Convoy KMS 19 Malta-Augusta / Augusta-Malta

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CONVOY KMS 19

According to Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" KMS 19 started out from Clyde on June 25-1943 with 36 ships, passed Gibraltar on July 6, continued the same day for Operation Husky (the Allied invasion of Sicily - July 9/10-1943) with arrival on July 16.

A. Hague also has a Convoy designated as KMS 19A (Augusta-Malta), a KMS 19M (Malta-Augusta), a KMS 19T (Malta-Tripoli), and a KMS 19Y (Algiers-Operation Husky).
All these portions have been included on this page; I've added them according to sailing date.

For info, there was also a faster convoy, KMF 19, leaving Clyde on July 1-1943, arriving Algiers on the 9th.

(Additional details have been added with the help of:
"Lloyd's War Losses", Vol 1
"The Axis Submarine Successes of World War Two", Jürgen Rohwer)

Convoy KMS 19 on passing Gibraltar, July 6-1943 (for Operation Husky -the Allied invasion of Sicily - July 9/10-1943- arrival on July 16) What follows has been transcribed from a document received from Don Kindell; his source: Arnold Hague's own research. (Automatically assuming that A. Hague's info is correct, I have not checked the spelling and nationalities of these ships, like I usually do). The ships denoted * had been present upon the convoy's departure from Clyde on June 25-1943.
Ship	Nationality	Carrying	Remarks
Aelbert Cuyp*	Dutch	–	Ex Empire Hazlitt
Atlantic Coast*	British	cased petrol	–
Cape Howe*	"	–	–
Chertsey*	"	5 pers. - 333 t stores	Arr. Acid North July 18
City of Delhi*	"	–	–
City of Newcastle*	"	–	–
Coxwold*	"	–	Arr. (via Algiers) July 17
Defender*	"	58 pers. - 1193 t stores	–
Dornoch	"	A. Hague says; possibly in this convoy (Algiers to Philippeville) (Note that this ship is listed on the A 1 form for KMS 17)
Drupa	"	–	–
Empire Archer*	"	–	–
Empire Falstaff*	"	–	–
Empire Farmer*	"	–	–
Empire Florizel*	"	–	See also Notes at the end of this page
Empire Grange*	"	20 pers. - 296 t stores	Arr. Acid North July 18
Empire Nerissa*	"	–	Arr. Acid North July 18
Empire Newton*	"	1040 t stores - 55 troops	Arr. Acid North July 30
Empire Perdita*	"	–	–
Fort Charnisay*	"	–	–
Fort Fork*	"	–	–
Fort Grahame*	"	–	–
Fort Howe*	"	–	–
Fort Pembina*	"	–	–
Fort Poplar	"	–	–
Fort Walsh*	"	–	–
Fort Yale*	"	–	Arr. Acid North (via Algiers) July 18
Forthbank*	"	–	Arr. Acid North July 31
Frans van Mieris*	Dutch	–	Ex Empire Iseult
Hardingham	British	–	Algiers to Bizerta
Harlesden*	"	–
Jade*	"	cased petrol	–
Jersey Hart*	American	–	–
John Bakke*	Norwegian	1623 t stores - 54 troops	–
Lambrook*	British	357 t stores - 50 troops	Arr. Acid North July 18
Lochee*	"	cased petrol	–
LST 1641*	–	–	–
LST 200*	–	–	–
LST 418*	–	–	–
LST 63*	–	–	–
LST 64*	–	–
LST 98*	–	–	–
Middlesex Trader*	British	–	–
Ocean Vengeance*	"	–	–
Ocean Viking*	"	–	–
Ocean Virtue*	"	–	See also Notes at the end of this page
Pacific Exporter*	"	–	–
Escorts (Clyde-Gibraltar): June 25-July 5: Fishguard. June 25-July 6: Bluebell, Camellia, Clare, Dart, Poppy, Starwort. June 26-July 5: Lotus. June 26-July 6: Dianella. Later: July 6-July 9: Bluebell, Camellia

This is what A. Hague refers to as KMS 19Y, July 14-July 20 (Algiers-Operation Husky) Also transcribed from the document received from Don Kindell; his source: Arnold Hague's own research.
Ship	Nationality	Remarks
Alexander Graham Bell	American	–
Cape Howe	British	–
Charles Piez	American	–
City of Delhi	British	–
City of Newcastle	"	Via Operation Husky
Dago II	" (Ex Latvian Dagö 1940)	–
Dalcross	British	–
Daniel Webster	American	–
Defender	British	–
Empire Commerce	"	Algiers to Philippeville
Empire Florizel	"	Sunk - See Notes at the end of this page
Empire Kestrel	"	–
Empire Newton	"	–
Forthbank	"	–
Harry Lane	American	–
John Bakke	Norwegian	–
John M. Schofield	American	–
Lambrook	British	–
Ocean Viking	"	Via Malta July 18, Syracuse July 24 to unload.
Ocean Virtue	"	Via Malta (bombed July 21 - see Notes below)
Richard Jordan Gatling	American	–
William Dean Howells	"	–
Escorts: July 14: Clare, Farndale, Haydon, Puckeridge, Tynedale. July 14-July 16: Bluebell, Dianella, Fishguard.

Malta to Augusta Cruising Order Left Malta on July 17-1943 - arrived Augusta the next day. Arnold Hague has given this convoy the designation KMS 19M.
A 1 form was received from Robert Martin, England (His source: Public Records Office, Kew), supplemented with details received from Don Kindell. (Where a ship is already included in the tables above, I've left out the nationality).
1	2	3	4
11 Empire Newton	21 City of Delhi	31 Defender 1193 t stores - 58 troops	41 City of Newcastle
12 Forthbank	22 Empire Harp (Br)	32 Coxwold	42
13 Lambrook 357 t stores - 50 troops	23 Jade	33 Empire Moon* coal (Br)	43 Gudrun Mærsk (Br - Ex Da)
14 Fort Yale	24 Empire Grange 206 t stores - 20 troops	34	44 Chertsey 333 t stores - 5 troops
15	25 Fort Fork	35 Empire Nerissa	45
Commodore H. J. Anchor R.N.R. R.D. was in City of Delhi, Vice Commodore was the captain of City of Newcastle. * See Notes below. Escorts: July 17-July 18: Hambledon, (S.O.), Quantock, Poole, Seaham, Brixham, Polruan, Southern Seas.

Augusta to Malta Cruising Order Left Augusta on July 21-1943 - arrived Malta on the 22nd. Arnold Hague has given this convoy the designation KMS 19A.
A 1 form was received from Robert Martin, supplemented with details received from Don Kindell. (Where a ship is already included in the tables above, I've left out the nationality). Note the station numbers of the ships.
85 City of Newcastle	81 City of Delhi	82 Empire Newton	92 Cape Howe
91 John Bakke	83 Defender	84 Forthbank	93 Ocean Viking
95 Jade	71 Lambrook	72 Empire Grange	94 Empire Lass (Br)
74 Fort Fork	75 Fort Yale	73 Chertsey	95
In addition to the above, A. Hague has also included Empire Nerissa nad Greystoke Castle in this portion (they are not mentioned on the A 1 form). Commodore H. J. Anchor R.N.R. R.D. was in City of Delhi, Vice Commodore was the captain of Defender. Escorts: July 21-July 22: Delphinium, (S.O.), Adrias, Cadmus, Protea, Quantock, Sharpshooter, Southern Seas.

Malta to Tripoli Cruising Order Left Malta on July 23-1943 - arrived Tripoli the next day. Arnold Hague has given this convoy the designation KMS 19T.
Transcribed from the document received from Don Kindell. Nationalities for ships already mentioned in tables above have been left out. Br=British, Am=American
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
11 Fort Charnisay	21 Fort Yale	31 Empire Falstaff	41 Diomed (Br)	51 Daniel Chester French (Am)	61 Eastgate (Br)	71 Empire Farmer	81
12 Fort Fork	22 Pearleaf (Br)	32 Empire Perdita	42 Cedardale (Br)	52 Badarpur (Br)	62 Samuel Parker (Am)	72 Lambrook	82 Empire Archer
13	23 Fort Howe	33 Chertsey	43 Zane Grey (Am)	53 William Patterson (Am)	63 Empire Grange	73 Harlesden	83 Jersey Hart
14	24	34	44 LST 63	54	64 LST 162	74 LST 366	84
Additionally, Fort Pembina, Ocean Vengeance, and Greystoke Castle - station numbers not known. Escorts: July 23-July 24: Dianella, Farndale, Lotus, Poppy, Starwort, Wilton.

Notes (from Commodore's notes received from Robert Martin):
While at anchor at Augusta there was an air attack between 00:05 and 01:10 on July 19, but no ships were hit. There was also an attack between 03:30 and 04:05 on July 20, one ship being hit and sunk* (I get the impression this ship had no connection to Convoy KMS 19). Between 03:00 and 03:20 the following day, there was another air attack. Ocean Virtue and Empire Florizel** were hit by bombs and sunk in the anchorage. Empire Moon reported 2 holds afire through enemy bombing***. Ocean Virtue must have been raised(?), because at the 5th external website that I've linked to below she has been given a post war history (in fact, the site does not mention anything about her having been sunk at Augusta).

* The ship sunk on July 20 must have been Fort Pelly, which according to "Lloyd's War Losses" Vol. I was sunk at Augusta on that date. She had petrol as well as 3300 tons of military stores on board. Out of a crew of 47 and 23 gunners, 32 crew and 6 gunners were killed.

** Empire Florizel had 4000 tons of military stores and invasion stores on board when she was sunk on July 21. She had a crew of 48 and 21 gunners, as well as 14 passengers - 2 crew, 4 gunners and 3 passengers were killed.

*** According to Jürgen Rohwer's "The Axis Submarine Successes of World War Two", Empire Moon was also torpedoed and damaged by U-81 on July 22-1943 while "sailing in an unidentified convoy, escorted by HMS Stroma".

Related external links:
Operation Husky
Allied Invasion of Sicily - (Wikipedia).
More Operation Husky - From The Second World War Experience Centre website.

Empire Ships listed in alphabetical order.
This site has more on the "Fort" (and "Ocean") ships mentioned in this convoy, including Fort Pelly.
Liberty Ships

OG, OS and KMS and KMF Convoys - in chronological order, starting with 1939.

OS/KMS Convoys

Back to Convoy Index

To the next KMS convoy in my list KMS 20
will be added
in the meantime, the next KMS convoy on the site is KMS 21

Aa–Al	An–Ar	As–Av	Ba	Be	Bi–Bl	Bo	Br–Bu	C	D
E	F	G	Ha	He	Hi–Hy	Hø	I	J	K
L	M	N	O	PQ	R	Sa–Sc	Se–Sj	Sk–Sn	So
Sp–St	Su–Sø	Ta–Te	Th–Ti	To	Tr–Tø	U	V	W	Ø

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