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CONVOY SC 72
Departed Halifax on Febr. 28-1942 and arrived Liverpool on March 17 (Arnold Hague says 19 ships.

Transcribed from several documents received from Tony Cooper, England (his source: Public Records Office, Kew).
Station numbers and sequence of departure were received from Ted Agar - His source: Halifax diary.

Stations are pendants flown on departure Halifax, and may have changed as the voyage progressed. As can be seen from these numbers, the convoy had 8 columns and 3 rows.

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

MOWT = Ministry of War Transport

Ship
Nationality
Cargo
Station
Destination
Remarks
Empire Snow
British
steel ingots
41
Manchester
From SC 70
Empire Clive
"
grain
51
Holyhead / Liverpool
Hartbridge
"
grain
11
Leith / London
Empire Lawrence
"
grain
61
Mersey
Solsten
Norwegian
Tanker W
72
Avonmouth
Vulcanus
Dutch
phosphates
13
Ipswich
From SC 71
Ingerfire
Norwegian
phosphates
Glasgow
From SC 71
To SC 73 - did not sail
Listed in SC 75
Seattle Spirit
American
general
32
Clyde/ Archangel
From SC 71
Later joined Convoy PQ 14 - returned
Joined PQ 15
Minotaur
"
general
33
Clyde/ Archangel
From SC 71
Later joined Convoy PQ 14
British Renown
British
Tanker W
62
Avonmouth
From SC 71
Philip T. Dodge
"
general
83
Manchester
From SC 70
Grodno
"
general
31
Liverpool
From SC 71
Argolikos
Greek
sugar
23
Clyde
War Admiral
Panamanian
general
63
Liverpool
Boreas
Norwegian
steel - general
73
Preston
Empire Union
British
general
71
Milford Haven / Southampton
From SC 71
Moscha D. Kydoniefs
Greek
grain
Hull
Guido
British
general
Mersey
Listed in SC 73
Yorkmoor
"
grain
12
London
Chagres
Panamanian
general - mail 58
Liverpool
To SC 73 - returned
(w/collision damage)
Listed in SC 77
Parkhaven
Dutch
wheat
Mersey
(Shows up again as cancelled from SC 78 and SC 79
Listed in SC 80)
Dunav
Yugoslavian
general
Mersey
Listed in SC 73
Uranienborg
Danish / MOWT 1940
grain
London
To SC 73 - returned
(w/collision damage)
West Cheswald
American
general
22
Clyde / Archangel
Later joined Convoy PQ 14
Baron Cochrane
British
grain
London
Listed in SC 73
Lackenby
"
general
Tyne
From SC 71
To SC 73 - did not sail
Shows up again in SC 79
Leonidas N. Condylis
Greek
grain
London
To SC 73 - did not sail
Listed in SC 74
Mariposa
British
general
82
Glasgow
Montcalm
"
icebreaker
42
Clyde f. o.
From SC 69
See Notes
Exterminator
Panamanian
general
not known
Clyde f. o.
From SC 65
Joined from New Foundland,
returned to St. John
Joined SC 73 from New Foundland
(Later joined PQ 14)
Ted's diary also lists Milcrest (station 81 - cancelled from SC 68 and SC 69) and Talaralite (24) as leaving port with the ships in this convoy, but they may have gone out for other reasons. As can be seen they are not mentioned in the Advance Sailing Telegram. Milcrest shows up again in SC 73 (with a note saying that she was indeed from SC 72), while Talaralite is listed in SC 75.

Additionally, the diary has Viking Star (21) and Empire Bunting (52) as cancelled from SC 72 - again not mentioned in the AST. Empire Bunting is listed in SC 73, while Viking Star cancelled from that convoy, but sailed in SC 74.



Notes:
Commodore was in Empire Clive, Vice Commodore in Hartbridge.

The Rescue Vessel Copeland was also in SC 72 - station 53. She had been requisitioned as such on Dec. 20-1940 and her first voyage was with Convoy OB 280 in Jan./Febr.-1941. She was on her 16th voyage as Rescue Vessel, having started this voyage from Clyde on Febr. 8 with Convoy ON 64 to Halifax (Febr. 24) and returned with SC 72 to Clyde, Febr. 28/March 17. ("Convoy Rescue Ships", Arnold Hague).

The American Seattle Spirit went out early (at 10:42) for gun trials. As mentioned, she's listed in Convoy PQ 14 to Murmansk, as are West Cheswald and Minotaur. The icebreaker Montcalm is also mentioned in the notes for PQ 14. This vessel is listed in PQ 15 by Arnold Hauge in "Convoys to Russia 1941-1945".

The remaining ships left port in the following order:
At 11:15 the British Catapult freighter Empire Clive went out, followed at 11:17 by the British freighter Empire Union, and with a few minutes between each ship Hartbridge, Empire Snow, West Cheswald (no gun at bow, 10 tanks on deck, 'B’Flag), Grodno, Minotaur (loaded with tanks), Empire Lawrence (Catapult freighter, camouflaged, minus her Hurricane, crates on deck), Vulcanus, Copeland, Boreas ('B' flag, in other words; carrying explosives), Argolikos, War Admiral (2 bucket posts ahead of stack), Philip T. Dodge, Yorkmoor, British Renown, Solsten, Milcrest, Mariposa, Montcalm (Icebreaker), Talaralite - no times are given for the last 4 vessels, ref. notes within the above table.

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