Transcribed from documents received from Tony Cooper - His source: Public Records Office, Kew.

Further details have been added with the help of:
"The Allied Convoy System", Arnold Hague
"Axis Submarine Successes of WW II", Jürgen Rohwer
"The World's Merchant Fleets", R. W. Jordan.
"Lloyd's War Losses", Vol I.

On the documents, there's a note saying:
Consequent holding of convoys at assembly ports owing to ocean raider, following will sail together and rendezvous on Nov. 22.

Former rendezvous dates:
SC 11 - Nov. 18
HX 85 - Nov. 12
HX 86 (Halifax) - Nov. 16
HX 86 (Sydney) - Nov. 16
HX 87 (Bermuda) - Nov. 20

The "raider" in question was Admiral Scheer - see text for Convoy HX 84.

Crossed out ships did not sail, underlined returned to port.

MOWT = Ministry of War Transport

Notes:
Commodore was Vice Admiral F. M. Austin in Llandilo (column 5), Vice Commodore in Yearby.

Ships sunk (dates are according to German time):
Justitia, on a voyage from Savannah, GA for London with 5161 tons of lumber, 2248 tons steel, 40 tons turps, and 300 tons sundries, was sunk shortly after midnight, Nov. 23 by U-100. She had a crew of 38 and 1 gunner - 13 crew died.

Bradfyne, on a voyage from Montreal for Belfast with 7900 tons of grain, was sunk later that morning, also by U-100 - she had a crew of 43 - 39 died; the survivors were rescued by the Norwegian Norse King on Nov. 25.

Bruse, on a voyage from Nelson N.B. for Ipswich with 1550 tons of lumber, was also torpedoed by U-100 that morning - see my page about this ship.

The Dutch Ootmarsum, on a voyage for Newport with a cargo of iron ore, was sunk by the same U-boat that morning. All 25 on board perished.

U-100 also sank the Norwegian Salonica, on a voyage from Pugwash for Newcastle with 3400 tons of pit props. My page about Salonica has more details.

Leise Mærsk, on a voyage from Three Rivers for Sharpness with 4500 tons of grain and general, was sunk later that morning by the same U-boat. She had a crew of 24 - 17 died.

That evening, U-100 sank the Dutch Bussum, on a voyage from Montreal for Belfast with 5200 tons of grain. All 29 on board survived.

Alma Dawson, on a voyage from Montreal for Ipswich with 5900 tons of general cargo, struck a British mine on Nov. 24 - all 35 on board survived and were picked up by the Norwegian Spurt.

Note that all the Norwegian ships in this convoy are discussed on this website - see alphabet index at the bottom of this page.

Related external link:
Allied ships hit by U-boats - By entering the name of each ship sunk, more information on the attacks is available.

Back to Convoy Index