Transcribed from original documents received from Tony Cooper, England (Advance Sailing Telegram) - His source: Public Records Office, Kew.
Station numbers and names of escorts have been extracted from documents recived from Don Kindell, based on the late Arnold Hague's database - see his listing for SC 77 at ships in all SC convoys.

Further details have been added with the help of:
"Lloyd's War Losses", Vol I.
"Convoys to Russia 1941-1945", Bob Ruegg & Arnold Hague.

Crossed out ships did not sail, underlined returned to port, except those that are linked, which will automatically be underlined. The Norwegian Solstad, however, did return.

MoWT = Ministry of War Transport

As can be seen from the Advance Saling Telegram, more ships were cancelled than indicated in this form.

Havsten

* Note that Cetus and Kelbergen are not included in the Advance Sailing Telegram above, and may not have been scheduled for this convoy afterall(?). Both are listed in the next convoy (but Kelbergen returned to port).

* For info, "Convoys to Russia" by Arnold Hague and Bob Ruegg lists these ships as sailing in Convoy PQ 15 which assembled at Oban and sailed for Reykjavik on Apr. 10-1942. They had probably left SC 77 en route and proceeded to Reykjavik. PQ 15 departed from there on Apr. 26, arriving Murmansk on May 5.
** These ships are listed in PQ 16, which left Reykjavik on May 21-1942, the Archangel section arriving there on June 1, while the Murmansk bound ships arrived on May 30.
Some of these ships (a few had been sunk) later returned with Convoy QP 12, sailing from Kola on May 21, others with QP 13, which left Archangel on June 26.
Some of the above convoys are not included in my own Arctic Convoys section, but Mike Holdoway's section on the Russian Convoys has more information - see the external link below.

The ships left Halifax in the following sequence (according to the diary):
The first ship to go out at 10:01 was the American freighter Zebulon B. Vance (Liberty ship), followed at 10:20 by Texas and with a few minutes between each ship the following went out:
Agios Georgios, Dramatist, Empire Cougar (tanks), Gloucester City, Bernhard (LJSB), Aun, Zypenberg, Timok, Alresford, Winsum, El Oriente, Evanger (plane crates), G. C. Brøvig, Oneida, Lucijana, Mormacrey, Carlton, H. M. Flagler, Emmy, Spokane, Hainaut, Mormacsul, Alamar (tanks on deck), Fort Binger (flying large Free French flag on mainmast), Uskside, British Honour, Alamo (WDFF), Pegasus, Alcoa Cadet, Topa Topa, Mattole (Jack at bow), Selis, Lifland, Ledaal (LCXY), Rio Verde, Empire Ptarmigan, North Devon, Alcoa Banner, Solstad, Empire Antelope, Selbo, Hardanger, Capira (with a notation saying: "Her decks are loaded with tanks, greenish gray with some bright blue, the greatest number I have ever seen on a freighter), Lornaston, Bayou Chico, Suecia. The last ship to leave at 16:05 was Chagres.

The convoy arrived rendezvous on Apr. 11.

A. Hague names the following escorts (extracted from this list of SC convoy escorts, received from D. Kindell; dates are European style, day/month/year):
Amherst - From 03/04/42 to 15/04/42
Assiniboine - From 03/04/42 to 12/04/42
Brandon - From 03/04/42 to 15/04/42
Butser - From 15/04/42 to 16/04/42
Calgary - From 30/03/42 to 03/04/42
Columbia - From 30/03/42 to 03/04/42
Cowichan - From 02/04/42 to 03/04/42
Dianthus - From 03/04/42 to 12/04/42
Fennel - From 03/04/42 to 15/04/42
Halifax - From 30/03/42 to 03/04/42
Midland - From 30/03/42 to 03/04/42
Orillia - From 03/04/42 to 15/04/42
USS Badger - From 11/04/42 to 14/04/42
USS Decatur - From 11/04/42 to 14/04/42
USS Leary - From 11/04/42 to 14/04/42
USS Schenck - From 11/04/42 to 14/04/42
Walker - From 30/03/42 to 03/04/42

Related external link:
Russian Convoys

Back to Convoy Index