Cargoes have been extracted from a document received from D. Kindell, based on the late Arnold Hague's database - see his listing for HX 185 at Ships in all HX convoys.

Br=British, Norw=Norwegian, Du=Dutch, Pol=Polish

Agapenor had returned to port from Convoy HX 184.

* Daghild returned. She's listed as sailing in the slow Convoy SC 81, which left Halifax on Apr. 23-1942.

Comparing this information with A. Hague's listing for Convoy HX 185 at Ships in all HX convoys, we see that he has also included the British tug HMS Prudent in this convoy, in ballast, no station number.

* He says the Norwegian Garonne was involved in a collision with Manchester Division on Apr. 19. The British ship was towed in. Follow the link to my page about Garonne.

He has Delfshaven in station 11, while Empire Tennyson has been given station 12, and Ocean Freedom is listed in station 13. Also, Port Auckland is listed in station 32, Sarpedon in station 33.

In station 52, he has the British British Power, cargo of aviation gas, with a note saying she sailed from Argentia to St. John's, N.F., then joined - see also HX 183 and HX 184.
Burdwan detached on Apr. 19, sailing on independently.

Roy Martin has told me that Saint Bertrand was the ex German Chemnitz, built in Germany. (His sources: Lloyd's List and Lloyd's Register 1941/42). Chemnitz was captured in Sept.-1939 by the French submarine Poncelot, renamed Saint Bertrand in 1940. Under Ministry of War Transport charter 1940-1945 ("The World's Merchant Fleets 1939", R.W. Jordan).

Franche Comté was the ex Dutch Loosdrecht, which had been sold to France in 1939 and renamed. Under Ministiry of War Transport from 1940. (R. W. Jordan).

The ships left Halifax in the following order (according to the diary):
No exact time is given, but sometime after 10 the first to leave was the British liner Sarpedon, followed by Tucurinca, Manchester Division (Flagship), Schuylkill, Voco ("V" on stack), Saint Bertrand (Tanks, French flag on mainmast), Empire Bronze, Tricula, Garonne, Empire Tennyson, Drupa, Ocean Freedom, Gold Shell, Tudor Prince, Pacific Grove, Donovania, Cistula, Strategist, Burdwan (Crated planes), Port Auckland, Bellerophon, Regent Panther, Lochmonar (Crated planes), Eastern City (Catapult freighter, NJX on Hurricane), Franche Comté, Agapenor, Delfshaven, Port Darwin, Helgøy, Fort Townshend (with a note: "Goes out, she is not flying Convoy flag), Southern Princess (whale oil factory - tanks), Westland, Meline, Daghild, Lechistan. Jamaica Producer was the last ship to go out at 3:35, but there's a notation saying "Not in Convoy?"

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):
Algoma - From 18/04/42 to 26/04/42
Arvida - From 18/04/42 to 26/04/42
Bittersweet - From 18/04/42 to 26/04/42
Charlottetown - From 14/04/42 to 18/04/42
Kenogami - From 14/04/42 to 18/04/42
Man o'War - From 27/04/42 to 27/04/42
Shediac - From 18/04/42 to 26/04/42
USCGC Spencer - From 18/04/42 to 26/04/42
USS Gleaves - From 18/04/42 to 26/04/42
Verity - From 14/04/42 to 18/04/42
Witherington - From 14/04/42 to 18/04/42

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