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CONVOY OB 244

Convoy OB 244 Cruising Order
Departed Liverpool on Nov. 17-1940, dispersed Nov. 22 according to Arnold Hague, who gives 46 ships.
This list was gratefully received from Alan Shard, see his own story at The Loss of the Putney Hill (external page).
The reference in this story to the Norwegian whale factory Empire Alonzo is incorrect, it should be N. T. Nielsen-Alonso.

Please note that I'm not entirely sure all these ships actually sailed in this convoy, because some of them show up again in Convoy OB 248, which left Liverpool on Nov. 23 - see this external page.

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

Br=British, Yug=Yugoslavian, Norw=Norwegian, Du=Dutch, Bel=Belgian, Gr=Greek, Pol=Polish, Sw=Swedish.
s=sunk, †=dead.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
11
Carperby
(Br)
21
City of Norwich
(Br)
31
Daydawn
s - 2 †
(Br)
41
San Delfino
(Br)
51
R. J.
Cullen
(Ca)
61
Manchester Spinner
(Br)
71
Llandaff
(Br)
81
Putney Hill
(Br)
91
Blairesk
(Br)
12
Victoria
s - 0 †
(Gr)
22
PLM 22
(Br)
32
Virginia S.
(Gr)
42
Dageid
(Norw)
52
Karabagh
(Br)
62
King Idwal
s - 12 †
(Br)
72
Merchant Royal
(Br)
82
Flaminian
(Br)
92
Embassage
(Br)
13
Empire Gunner
(Br)
23
Leonidas N. Condylis
(Gr)
 33
Mount Athos
sunk*
(Gr)		 43
Heina
(Norw)		 53
Baron Ruthven
(Br)		 63
Oakcrest
s - 35 †
(Br)		 73
Tymeric
s - 72 †
(Br)		 83
Zagloba
(Pol)		 93
Vigsnes
(Norw)
14
Gypsum
Queen**
(Br)		 24
Sud**
(Yug)		 34
Havtor
(Norw)		 44
Thyra
(Norw)		 54
Anten
s - 1 †
(Sw)		 64
Gdynia
(Sw)		 74
Egret
(Br)		 84
Zeus
(Gr)		 94
Ingertre
(Norw)
15
Parklaan
(Du)		 25
Brabo**
(Bel)		 35
Sanso*
(Bel)		 45
Inga I
(Norw)		 55
Tenax**
(Br)		 65
Leonidas
(Gr)		 75
Vestland
(Norw)		 85
Helena Margareta
(Br)		 95
Loke
(Norw)
16 26 36
Kingsbury
(Br)		 46
Lysaker V
(Norw)		 56
Elisabeth Lensen
(Br)		 66
Ledaal**
(Norw)		 76
Bonde
(Norw)		 86 96
* In "The World's Merchant Fleets 1939" (R. W. Jordan), as well as in "Axis Submarine Successes" (J. Rohwer) and "Lloyd's War Losses" Vol I, Mount Athos, on a voyage from Barry to Freetown at the time, is listed as sunk on Nov. 28-1940 (19 died - U-103 was the attacker), but no convoy is mentioned. According to the document on which I've based the information on this page, she's said to have been bound for Wabana. She was sunk 6 days after OB 244 was dispersed, but as can be seen, she's listed in Convoy OB 248 on this external page, and this appears to have been the convoy she had been in prior to being sunk. OB 248 had left Liverpool on Nov. 23 and was dispersed on the 26th.

** Sud, Tenax, Gypsum Queen and Ledaal are also listed in OB 248; it's possible they had initially been scheduled for OB 244, but were cancelled? (Brabo is listed again in Convoy OB 260 - also external link)

* This ship is listed as British Sansu by Arnold Hague (see this external page).

Ships joining from the Bristol Channel:
Joining from Glasgow:
Carperby for Hampton Roads in ballast.
P.L.M. 22 for Pepel(?) in ballast.
Daydawn for La Plata with coal.
Victoria for Botwood in ballast.
Leonidas N. Condylis for St. John's N. F. in ballast.
Virginia S. for Buenos Aires with coal.
Empire Gunner for St. John N.B. in ballast.
Sud for Bermuda/New Orleans in ballast (see note at ** above).
Mount Athos for Wabana with coal (see note at * above).
Gypsum Queen for Galveston in ballast (see note at ** above).
Brabo for Wabana in ballast (see note at ** above).
R. J. Cullen for Sydney C. B. in ballast.

 Llandaff for Capetown in ballast.
Merchant Royal for Montreal with coal.
Flaminian for Barbados with general.
Tymeric for Buenos Aires with coal.
Putney Hill for Panama in ballast.
Zagloba for St. John N. B. in ballast.
Zeus for Philadelphia in ballast.
Egret for Iceland with general (there's a handwritten note saying "missing" next to her name).
Joining from Oban:
Blairesk for St. John's with coal.
Vigsnes for Sydney C. B. in ballasat.
Embassage for New York with coke.
Loke for Sydney C. B. in ballast.
Sanso for St. John's in ballast.
Parklaan for Rosario with coal.
Ledaal for Wabana in ballast (see note at ** above).
Inga I for Sydney C. B.
Kingsbury for Buenos Aires.		 Ingertre for Sydney C. B. in ballast.
Lysaker V for Halifax with coal.
Helena Margarita for Philadelphia in ballast.
Elisabeth Lensen for Sydney C. B. in ballast.
Vestland for Quebec in ballast.
Havtor for St. John's with coal.
Tenax for Sydney C. B.(see note at ** above)
Bonde for Sydney C. B.

The remaining vessels must have joined the convoy at its port of origin, Liverpool.

Ships sunk:
Daydawn was sunk by U-103 on Nov. 21, 2 died, 36 survived.
Victoria was sunk by U-103 on Nov. 21. All 27 survived.
Oakcrest was sunk by U-123 on Nov. 23. 35 died, 6 survived. See also Ian Campbell's article at Uboat.net.
King Idwal was also sunk by U-123 on Nov. 23 (12 died, 28 survived).
Anten was also sunk by U-123 on Nov. 23 (according to Roger W. Jordan she was torpedoed in 56 57N 18 18W on the 23rd, but did not sink until Nov. 25, in about 57 15N 17 40W. 1 died, 32 survived).
Tymeric was sunk by U-123 on Nov. 23. 72 died, 3 survived.

Jürgen Rohwer indicates that the Greek Kolchis was sunk in this convoy, with a footnote saying "The Kolchis was reported missing since 23.11.40. This was probably the ship identified by U-123 as the British steamer Blairesk". However, Kolchis could not have been in Convoy OB 244, she had sailed from Sydney C. B. in Convoy SC 13 on Nov. 22-1940 and became a straggler.

Related external links:
OA and OB Convoys - Chronological list, starting with 1939.

OB Convoys - See also this section of the same site.

Allied Ships hit by U-boats - By entering the name of each ship sunk in this convoy, more information is available.

Back to Convoy Index

To the next available OB convoy in my list OB 275

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