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CONVOY HX 204

Convoy HX 204 Cruising Order
Departed Halifax on Aug. 23-1942 and arrived Liverpool on Sept. 4 (Arnold Hague gives 45 ships).
List received from Ted Agar, supplemented by info received from Roger Griffiths (his source: Public Records Office, Kew).

Some ships have been given the same station number - hence my question marks.

Br=British, Bel=Belgian, Norw=Norwegian, Am=American, Hon=Honduran, Pa=Panamanian, Can=Canadian.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
11
Argos Hill
(Br)
21
Audacious *
(Pa)
31
Tortuguero
(Br)
41
Manchester Exporter
(Br)
51
Ampetco?
(Bel)
see note below

Manchester Trader?
(Br)

61
Antilochus *
(Br)
71
Tudor Prince
(Br)
81
Corrales
(Br)
91
Empire Rowan
(Br)
101
Empire Day
(Br)
111
Jamaica Planter
(Br)
12
Ocean Viscount
(Br)
22
Cordelia
(Br)
32
Fisher Ames
(Am)
42
Kollbjørg
(Norw)
52
Daldorch
(Br)
62
Atlantic
(Norw)
72
Capulin
(Am / Pan flag?)
82
Empire Marvell
(Br)
92
Eulima
(Br)
102
Fort Chilcotin
(Br)
112
Exilona
(Am)
13
Arizonan
(Am)
23
Pontfield
(Br)
33
Abraham Lincoln
(Norw)
43
British Unity
(Br)
53
Donax
(Br)
63
Empire Foam
(Br)
73
Bic Island
(Can)
83
Marathon?
(Norw)

Regent Lion?
(Br)

93 103
Alcoa Rambler**
(Am)
113
Belgian Freighter
(Bel)
14
El Coston**
for Iceland
(Pa)
24
Alcoa Scout
(Am)
34 44
Cefalu *
(Hon)
54 64
Vav
(Norw)
74
Pennsylvania
(Am)
84
Malayan Prince
(Br)
94
Høegh Scout *
(Norw)
104
John Winthrop
(Am)
114
Fort Augustus
(Br)
15
Belle Isle
for St. John's
(Br)
25
Fort Senneville
(Br)
35
Fort McLoughlin
(Br)
45
John C. Fremont
(Am)
55 65
Luther Martin
(Am)
75 85
William Wirt *
(Am)
95
Arkansas*
(Am)
105
Empire Coleridge
(Br)
115
According to the Commodore, Aquarius, having lost Convoy SC 97, joined HX 204 on Aug. 25 in 45N 55 30W - station unknown.
Capulin, Exilona and Alcoa Scout had been cancelled from SC 97. Also, there's a note in connection with this convoy saying that British Dominion, sailing in SC 97, had originally come from HX 204.

There's a notation for Ampetco in the convoy diary saying "returned from last convoy", meaning Convoy SC 97, which left Halifax on Aug. 22, but she shows up again in SC 98 which left on Aug. 29, so my guess is she was not intended for HX 204 when she went out with the other ships. Ampetco is not mentioned at all by the Commodore for HX 204.

Fort McLoughlin and Manchester Exporter had cancelled from the previous convoy, HX 203.

* There's an Arkansas in Convoy SC 98 leaving on Aug. 29, but listed as a tanker, while the doc for HX 204 lists her as freighter. If this is the same ship as the one in the above table, it could not have sailed in both convoys, so I'm wondering if the ship in station 95 should be Arkansan(?).


Notes:
Commodore, Admiral A. J. Davies was in Manchester Trader, so she would probably have been the ship in station 51.
Vice Commodore H. S. Allen was in Corrales.

Høegh Scout, Jamaica Planter, Thorshøvdi (LIPG), which is not listed above as no station number is given, Malayan Prince, Cefalu (HRBF), William Wirt and Arkansas are said to have joined outside the gate. However, *Audacious, Cefalu, William Wirt, Høegh Scout, Thorshøvdi, and Antilochus are also listed in the next convoy, as is Alcoa Rambler. Also, there's a notation saying "Moby Dick - passess south" with 2 question marks behind it. This ship sailed in the next convoy. Note that Høegh Scout had, in fact, arrived Halifax from Cape Cod Bay that day, and it'll be noticed, when going to her voyage record, as well as this page, that there's no mention of her leaving Halifax again that same day (the author of the diary who saw her in Halifax that day must have wrongly assumed that she too was destined for HX 204). As already mentioned, she sailed in the next convoy.

The ships went out in the following order:
The first to leave at 14:52 was Alcoa Rambler**, followed at 14:55 by Moby Dick (ref. note above, may not have sailed in this convoy), then with a few minutes between each ship, Tudor Prince, Ampetco, Capulin, Manchester Trader, Corrales, Manchester Exporter, Empire Rowan (Catapult freighter, minus aircraft), Cordelia, Empire Marvell, Fisher Ames, Arizonan, Daldorch, Marathon, Pontfield (star on stack), Kollbjørg (LJLX), Belle Isle, Eulima, Atlantic (LCDU), British Unity, Empire Day (Catapult freighter), Fort Chilcotin (lumber), Argos Hill, Empire Foam (Catapult freighter), Bic Island, Abraham Lincoln, Fort Augustus, Belgian Freighter, Fort McLoughlin, John C. Fremont, Vav, John Winthrop, Donax, Audacious, Tortuguero, Luther Martin, Fort Senneville, Empire Coleridge (torpedo nets), Antilochus, Exilona, El Coston**, Pennsylvania, Ocean Viscount, Regent Lion, then Alcoa Scout at 17:46.

** According to the Commodore, El Coston never joined the convoy, nor did Alcoa Rambler, which returned to Halifax.

Excerpts from Commodore's notes:
The convoy had 44 ships on departure - one joined on Aug. 25 (from SC 97, as mentioned). Belle Isle parted company for St. John's.
Average speed: 9.1 knots.

The convoy experienced fog on leaving, but this cleared a little the next day.

Argos Hill "smokes a good deal but not worse than Manchester Trader. Jamaica Planter made a dangerously bright flare at midnight 1/2 Sept., caused by a back flash. Ocean Viscount had a serious breakdown of steering gear which might have been dangerous". Otherwise, the Commodore has no complaints with regard to station keeping and signalling, saying "all ships did well".

Escorts: Vanquisher, Niagara and 2 unnamed corvettes (local escorts?).
Highlander, Winchelsea and 5 unnamed corvettes (ocean escorts?).

Air Escort: From Canadian Air Force from depature Halifax up to noon on Aug. 28, 52 52N 44 18W, and from daylight on Sept. 1 in 21 10W.

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To the next HX convoy in my list HX 205


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