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CONVOY HX 202

Convoy HX 202 Cruising Order
Departed Halifax on Aug. 9-1942 and arrived Liverpool on the 21st (Arnold Hague says 43 ships).
List received from Ted Agar, supplemented by info received from Roger Griffiths (his source: Public Records Office, Kew.

Br=British, Am=American (U.S.), Norw=Norwegian, Pa=Panamanian, Bel=Belgian, Du=Dutch, Sw=Swedish.

For info, quite a few of the ships in this convoy later returned to the U.S. with Convoy ON 125, others with ON 127.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
11
Eastern City
(Catapult)
general
Belfast
(Br)
21
Pandorian
general
Liverpool
(Br)
31
Maron
steel - general
soldiers / airmen
Mersey
(Br)
41
Bayano
refrig. - general
Liverpool
(Br)
51
Cavina
refrig. - general
Belfast
(Br)
61
Modavia
refrig. - general
Liverpool
(Br)
71
Lochmonar
steel - general
Mersey
(Br)
81
City of Christchurch
ore - general
Avonmouth
(Br)
91
Brant County
general
Belfast
(Norw)
12
Empire Shearwater
tobacco -steel
Loch Ewe
(Br)
22
Laurent Meeus
gas - oil
Loch Ewe
(Bel)
32
Carelia
gasoline
Manchester
(Br)
42
Skaraas
gas - kerosene
Manchester
(Norw)
52
British Zeal
aviation fuel
Manchester
(Br)
62
Empire Confidence
general
Cardiff
(Br)
72
Empire Jet
aviation fuel
Belfast
(Br)
82
Egda
aviation fuel
Belfast
(Norw)
92
Rosario
general
Loch Ewe
(Am)
13
Ocean Vengeance
lumber - grain
Mersey
(Br)
23
Marit II
fuel oil
Loch Ewe
(Norw)
33
British Tenacity
gasoline
Glasgow
(Br)
43
Athelduchess
molasses
Mersey
(Br)
53
Clavella
fuel oil
Lamlash
(Du)
63
Belgian Gulf
lub. oil
Mersey
(Pa)
73
British Endurance
aviation fuel
Belfast
(Br)
83
San Cipriano
gas oil
Belfast
(Br)
93
Sembilangan
general - steel
Belfast
(Du)
14
Ocean Volga
general
Manchester
(Br)
24
Liberty Glo
general
Loch Ewe
(Am)
34
C. J. Barkdull
diesel oil
Glasgow
(Pa)
44
Velma
fuel oil
Clyde (Norw) *
54
Gulf Hawk
crude oil
Manchester
(Am)
64
Laurits Swenson
general
Mersey
(Norw)
74
Chattanooga City
general - expl.
Mersey
(Am)
84
Edward Rutledge
general
Belfast
(Am)
94
Nanking *
general
Cardiff
(Sw)
15
Meigle
general
St. John's
25
Belle Isle
general (soldiers)
St. John's
(Br)
35
Bayou Chico
general
Clyde
(Am)
45
San Andres
sugar
Mersey
(Norw)
55
Montevideo
general - crated planes
Mersey
(Norw)
65
Heranger
general
Mersey
(Norw)
75
Hindanger *
(joined from St. John's)
(Norw)
+ Stone Street joining from St. John's
station unknown


Notes:
Commodore Errol Manners was in Cavina, Vice Commodore in Modavia.
Loch Ewe Commodore was in Empire Shearwater, Belfast Commodore in Empire Confidence, Clyde Commodore in British Tenacity.

* Velma returned to Halifax with engine trouble at 18:30 on Aug. 9 - subsequently joined the next convoy, HX 203.

* Nanking had cancelled from the previous convoy, HX 201. Hindanger is also listed in that convoy, but lost touch in fog in the night of Aug. 4/5 and put in to St. John's.

Commodore's notes:
The convoy had 42 ships on departure, 41 were present at local rendezvous, Belle Isle and Meigle having gone to St. John's, and Velma having returned to port.
2 ships, Hindanger and Stone Street, had joined off St. John's in about 47 40N 51 18W (the latter ship is also listed as sailing in HX 199, but may have had some sort of problems and returned to port?).

Average speed: 9.31 knots. (Daily noon positions are available on request).

The Commodore generally has no complaints about the ships' ability to keep station, but Brant County is severely reprimanded for being a "bad roamer". The captain, of course, denies this. Below is a transcript of a letter from the Director of Trade Division to Rear Admiral E. Manners, dated Nov. 19-1942:

"Your report that this ship "was a bad roamer" was forwarded to the Ministry of War Transport" who passed it on to the owners. The Master indignantly denies that it was his ship and considers that a mistake has been made. Would you confirm or otherwise that it was Brant County."

E. Manners has then added a hand written note at the bottom of this letter, saying the following:
"This can be confirmed by my report, in which no mistake in a ship's name. Further if the signal log has been kept, a signal made to the ship would be seen, and so further confirm that the correct ship had been named. As far as I can recollect a severe censure should be given."

As for signallling, he was particulalry pleased with Bayano, Carelia, San Andres, Athelduchess, British Zeal, Skaraas, Empire Confidence, British Tenacity, Eastern City, Montevideo, Empire Jet and Barkdull.

He adds "Clavella is really not good enough to be put in a 10 knot convoy and should be in convoy 9 knots and below."

Convoy formed up in clear weather, but fog settled in from the 10th, with occasional clear patches till 13th? forenoon, and then good weather. All ships were able to maintain over 9 knots.
Fast ships bound for Mersey were allowed to proceed independently at 16:00 on Aug. 19.

He suggests "that a card index be kept of the speed of ships, and any reports of bad steaming from Commodore's reports be noted, so that the ships may be kept in their correct groups, so as to prevent one or two ships keeping back a convoy unnecessarily".

Escort Vessels:
HMS Walker, HMCS Columbia, HMCS Calgary, HMCS Chicoutimi, HMCS Kamsack, Beaver
HMCS Saguenay, HMCS Skeena, HMCS Galt, HMCS Louisburg, HMCS Sackville, HMCS Wetaskiwin
HMS Harvester, ORP Piorun (Polish), HMS Heather, HMS Orchis, HMS Narcissus, FFL Renoncule.

Air Escort:
Aug. 9 - Catalina and fighters were around convoy while forming up.
Aug. 14 - Catalina around convoy periodically from ? till 19:00, "this was most useful and heartening".
Aug. 19- Sunderland around convoy from 06:40 till 11:20.

More details on all the Norwegian ships named in this table can be found in the alphabetical ship lists of this website.

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