Transcribed from a document received from Olaf Evertse, Holland.
His source: National Archives and Records Administration, Washington.

Notes:
Convoy speed: 12.5 knots.

Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System", which gives 12 ships for Convoy WS 21, says it was divided on Sept. 10-1942, after leaving South Africa.
For info, the following convoys with misc. variations of the WS 21 designation are listed in this source:
WS 21A of 6 ships for Suez, dispersing off Aden on Sept. 16-1942.
WS 21B* of 6 ships for Bombay, arriving Sept. 19-1942.
WS 21P - follow link.
WS 21S (14 ships) formed off Oversay on Aug. 2-1942 - ships for Malta in Operation Pedestal, passed Gibraltar Strait on Aug. 10-1942. (The Internet holds a lot of websites about Operation Pedestal - use Google to find them).

Olaf Evertse, whose father served on Curacao, has told me that at 11:00 on July 31, in thick fog, a Sunderland flyingboat suddely landed on the sea beside Curacao. The crew left the plane because it was sinking very quickly, and suddenly, it exploded and sank, leaving burning fuel on the surface. A destroyer was ordered to rescue the survivors.
At 06:30 on August 1 another Sunderland flyingboat appeared above the convoy and also seemed to be in trouble. Signals were made by Aldis lamp and one of the destroyers left the convoy. The Sunderland attempted to land but exploded before it could do so. Nobody was seen to leave the plane. Olaf adds: "Curacao was loaded with 17 tanks, 50 brenncarriers, 10 airplanes, 1 motorboat, anti tank guns and canons of all sorts of caliber, smokescreen wagons, radio wagons and explosives". Note that it's possible the events as written down by Olaf's father might be switched around.

WS 21 arrived Freetown on Aug. 10 where Curacao bunkered oil and drinking water, before the convoy left for Capetown on Aug. 15 with 17 ships. They passed the Equator on Aug. 17 and arrived Capetown on the 27th, where Curacao's deck cargo of 10 Hurricanes were unloaded.

* Curacao, along with 5 other ships, left Capetown for Bombay with Convoy WS 21B on Aug. 29, arriving Bombay on Sept. 19, having met another convoy from Durban on Sept. 3.

While en route to Bombay, on the morning of the Dutch Queen Wilhelmina's birthday on Aug. 31, a British cruiser came alongside the Dutch ships and all the uniformed officers stood on deck saluting, while the Dutch national anthem was played. It was an emotional moment for the Dutch sailors.

The following escorts are named for WS 21:
HMS Hawkins, HMS Petard, HMS Catterick (all 3 to Capetown), HMS Ranpura joined later.

The document has a note saying the following: "HMS Alcantara escorts China Mail and American Press (Convoy AS 6) to MOMP*. WS 21 returns Ascension Island escort.
James Parker (AS 6) to Pointe Noire.
Another note says: "5 destroyers to detach for Gibraltar in 42 10N 23 41W".

* MOMP (AS 6) - 006 31S 013 30W 14:00Z Aug. 18.

Related external links:
WS Convoys

Route to the East - the WS Convoys - The late Arnold Hague's unpublished book, listing the ships in all these convoys.

Convoy Routing Codes

Back to Convoy Index