Please note that several ships are missing from this form - they are named in the Advance Sailing Telegram and Notes below.

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

Br=British, Ca=Canadian, Norw=Norwegian, Gr=Greek, Du=Dutch, Sw=Swedish, Bel=Belgian.

B = Ships joining from Bermuda (as will be seen, some are not included in the form for the main convoy).

Br=British, Bel=Belgian.

† = dead

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

The convoy had 37 ships when sailing from Halifax, 25 joined from Sydney, C.B. (SHX 62), and 15 from Bermuda (BHX 62), escorted by HMS Montclare, for a total of 77, 67 of which were still present at local escort rendezvous on Aug. 11.

Average speed: 8.11 knots.

These ships lost touch the first and second day out from Halifax (not listed on A 1 form):
Sonja Mærsk, Frances Dawson, Ferncastle, Sveve (the latter 2 were Norwegian) and Katwijk. Ferncastle sailed in the next convoy - HX 63.

The following lost touch due to fog during the two days before splitting in N.W. Approaches (some are not included on A 1 form above):
Sylvafield, Prins Frederik Hendrik (named Princess Frederick Heindrich on the form), Nils Gorthon, Vassilios A. Polemis (named Vasilos Polemis on the form) and Norwegian Salonica.

The Swedish Nils Gorthon, on a voyage from St. John's N.F. for Ridham Dock with a cargo of 743 fathoms of wood pulp, was sunk by U-60 on Aug. 13-1940. She had a crew of 21, 4 of whom died (number of casualtis varies according to source).

The British Sylvafield, on a voyage from Curacao for Clyde with 7860 tons of fuel oil, was sunk by U-51 on Aug. 15, She had a crew of 39 - 3 died.

Commodore's Comments:
"The convoy behaved excellently, and all did well. The master of S.S. Lindenhall, Captain F. H. Wainford, (the Commodore's ship) and his officers did everything possible to assist me."
And he says there was "dense fog 3 hours after leaving Halifax until 9 p.m. 1.8.40 and again all night of 1.8.40 and it was during this time that 5 ships lost convoy. Junction with HSX (Sydney portion) was not made until 4.8.40 and with BHX (Bermuda portion) until 5.8.40. Fog again on nights of 10th and 11th Aug. was responsible for 5 more ships losing the convoy.

Apart from fog and usual difficulties of keeping such a large convoy together this voyage was without special incident while under my command. I would like to say that Commodore R.B. Ramsey as Vice Commodore in S.S. Ettrick was of the very greatest help and his position in the middle of the convoy did a very great deal to keep the convoy together.

With reference to the junction of the Halifax, Sydney and Bermuda sections I suggest that the air escort and local escort from Halifax of the Halifax portion should on their return to Halifax harbour report how late (if late at all) the H.X. portion is likely to be at the junction with the other two portions and that Halifax radio should broadcast this to the Halifax, Sydney and Bermuda portions, no answer being required. Also, I think that the distance of 20 miles between the parallel routes is too great, and should be reduced to 12 miles."

More details on all the Norwegian ships named in this convoy can be found in the alphabetical ship lists of this website.

Ocean Escorts: HMS Aurania (Armed Merchant Cruiser - former passenger vessel) from Halifax until meeting the local escort in N. W. Approaches on Aug. 11, Canadian destroyer HMCS Ottawa from Sydney until meeting up with HX 62, and HMS Montclare from Bermuda until junction with HX 62 (also an Armed Merchant Cruiser, formerly Canadian passenger vessel).
Local Escort from Halifax: HMCS Saginar (should this be Saguenay?) - French is also mentioned.
5 unnamed local escort vessels joined at N.W. Approaches and took various sections to their destinations.
Air Escort from Halifax "on second day out was most useful in informing Commodore of the whereabouts of the fog separated portions of convoy. Also an escort from N.W. Approaches."

Related external links:
The attack on Nils Gorthon
The attack on Sylvafield

Back to Convoy Index