Convoy ON 127 - warsailors.com

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CONVOY ON 127

Please compare with Arnold Hague's listing

Convoy ON 127 Cruising Order
Departed Liverpool on Sept. 4-1942 and arrived New York on Sept. 20 (Arnold Hague gives 34 ships in his "Allied Convoy System").

This table is based on an A 1 form found in "Sjømann - Lang vakt", by Guri Hjeltnes (Book 3 of "Handelsflåten i Krig"). Code name for the convoy is given as "Rapture".
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.

Please note that more ships are named in the Notes below - see also A. Hague's listing.

Br=British, Bel=Belgian, Pa=Panamanian, Norw=Norwegian

s=sunk, dam.=damaged, †=dead.

For info, several of the ships listed in this convoy had arrived U.K. in Convoy HX 202. (Some subsequently returned to the U.K. with HX 210).

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11
Hindanger
s - 1†
(Norw)

21
Heranger*
(Norw)

31
unnamed freighter
Clyde
s

41
Laurits Swenson
(Norw)

51
Athelduchess
(Br)

61
San Andres
(Norw)
cancelled?

71
Montevideo
(Norw)

81
Empire Sailor
(Br)

91
unnamed freighter
Milford
101
Fresno Star
(Br)

12
Elisabeth van Belgie
s - 1†
(Bel)

22
F. J. Wolfe
dam
(Br)

32
unnamed freighter
Clyde

42
Hektoria
s - 1†
(Br)

52
British Tradition
(Br)

62
unnamed freighter
Milford

72
Modavia
(Br)

82
Bayano
(Br)

92
unnamed freighter
Milford
102

13
Stone Street
s - 13†
(Pa)

23
unnamed freighter
Clyde
s?
33
unnamed freighter
Clyde
s? 43
unnamed freighter
Milford 53
unnamed freighter
Milford 63
unnamed freighter
Milford 73
Egda
(Norw) 83
Vardefjell
(Norw)
returned 93
unnamed freighter
Milford 103

14
unnamed freighter
Aultbea 24
unnamed freighter
Clyde 34
unnamed freighter
Aultbea 44
unnamed freighter
Milford 54
unnamed freighter
Milford 64
unnamed freighter
Aultbea 74
unnamed freighter
Aultbea 84
unnamed freighter
Aultbea 94
unnamed freighter
Aultbea 104

15 25 35 45 55
unnamed freighter
Aultbea 65 75 85 95 105

* The Commodore for the previous convoy, ON 126, says in his notes for Sept. 16, "The Norwegian Hestranger ex ON 127 joined. She left her convoy after 2 days of U-boat attack". There was no Norwegian ship by this name, but this might have been Heranger? According to a document showing her voyages for this period, she arrived New York on Sept. 19.

Notes:
Commodore was E. C. Cochrane in Athelduchess (for New York).
Vice Commodore was H. J. Woodward in Empire Sailor (for St. John N. B.).
Rear Commodore ship was Empire Moonbeam (for New York) - from ON 126.

I have received an E-mail from Eric Russell, who says: "I believe I can fill a gap in the list of ships unknown on your page for convoy ON 127. On my father's page for the El Mirlo (external link) he notes that he sailed in that convoy".

It appears only the ships joining from Liverpool are named on the document, and 2 of those have a minus beside the name. The ships are not named inside the actual columns, but in a list on the side as follows:

British Athelduchess (51), Empire Sailor (81), British Tradition (52), the Norwegian Laurits Swenson (41) and Montevideo (71), Hektoria (42, listed as Norwegian, but this was a British whale factory by then - ex. Norwegian), Bayano (82), the Norwegian San Andres (61) and Vardefjell (83) - there's a minus beside the latter 2 names* - the British Modavia (72), Norwegian Heranger (21) and Hindanger (11), Belgian Elizabeth Van Belgie (12), Panamanian Stone Street (13) and British Fresno Star (101).

* San Andres and Vardefjell are both listed by A. Hague in Convoy ON 129, though Vardefjell returned to port again and later joined Convoy ON 131. Please follow the links to my pages about these ships.

The form gives the number of ships sailing from the various British ports as follows:
14 ships joined from Liverpool:
Hindanger, Heranger, Laurits Swenson, Athelduchess, San Andres (has a minus next to it), Montevideo, Empire Sailor, Elisabeth van Belgie, Hektoria, British Tradition, Modavia, Bayano, Stone Street, Vardefjell (has a minus next to it).

6 ship joined from Clyde:
F. J. Wolfe, unnamed ship in stations 31 (sunk or damaged), unnamed ship in 32, unnamed in 23 and 33 (both appear to have been sunk or damaged) and another unnamed ship for station 24.

10 ships joined from Milford:
Unnamed ships in stations 43, 44, 53, 54, 62, 63, 91, 92, 93 and the Norwegian Egda (in 73).

7 ships joined from Aultbea:
Unnamed ships in stations 14, 34, 64, 74, 84, 94 and 55

for a total of 37 ships

The following ships were damaged and/or sunk:
Elisabeth van Belgie was sunk on Sept. 10 by U-96 - 1 died.
F. J. Wolfe was damaged on Sept. 10 by U-96.
Hektoria - damaged Sept. 12 by U 211, sunk by U 608 - 1 died.
Hindanger - sunk on Sept. 11 by U 584 (Arnold Hague says U 583, follow link for more).
Empire Moonbeam (Rear Commodore) was damaged on Sept. 12 by U-211 and sunk same day by U-608 - 3 died.
Stone Street was sunk on Sept. 13 by U-594 - 13 died.

The following ships from this convoy were also attacked, but are not included on the convoy form:
Empire Oil - damaged by U 659 Sept. 10, sunk by U 584 Sept. 11 - no casualties, but 18 died later when Ottawa was sunk (34 of Empire Oil's survivors were on board).
Sveve - sunk on Sept. 10 by U-96 (or later sunk by escort?) - no casualties.
Daghild - damaged by U-404 on Sept. 12.
Marit II damaged by U-404 on Sept. 11 (or 10th, depending on time zone).
Fjordaas damaged by U-218 on Sept. 11 (follow the links for more details).

Additionally, the escorting HMCS Ottawa was sunk by U-91 on Sept. 14 (114 lost).

Escorts:
Destroyers HMCS St-Croix and Ottawa, corvettes Amherst, Arvida, Sherbrooke and Celandine.

See Also A. Hague's list of escorts via the link below.

See Arnold Hague's listing

Related external links:
ON 127 - Uboat.net's account on the battle

The attack on Elisabeth van Belgie
The attack on F. J. Wolfe
The attack on Hektoria
The attack on Empire Moonbeam
The attack on Stone Street
The attack on Empire Oil
The attack on HMCS Ottawa

Back to Convoy Index

To the next ON convoy in my list ON 128

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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Convoy ON 127 Cruising Order Departed Liverpool on Sept. 4-1942 and arrived New York on Sept. 20 (Arnold Hague gives 34 ships in his "Allied Convoy System").
This table is based on an A 1 form found in "Sjømann - Lang vakt", by Guri Hjeltnes (Book 3 of "Handelsflåten i Krig"). Code name for the convoy is given as "Rapture". 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. Please note that more ships are named in the Notes below - see also A. Hague's listing. Br=British, Bel=Belgian, Pa=Panamanian, Norw=Norwegian s=sunk, dam.=damaged, †=dead. For info, several of the ships listed in this convoy had arrived U.K. in Convoy HX 202. (Some subsequently returned to the U.K. with HX 210).
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11 Hindanger s - 1† (Norw)	21 Heranger* (Norw)	31 unnamed freighter Clyde s	41 Laurits Swenson (Norw)	51 Athelduchess (Br)	61 San Andres (Norw) cancelled?	71 Montevideo (Norw)	81 Empire Sailor (Br)	91 unnamed freighter Milford	101 Fresno Star (Br)
12 Elisabeth van Belgie s - 1† (Bel)	22 F. J. Wolfe dam (Br)	32 unnamed freighter Clyde	42 Hektoria s - 1† (Br)	52 British Tradition (Br)	62 unnamed freighter Milford	72 Modavia (Br)	82 Bayano (Br)	92 unnamed freighter Milford	102
13 Stone Street s - 13† (Pa)	23 unnamed freighter Clyde s?	33 unnamed freighter Clyde s?	43 unnamed freighter Milford	53 unnamed freighter Milford	63 unnamed freighter Milford	73 Egda (Norw)	83 Vardefjell (Norw) returned	93 unnamed freighter Milford	103
14 unnamed freighter Aultbea	24 unnamed freighter Clyde	34 unnamed freighter Aultbea	44 unnamed freighter Milford	54 unnamed freighter Milford	64 unnamed freighter Aultbea	74 unnamed freighter Aultbea	84 unnamed freighter Aultbea	94 unnamed freighter Aultbea	104
15	25	35	45	55 unnamed freighter Aultbea	65	75	85	95	105
* The Commodore for the previous convoy, ON 126, says in his notes for Sept. 16, "The Norwegian Hestranger ex ON 127 joined. She left her convoy after 2 days of U-boat attack". There was no Norwegian ship by this name, but this might have been Heranger? According to a document showing her voyages for this period, she arrived New York on Sept. 19.