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CONVOY HX 137
Departed Halifax on July 6-1941 and arrived Liverpool on July 22.
Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" gives 53 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.

Stations given are stations in combined convoy. Crossed out ships did not sail - underlined ships returned to port.

For info, some of the ships in this convoy later returned with Convoy ON 3 on July 31 (Mount Rhodope is listed in ON 4).

MOWT=Ministry of War Transport.

Ship
Nationality
Cargo
Station
Destination
Remarks
Bermuda Section (BHX) - Sailed July 4
Joined main section on July 12
There should be a total of 17 ships - more ships are named at the end of this table
Athelvictor
British
Tanker W
gasoline
63
Mersey
Baron Douglas
"
sugar
53
Liverpool
British Fortitude
"
Tanker W
aviation spirits
64
Mersey
British Resolution
"
Tanker W
gasoline
82
Avonmouth
Collegian
"
general - special
46
Clyde
Dagrun
Norwegian
sugar
Clyde f. o.
From HX 136
Sailed in HX 138
Diloma
British
Tanker W
gasoline
44
Glasgow
Empire Hawk
"
general
74
Garston
Hammaren
Swedish
cotton - general
14
Hull
Noreg
Norwegian
Adm. tanker B
Admiralty fuel
45
Clyde
Prins Willem III
Dutch
sugar - general
Liverpool
Returned to port
(see notes below)
Sailed in HX 138
Recorder
British
steel - cotton
55
Mersey / Holyhead
Siris
"
wheat - timber - sugar
34
London
Roxane
French
Adm. tanker B
Clyde
To HX 138 - cancelled again
Halifax Section - Sailed July 6
there should be a total of 24 ships - more ships are named at the end of this table
Gold Shell
British
Tanker B
gas oil
31
London
Pontfield
"
Tanker W
gasoline
95
Avonmouth
Varanger
Norwegian
Tanker B
Clyde
Sailed in HX 138
Clairton
American/ MOWT 1941
steel - timber
91
Cardiff
(Became Empire Reindeer)
Taron
"
Tanker W
London
Returned to port
(see notes below)
Sailed in HX 138
Empire Guillemot
"
scrap - gun powder
66
Clyde
Heina
Norwegian
general
Liverpool
Returned to port
(see notes below)
Sailed in HX 139
Sourabaya
British
Tanker B
oil
73
Mersey
See notes
Tyndareus
"
general
61
Liverpool
Beechwood
"
grain
85
Avonmouth
Aruba
Dutch
lumber
Sharpness
Sailed in HX 138
New Westminster City
British
steel
52
Manchester
Garonne
Norwegian
Tanker W
Avonmouth
Sailed in HX 138
Thorshøvdi
"
Tanker B
Stanlow
Joined HX 138
(returned to port)
Sandar
"
Adm. tanker B
Admiralty fuel
42
Clyde
Stigstad
"
Tanker B
Mersey
Sailed in HX 138
El Aleto
British
Tanker B
London
Sailed in HX 138
Empire Steel
"
Tanker D
Avonmouth
Sailed in HX 138
Alchiba
Dutch
steel - 500 t TNT
72
Newport
British Integrity
British
Tanker W
gasoline
71
Mersey
Empire Woodcock
"
steel - trucks
33
Middlesbrough
From HX 135
Lechistan
Polish
general - 500 t explosives
75
Liverpool
Manchester Spinner
British
general
51
Manchester
From HX 136
Matiana
"
general
84
Avonmouth
Mount Rhodope
Greek
steel - scrap
36
Ardrossan
Varand
British
Tanker W
gasoline
22
Isle of ?
Penrose
"
grain
26
Hull
Saint Gobain
Swedish
Tanker D
fuel oil
43
Glasgow
From HX 134
Sydney Section (SHX) - Sailed July 7
Joined main section on July 11
Virgilia
British
wheat
12
London
Moorby
"
wheat
81
Liverpool
Beaverhill
"
general
62
Holyhead / Liverpool
Pentridge Hill
"
flour - special
76
Liverpool
See notes
Trehata
"
grain
83
Sharpness
Commodore Sydney Section
Vice Commodore joined convoy
Empire Summer
"
flour
11
London
Nellie
Greek
grain
16
Newcastle
Nicoya
British
general
15
London
Modavia
"
refrig. - general
41
Glasgow
King Arthur
"
steel - lumber
25
London
See notes
Redgate
"
grain
23
Hull
Tower Field
"
grain
21
London
See notes
Margarita Chandri
Greek
grain
92
Avonmouth
Michalis
"
grain
65
Liverpool
See notes
Olympos
"
iron ore
93
Cardiff
Joined from Wabana - WHX
(see notes)
The following 10 ships were also in this convoy, but I'm not sure whether they sailed from Halifax or Bermuda (except for Hjalmar Wessel, which had joined from Halifax. Torfinn Jarl joined from Sydney):
Baron Dechmont
British
sugar
London
See notes
Gorjistan
"
general
13
London
Grangepark
"
sugar
24
London
City of Marseilles
"
general
54
Liverpool
City of Leicester
"
general
56
Mersey
British Faith
"
Tanker W
gasoline
35
Purfleet(?)
Port Caroline
"
refrig.
94
Avonmouth
Hjalmar Wessel
Norwegian
paper
Glasgow
Put back to Sydney, C.B. - see Hjalmar Wessel
(see also notes)
Sailed in HX 139
Torfinn Jarl
"
flour
32
Kings Lynn
Additionally, the Rescue Vessel Zamalek was with the convoy from July 17 till July 21.

Notes for Sydney section:
King Arthur, Pentridge Hill and Tower Field lost touch in fog after 07:30 on July 8. King Arthur joined the HX convoy in the morning of July 12, Pentridge Hill in the morning of July 15. Tower Field also caught up with the HX convoy (date unknown).
Michalis sailed 4 hours late, date of joining HX convoy unknown.

Sourabaya from the main section and Olympos (from Wabana) were brought over to the Sydney section by K 27 HMS Honeysuckle at 07:00 on July 11 in 50 24N 48 40W.

Average speed, Sydney section - 7.9 knots.
The convoy experienced dense fog from 22:00 July 7 until 06:50 July 11, except for 1 hour at 02:40 on the 11th.

Commodore J.C.K. Dowding R.N.R. in Trehata says that station keeping was "very good indeed, though 80 hours of dense fog. All four leaders in station, remaining ships within 5 miles when fog cleared.

Trehata was fitted with a loudspeaker made on board by the senior W/T Officer W. Brooks which was most useful".

Local Escorts: K 112 HMCS Matapedia and K 138 HMCS Barrie (corvettes) - until parting company during dense fog in the afternoon of July 8.
Ocean Escorts: G 71 HMS Reading and K 198 HMCS Spikenard, from 03:00 July 11, 50 00N 48 40W.
Air Escort: Hudson seen at 18:00 on July 11 in 51 30N 47 50W.

10 ships from SHX section (out of 14), plus 1 ship from HX section (Sourabaya) joined up with HX section at 20:00 on July 11 in 51 50N 47 45W, at which time Trehata became Vice Commodore vessel. All 15 ships eventually joined HX convoy.

Notes for combined convoy:

Commodore Walter H. Poole R.N.R. was in Manchester Spinner, Vice Commodore J.C.K. Dowding R.N.R. in Trehata.

Average speed - 8.24 knots.

The convoy had 24 ships in Halifax section, 15 in Sydney section, 1 from Wabana and 17 from Bermuda for a total of 57. 52 were present at local rendezvous on July 17 (due to fog, the convoy was 10 hours and 40 mins. late at rendezvous - 61 55N 24 00W).

In the fog, the following ships lost touch with convoy between 01:00 on July 8 in 44 25N 57 27W and 12:00 on July 11 in 50 26N 47 52W:
Taron, Heina, Hjalmar Wessel, Baron Dechmont, and Prins Willem III.

The information in Commodore Poole's notes differs slightly from Commodore Dowding's notes - Commodore Poole says that the SHX and WHX ships joined at 20:30 on July 11 in 51 27N 47 45W = 16 ships.
BHX convoy joined at 16:00 on July 12 in 54 02N 47 13W = 15 ships.

Empire Woodcock was unable to keep station as from July 17-1941. "Presume bad coal or bad stoking, as this vessel emitted dense columns of black smoke throughout the passage and is a definite menace to any convoy".

The Commodore adds:
S/S Manchester Spinner, Master C.A. Walker - he and his officers have been of every assistance to me. Vessel smokes very badly.
S/S Tyndareus, Master D. Hey - exceptionally good at station keeping, good signalling and navigating. Kept excellent station in dense fog.
S/S Empire Woodcock, Master J. K. Baty - very good station keeping, especially in dense fog, but has been a constant menace throughout the passage through continuous smoke.
M/V Modavia - excellent station keeping and signalling.
S/S New Westminster City, Master W. J. Harris - very good at station keeping and signalling.
S/S Port Caroline - good station keeping and signalling.
S/S Nicoya - excellent station keeping.
S/S Torfinn Jarl - splendid station keeping. This vessel was exceptionally well handled during heavy weather. A very small vessel for the North Atlantic.
M/V Saint Gobain, Master J. Carlsson - kept excellent station throughout the passage, especially during fog and heavy weather. Good signals.
After junction was affected the whole of the 5th column, New Westminster City, Baron Douglas, City of Marseilles, Recorder, City of Leicester kept perfect station, and were excellent at signals. Also No. 46 S/S Collegian.
S/S Moorby reported damage to deck cargo at 21:00 (date illegible), was ordered to run off 10" to starboard but by reducing speed managed to keep station without further damage. This may have happened on July 13, as the Commodore says the convoy experienced a WNW to West gale and high sea from 08:00 on that date. He adds that they had dense fog from 01:00 on July 8 in 44 25N 57 27W till July 11 in 50 28N 47 52W (time illegible, but note that Commodore Dowding gives the time as 06:50 in his notes for the Sydney section).

KITES:
Number of kites fitted - 34
Number of kites flown - 4
Number of hours daily - (1) 9, (2) Nil, (3) 12, (4) 4.

Only kite flown on 18th S/S Manchester Spinner with following wind. No other ship was able to get his kite up on the 18th and 19th, and only three ships on the 21st inst.

Escort Vessels: HMS Circassia, HMS Reading, HMS Dianthus, HMS Honeysuckle, HMCS Saguenay, HMCS Spikenard, and HMCS Snowberry to 22W, then HMS Bulldog, HMS Amazon, Polish destroyer ORP Burza, HMS Nigella, HMS Aubretia and trawlers HMS King Sol and HMS Daneman.

Local escort vessels vere met at 20:30 GMT on July 17, in 61 56N 22 09W. Halifax escort vessels parted company at 21:00 GMT on July 17 in 61 56 1/2N 22 00W.

Air Escort: Canadian escort at 10:30 July 7-1941. Catalina at 14:14 on July 15 (60 12N 37 30W). Sunderland, 15:39 on July 16 and 18:00 on July 19.

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