CONVOY HX 160
Convoy HX 160 Cruising Order
Departed Halifax on Nov. 15-1941 and arrived Liverpool on the 30th (Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" gives 62 ships).
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| Received from Ted Agar (his source: A diary) and Ole H. Loftaas.
Cargoes have been extracted from a document received from D. Kindell, based on the late Arnold Hague's database - see his listing for HX 160 at Ships in all HX convoys.
For info, a few of the ships in this convoy had previously arrived with the westbound convoy ON 26.
Br=British, Am=American, Du=Dutch, Norw=Norwegian, Pa=Panamanian, Ru=Russian.
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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7
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8
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9
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10
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11
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12
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11
Empire
Spray
grain
CAM ship
(Br)
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21
Empire
Faith
grain
CAM ship
(Br)
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31
Eastern
City
grain
CAM ship
(Br)
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41
Cairnesk
general
(Br)
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51
Dorelian
general
(Br)
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61
City of
Athens
ore - copra
(Br)
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71
Manchester
Merchant
general
(Br)
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81
Cristales
general
(Br)
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91
Myrtlebank
general
(Br)
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101
Daghestan
wheat
CAM ship
(Br)
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111
Empire
Tide
grain
CAM ship
(Br) |
121
Empire
Spring
general
CAM ship
(Br) |
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12
Lossiebank
general
2 passengers
(Br)
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22
British Courage
pool oil
(Br)
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32
British
Integrity
petrol
(Br)
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42
Toorak
fuel oil
(Br)
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52
Laurelwood
FFO
(Br)
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62
Beaverhill
general
(Br)
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72
Dolabella
petrol
(Br)
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82
San Demetrio
paraffin
(Br)
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92
San Ernesto
petrol
(Br)
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102
Empire Emerald
petrol
(Br)
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112
British Resolution
aviation gas
(Br) |
122
Rhesus
general
(Br) |
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13
Nicoya
general
(Br)
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33
Tortuguero
general
(Br) |
43
Grena
petrol
(Norw) |
53
Kollskegg
fuel oil
(Norw) |
63
British Sincerity
petrol - paraffin
(Br) |
73
Belinda
benzine
(Norw) |
83
British Endurance
aviation gas
(Br) |
93
Diplodon
petrol
(Br) |
103
Bayano
general
(Br) |
113
Delphinula
petrol
(Br) |
123
Glenbank
general
(Br) |
14
Sagaing
general
174 mail
74 passengers
(Br) |
24**
Hamlet
dieso
(Norw) |
34**
Thomas H.
Wheeler
FFO
For Iceland
(Am) |
44
Empire Mica
(Br) |
54
Fagerfjell
FFO
(Norw) |
64
Solarium
paraffin
(Br) |
74
Nueva Andalucia
(Norw) |
84
Athelmonarch
fuel oil
(Br) |
94
Schuylkill
petrol
(Br) |
104
Malvina*
pool oil
(Du) |
114
Macuba
petrol
(Du) |
124
Empire
Bittern
general
(Br) |
15**
Mandanau
general
1013 mail
81 passengers
(Du) |
25
Elona**
aviation gas
(Br)
Onward to N. Russia |
35**
Cold Harbor
(Pa) |
45**
Aguila
general
For Iceland
(Br) |
55
Mount
Evans**
general
(Pa)
Onward to N. Russia |
65
Dardanus
general - 61 mail
80 passengers
(Br) |
75**
Surrey
refrig. - general
859 mail
(Br) |
85
Empire
Puma
general
(Br) |
95
Heranger
general
(Norw) |
105
Stuart
Prince
general
(Br) |
115
Buenos Aires
grain
(Norw) |
125
Westland
iron - general
(Du) |
16
Pandorian
general
(Br) |
26
Dekabrist **
general
(Ru)
Onward to N. Russia |
36 |
46 |
56 |
66 |
76 |
86
Columbia Star
refrig. - general
4 mail -12 passengers
(Br) |
96 |
106 |
116
Glenbeg
general
(Br) |
126
Delfshaven
steel - general
(Du) |
* Vav probably did not sail; she shows up again in the next convoy, HX 161.
* See note re Malvina in the table for Convoy SC 54.
** Elona, Mount Evans and Dekabrist subsequently joined Convoy PQ 6, which left Hvalfjord (Iceland) for Archangel on Dec. 8-1941. A. Hague lists Dekabrist in station 25, instead of 26 as above, and Elona in station 23, instead of 25 (presumably because Vav did not sail). Dekabrist later returned in QP 5, while Elona does not show up until QP 8, and Mount Evans till QP 13.
A note for Convoy SC 55 states that the Greek Mount Rhodope, sailing in that convoy, had originally started out in HX 160.
Empire Bittern had started out in HX 159, but returned to port.
Comparing the above with Arnold Hague's information for HX 160 at Ships in all HX convoys, we find that
** he has the Norwegian Hamlet in station 23. The Dutch ship in station 15 is spelt Mendanau, he has Surrey in station 74 (probably moved up because of the cancellation of Nueva Andalucia). In station 35, he has the Greek Mount Rhodope, cargo of zinc concentrates, straggled and joined Convoy SC 55, as already mentioned. The American ship in station 34 is listed as Thomas E. Wheeler, and Aquila is listed as American USS Aquila, giving her station 44.
The Rescue Vessel Toward was also with this convoy for a while, from joining (Iceland) to Clyde, Nov. 26-Nov. 30. She had been with Convoy ON 37 from Clyde until detached to Iceland Nov. 16-Nov. 23, and was on her 15th voyage as Rescue Vessel, having been requisitioned as such in Dec.-1940. ("Convoy Rescue Ships 1940-1945", Arnold Hague).
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Notes:
Commodore was in Manchester Merchant, Vice Commodore in Cairnesk, Rear Commodore in City of Athens.
Clyde Commodore: In Dorelian.
Belfast Commodore: In Myrtlebank.
A message in my Guestbook suggests that British Confidence may have been in HX 160. This ship is also listed in HX 148, which had arrived Liverpool on Sept. 17-1941. A. Hague has included her in the westbound Convoy ON 22 (see Ships in all ON convoys), departing Liverpool on Oct. 2-1941, but he says she returned to port, later joining ON 23. Note that she's listed as sailing in HX 159, which left Halifax on Nov. 8.
The convoy originally had 62 ships, but 3 were cancelled, namely the Norwegian Nueva Andalucia, Panamanian Cold Harbor and British Empire Mica. Cold Harbor is listed in the slow Convoy SC 57, Nov. 28, while Nueva Andalucia joined HX 161 and Empire Mica shows up again in HX 162.
The list from Ted Agar states that there were a record number of Catapult freighters in this convoy, 4 went out together and 2 later - Empire Spray, Empire Faith, Empire Tide and Daghestan, then Empire Spring and Eastern City.
The main convoy started at 10:12, but 5 ships went out early (starting at 08:10); they were:
The Norwegian Fagerfjell, the Russian Dekabrist (with 2 bombers on deck - later joined Convoy PQ 6), British Empire Emerald and Aguila (see note re this ship in table above), and the Norwegian Buenos Aires.
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List of ships (main convoy) according to sequence of departure Halifax (note that not all ships are named here):
The British Manchester Merchant, unnamed British tanker, Bayano (liner, with civilians and children aboard), Toorak (Hong Kong), Empire Spray (Hurricane NJR), Empire Faith (Hurricane XSJ), Empire Tide (Hurricane NJL), Daghestan (Hurricane J??), Dardanus, followed by 3 unnamed British tankers, then the American Thomas H. Wheeler, another unnamed British tanker, Stuart Prince, Beaverhill, unnamed tanker (Br.), Glenbeg, unnamed freighter, unnamed tanker, unnamed freighter (all British) and Tortuguero, an unnamed Norwegian tanker, unnamed freighter (no nationality given), the British British Integrity, an unnamed British freighter, Empire Bittern, Empire Spring (Hurricane NJO), Schuylkill, City of Athens, Nicoya, Laurelwood, Empire Puma (3 bombers on deck), 2 unnamed British tankers, an unnamed Norwegian tanker followed by the Dutch Mandanau, a British liner, Rhesus (also a liner), an unnamed British freighter and a tanker, then another freighter (no nationality given), Norwegian Heranger, Dutch Delfshaven (Mosquito boats, R187, R188, R189, R191), British Sagaing (a few airmen, naval ratings and civilians), Norwegian Belinda, Dutch Malvina and Westland, British Solarium, Eastern City (Hurricane NJG), Norwegian Hamlet, Panamanian Mount Evans, British Elona, then Lossiebank as the last ship to leave at 13:45.
A. Hague names the following escorts (extracted from this list of HX convoy escorts, also received from D. Kindell; dates are European style, day/month/year):
Annapolis - From 15/11/41 to 17/11/41
Dahlia - From 25/11/41 to 29/11/41
Hamilton - From 15/11/41 to 17/11/41
Hugh Walpole
Kirkella - From 30/11/41 to 30/11/41
Monkshood - From 25/11/41 to 29/11/41
Montbretia - From 26/11/41 to 28/11/41
Northern Pride
Northern Spray
Sardonyx - From 25/11/41 to 29/11/41
Scimitar - From 25/11/41 to 29/11/41
USS Babbitt - From 17/11/41 to 25/11/41
USS Leary - From 17/11/41 to 25/11/41
USS Mayo - From 17/11/41 to 25/11/41
USS Nicholson - From 17/11/41 to 25/11/41
USS Schenck - From 17/11/41 to 25/11/41
Watchman - From 25/11/41 to 28/11/41
 Back to Convoy Index
To the next HX convoy in my list HX 161
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