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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. 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. |
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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 |
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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
|
|
|
Norwegian
|
sugar
|
|
Clyde f. o.
|
|
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
|
|
|
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 |
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Gold Shell
|
British
|
Tanker B
gas oil |
31
|
London
|
|
Pontfield
|
"
|
Tanker W
gasoline |
95
|
Avonmouth
|
|
|
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
|
|
Sourabaya
|
British
|
Tanker B
oil |
73
|
Mersey
|
See notes
|
Tyndareus
|
"
|
general
|
61
|
Liverpool
|
|
Beechwood
|
"
|
grain
|
85
|
Avonmouth
|
|
|
Dutch
|
lumber
|
|
Sharpness
|
Sailed in HX 138
|
New Westminster City
|
British
|
steel
|
52
|
Manchester
|
|
|
Norwegian
|
Tanker W
|
|
Avonmouth
|
Sailed in HX 138
|
|
"
|
Tanker B
|
|
Stanlow
|
Joined HX 138
(returned to port) |
Sandar
|
"
|
Adm. tanker B
Admiralty fuel |
42
|
Clyde
|
|
|
"
|
Tanker B
|
|
Mersey
|
Sailed in HX 138
|
|
British
|
Tanker B
|
|
London
|
Sailed in HX 138
|
|
"
|
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 |
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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
|
|
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: 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. 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. 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: 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. 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: KITES: 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. To the next HX convoy in my list HX 138 |
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