|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
1941 SAILINGS (concluded)
WS 10
Sailing
from Avonmouth 30.7.41, Liverpool 31.7 and the Clyde 2.8 the convoy assembled
off Oversay 3.8 in the following formation:
WARWICK
CASTLE and WINDSOR CASTLE were in collision 6.8 and the former detached to
Halifax NS escorted by the armed merchant cruiser WARWICKSHIRE.
Escorts
from the UK for varying dates were:
AA
cruiser CAIRO and destroyers WHITEHALL, WINCHELSEA and WITCH 2 to 5.8; armed
merchant cruiser WORCESTERSHIRE and destroyers BROADWAY, GURKHA, ISAAC SWEERS,
LANCE, LEGION and PIORUN 2 to 6.8; cruiser
LONDON as ocean escort relieved on
10.8 by the cruiser EDINBURGH for the remainder of the passage. The destroyer JUPITER
was in company throughout the passage to Freetown from the UK.
Local
Freetown based escorts destroyers VELOX and WRESTLER and corvette BERGAMOT
joined 14.8 and corvette CYCLAMEN 15.8, the convoy arriving at Freetown 17.8.
The
convoy sailed from Freetown 21.8 in the same order as before, but with the Vice
Commodore shifting into BRITANNIC. The local A/S escort is unknown but
certainly included four corvettes; the cruiser EDINBURGH and destroyer JUPITER
accompanied the convoy to Capetown where it arrived 2.9.
The
following ships entered Capetown BRITANNIC, INDRAPOERA, NIGERSTROOM, PHEMIUS,
REINA DEL PACIFICO, STIRLING CASTLE, STRATHALLAN, VOLENDAM and WINDSOR CASTLE,
the remaining ships proceeding to Durban. The escort for this passage was the
cruiser HAWKINS.
In South
Africa the convoy divided, the Indian portion proceeding as WS 10B, while the
ships for Aden, DIOMED, INDIAN PRINCE, INDRAPOERA, MANCHESTER PORT, NEA HELLAS,
NIGERSTROOM, PHEMIUS and VOLENDAM went north under the designation CM 17. MANCHESTER
PORT detached to Mombasa on 15.9, the rest of the convoy dispersed off Aden on
23.9.
WS 10B
Sailing
from Capetown 6.9 under the escort of the armed merchant cruiser CARNARVON
CASTLE a degree of shuffling of ships took place. Initially BRITANNIC,
INDRAPOERA, NIGERSTROOM, PHEMIUS, STIRLING CASTLE, STRATHALLAN, VOLENDAM, and
WINDSOR CASTLE sailed with BRITANNIC detaching independently on 8.9 to enter
Durban and embark passengers from the CAMERONIA and rejoin. From Durban on 9.9
the ARONDA sailed escorted by the cruiser
HAWKINS; on junction with the
Capetown body CARNARVON CASTLE detached escorting INDRAPOERA, NIGERSTROOM,
PHEMIUS and VOLENDAM which accompanied her to Durban. The convoy, now under
escort by HAWKINS was formed as follows:
The
cruiser EMERALD relieved HAWKINS on 15.9 in 3.32S 51.12E, and the convoy
arrived at Bombay 20.9.41.
WS 10X
This
small convoy sailed from Avonmouth 14.8.41, Liverpool 15.8 and the Clyde 16.8,
making its juncture late on 16.8:
BRISBANE
STAR lost the convoy 19.8 and did not rejoin until 22.8.
Local
escorts were the Dutch AA cruiser HEEMSKERK and destroyers WHITEHALL and WITCH
from Liverpool 15 to 17.8, destroyers GURKHA, ISAAC SWEERS, LANCE and PIORUN
from the Clyde 17 to 19.8; DORSETSHIRE as ocean escort to Freetown from the
Clyde.
Local
Freetown escort of the destroyers BRILLIANT, VELOX (for one day only) and
WRESTLER and corvettes CLEMATIS and CROCUS joined 27.8 and the convoy arrived
at Freetown 28.8.41.
From
Freetown the convoy sailed on 1.9 in the same cruising order with the
battleship REVENGE as ocean escort. Corvettes AMARANTHUS (to 2.9) and ARMERIA,
MIGNONETTE and WOODRUFF escorted to 3.9.
During
the passage, REVENGE's Officer of the Watch chose to exercise a steering
breakdown while in close company with the convoy; the resultant violent sheer
towards ORION was potentially disastrous but, fortunately, the liner struck the
battleship on the starboard bulge with only minor damage to both ships. Had the
reverse been the case, the loss of ORION would have been almost inevitable with
the possibility of heavy loss of life. The OOW was subsequently court
martialled, and disciplined for having endangered both his ship and the
transport.
Convoy
arrived at Capetown on 11.9, and sailed once more on 14.9, still escorted by
REVENGE, and in the same formation. The battleship was relieved by the cruiser
CERES on 22.9 who took the convoy on to dispersal off Aden on 27.9, thereafter
ships proceeded independently to Suez, arriving at varying dates between 1 and 4.10.41.
WS 11
Sailing
from Bristol Channel ports (Swansea and Newport), Liverpool 30.8.41 and the
Clyde 31.8, the convoy formed off Oversay in the order below:
Escort
locally was provided by the AA cruiser
CAIRO and destroyers COSSACK, GARLAND,
HIGHLANDER, ISAAC SWEERS, LEGION, LIVELY, PIORUN, WINCHELSEA and ZULU.
Ocean
escort from sailing comprised the battlecruiser
REPULSE, and destroyers ENCOUNTER
and NESTOR, armed merchant cruiser DERBYSHIRE, sloop SUTLEJ and cutters SENNEN
and TOTLAND. The aircraft carrier FURIOUS (to 4.9) and cruiser
SHEFFIELD (to
2.9) were also present in the initial stage of the passage.
The
convoy split into Fast and Slow portions on 4.9 to proceed separately to
Freetown, the resultant formations being:
WS 11
Fast
The
revised convoy was escorted by the battlecruiser
REPULSE and destroyers
ENCOUNTER and NESTOR, joined off Freetown by VELOX and WRESTLER and the
corvette STARWORT, arriving at Freetown 13.9.
WS 11
Slow
The slow convoy reformed as shown:
HMS
DERBYSHIRE escorted the slow convoy, leading column 3 of the convoy, which was
joined by the RFA RAPIDOL on 8.9, an early Escort Oiler which joined the convoy
for that purpose and for passage to Freetown. The cutters SENNEN and TOTLAND
and the sloop SUTLEJ accompanied the convoy as A/S escort, and the convoy
arrived at Freetown 15.9.41.
The re‑united
convoy sailed from Freetown 18.9, leaving ABOSSO, HMS GUARDIAN and
NORTHUMBERLAND behind but adding NIEUW ZEELAND to the convoy. Unfortunately, a
sailing order for this leg of the passage is not available.
Local
escort on sailing was the destroyers VELOX and WRESTLER to 20.9, destroyer
ENCOUNTER, sloop SUTLEJ and corvette WOODRUFF to 21.9 and the battlecruiser
REPULSE and armed merchant cruiser DERBYSHIRE; the former went to Durban
arriving 3.10, while DERBYSHIRE took in the Capetown section which arrived
30.9.41.
BHUTAN,
CITY OF EDINBURGH, CITY OF MANCHESTER, DUCHESS OF YORK, GLAUCUS, GLENORCHY,
KINA II, LARGS BAY, NIEUW ZEELAND, ORONTES and VICEROY OF INDIA entered
Capetown.
The
convoy underwent a considerable re‑organisation while in South Africa, so
that on 3.10 the Capetown section sailed in the initial formation shown below:
|
