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CONVOY ON 126

Convoy ON 126 Cruising Order
Departed Liverpool on Aug. 29-1942 and arrived New York City on Sept. 18 (Arnold Hague says 22 ships, agreeing with Commodore's notes).
Transcribed from several documents received from Roger Griffiths (his source: Public Records Office, Kew).

Br=British, Norw=Norwegian, Du=Dutch, Gr=Greek, Pa=Panamanian, Sw=Swedish, Fi=Finnish, Est=Estonian, Bel=Belgian.
MOWT=Ministry of War Transport, Pass.=passengers

Ships sailing from:
L=Liverpool, M=Milford, G=Clyde, A=Aultbea.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
11 (L)
Hobbema
(Du)
21 (L)
Belgique
(Bel)
31 (L)
Josefina Thordén
(Fi / MOWT 1941)
41 (G)
Empire Moonbeam
(Br)

Kullmator

51 (L)
Rena
(Norw)
61 (M)
Botlea
(Br)
71 (G)
Empire Shackleton
(Br)
81 (A)
Empire Sunrise
(Br)
12 (M)
Norse Lady
(Norw)
22 (M)
Stad Haarlem
(Du)
32 (G)
H. M. Flagler
(Pa)
42 (G)
Cowrie
(Br)
52 (A)
Fairwater
(Br)
62 (M)
Sulev
(Est / MOWT 1940)
72 (G)
Adamas
(Gr)
82 (L)
Inger Lise
(Norw)
13
23 (G)
Dalcroy
(Br)
33 (G)
Kiruna
(Sw)
43 (L)
Carrier
(Norw)
53 (A)
Ingerfem
(Norw)
63 (A)
Senta
(Norw)
73 (A)
Empire Dunstan
(Br)
83 (A)
Milos
(Sw)


Notes:
Commodore F. H. Taylor R.N.R. was in Rena, Vice Commodore was Captain W. H. Sharp of Josefina Thordén, Rear Commodore in Empire Shackleton.

The cancelled Dalcroy is listed in Convoy ON 128.

Average speed: 6.08 knots, in weather which was "mainly foul with strong headwinds, which reduced speed of some ships in convoy by a large amount".

Daily positions at 07:00 GMT are available on request via the contact address provided at the bottom of this page. Or, go to this page on Mike Holdoway's website (external link) - I sent him the coordinates, and he made a chart of the voyage (click on "Charted convoy routes").

Josefina Thordén returned to the U.K. at 19:00 Sept. 4 in 54 15N 22 30W, with disabled engine.
Inger Lise was not seen after fog at 12:00 Sept. 6 in 53 09N 24 20W.
Carrier was last seen late in the evening of Sept. 7 in fog, 50 00N 32 10W, after convoy had altered course to starboard.

The Commodore says in his notes: "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 it might have been Heranger? Note that this is only a suggestion - as will be seen, a lot of the other ships in ON 127 are unnamed.

Also, it looks like 7 ships joined the convoy from Halifax.

In a report to the Admiralty dated Sept. 22-1942, the Commodore states the following:
"At 08:40 GMT 19th September, 1942 when convoy ON(S) 126 was in a position 39 59N 73 06W approaching New York and on course 300°, a SC convoy was sighted fine on the port bow on a course 098° (this was Convoy SC 102, which had departed New York that day). Course of ON 126 was altered 45° to port by emergency turn, and the convoys cleared by 2 miles. Neither convoy had been informed that the other might be met, nor had either Senior Officer of the Escort any information. Had the weather been thick, the two convoys would have met and collided with presumably loss of ships and lives.

It seems to me that there is gross neglect on someone's part in that neither convoy was aware of the other's presence on the sea, particularly observing that they were within 70 miles of New York. One would have thought that the submarine peril was sufficient on the ocean, without the added one of convoys meeting without knowledge when this could and should have been foreseen. The time of arrival ON 126 had been signalled previous to the convoys meeting".

Escorts:
HMS Harvester (S.O.), Orchis, Heather, Narcissus, Pioneer, Renoncule (French corvette).
USS Cole joined and Pioneer left at 16:00 Sept. 8 in 51 25N 33 40W.
HMCS Rosthern joined at 14:00 Sept. 11 in 49 22N 43 22W. USS Cole proceeded, rejoined at 10:00 Sept. 12 in 48 20N 46 30W. Pioneer prcoeeded at 20:30 Sept. 12 with 2 ships for St. John's, 47 33N 48 20W.
Ocean Escort proceeded at 11:30 Sept. 13 in 46 19N 49 44W, when Local Escort joined; Caldwell, Mansfield, Rimouski, Port Arthur.
Also mentioned are HMS Walker, HMCS Columbia, Calgary, Chicoutimi, joining from Halifax along with 7 ships.

Back to Convoy Index

To the next ON convoy in my list ON 127


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