. Sommerville was in Tilapa, Vice Commodore was the captain of Collares.

41 ships in convoy (27 from Halifax, 14 from Bermuda, escorted by HMS Worcestershire) - 31 were still present at rendezvous with local escort, March 25.

* San Conrado was bombed and machine gunned Apr. 1 (German aircraft of KG 27) 325° 13 miles from the Smalls. Abandoned on fire - taken in tow, reboarded, bombed again, abandoned. Still on fire 170° 12 miles from Tuskar Rock Apr. 2, sunk.

*
March 11 - Labette returned to Halifax with engine troubles. Listed as sailing in HX 117.

March 19 - 3 ships missing after 2 days of fog and gales March 22 - 3 ships missing after 2 more days of fog.
The 6 ships were:
Torr Head	Reported ahead of convoy
Thorshavet	Reported proceeding. Sighted S/M
Empire Mermaid	Sunk 200' ahead
Roxby	reported to be with SC 25
Comanchee	reported to be with SC 25
Kaia Knudsen	Rejoined convoy

March 24 - Velox and Inger Lise sent to SC 25
March 25 - Lincoln Ellsworth detached to Iceland - sunk Apr. 6 - ref. text for Lincoln Ellsworth.
March 29 - Pandias - steering defects
March 29 - 20:00 Loch Ewe portion with Commodore parted company

Commodore says:
"Maximum speed of convoy was 8 knots instead of 9. Coal and consequently smoke is getting worse." He brags about Lapland's "behaviour" (Captain J. T. Gilroy), saying "quite exceptional and the smallest ship present", and views Tilapa (Captain J. Pengelly?) as an excellent Commodore's ship. Visual and W/T signalling: "Generally above the average."

Commodore's narrative of voyage, and suggestions for improvement of the convoy system:
"Continual heavy easterly gales alternating with fog made it the worst convoy I have yet had but no enemy action. The slow convoy SC 25 should have been 20 miles on my beam, but suddenly appeared right ahead during a fog, sights put HX 114 exactly on HX 114 course. Rodney sighted Gneisenau on the ?th (date illegible, possibly 16th).

Obviously smaller and more balanced convoys would add to their efficiency, but this is a matter of the number of escorts. Abolish all 'so called' confidential books in merchant ships, all are bound to be compromised - especially issue several copies of 'mersigs'(?) to each ship, not confidential (then the ships officers, as well as the enemy, may have a chance of reading it. Enlarge the 'Secret Position' method for routing and destination ports. Each N.C.O. to issue a special letter series, changing with each convoy and with groups of independently routed ships."

Ocean Escort: HMS Chitral, from Halifax to 57?N 25W at 20:45 March 24.
HMS Rodney, March 15 42 55N 49W in vicinty of Halifax (from SC 25?).
HMS Royal Sovereign, March 16 at 18:00 to A.M. March 17
Other Escort: HMS Wanderer, HMS Periwinkle, HMS Arab, HMS Weston (2 days), HMS Vanity, HMS Primrose, HMS? Ayrshire, HMS Montgomery, Colombia, Masturian, HMS Lady Madeleine?
Air Escort: From Halifax to dark March 11 (day of departure). From March 28 and onwards.

Commodore Sommerville has also written the following with regard to signalmen (Convoy OB 281 and HX 114):

"The N.C.S.O. at Liverpool informed me that this would be the last convoy I should have with my usual staff, as by an Admiralty order, all pensioner Yeomen and Telegraphists were being withdrawn from Convoy Staffs, and in future, Staffs would be detailed from a Convoy Signal rating pool as required.

One of the few remaining privileges of Flag Officers is that of keeping one's Staff, and up to now, this has been the case with the volunteer Commodores of Convoy.

Only a Commodore of long service can realize what this means. Of the original Commodore "pools", only a comparative few of us remain, and these have taken from fifteen to twenty convoys each. This means fifteen to twenty ships in each of which the only familiar faces are our Staffs.

As a few senior pensioners only will be released by this scheme, it is put forward that some consideration should be given to the Commodores, especially in view of the many discomforts they go through in the course of their duties.

In addition, it appears wrong to alter a scheme planned before this war on the experience of the last, which has stood the test of eighteen months of war."

More details on all the Norwegian ships mentioned on this page can be found in the alphabetical ship lists of this website - ref. index below.

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