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CONVOY HX 169

Convoy HX 169 Cruising Order
Departed Halifax on Jan. 8-1942 and arrived Liverpool on the 23rd (Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" gives 36 ships).
List received from Ted Agar (His source: A diary. Although the information is usually incomplete, I consider this diary valuable and important in and of itself and, therefore, I've transcribed it and kept it "as is" on this website, adding further details and/or corrections from other sources separately, rather than within the form itself [except for cargoes], as seen below).

Cargoes have been extracted from a document received from D. Kindell, based on the late Arnold Hague's database - see his listing for HX 169 at Ships in all HX convoys.

Underlined ships returned to port, except those that are linked, which will automatically be underlined.

Br=British, Du=Dutch, Norw=Norwegian, Bel=Belgian, Pa=Panamanian, Ru=Russian.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
11
Bayano
refrig. - general
(Br)
21
Tilapa
refrig. - general
(Br)
31
Corrales
general
10 passengers
(Br)
41
Ville d'Anvers
general
504 mails
(Bel)
51
Manchester
Trader
general
(Br)
61

*
71
Beaverhill
general
(Br)
81
Freighter
(Br)
91
Australia Star
refrig. - general
(Br)
12
Zuiderkerk
general
7 passengers
(Du)
22
Mangkalihat
general
(Du)
32
Tanker
(Br)
42
Tanker
(Norw)
52
Tanker
(Br)
62

*
72
Tanker
(Br)
82
Athelvictor
petrol
(Br)
92
Mentor
general
(Br)
13
Suriname
general
(Du)
23
Palembang
general
(Du)
 33
Tanker
(Br)		 43
Amsterdam*
petrol
(Du)		 53
Clavella
dieso
(Du)		 63 73
Tanker
(Br)		 83
Stiklestad
petrol
(Norw)		 93
Troubadour
general
(Norw)
14
Freighter
(Pa)		 24

*

 34
Tanker
(Norw)		 44
Tanker
(Norw)		 54
Taria
gas oil
(Du)		 64
Tankexpress
gas oil
(Norw)		 74
Thorshov
petrol
(Norw)		 84

*

 94
Freighter
(Norw)
15
Tbilisi**
general
Iceland
Onward to N. Russia
(Ru)		 25 35
Tanker
(Br)		 45
Tanker
(Br)		 55
Moena
general
38 mails
(Du)		 65
Brimanger
general
(Norw)		 75
Petter
dieso
(Norw)		 85 95
There's a note in connection with the slow Convoy SC 65, saying that Boston City, sailing in that convoy, originally came from HX 169, as did the Norwegian Finnanger. Similarly, a note for SC 64, states that Cloucester City in that convoy came from HX 169.

* Amsterdam (from HX 168) returned to port, then joined the slow Convoy SC 66 on Jan. 23.

** Joined Convoy PQ 9/PQ 10

A notation in the diary states "No catapult freighters went out in convoy today. 39 ships went out in the convoy. Originally there were 42 but 3 were cancelled: Egda (Norw), Eidanger (Norw) and Athelqueen (Br. tanker)".
All 3 are listed in HX 170.

The Rescue Vessel Perth was also with this convoy for a while - see Notes below.

Comparing all this with what can be found in Arnold Hague's listing for HX 169 at Ships in all HX convoys, we learn that the above un-named ships were:
In station 14 - Panamanian Africander, general cargo. Collided with Palembang, returned in tow. Palembang also returned, having also collided with the Norwegian Norefjord. Palembang does not show up again until Convoy HX 186, while Africander is listed in SC 81.
In station 32 - British British Governor, FFO
In station 33 - British Davila, FFO, straggled Jan. 15
In station 34 - Norwegian Atlantic, cargo of gas oil, straggled Jan. 15
In station 35 - British Alexia, FFO
In station 42 - Norwegian Kaldfonn, dieso, straggled Jan. 15
In station 44 - Norwegian Finnanger (FFO, detached Jan. 9, returned, listed in Convoy SC 65, as already mentioned)
In station 45 - British British Yeoman, FFO, for Londonderry
In station 52 - British Carelia, aviation gas
In station 72 - British Robert F. Hand, petrol, straggled Jan. 15
In station 73 - British Empire Pict, petrol (later became Norwegian Norland)
In station 81 - British Manchester Exporter, general, straggled Jan. 15
In station 94 - Norwegian Norefjord, general cargo, returned following collision with Palembang. (Listed in HX 175, returned. Joined HX 176).

*Additionally, A. Hague has included some ships in stations where none are listed in the diary, as follows:
In station 62 - British Athelviscount (cargo of petrol)
In station 24 - British Empire Oil (aviation gas)
In station 61 - British Geo. W. McKnight (petrol)
In station 84 - British Taron (petrol, straggled Jan. 10)

He adds that Australia Star straggled on Jan. 10, while Bayano, Mentor, Suriname, Troubadour and Zuiderkerk became stragglers on Jan. 15. The Russian Tbilisi also straggled, but date is not given. Also, he has Brimanger in station 64, Tankexpress in 63.

According to notes for Convoy HX 168, it looks like Zuiderkerk, Mangkalihat and Atlantic were originally scheduled for that convoy, as were Brimanger and Robert F. Hand.

The ships left port in the following sequence, according to the diary:
The first to leave at 10:10 was the British Tilapa, followed 2 minutes later by the British Manchester Trader (Flagship - I assume this means she was the Commodore Ship), and - with a few minutes between each ship - the British freighters Corrales and Beaverhill, the Belgian passenger vessel Ville d'Anvers, the British freighter Australia Star, an unnamed British tanker (72 - according to A. Hague, this was Robert F. Hand), the Norwegian tanker Petter, 2 unnamed British tankers (52 and 35 - Carelia and Alexia), the Norwegian tanker Stiklestad and the Norwegian freighter Brimanger (LDKB), the Dutch freighter Zuiderkerk (PIYU), an unnamed British tanker (73 - in other words, Empire Pict as per A. Hague), an unnamed Norwegian freighter (94 - Norefjord), the Dutch freighter Mangkalihat followed by 2 unnamed British tankers (32 and 45 - British Governor and British Yeoman), the British passenger vessel Bayano, an unnamed British tanker (33 - Davila), the British tanker Athelvictor, the Dutch tanker Clavella and the Dutch passenger vessel Suriname, an unnamed Norwegian tanker (34 - Atlantic), the Norwegian freighter Troubadour (crated aircraft on deck), the Dutch freighter Palembang (PGQE), the Dutch tanker Taria, an unnamed British freighter (81 - Manchester Exporter), a Panamanian freighter (this must have been Africander), the Russian freighter Tbilisi (OUXB), the Dutch tanker Amsterdam, the Dutch freighter Moena (PGAO), and unnamed Norwegian tanker (44 - Finnanger), the British passenger vessel Mentor followed 6 mins later, at 13:15, by an unnamed Norwegian tanker (42 - Kaldfonn). For 14:00 the diary says: "Tankexpress, Norse tanker, 69. After she passed the Tower she took down her convoy flags and hoisted "F". Then she rang up 64" (in other words, she must have had the wrong pendants up - as mentioned above, A. Hague has this ship in station 63). The last ship to leave at 15:00 was the Norwegian tanker Thorshov (LJBM).

Rescue Ship for the last part of the voyage was Perth, on her 12th voyage as Rescue Vessel, having been requisitioned as such on Oct. 14-1940. She had started this voyage from Clyde on Jan. 9 with Convoy ON 55 until detached on Jan. 15 (see ships in all ON convoys), then joined HX 169 on Jan. 17 ("Convoy Rescue Ships 1940-1945", Arnold Hague).

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):
Alisma - From 18/01/42 to 22/01/42
Annapolis - From 08/01/42 to 11/01/42
Kingcup - From 18/01/42 to 22/01/42
Leamington - From 18/01/42 to 22/01/42
Loosestrife - From 20/01/42 to 22/01/42
Oakville - From 08/01/42 to 11/01/42
Saskatoon - From 08/01/42 to 11/01/42
Sunflower - From 18/01/42 to 22/01/42
The Pas - From 08/01/42 to 11/01/42
Thyme - From 18/01/42 to 22/01/42
USS Ellis - From 10/01/42 to 11/01/42
USS Jacob Jones - From 10/01/42 to 18/01/42
USS Madison - From 10/01/42 to 10/01/42
USS Roper - From 10/01/42 to 18/01/42
USS Sturtevant - From 10/01/42 to 18/01/42
USS Wilkes - From 10/01/42 to 18/01/42

To the next HX convoy in my list HX 170


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