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1941 SAILINGS
WS 5B
This
convoy sailed in three sections, from the Bristol Channel (4 ships), Liverpool
(6 ships), and from the Clyde (11 ships). The Bristol Channel and Liverpool
sections, after their juncture, were oblige to anchor in Moelfre Bay from 8 to
11.1.41, prior to their final rendezvous with the Clyde section; they had
therefore to enter Belfast Lough to complete with fresh water. Sailing from the
Lough, and the junction with the Clyde ships, took place on 12.1.
The
cruisers AUSTRALIA and
NAIAD provided AA protection while the ships lay in Moelfre Bay, A/S protection was by the destroyers HARVESTER and HIGHLANDER and
the sloop WELLINGTON.
The
convoy sailing plan was:
DUCHESS
OF YORK detached as an independent 17.1, CAPETOWN CASTLE and MONARCH OF BERMUDA
detached to Gibraltar 15.1 escorted by NAIAD, rejoining the convoy at Freetown.
From
12.1 A/S protection was provided by the destroyers WITHERINGTON and Polish
manned LEOPARD to 14.1, BEAGLE, FEARLESS, HARVESTER, HIGHLANDER, JACKAL,
LEAMINGTON, LINCOLN, VANSITTART and WATCHMAN to 16.1.
Ocean
escorts were the cruisers NAIAD and PHOEBE
12 to 15.1, AUSTRALIA and EMERALD 12
to 25.1. The battleship RAMILLIES accompanied the convoy 12 to 17.1.
The
convoy arrived at Freetown 25.1, having received local A/S escort from the
corvettes ASPHODEL and CALENDULA from 21.1, destroyers VELOX from 22.1 and
VIDETTE and corvette CLEMATIS from 24.1.
The
convoy sailed again from Freetown 29.1, with the addition of CAMERONIA,
escorted locally by the destroyers FAULKNOR and FORESTER,sloop MILFORD and
corvettes CLEMATIS and CYCLAMEN until 1.2, while the cruisers AUSTRALIA and
EMERALD provided ocean escort, the former to Durban and the latter to Capetown.
The convoy arrived at Capetown 8.2 and Durban 11.2, with ARUNDEL CASTLE,
ATHLONE CASTLE, CAPETOWN CASTLE, DUCHESS OF BEDFORD, DURBAN CASTLE, EMPRESS OF
AUSTRALIA, EMPRESS OF JAPAN, MONARCH OF BERMUDA and WINCHESTER CASTLE entering
Capetown, the remaining ships going on to Durban.
The
constituents of the convoy changed somewhat on sailing from South Africa. The
first section sailed from Capetown 12.2 escorted by EMERALD and the second from
Durban 15.2 escorted by AUSTRALIA. On the junction of the two sections, the
formation became:
In
addition, HIGHLAND CHIEFTAIN took passage with the convoy from Capetown to
Durban.
From
Durban both cruisers formed the escort until the latitude of Mombasa where, on
21.2,
EMERALD detached with the EMPRESS OF AUSTRALIA, EMPRESS OF JAPAN, ORMONDE
and WINDSOR CASTLE for that port. The remainder of the convoy escorted by
AUSTRALIA, proceeded to Suez arriving on 3.3.
The amended formation after detachment of the
Mombasa ships being:
WS 5BX
The
ships detached to Mombasa from WS 5B took this designation when they sailed
again on 24.2 escorted by the cruiser
ENTERPRISE, in the following formation:
The
cruiser CAPETOWN joined the escort 27.2, and the convoy arrived at Bombay 3.3.
From
Bombay the convoy continued, under the same designation but with different
ships, sailing from Bombay on 5.3 as follows:
escorted
by the cruiser ENTERPRISE. The cruiser DURBAN joined the escort 8.3, with
ENTERPRISE detaching on 9.3, and the convoy arrived at Singapore 11.3.41.
WS 6A
Convoy
sailed from Avonmouth, Liverpool and the Clyde with all sections joining off
Oversay 9.2.41, and consisted of:
Local
escorts in UK waters for varying periods as shown below, were the destroyers
BROADWATER
6 to 9.2, ATHERSTONE, COTTESMORE and KEPPEL 6 to 12.2, RESTIGOUCHE and ST
LAURENT 7 to 12.2, LEGION and PIORUN 8 to 12.2 and GARLAND 8 to 9.2.
The
ocean escorts were the cruisers BIRMINGHAM and
PHOEBE
and the armed merchant
cruiser CATHAY. During the passage the battleship
RODNEY escorted by destroyers
ECLIPSE and ELECTRA were in company 15 to 17.2, the battlecruiser
RENOWN and
aircraft carrier ARK ROYAL joined 17.2 for a brief period, and the battleship
MALAYA from 21 to 28.2.
The
convoy arrived at Freetown 1.3, where it joined with WS 6B to sail again as a
combined convoy.
WS 6B
This
small convoy sailed from Liverpool (ADDA, YOMA) 17.2, and the Clyde (BURMA,
LLANSTEPHAN CASTLE, NORTHUMBERLAND and HMS CILICIA) on 18.2.41, in the
following order
BURMA
returned to the Clyde on the day of sailing with defects, while CILICIA
detached independently on 20.2.
Local
escorts were the destroyers HESPERUS and HURRICANE 17 to 20.2, and GARLAND,
LEGION and PIORUN 18 to 20.2., while the cruiser
MAURITIUS provided ocean
escort from 18.2 to 5.3 to Freetown. The corvettes CALENDULA and CLEMATIS
joined from that port as local escorts on 3.3.
WS 6
The
combined convoy sailed from Freetown 8.3, sailing order unknown but the
following ships present:
escorted
by the cruisers
BIRMINGHAM and
PHOEBE
and the armed merchant cruiser CATHAY,
the latter ship being relieved by the cruiser CORNWALL on 11.3.
On 21.3
ALMANZORA, BERGENSFJORD, LLANDAFF CASTLE, RUAHINE and SCYTHIA were detached as
a fast section escorted by PHOEBE, entering Capetown that day to water ship,
and then proceeding with PHOEBE to Durban where they arrived 26.3.
The
remainder of the convoy was divided between Capetown and Durban in the usual
fashion.
The
Capetown section of the convoy sailed 27.3 escorted by the cruiser
DORSETSHIRE
and consisted of:
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