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CONVOY HX 49
Cruising Order & Advance Sailing Telegram

Convoy HX 49 Cruising Order
Departed Halifax on June 9-1940 and arrived Liverpool on June 24 (Arnold Hague says 50 ships).
Transcribed from A 1 form received from Roger Griffiths (his source: Public Records Office, Kew).

There are no ships listed in the 4th row.

Details on ships sunk and casualties have been added with the help of:
"The Allied Convoy System", Arnold Hague.
"Axis Submarine Successes of World War Two", Jürgen Rohwer.
"The World's Merchant Fleets 1939", R. W. Jordan.
"Lloyd's War Losses", Vol I.

Am=American, Norw=Norwegian, Sw=Swedish, Br=British, Fr=French, Gr=Greek, Pa=Panamanian, Du=Dutch, Est=Estonian, Ca=Canadian

s=sunk, † = dead

B = Bermuda portion

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
11
Endicott
scrap - general
Glasgow
(Am / Br 1940)
21
Randsfjord
general
Liverpool
wheat
s - 3
(Norw)
31
Eurybates
steel - general
Liverpool
(Br)
41
Tregenna
steel
Milford Haven
for Swansea
(Br)
51
Hektoria
fuel oil
Milford Haven
(Br)
61
Appledore
scrap iron
Middlesbrough
(Br)
71
New Westminster
City
steel - lumber
Hull
(Br)
81
Anglo Indian
grain
Hull
(Br)
91
Jean L-D.
copper - zinc
Brest
(Fr)
12
Thalia*
lead - lumber
Glasgow
(Gr)
22
Point Lobos*
newsprint
Liverpool
(Pa)
32
Eurylochus
steel - general
Liverpool
(Br)
42
Sheaf Mount
scrap iron
Milford Haven
for Swansea
(Br)
52
San Fernando
fuel - crude oil
Milford Haven
s - 0
(Br)
62
Luculus
lub. oil
London
(Br)
72
Stakesby
lumber
Dundee
(Br)
82
Campus
pit props
Tyne
(Br)
92
Ontariolite*
crude oil
Brest
(Br)
13
23
33
Tremoda
grain
Falmouth
(Br)
43
R. J. Cullen
newsprint
Falmouth
(Ca)
53
C. J. Barkdull
crude oil
Southampton
(Pa)
63
Mount Pelion
wheat
London
(Gr)
73
Nellie
newsprint
London
(Gr)
83
Harmonic
lumber
London
(Br)
93
Nevada
horses - general
Brest
(Fr)
14 24 34 44 54 64 74 84 94
15 B
Glarona
Adm. fuel
Clyde
(Norw)
25 B
Athellaird
molasses
Liverpool
(Br)
35 B
Athelfoam
molasses
Garston
(Br)
45 B
Collegian
general
Liverpool
(Br)
55 B
Port Huon
wool - refrig.
Milford Haven
(Br)
65 B
Eli Knudsen
diesel oil
Milford Haven
s - 0
(Norw)
75 B
Regent Lion
aviation spirits
Milford Haven
(Br)
85 B
Cromarty
lumber - metal
Falmouth
(Br)
95 B
Barrdale
scrap iron
Grangemouth
(Br)
16 B
Jhelum
general
Liverpool
(Br)
26 B
Solarium
benzine
Liverpool
(Br)
36 B
Torborg
crude oil
Manchester
(Norw)
46 B
Confield
sugar
Holyhead
(Br)
56 B
Strinda
fuel oil
Milford Haven
(Norw)
66 B
Charles F. Meyer
petrol
Clyde
(Br)
76 B
British Sincerity
gas oil
Clyde
(Br)
86 B
Suderholm
fuel oil
Falmouth
(Norw)
96 B
Moordrecht
fuel oil
Brest
s - 25
(Du)
17 27 37 B
Director
general
Manchester
(Br)
47 B
Gallia
gas oil
Milford Haven
(Norw)
57 B
San Felipe
iron - lumber
Milford Haven
(Am / Br 1940)
67 B
Cadillac
gasoline - kerosine
Avonmouth
(Br)
77 B
Janus
fuel oil
Falmouth
(Sw)

Augvald
general
Brest
(Norw)

87 B
British Fidelity
spirits - gas oil
(Br)
97 B
Osmussaar
dry pulp
Downs
(Est)*
Note that the Advance Sailing Telegram lists several ships as cancelled.

* According to Arnold Hague, Osmussar (spelt w/one a) was Russian. He has also included the Norwegian Snar in this convoy (station 92), but not Ontariolite. Snar is not mentioned in the original documents for this convoy, but it does match up with a document showing her voyages for this period. Hague says Thalia became a straggler on June 11, while Point Lobos straggled on June 15. Hague's listing for HX 49 is available on the page naming ships in all HX convoys, and as will be seen, most of his station numbers differ from the above (he does not mention Moordrecht being sunk).


Advance Sailing Telegram

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

Crossed out ships did not sail.

MoWT=Ministry of War Transport.

Note that some of the ships in this AST are not mentioned on the A 1 form above

Ship
Nationality
Cargo
Destination
Remarks
Halifax section
Mount Pelion
Greek
grain
London
From HX 48?
Point Lobos
Panamanian
paper
Liverpool
From HX 48
(MoWT 1941 - Empire Wagtail)
Hektoria
British
Tanker B
Liverpool
From HX 48
Urla
"
lumber
Glasgow
From HX 48
Listed in HX 50
Norwegian
wheat - general
Liverpool
From HX 47
Sunk - Follow link to Randsfjord
Nellie
Greek
newsprint
London
From HX 47
Elisha Walker
Panamanian
Tanker B
Southampton
From HX 47 (Bermuda portion)
To HX 51 - did not sail
("to remain at Halifax until further order")
Norwegian
Tanker W
Swansea
From HX 47
Listed in HX 50
Stakesby
British
lumber
Dundee
Sheaf Mount
"
scrap iron
Swansea
From HX 48
Campus
"
pit props
Tyne
Ontariolite
"
Tanker B
Milford Haven f. o. (Aruba)
From HX 48
Norwegian
sugar
St. Nazaire
Listed in HX 50
"
lumber
Falmouth f. o.
To HX 50 - did not sail
To HX 51 - did not sail
To HX 52 - did not sail
(Follow link to Pollux)
Thalia
Greek
lead - lumber
Glasgow
See also HX 41
Norwegian
pit props
Hull
To HX 50 - did not sail
To HX 51 - did not sail
To HX 52 - did not sail
(Follow link to Ravnanger)
New Westminster City
British
steel
Hull
Harmonic
"
lumber
London
Appledore
"
scrap iron
Middlesbrough
Vice Commodore
Endicott
American / MoWT 1940
explosives - aircraft
Glasgow
Renamed Br. Empire Mermaid
Eurylochus
British
steel - general - aircraft
Liverpool
Eurybates
"
steel - general - explosives
Liverpool
Commodore Vessel
Luculus
"
Tanker B
Liverpool
Nevada
French
horses - general
Clyde
Later Br. Nevada II
Anglo Indian
British
grain
Hull
Jean L-D
French
copper - zinc
Mersey f. o. - "sailed w/Brest"
Prince Rupert City
British
scrap iron
Newport
Listed in HX 50
Tregenna
"
steel
Swansea
Trecarrell
"
steel - lumber
Glasgow
Listed in HX 50
C. J. Barkdull
Panamanian
Tanker B
Southampton
From HX 48
I. C. White
"
Tanker
Southampton
To HX 51 - did not sail
"to remain at Halifax until further order"
Michael L. Embiricos
Greek
lumber - steel
Southampton
Listed in HX 50
The following ships appear on a separate document, with no mention of which section they belong to - note, however, that some of these are listed on the A 1 form for the Bermuda portion, denoted with a B
Tremoda
British
grain
Hull
Director
"
general
Manchester
B
R. J. Cullen
Canadian
newsprint
London
Collegian
British
general
Liverpool
B
San Fernando
British
Tanker B
Liverpool
Sunk - See Notes
Norwegian
general
Belfast
B
Barrdale
British
scrap iron
Grangemouth
B
Joining from Bermuda - escorted by HMS Rajputana
Sailed June 8
Port Huon
British
meat - wool
Cardiff
Norwegian
Tanker B
Manchester
Leda
Panamanian
Tanker
Brest f. o.
To HX 50 - did not sail
Jhelum
British
lumber - cotton
Manchester
Norwegian
Tanker B
Liverpool
"
Tanker B

Swansea

Sunk - Follow link to Eli Knudsen
"
Adm. tanker B
Clyde
"
Tanker B
Southampton
British Sincerity
British
Tanker B
Clyde, to await orders
British Fidelity
"
Tanker B
Clyde, to await orders
Athellaird
"
Tanker - molasses
Liverpool
Athelfoam
"
Tanker - molasses
Garston
Moordrecht
Dutch
Tanker B
Corunna - "sailed w/Brest"
Sunk - See Notes
San Felipe
American / MoWT 1940
pig iron - lumber
Cardiff
Renamed Br. Empire Gemsbuck
Osmussaar
Estonian
wood pulp
London - "sailed w/Downs"
Norwegian
Tanker B
Clyde
Cromarty
British
lumber - metal
Plymouth - "sailed w/Falmouth"
Confield
"
sugar
Greenock
Raranga
"
meat - cheese - wool
Liverpool
Listed in HX 50
Regent Lion
"
Tanker W
Avonmouth - "sailed w/Milford Haven"
Solarium
"
Tanker W
Liverpool
Janus
Swedish
Tanker B
Falmouth f. o.
To HX 50 - did not sail
(does not show up again on this site until HX 79)
Charles F. Meyer
British
Tanker W
Clyde, to await orders
Cadillac
"
Tanker W
Avonmouth
From HX 48
Again, note that other ships also joined from Bermuda - see A 1 form above.


Notes:
Commodore was in Eurybates (Call Sign LDI), Vice Commodore in Appledore (MAC), and Rear Commodore in Collegian.

Moordrecht, on a voyage from Port Arthur for Corunna and Pasajes with 10 200 tons of fuel oil, had left convoy for her destination and was sunk by U-48 on June 20-1940. She had a crew of 29, 25 of whom were killed.

San Fernando, on a voyage from Curacao for Liverpool with 13 500 tons crude oil and 4200 tons FFO was torpedoed by U-47 on June 21-1940. She had a crew of 49 - all saved. She was still afloat and in tow the following morning, but "tugs returned to port without vessel which had apparently sunk".

Eli Knudsen was torpedoed by U-32 on June 22, follow link for details, incl. complete crew list.
Randsfjord was sunk by U-30 on June 22, follow link - also incl. crew list.

Ocean escort:
HMS Ausonia.

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):
Assiniboine - From 09/06/40 to 10/06/40
Ausonia - From 10/06/40 to 20/06/40
Fowey - From 20/06/40 to 23/06/40
Saguenay - From 09/06/40 to 10/06/40
Sandwich - From 20/06/40 to 24/06/40

Related external links:
The attack on Moordrecht
The attack on San Fernando

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