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CONVOY HX 217
Departed New York City on Nov. 27-1942 and arrived Liverpool on Dec. 14.
Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" gives 26 ships in this convoy.

Commodore's Narrative of Voyage is vailable on Page 2

Transcribed from several documents received from Roger Griffiths - His source: Public Records Office, Kew.

The ships are listed in the order in which they left port.
The first numbers in the column for "station" represent pendants flown at departure, numbers in parenthesis are stations given on A 1 form (cruising order Dec. 5–Dec. 12, after convoy had been reformed - see Page2).

Details on ships sunk have been added with the help of:
"Axis Submarine Successes of World War II", Jürgen Rohwer
"Convoy Rescue Ships", Arnold Hague

MOWT=Ministry of War Transport

For info, some of the ships in this convoy later returned to the U.S. with Convoy ON 157.

Ship
Nationality
Cargo
Station
Destination
Remarks
Diomed
British
general
61 (41)
Liverpool
From HX 216
Commodore Vessel
Skiensfjord
Norwegian
general - valuables
51 (33)
Liverpool
Teucer
British
general - explosives
71
Liverpool
From HX 216
Returned to port? - See report, Page 2
Listed in HX 218
Paul H. Harwood
American
kerosene
41
U.K.
Returned to port?
Listed in HX 218
British Harmony
British
petroleum
81
Belfast
Returned to port?
Listed in HX 218
Malancha
"
general
31 (21)
Clyde
Vice Commodore Vessel
Waterland
Dutch
valuables - reefer
91 (71)
Mersey
Solarium
British
aviation fuel
21
Loch Ewe
Returned to port?
Listed in HX 218 (from Halifax)
Empire Spenser
"
gasoline
101 (81)
Manchester
Sunk by U-524 Dec. 8
1 died - 57 survived
Fort Gibraltar
"
grain - metal
11
Loch Ewe
Returned to port?
Listed in HX 218
Svend Foyn
"
valuables - fuel oil
62 (42)
Clyde
Metapan
American
reefer
52 (32)
Liverpool
British Fortitude
British
gasoline
72 (51)
Belfast
Polartank
Norwegian
aviation fuel
42 (22)
Clyde
Polarsol
"
gasoline
82
Belfast
Sailed in HX 218
Noreg
"
fuel
32 (12)
Clyde
Empire Opal
British
aviation fuel
92 (72)
Belfast
Socony Vacuum
American
crude oil
22
Halifax
Nassa
British
diesel oil
102
Manchester
Returned to port?
Listed in HX 218
Fort Norman
"
metal - grain
12
Loch Ewe
Returned to port?
Listed in HX 218
Marwarri
"
planes - general
63
Liverpool
Seminole
American
passengers
53
St. John's
Schuylkill
British
diesel oil
73 (52)
Belfast
Norsol
Norwegian
aviation fuel
43 (23)
U.K.
Stiklestad
"
gasoline
83 (61)
Belfast
Esso Baltimore
American
crude
33
Halifax
Empire Gold
British
aviation fuel
93
Belfast
Returned to port?
Listed in HX 218
Fernwood
Norwegian
general
23 (11)
Glasgow
Empire Tamar
British
general - phosphates
64
Mersey
To HX 218 - did not sail
Sailed in HX 219
Oilreliance
"
fuel oil
54 (62)
Clyde
Fort Rae
"
planes - general
74 (53)
Belfast
Standella
"
gasoline
44
U.K.
From HX 216
Returned to port?
Listed in HX 218 (from Halifax)
Charles L-D
French / MOWT 1940
general
34 (13)
Clyde
Sunk by U-553 Dec. 9
36 died - 12 survived
Vessels joining at rendezvous positions (from Halifax?)
stations are those shown on A 1 form, Dec. 5–Dec. 12.
Belgian Airman
Belgian
sugar
43
Mersey
From HX 216
Gyda
British
general - mail
54
Manchester
Gatineau Park
"
general - mail
82
U.K.
Corner Brook
"
steel - newsprint
31
Manchester
Mount Kyllene
Greek
general
U.K.
Sailed in HX 219
Empire Bittern
British
general
73
Avonmouth
D. L. Harper
"
gasoline - kerosene
63
Belfast
From HX 216
(Listed as British in the AST)
Lady Rodney
"
none given
St. John's
Perth
"
Rescue Vessel
34
Clyde
According to Uboat.net, the American James McKay (which had initially sailed in Convoy HX 216, but had lost that convoy in a gale and had gone into St. John's), had also joined HX 217, but became a straggler and was sunk by U-600 on Dec. 8. This ship is not mentioned in the Advance Sailing Telegram for HX 217, nor in the Commodore's notes. Here's Uboat.net's page about this ship (external link).
Additionally, the Advance Sailing Telegram for the next convoy, HX 218, indicates that City of Windsor, Rancher, Samuel Ashe (all from HX 216), Empire Newton and Norholm may also have been scheduled for HX 217, but did not sail - all listed in HX 218.

Notes:
Commodore Sir Raymond Fitzmaurice, R.N.R. was in Diomed. Vice Commodore was the captain of Malancha.

The convoy had 30 ships.

D. L. Harper was detached with escort (Potentilla) on Dec. 11 with engine trouble. The Commodore adds:
"S.S. D. L. Harper from Halifax continuously delayed the convoy. Her master said he had protested at being in fast convoy with no effect. The delay was serious as convoy was under submarine attack for 4 days and nights. Eventually an escort had to be detached to escort her separately to Belfast".

Out of the remaining 22 ships (having subtracted the 2 that were sunk), there were 10 for Mersey, 5 for Clyde, 7 for Belfast and Londonderry.

Visual signalling by Flags and Daylight Lamp, very smart. Semophore not used.

Commodore's further comments:
This convoy was shadowed and attacked by enemy submarines in a most determined manner for many days and nights. The H/F D/F fitted in Rescue ship S.S. Perth invariably obtained an accurate bearing of all submarines sighting and other reports made by the enemy submarines and when able to be followed up by Escort or aircraft, always led to the direct finding on that bearing of an enemy submarine on the surface. The R/T apparatus and HF DF personnel in S.S. Perth must have been dead accurate and perfectly trained. It seems essential that every convoy should have one similarly fitted in a convoy with equally well trained W/T personnel. The S.S. Perth made no mistakes and very largely due to her this convoy escaped much heavier losses; in the event only 2 ships were lost after this most determined and sustained attack. (He does not mention James McKay).

See Page 2 for more details on Perth and her rescue of survivors in this convoy.

Escort Vessels:
From New York: HMCS Niagara, HNOMS Lincoln, HMCS Melville, HMCS Edmundston, HMCS Rimouski.

Edmundston left at 06:30 on Nov. 30, escorting Solarium.
Rimouski left with three Halifax ships at 10:20 on Nov. 30, position 43 52N 62 31W.
At 16:00 on Nov. 30, HMCS St. Clair, HMCS Barrie, HMCS Saskatoon and HMCS Kenora joined in ?4 28N 61 32W.
Niagara, Lincoln and Melville left at dark on Nov. 30.

At 09:45 on Dec. 2, HMS Montgomery and HMS Witherington joined in 44 48(?)N 54 01W.
At 11:05 on Dec. 2, Saskatoon left with 3 ships from Convoy SC 111 to rejoin that convoy in 44 55N 59 50W.

At dark on Dec. 3, St. Clair, Barrie, Kenora and Witherington left for St. John's.

Ocean Escort Fame (S.O.) and Burza joined at 16:20 on Dec. 4.
HNOMS Rose, Eglantine, Potentilla and HMS Vervain joined at daylight on Dec. 5 in 50 50N 47 05W.

Montgomery left for St. John's at dark on Dec. 7.
Potentilla left to escort D. L. Harper to Belfast in the afternoon of Dec. 11.

Air Escort:
Nov. 27 - All day
Nov. 28 - 1, from 07:00, all day
Nov. 29 - 1, from 11:30 until 16:00
Nov. 30 - None
Dec. 1 - 1, from 07:00 to 11:00
Dec. 2 - All day
Dec. 3 - None
Dec. 4 - 1, from 10:55 to 11:20. 1 at 16:50
Dec. 5 - 1, from 07:00 to 14:00
Dec. 6 - None
Dec. 7 - 1 at 08:00 and forenoon
Dec. 8 - 2 all day
Dec. 9 - None
Dec. 10 - 1 at 09:20 and 1 all day
Dec. 11 - 1 at 08:40 and all day
Dec. 12 - 1 at 11:?5.

Continue to Commodore's Narrative of Voyage on Page 2

Back to Convoy Index

To the next HX convoy in my list HX 218


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