Further details 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.

Some ships appear to be missing from the forms, see "Notes" below.

Quite a few of the ships listed in this convoy had been cancelled from the previous convoy, HX 81.

Br=British, Du=Dutch, Norw=Norwegian, Gr=Greek.
s=sunk, † = dead

See also Notes re Empire Bison below.

* Olaf Bergh went into St. John's, N.F., later proceeded to Halifax and joined HX 89. (See Olaf Berg).
Similarly, Anna Bulgari is listed in HX 84, which left Halifax on Oct. 28. There are indications in the documents that this ship did not sail in HX 82 (like Olaf Bergh, she may have returned to port).

Notes:
Commodore was in Nova Scotia.

Ocean Escort: HMS Alaunia.

According to HMS Aulania's report, the total number of ships should have been 44, (8 from Halifax, 18 from Sydney and 18 from Bermuda) - only 30 were in company when Alaunia left the convoy. It looks like this report gives information on what happened to the remaining 14, but unfortunately page 2 is missing, and only the Dutch Zeeland is listed, with a note saying "did not sail with Sydney section but was to join at sea. She did not do so and was never sighted." Amstel is also mentioned, but the continuation of the text for this ship is missing. This ship sailed in the slow Convoy SC 9. Also, according to the notes for that convoy, the Dutch Berkel and the Norwegian Siremalm (both had been cancelled from HX 81 and both are listed in SC 9) came from HX 82. Berkel also cancelled from HX 83.

The report adds:
"The designed speed of advance to the original rendezvous in home waters was 8.4 knots. The speed actually made good from Halifax to position 59 25N 23 09W where Alaunia was ordered to leave the convoy was 7.55 knots, or if the 9 hours during which convoy was hove to on 23rd. October be deducted, 7.83 knots. Dodging (long zig-zags by signal) was carried out during 13 hours. When Alaunia left it seemed the convoy would be 24 hours late."

Rutland was torpedoed and sunk by U 124 on Oct. 31, after having straggled from the convoy - there were no survivors.

Rohwer also lists Empire Bison as a straggler from this convoy (not listed on the A 1 forms). Sunk by U-124 on Nov. 1 with the loss of 31 lives - 4 survived.

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

Related external links:
The attack on Rutland
The attack on Empire Bison

Back to Convoy Index