1940 Sailings
THE AP CONVOYS
Four
convoys to reinforce Egypt where there was only a much reduced garrison; these
troops formed the Desert Army, later officially titled the 8th Army and were
finally victorious in North Africa after many vicissitudes.
AP.1
Departed
Liverpool 28.8.40 consisting of three ships:
|
DENBIGHSHIRE
DUCHESS OF BEDFORD (Commodore)
|
WAIOTIRA
|
Arrived
Capetown 10.9, Aden 20.9 and Suez to disembark personnel 23.9.40. The convoy
was escorted by the cruiser YORK to Aden, relieved by the Australian cruiser
HOBART, the British AA cruiser
COVENTRY and destroyers DIAMOND and KANDAHAR for
the Red Sea passage.
AP.2
A single
ship convoy principally loaded with equipment, sailing from Liverpool 22.8.40,
SYDNEY STAR
Arrived
Capetown 10.9 and Suez 26.9.40 to discharge. The transport AMRA joined off
Aden. Escorted from Britain by the cruiser
AJAX to Aden, where YORK from AP 1
relieved her to Suez. The AA cruiser COVENTRY and destroyers DAINTY and
KINGSTON covered the Red Sea passage.
AP 3
The
principal reinforcement convoy which sailed from Liverpool 10.9.40 as follows:
|
PRIVATE
11
BRISBANE STAR
|
21
ATHLONE CASTLE (Vice Commodore)
|
31
BRITANNIC (Commodore)
|
41
CLAN MACARTHUR
|
|
12
IMPERIAL STAR
|
22
DURBAN CASTLE
|
32
DOMINION MONARCH
|
42
CLAN CAMPBELL
|
|
|
23
HMS ULSTER PRINCE
|
33
GLAUCUS
|
|
Arriving
at Freetown 23.9 without CLAN CAMPBELL which fell out with defects 13.9 and
proceeded independently thereafter, the convoy sailed on 27.9 leaving GLAUCUS
behind, and arrived at Capetown 4.10. At Capetown DURBAN CASTLE, still on liner
service, remained behind while HMS ULSTER PRINCE and CLAN MACARTHUR were also
detached as they could not make the desired convoy speed. The remaining ships
sailed 6.10 and arrived at Suez 22.10.40.
Escort
was a strong one in view of the high personnel content, the destroyers
HARVESTER, HAVELOCK, HIGHLANDER, HURRICANE, VOLUNTEER and WOLVERINE provided
A/S cover until 12.9; the Armed Merchant Cruisers CILICIA and WOLFE provided
the ocean escort to Freetown. From Freetown to Capetown the AMC CANTON, joined
later by CARNARVON CASTLE, was the escort, from Capetown CANTON again escorted
until 9.10 when relieved by CARTHAGE. In turn, the cruiser
SHROPSHIRE relieved
CARTHAGE on 15.10 until 20.10 when the cruiser
CARLISLE and destroyers KANDAHAR
and KINGSTON and the sloop FLAMINGO took over for the Red Sea escort.
AP 3 ˝
The last
convoy of this series consisted initially only of:
COLUMBIA STAR carrying explosives
and stores, which proceeded independently to Durban.
At
Durban she was joined by:
CLAN
MACARTHUR of convoy AP.3, which was escorted to join from Capetown by the AMC CARNARVON
CASTLE.
Sailing
from Durban 11.10, the two ships were escorted until 13.10 by the armed
merchant cruiser KANIMBLA, and then steamed unescorted until joined by the
cruisers CARLISLE and
SHROPSHIRE and destroyer DEFENDER and Australian sloop PARRAMATTA on 22.10 for the final passage to Suez where they arrived 26.10.
__________
THE WS ("Winston's Special")
CONVOYS
WS 1
This
first WS convoy was of three ships, AQUITANIA and MAURETANIA from Liverpool,
and QUEEN MARY from the Clyde, all sailing on 29.6.40 with reinforcements for
Egypt. It was not practicable to route such large vessels through the Red Sea,
Italy having just entered the war, so the destination became Ceylon where the
troops could be transferred to smaller vessels. Sailing order was:
|
PRIVATE
11
AQUITANIA
|
21
QUEEN MARY
(Commodore)
|
31
MAURETANIA
|
On
passing the Cape of Good Hope, the cruising order became line ahead, the
Commodore leading.
The
destroyers HARVESTER, HIGHLANDER, VOLUNTEER and WHIRLWIND provided A/S escort
until 30.6, thereafter the cruiser CUMBERLAND accompanied the convoy until
relief by the cruiser KENT in 34.20S 33E on 21.7.
The
convoy called at Freetown 8‑9.7 and Capetown 16‑18.7. As Colombo harbour
could not accommodate three such large ships, QUEEN MARY was diverted to
Trincomalee, all three ships arriving 29.7.40.
After
transferring their troops, all three ships remained in Eastern waters to
transport the ANZAC reinforcements to India and Egypt. AQUITANIA went to Sydney
NSW to join convoy US 4, MAURETANIA to Wellington for New Zealand troops, also
to join US 4, while QUEEN MARY went to Singapore to use the new dry dock at the
naval base there prior to passage to Sydney NSW, there to load troops for
convoy US 6 to Bombay.
WS 2
This
convoy, of seventeen ships, sailed from Liverpool and the Clyde 5.8, ORION
returning the following day with engine defects; she is not therefore allocated
a place in the sailing plan below as, after repairs, she sailed as an
independent to Capetown, then joining the Bombay section of the convoy WS 2B,
at that port and sailing on 31.8.40.
|
PRIVATE
11
CLAN MACAULAY
|
21
STRATHEDEN
(Commodore)
|
31
EMPRESS OF CANADA
(Vice Commodore)
|
41
ORMONDE
|
51
EMPRESS OF BRITAIN
(Rear Commodore)
|
61
SUFFOLK
|
|
12
WAIWERA
|
22
OTRANTO
|
32
ANDES
|
42
MONARCH OF BERMUDA
|
52
STRATHAIRD
|
62
MEMNON
|
|
|
23
BATORY
|
33
FRANCONIA
|
43
ASKA |
53
LANARKSHIRE
|
|
The
destroyers HARVESTER, HAVELOCK, HIGHLANDER and HURRICANE escorted the Liverpool
ships, while FORTUNE, FURY, VORTIGERN and WATCHMAN brought out the Clyde ships,
all destroyers parting company 7.8. The cruisers
EMERALD and
SHROPSHIRE sailed
from the Clyde and CORNWALL from Liverpool; EMERALD left with the destroyers on
7.8, the two remaining ships staying with the convoy into the Indian Ocean.
On 8.8,
in 53.22N 21.40W the convoy divided into FAST and SLOW sections as shown below,
WS 2 FAST
|
PRIVATE
11
ANDES
|
21
STRATHEDEN
(Commodore)
|
31
EMPRESS OF BRITAIN
(Vice Commodore)
|
41
EMPRESS OF CANADA
|
|
12
BATORY
|
22
STRATHAIRD
|
32
MONARCH OF BERMUDA
|
|
This
section, escorted by the cruiser CUMBERLAND, arrived at Freetown 15.8, and
after a brief pause sailed again on 16.8 for Capetown, arriving there still
escorted by CUMBERLAND on 25.8, leaving MONARCH OF BERMUDA at Freetown to
return to the UK as an independent.
WS 2 SLOW
In the
formation shown below,
|
PRIVATE
11
CLAN MACAULAY
|
12
WAIWERA
|
31
ORMONDE
|
41
SUFFOLK
|
|
12
(no ship)
|
21
OTRANTO
|
32
FRANCONIA
|
42
MEMNON
|
|
13 ASKA
|
|
|
43
LANARKSHIRE
|
and
escorted by SHROPSHIRE arrived at Freetown on 16.8 after the FAST section had
cleared the roadstead. At Freetown the ASKA remained behind, eventually to
return to the UK as an independent and be lost by air attack on 17.9 en route.
The
remainder of WS 2 SLOW sailed on 18.8, retaining the original formation and
still escorted by SHROPSHIRE, to arrive at Capetown 25.8. Off Capetown the
FRANCONIA detached and, escorted by the armed merchant cruiser KANIMBLA,
arrived at Durban 27.8. The remaining ships of the convoy berthed at Capetown.
A
further division of the convoy took place at Capetown, with the detachment of
the India bound vessels.
WS 2A
On 30.8,
ten ships:
|
ANDES
CLAN MACAULAY
EMPRESS OF BRITAIN
EMPRESS OF CANADA
LANARKSHIRE
|
MEMNON
OTRANTO
STRATHAIRD
SUFFOLK
WAIWERA
|
sailed
from Capetown escorted by the cruiser
SHROPSHIRE, joined off Durban in 21.46S
37.55E by
|
FRANCONIA
|
LLANGIBBY CASTLE
|
which
were escorted from Durban by the armed merchant cruiser KANIMBLA, SHROPSHIRE
continuing as escort to Perim. Off Mombasa the cruiser CERES made a rendezvous
on 7.9 and detached LLANGIBBY CASTLE to enter Mombasa.
Off
Perim on 12.9 in 12.37N 43.22E, the Australian cruiser
HOBART, AA cruiser
COVENTRY and destroyers KANDAHAR and KINGSTON took over the ANDES, EMPRESS OF
BRITAIN and EMPRESS OF CANADA as a FAST section for Suez, dispersing these
ships as independents, when clear of Italian attack, in the early hours of
14.9.41 SHROPSHIRE, reinforced by the destroyer KIMBERLEY and the AA sloops
AUCKLAND and FLAMINGO continued with the SLOW portion to Suez.
On
completion of their passage and disembarkation of the troops, the EMPRESS OF
BRITAIN and EMPRESS OF CANADA both returned to the UK as independents via
Capetown and Freetown; the EMPRESS OF BRITAIN being bombed, set on fire and
then torpedoed and sunk on passage. FRANCONIA, OTRANTO and STRATHAIRD formed
part of convoy SW 1 to Durban with evacuees from the Middle East, and then
returned as independents via the Cape and Freetown to Britain. ANDES was in
convoy SW 2, also to Durban, and then as an independent via W Africa to
Britain.
WS 2B
Three
ships of the original convoy, plus ORION which had now arrived at Capetown as
an independent, sailed from Capetown on 31.8 for Bombay.
|
PRIVATE
11
BATORY
|
21
STRATHEDEN
(Commodore)
|
31
ORION
|
41
ORMONDE
|
Escort
from Capetown was provided by the cruiser
CORNWALL, relieved on 3.9 by the
armed merchant cruiser KANIMBLA who took the convoy through to Bombay, arriving
there on 15.9.
The
ships of WS 2B spent rather more time in the East than the Aden convoy: BATORY
went on to Colombo, then to Singapore for dry docking, and then made passages
to Suez, Durban and Australia during the rest of 1940. ORION made one passage
to Suez from Bombay, then south to Durban and west to Australia, ORMONDE went
to Suez, then Capetown and Freetown to spend some time on the West African
coast, returning to Britain in 12.40 as an independent. STRATHEDEN also went to
Singapore to dry dock, and then direct to Australia for troop convoys from the
Commonwealth later in the year.
WS 3A SLOW
This
convoy sailed from Liverpool 3.10.40 consisting of:
|
DORSET
ERINPURA
HIGHLAND BRIGADE
KHEDIVE ISMAIL
|
OROPESA
PERTHSHIRE
PORT CHALMERS
|
with
troops and stores.
WOOLWICH (repair ship) was in company to Capetown.
Local
A/S escort was provided by destroyers HARVESTER, HAVELOCK, HIGHLANDER,
HURRICANE, VERSATILE, VISCOUNT and WITHERINGTON while the ocean escort was the
cruiser SHEFFIELD until 13.10, being then relieved by the cruiser
CUMBERLAND.
The convoy arrived at Freetown 16.10.
The
entire convoy, escorted by CUMBERLAND, sailed from Freetown 17.10 and arrived
27.10 at Capetown where HMS WOOLWICH remained.
Still
escorted by CUMBERLAND, the convoy sailed from Capetown on 29.10; on 1.11 the
armed merchant cruiser CARTHAGE relieved as escort in position 32.30S 33E and
took the convoy onward until 3.11 when a rendezvous was made with WS 3B Fast,
both convoys thereafter proceeding as WS 3.
WS 3B FAST
This
convoy sailed from Liverpool and the Clyde on 7.10.40, the latter section being
attacked by aircraft shortly after sailing, with the result that ORONSAY
received near miss damage which required her to return to the Clyde. The
combined convoy thereafter comprised:
|
CAPETOWN CASTLE
DUCHESS OF YORK
GEORGIC
|
MONARCH OF BERMUDA
ORONTES
WINCHESTER CASTLE
|
Local
A/S escort was provided by destroyers DOUGLAS and ST LAURENT from Liverpool and
ACTIVE and OTTAWA from the Clyde. On 8.10 the destroyers ACHATES, ARROW, SABRE
and VIMY joined from the Clyde with the cruiser KENYA as the ocean escort.
The
Liverpool and Clyde sections made their rendezvous at noon on 12.10 when the
destroyer escort departed leaving KENYA to take the convoy on to Freetown where
it arrived safely on 18.10.
On 20.10
the convoy sailed from Freetown with the cruiser
DORSETSHIRE as escort to
Capetown, arriving there 28.10.
On
30.10, one day later than WS 3A Slow, DUCHESS OF YORK, GEORGIC, MONARCH OF
BERMUDA and ORONTES sailed from Capetown escorted by DORSETSHIRE and made RV
with the Slow convoy on 3.11 to form convoy WS 3.
WS 3
The
combined convoy formed by the rendezvous was organised as follows:
|
PRIVATE
11
MONARCH OF BERMUDA
|
21
ORONTES
(Commodore)
|
31
GEORGIC
|
|
12
DORSET
|
22
PERTHSHIRE
|
32
DUCHESS OF YORK
|
|
13
HIGHLAND BRIGADE
|
23
PORT CHALMERS
|
33
OROPESA
(Vice Commodore)
|
|
14
KHEDIVE ISMAIL
|
24
ERINPURA
|
|
DORSETSHIRE
and CARTHAGE formed the escort for the convoy.
On 7.11
ERINPURA and KHEDIVE ISMAIL detached, escorted by CARTHAGE, and proceeded to
Mombasa.
On
12.11, off Aden, the cruiser CALEDON detached DUCHESS OF YORK and GEORGIC and
escorted them into harbour where they landed some of their troops. On
completion CALEDON and the destroyer KIMBERLEY escorted both ships to overtake
and rejoin the convoy. Meanwhile, the cruiser
CARLISLE had brought out the
freighter CITY OF LILLE from Aden to join the convoy.
The
sloops AUCKLAND and PARRAMATTA also joined the convoy 12.11 as AA escort for
the Red Sea passage, on 14.11 CARLISLE and DORSETSHIRE detached to return to
Aden, and the convoy arrived at Suez 16.11.
On
completion of her passage and disembarkation, OROPESA started her return to the
UK as an independent, but was lost on 16.1.41 when torpedoed by U 96. DUCHESS
OF YORK and ORONTES went to Durban in convoy SW 3 carrying British civilian
evacuees from Malta and Egypt, thence independent to the UK via Freetown.
DORSET and ERINPURA went East to Ceylon for further service in those waters,
PERTHSHIRE remained in the Middle East for further service, and PORT CHALMERS
went via Ceylon and Australia to New Zealand to load cargo for Britain.
WS 3C
This
convoy commenced at Capetown on 1.11.40 being made up of WOOLWICH, delayed from
WS 3A SLOW, and the freighter CLAN CAMERON with the cruiser
COLOMBO as escort.
On 5.11 the ships made a rendezvous with convoy CM 5 and continued northward
under the WS designation, being joined on 10.11 by KHEDIVE ISMAIL, late of WS
3, which was brought out from Mombasa by the armed merchant cruiser CARTHAGE
which also joined the convoy as an escort. Later that day WOOLWICH, suffering
from engine defects, detached from WS 3 with the CM 5 ships and proceeded to
Mombasa, leaving CLAN CAMERON and KHEDIVE ISMAIL to continue to Aden where they
joined the Red Sea convoy BN 8 1/2 for passage to Suez, arriving there on
23.11.40.
KHEDIVE
ISMAIL went East to Ceylon and thereafter was employed as a personnel ship in
Eastern waters until lost much later in the war with heavy loss of life.
WS 4
As the
largest convoy of the series to date, some ships sailed from Avonmouth on
31.10.40 and joined the Liverpool section on 1.11 off the Mersey. Both sections
then met the Clyde ships, which sailed 2.11, off Oversay on 2.11. Final convoy
order was as follows:
|
PRIVATE
11
MALANCHA
|
21
CITY OF MANCHESTER
|
31
STIRLING CASTLE
(Commodore)
|
41
SCYTHIA
(Vice Commodore)
|
51
DUNEDIN STAR
|
|
12
CLAN LAMONT
|
22
HIGHLAND MONARCH
|
32
PORT WYNDHAM
|
42
MARTAND
|
52
DELIUS
|
|
13
HMS SALOPIAN
|
23
CLAN CHATTAN
|
33
ALMANZORA
|
43
WARWICK CASTLE
|
53
ABOSSO
|
|
|
24
AKAROA
|
|
44
DUCHESS OF RICHMOND
|
|
Of the
original convoy, SALOPIAN was for passage to her patrol area in the Northern
Atlantic; DUCHESS OF RICHMOND detached to Montreal, being on her normal
UK/Canadian service.
The Polish
destroyer GARLAND escorted from Avonmouth, destroyers HARVESTER and HURRICANE
from Liverpool and from the Clyde the destroyers BEAGLE, BULLDOG, HESPERUS,
OTTAWA, SAGUENAY and SKEENA. The AA cruiser
CAIRO provided AA cover from the
Clyde while the cruiser CORNWALL also sailed from there as the ocean escort.
CAIRO
and the destroyers BEAGLE, GARLAND, HESPERUS and HURRICANE detached on 3.11,
BULLDOG also detached that day to go to the assistance of the damaged WINDSOR
CASTLE. On 4.11 SAGUENAY and SKEENA left to join convoy HX 83, and HARVESTER
and OTTAWA likewise detached to join convoy SC 9.
DUCHESS
OF RICHMOND detached as an independent on 5.11, while AKAROA did likewise on
9.11.
On 11.11
in position 23.47N 22.15W, after rendezvous with the armed merchant cruiser
PRETORIA CASTLE, the convoy divided into FAST and SLOW sections for onward
passage to Freetown.
WS 4 FAST
The FAST
section comprised:
|
PRIVATE
11
(no ship)
|
21
WARWICK CASTLE
|
31
STIRLING CASTLE
(Commodore)
|
41
SCYTHIA
(Vice Commodore)
|
51
DUNEDIN STAR
|
|
12
(no ship)
|
22
HIGHLAND MONARCH
|
32
PORT WYNDHAM
|
42
CLAN LAMONT
|
52
CLAN CHATTAN
|
Escorted
by CORNWALL, the convoy arrived at Freetown 14.11.
WS 4 SLOW
|
ABOSSO
ALMANZORA (Commodore)
CITY OF MANCHESTER (Vice Commodore)
|
DELIUS
MALANCHA
MARTAND
|
Escorted
by PRETORIA CASTLE, the convoy arrived at Freetown on 15.11.
WS 4
At
Freetown the two sections combined and sailed on 17.11 with the exception of
ABOSSO; the order of sailing is unknown.
Escort
was provided by CORNWALL and PRETORIA CASTLE to Durban.
On 26.11
PRETORIA CASTLE detached SCYTHIA and WARWICK CASTLE and took both ships in to
Capetown, where SCYTHIA watered ship and then sailed with PRETORIA CASTLE to
rejoin the main body on 29.11.
On 2.12,
PRETORIA CASTLE took over ALMANZORA, CITY OF MANCHESTER, DELIUS, MALANCHA and
MARTAND as a SLOW section while CORNWALL took the remaining ships. Both
sections entered Durban on 3.12 at an interval of approximately twelve hours.
SCYTHIA
and ALMANZORA remained at Durban when the convoy sailed on 5.12, with the
transport DUNERA joining and assuming the duty of Vice Commodore; the escort
was provided by CORNWALL and the armed merchant cruiser KANIMBLA, both of which
detached off Aden on 18.12.
The Red
Sea escort consisted of the cruiser CARLISLE from 18 to 20.12, the Australian
cruiser PERTH 18 to 23.12, destroyer KINGSTON 18 to 22.12, Indian sloop INDUS
and Australian sloop YARRA 18 to 20.12.
The CITY
OF AGRA and MELBOURNE STAR joined the convoy from Aden on 18.12, while DELIUS
and PORT WYNDHAM detached to Port Sudan on 20.12.
DUNEDIN
STAR, MELBOURNE STAR and STIRLING CASTLE proceeded as a FAST section escorted
by KINGSTON, to arrive at Suez 22.12 the remaining ships arrived on 23.12.40.
WS 4B
The
ships of this convoy sailed from Liverpool 17.11.40 and the Clyde 18.11 to
combine on that day in the following order:
|
PRIVATE
11
STRATHNAVER
|
21
STRATHAIRD
|
31
DUCHESS OF ATHOLL
(Commodore)
|
41
ORCADES
|
51
REINA DEL PACIFICO
|
|
12
STRATHALLAN
|
22
VICEROY OF INDIA
|
32
EMPRESS OF CANADA
(Vice Commodore)
|
42
ANDES
|
52
OTRANTO
|
A/S
escort was provided by the destroyers BATH, ST ALBANS, and ST MARY'S from 18 to
19.11 and by HIGHLANDER, OTTAWA, SAGUENAY, SKEENA and ST LAURENT from 18 to 20.11;
the escort from Liverpool is not known. The AA cruiser
CAIRO provided cover
from 18 to 19.11, while the ocean escort consisted of the cruiser
EDINBURGH
from Liverpool to Freetown, and NORFOLK from the Clyde until 23.11 when she was
relieved by DEVONSHIRE for the passage to Freetown where the convoy arrived on
29.11.
The
convoy sailed from Freetown on 1.12 in the same formation, escorted by the
cruisers CUMBERLAND for 4 days and DEVONSHIRE from Freetown to Durban where the
convoy arrived on 12.12. CUMBERLAND's relief was the old cruiser HAWKINS which
joined 4.12 although she was absent 8 to 10.12 fuelling.
When the
convoy sailed from Durban on 16.12, the cruising order was altered as shown
below:
|
PRIVATE
11
ANDES
|
21
VICEROY OF INDIA
|
31
DUCHESS OF ATHOLL
(Commodore)
|
41
ORCADES
|
51
OTRANTO
|
|
12
STRATHALLAN
|
22
STRATHAIRD
|
32
EMPRESS OF CANADA
(Vice Commodore)
|
42
REINA DEL PACIFICO
|
52
STRATHNAVER
|
The
convoy was escorted from Durban by the cruisers DEVONSHIRE until 18.12,
SHROPSHIRE
until 25.12 and SOUTHAMPTON until 28.12 on which date the ships arrived at
Suez. SOUTHAMPTON was on passage to join the Mediterranean Fleet at Alexandria.
From the
Aden area the cruiser CARLISLE and destroyers KANDAHAR and KIMBERLEY joined on
25.12, detaching on 27.12 except KANDAHAR which stayed until 28.12.40.
WS
5A
This
convoy is, perversely, one of the most interesting of the entire series and the
poorest documented. Sailing in two separate sections on different dates from
varying ports, it is the only WS convoy ever to be located and attacked by a
large warship, fortunately with only minimal damage. The report rendered by the
Commodore is laconic in the extreme, "25 Dec, convoy dispersed. 28 Dec
convoy re‑assembled" being his sole comment on an attack by a heavy
cruiser and the subsequent action!
The SLOW
section sailed from Liverpool and the Clyde on 18.12.40 consisting of:
|
ANSELM
ARABISTAN
HMS ATREUS (Vice Commodore)
BHUTAN
CITY OF CANTERBURY
CITY OF DERBY
CITY OF LONDON
COSTA RICA
DELANE
ELISABETHVILLE
|
EMPIRE TROOPER
ERNEBANK
LEOPOLDVILLE
MENELAUS
NEURALIA
RANGITIKI
SETTLER
STENTOR
TAMAROA (Commodore)
|
Escort
was provided by the corvettes CLEMATIS, CYCLAMEN, GERANIUM and
JONQUIL which
were on passage to Freetown themselves, and by the destroyers BATH and ST
ALBANS from 18 to 20.12 and HARVESTER, HIGHLANDER and VESPER from 19 to 21.12.
The cruiser BONAVENTURE was attached as ocean escort.
The FAST
section of the convoy sailed from Liverpool and the Clyde on 19.12 and
consisted of:
|
BARRISTER
CLAN CUMMING
CLAN MACDONALD
EMPIRE SONG
|
ESSEX
NORTHERN PRINCE
ORBITA
|
These
were joined after sailing by the aircraft carriers
ARGUS and
FURIOUS that were
currently employed as ferries loaded with crated aircraft for Egypt via West
Africa.
The destroyers
KELVIN and KIPLING, the Canadian OTTAWA and ST LAURENT, Polish PIORUN and Free
French LE TRIOMPHANT provided A/S cover from 19 to 22.12 while the cruiser
NAIAD was attached as heavy escort.
The two
convoys made their rendezvous on 23.12 and on 24.12 NAIAD left and the cruisers
BERWICK and
DUNEDIN joined; the convoy was then escorted by these ships plus
BONAVENTURE and the four corvettes.
During
the night of 24‑25.12 the convoy was located by the German heavy cruiser
ADMIRAL HIPPER which, thinking that it was a normal trade convoy and not
wishing to attack in the dark when torpedo armed destroyers might be present,
lay off and tracked by radar. Closing from the west at dawn on Christmas Day,
ADMIRAL HIPPER was dismayed to make her first sighting by approaching the heavy
cruiser BERWICK. Realising that the convoy must be more important, she at once
engaged. BERWICK, which had closed up to pre‑dawn action stations,
replied immediately and summoned the other two cruisers to assist.
Meanwhile,
ADMIRAL HIPPER, which had been sighted and reported by the corvette CLEMATIS,
shifted fire to the convoy generally which was in the course of scattering as
ordered by the Commodore. She hit the personnel ship EMPIRE TROOPER (an
ex-German liner) heavily and caused minor damage to one other ship. Then,
sighting the elderly cruiser DUNEDIN and, mistaking her for a destroyer, and
rightly fearing a torpedo attack in the poor visibility, ADMIRAL HIPPER broke
off the action and retired into the Atlantic gloom.
There
followed a period of near farce, although not in the slightest degree amusing.
ADMIRAL HIPPER had first engaged and damaged her largest opponent, BERWICK, and
had been unaware of the presence of the corvette CLEMATIS who raised the alarm
and steamed to intercept! The enemy had mistaken the small cruiser DUNEDIN for
a destroyer, and was apparently quite unaware of the presence of BONAVENTURE
despite the latter firing a prodigious amount of 5.25in shell at her opponent
during the action.
The
convoy having scattered, the two carriers turned their whole attention to
locating and attacking the enemy; unfortunately their resources were minimal
and the weather atrocious. The carriers were cluttered with cased aircraft with
only three Skua dive bombers in FURIOUS and two Swordfish torpedo aircraft in
ARGUS; worse still, FURIOUS had no bombs, only torpedoes, while the ARGUS had
bombs but no torpedoes!
While
frantic efforts were made to clear the respective flight decks to cross deck
the Swordfish for arming, the carriers searched in the gloom for the cruiser,
fortunately not finding her, while the Skuas were flown off unarmed as
reconnaissance aircraft. By the time the Swordfish had been flown over to the
FURIOUS, armed and readied to fly off, there was no trace of ADMIRAL HIPPER and
a thoroughly alarmed Admiralty ordered the carriers to cease their suicidal
search. The only beneficiaries of the affair were the Swordfish aircrew, who
were provided with an early Christmas lunch in BOTH carriers prior to their expected
sortie!
Meanwhile,
EMPIRE TROOPER was escorted to neutral Ponta Delgada by the corvette CYCLAMEN
where they arrived on 28.12, the other three corvettes concentrated on re‑
assembling the convoy and BONAVENTURE, while going to the aid of the damaged ARABISTAN,
located and sank the blockade runner BADEN. The cruiser
KENYA was also ordered
to the area as a reinforcement.
Eventually,
CLAN CUMMING, CLAN MACDONALD, ESSEX, NORTHERN PRINCE and EMPIRE SONG made their
way to Gibraltar, their initial destination; EMPIRE TROOPER, escorted by the
four corvettes and KENYA also went to Gibraltar to disembark her troops, effect
temporary repairs and retire to the UK for a long refit; LEOPOLDVILLE proceeded
independently and the remainder of the convoy re‑assembled and made its
way to Freetown where it arrived 6.1.41.
The loss
of the JUMNA to ADMIRAL HIPPER is frequently quoted as a loss from WS 5A; she
was in fact an independent having dispersed from convoy OB 260, and was located
and sunk during ADMIRAL HIPPER's return to Brest.
The
reconstituted convoy sailed from Freetown 8.1.41 consisting of:
|
ADVISER
ANSELM
ARABISTAN
HMS ATREUS
BARRISTER
BENRINNES
BHUTAN
CITY OF CANTERBURY
CITY OF DERBY
CITY OF LONDON
COSTA RICA
|
DELANE
ELISABETHVILLE
EMPIRE ABILITY
MENELAUS
NEURALIA
ORBITA
RANGITIKI
SETTLER
STENTOR
TAMAROA
|
Local
A/S escort was provided by the sloops MILFORD and BRIDGEWATER, destroyers VELOX
and VIDETTE and corvettes ASPHODEL and CALENDULA, with an ocean escort of the
aircraft carrier FORMIDABLE (on passage to the Mediterranean) and cruisers
HAWKINS and NORFOLK; the cruiser DEVONSHIRE joined 9.1 when FORMIDABLE and
NORFOLK detached.
The
convoy arrived off Capetown 21.1 where the cruiser
SHROPSHIRE relieved
DEVONSHIRE, and
HAWKINS took in ANSELM and CITY OF CANTERBURY to Capetown where
they berthed 22.1. SHROPSHIRE went on to Durban, arriving there with the
remaining ships 26.1, except ORBITA which had detached 23.1 as an independent,
rejoining the convoy later in Durban.
CITY OF
CANTERBURY sailed from Capetown 25.1 arriving Durban 29.1, while ANSELM sailed
27.1 escorted by the cruiser HAWKINS to Durban where the Durban ships sailed
29.1 and formed the full convoy for Aden. The sailing order differed, and two
ships had been added (NIEUW HOLLAND and TALAMBA) and was now:
|
11
SETTLER
|
21
HMS ATREUS
|
31
CITY OF LONDON
|
41
TAMAROA
|
51
CITY OF CANTERBURY
|
61
MENELAUS
|
|
12
BHUTAN
|
22
ORBITA
|
32
ELISABETHVILLE
|
42
COSTA RICA
|
52
ANSELM
|
62
CITY OF DERBY
|
|
13
DELANE
|
23
RANGITIKI
|
33
NIEUW HOLLAND
|
43
NEURALIA
|
53
TALAMBA
|
63
ARABISTAN
|
|
14
EMPIRE ABILITY
|
|
34
ADVISER
|
44
BARRISTER
|
54
STENTOR
|
64
BENRINNES
|
The
cruisers CERES and SHROPSHIRE relieved HAWKINS off Durban and took the convoy
on until 30.1 when SHROPSHIRE detached and was replaced by the cruiser
ENTERPRISE
until 1.2, when CERES proceeded as sole escort until relieved in turn by the
armed merchant cruiser HECTOR on 4.2. DELANE fell out with defects 31.1.41.
CERES proceeded to Mombasa escorting NIEUW HOLLAND and ORBITA to that port,
while the convoy went on with HECTOR.
The
cruiser CALEDON and the sloops FLAMINGO, GRIMSBY and INDUS relieved HECTOR on
11.2 and took the convoy into the Red Sea, leaving it when clear of the Italian
threat on 13.2.41, the ships then continuing to Suez and arriving 16.2.41. NEURALIA
detached to Port Sudan during the passage.
