Nationalities have been added with the help of "The World's Merchant Fleets 1939". R. W. Jordan.

Br=British, Am=American, Norw=Norwegian, Fr=French, Pa=Panamanian, Gr=Greek, Sw=Swedish

B = Bermuda portion, MoWT=Ministry of War Transport

Rangitiki
meat - butter
London
(Br)

Transcribed from several documents received from Tony Cooper - His source: Public Records Office, Kew.

Crossed out ships did not sail.

BHX 45 departed Bermuda at 12:00GMT on May 23-1940 with 39 ships (37 of which remained at arrival rendezvous with the HX portion) and was formed up by 18:25, course 061° - speed 8 knots.

* Scottish Standard (station 96) experienced engine trouble and fell out of the convoy - last seen at 23:12 GMT on May 25 in 35 57N 56 50W, course 061°, speed approx. 5 knots.
Saintonge (station 86) also had engine trouble and fell out of the convoy - last seen at 18:20GMT on May 28 in 40 41N 46 08W.

"Zigzagging, altering course by wheeling and turning together were carried out. Fog buoys were streamed satisfactorily".

"Station keeping was unsatisfactory for the first 48 hours, after that it was fair, except for the usual tendency for rear ships to drop back during dark hours. Visual signalling was bad at first, signals taking half an hour before Convoy repeated them as a whole, this time was eventually cut down to 10 minutes". Edward F. Johnson, Scottish Heather and Donax were very good.

"It is pointed out that the Convoy, though given a Cruising speed of 9 knots, included Scottish Standard 8 1/2 knots and Waban. In Form A 1 Waban's speed was given as 9 knots. In the Form giving particulars of all ships her speed was given as 8 knots. In fact, she could only do 8 knots, and signalled Rajputana to that effect. The inclusion of slow ships, in effect, means a delay in making junction with the Halifax Convoy, unless the weather is continuously fair, and provided no radical alterations of course have to be made owing to possible enemy ships".

The HX portion was sighted at 07:10GMT on May 29, bearing 020° 12 miles. At 10:30, BHX 45 was manoeuvred as necessary to take station astern and was in correct position at 11:30. Ocean Escort (Rajputana) parted company at 12:10GMT in 41 50N 43 40W, arriving Bermuda at 15:00 on June 2.

Brumaire was bombed and sunk off Belle Isle by German aircraft on June 20-1940. ("The World's Merchant Fleets 1939", R. W. Jordan and "Lloyd's War Losses", Vol I).

Notes - Combined convoy:
Commodore was in Consuelo, Vice Commodore was in Bayano, and Rear Commodore in Inanda (from Bermuda section).

* Senta dropped astern on May 25, Manoula dropped astern on the 26th in dense fog.

** Evoikos was dispatched independently to Casablanca on May 29.

C. J. Barkdull did not sail (boiler trouble) - she had also been cancelled from several of the previous convoys, and did not get away until HX 49.

The convoy arrived rendezvous on June 5.

Ocean Escort: HMS Voltaire.

A. Hague names the following escorts (extracted from this list of HX convoy escorts received from D. Kindell; dates are European style, day/month/year):
Hibiscus - From 07/06/40 to 08/06/40
Periwinkle - From 05/06/40 to 06/06/40
Restigouche - From 24/05/40 to 25/05/40
Saguenay - From 24/05/40 to 25/05/40
Sandwich - From 05/06/40 to 07/06/40
Skeena - From 24/05/40 to 25/05/40
St. Laurent - From 24/05/40
Voltaire - From 24/05/40 to 04/06/40

Back to Convoy Index