Please note that several more ships are named further down on this page.

The stations given here are the intitial stations on departure Halifax; these may have changed as the voyage progressed.

Br=British, Gr=Greek, Norw=Norwegian, Du=Dutch, Am=American.

* Not included in the Advance Sailing Telegram. Upon checking further, I find that this ship had sailed to Iceland in Convoy SC 55 in Nov.-1941, later joining the westbound Convoy ON 57 from there in order to head to New York (and if this is correct, she could not have been in Halifax when SC 66 left on Jan. 23-1942). It looks like she ran into some trouble, however; A. Hague states that she put back in a leaking and sinking condition (ref. this external page). She shows up again in Convoy ON 65 in Febr.-1942 - see Hague's listing for these convoys at ships in all ON convoys (she went back to Iceland again with Convoy SC 77).

Transcribed from several original documents received from Tony Cooper, England - His source: Public Records Office, Kew.
The station numbers, cargoes for the tankers and names of escorts have been extracted from documents recived from Don Kindell, based on the late Arnold Hague's database - see his listing for SC 66 at ships in all SC convoys.

Further details have been added with the help of:
"Convoy Rescue Ships 1940-1945", Arnold Hague
"Axis Submarine Successes of World War Two", Jürgen Rohwer
"The World's Merchant Fleets 1939", R. W. Jordan
"Lloyd's War Losses", Vol. I.

Crossed out ships did not sail, underlined returned to port, except those that are linked, which will automatically be underlined.

MoWT = Ministry of War Transport

* Thirlby is crossed out in the Advance Sailing Telegram. She was on a voyage from New York for Loch Ewe, via Halifax with 7600 tons of maize when she was torpedoed and sunk by U-109 on Jan. 23-1942 (the date of the convoy's departure), approximately 12 miles 240° from Seal Island, Cape Sable. 45 people were on board - this number includes 9 gunners and the pilot. 3 died. Perhaps she was sunk before she reached Halifax in order to join SC 66? See also the external link provided below.

The Rescue Vessel Rathlin was also with this convoy for a while. She was on her 5th voyage as such, having been requisitioned on July 28-1941. She had started this voyage at Clyde with the westbound Convoy ON 58 on Jan 20-1942, returned to Clyde the next day, joining Convoy ON 60 on Jan 27, detached Febr. 2-1942, then joined SC 66 on Febr 6 until Febr. 8-1942 (to Clyde).

The ships left Halifax in the following order (according to the diary which, as already mentioned, is incomplete):
The British liner Baltrover was the first to leave at 10:25 ("flagship, leads convoy to sea" - in other words, Commodore Vessel, station 51) followed 5 minutes later by an unnamed British freighter (13), then two more unnamed British freighters (for stations 21 & 71). At 10:44 the British freighter Helmspey went out (with a notation saying: "no nationality flag, fleur de lis on stack"). She was followed at 10:45 by Egyptian Prince, and with a few minutes between each, San Gerardo, an unnamed Norwegian freighter (62), Rotterdam, two unnamed British freighters (53 and 52), unnamed Greek freighter (64), a tanker (72) no nationality given, Llancarvan, Ioannis Frangos, Oneida (not in this convoy), then a British freighter (14), a Greek freighter (54), a British freighter (23), then Denpark, followed by another unnamed British freighter (12), then Glenwood, Carslogie, two more unnamed British freighters (for stations 74 and 82). The last ship to go out at 12:51 was the unnamed Greek freighter for station 43 - according to A. Hague, this was Anna.

According to Lloyd's list, the following ships left Halifax in this order (received from Roy Martin):
Baltrover (Liverpool), Carslogie (Belfast), Westmoor (Liverpool), Greek Mount Pindus (Manchester), Empire Dabchick (Cardiff), San Gerardo (Clyde), Egyptian Prince (Cardiff), Senga (Yugoslavian, for London), Daleby (Leith), Glenwood (Clyde), Elisabeth Lensen (Mersey), Empire Sunrise (Mersey), Ensis (Manchester), Norwegian Ingerto (Manchester), Dutch Rotterdam (Belfast), Empire Ibex (Belfast), Standella (Belfast), Greek Anna (ECUK), Cragpool (ECUK), Llancarran (note different spelling - ECUK), Greek Ioannis Frangos (ECUK), British Treworlas (ECUK), Frumenton (ECUK), Denpark (ECUK), Greek Aegeos (UK), Dutch Amsterdam (UK), Norwegian Vinland (UK), Greek Ilissos (UK), Despina (Belfast), British Tovelil (Loch Ewe), Sithonia (London). Oneida is not mentioned.

The convoy arrived rendezvous on Febr. 4

A. Hague names the following escorts (extracted from this list of SC convoy escorts, received from D. Kindell; dates are European style, day/month/year):
Algoma - From 23/01/42 to 04/02/42
Boadicea - From 04/02/42 to 08/02/42
Burnham - From 27/01/42 to 04/02/42
Drumheller - From 26/01/42 to 04/02/42
Eyebright - From 23/01/42 to 04/02/42
FS Commandant Detroyat - From 04/02/42 to 08/02/42
FS Lobelia - From 04/02/42 to 08/02/42
Gananoque - From 23/01/42 to 26/01/42
Heather - From 04/02/42 to 08/02/42
Narcissus - From 04/02/42 to 08/02/42
Pictou - From 23/01/42 to 26/01/42
Quinte - From 23/01/42 to 26/01/42
Shawnigan - From 26/01/42 to 04/02/42
Shediac - From 26/01/42 to 27/01/42
St. Cathan - From 08/02/42 to 09/02/42
St. Clair - From 23/01/42 to 26/01/42
Summerside - From 26/01/42 to 04/02/42

Related external links:
The attack on Thirlby - As, can be seen, U-boat.net says she was a straggler from SC 66 (and states that 5 died, 41 survived).

Russian Convoy Series - Convoy PQ 12 is included.

Empire Ships

Back to Convoy Index