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WS 26
This
convoy was the first of a new pattern in the WS series in that this, and future
convoys, sailed from the UK in conjunction with a KMF (UK to Mediterranean
Fast) convoy, which detached at a point west of Gibraltar after which the KMF
convoy entered the Mediterranean and the WS proceeded South to Freetown. In due
course this arrangement was to end (with WS 33) when the Mediterranean was
opened to personnel ships, and such vessels thereafter proceeded Eastwards via
the Suez Canal.
WS 26
and KMF 8 sailed from the Clyde 23.1.43 to position 36.17N 08.23W where the
convoys divided at 1600GMT on 29.1.
The
convoy consisted originally of 29 ships, 9 of which were the KMF portion
forming the two port hand columns plus the rear ship of column 3 and the lead
ship of column 4, as follows:
Commodore
of the combined convoy was in DURBAN CASTLE, which became Commodore of KMF 8 on
detachment, Vice Commodore in STRATHEDEN, which was later Commodore of WS 26,
Rear Commodore in CIRCASSIA, later Vice Commodore of KMF 8, while Vice
Commodore of WS 26 was in ARUNDEL CASTLE.
ANTENOR
returned to the Clyde 26.1.43 while LEOPOLDVILLE joined WS 26 at sea on 4.2.43,
position unknown.
Escort
arrangements were complex with the WS 26 component formed from the cutters
BANFF and FISHGUARD and frigate TEST 23 to 29.1, armed merchant cruisers CANTON
and CILICIA and destroyers QUADRANT and RELENTLESS 23.1 to 6.2, destroyer
MIAOULIS and sloop SAVORGNAN DE BRAZZA 23 to 26.1, destroyer ADRIAS 23.1 to 3.2
and destroyers QUALITY, QUIBERON, QUICKMATCH, RACEHORSE and REDOUBT joining on
31.1 until arrival at Freetown on 6.2.43.
At
Freetown there was the first of several alterations in sailing order, the
convoy sailing 9.2.43 in the following formation:
LEOPOLDVILLE
detached to Takoradi on 13.2.
Escort
was varied and large, destroyer ADRIAS to 13.2, armed merchant cruiser CANTON
to 22.3, armed merchant cruiser CILICIA and destroyers QUIBERON and QUICKMATCH
to 25.2, ocean boarding vessel CORINTHIAN to 13.2, destroyer QUALITY to 20.2,
and RACEHORSE to 23.2 all from Freetown.
During
the passage, other escorts joined at varying dates: corvette COMMANDANT
D'ESTIENNE D'ORVES 13 to 25.2, destroyers BLACKMORE 20 to 23.2, RELENTLESS 14
to 25.2, cruiser
CERES 22 to 23.2 and corvette GENISTA 22 to 25.2.
The
convoy arrived at Capetown 22.2 when ARUNDEL CASTLE, CALIFORNIA, CHYEBASSA,
DUCHESS OF RICHMOND, EMPRESS OF CANADA, HIGHLAND CHIEFTAIN, ORDUNA, RUYS and
SIBAJAK entered that port and the Durban detachment proceeded to arrive on
25.2.
Both
detachments made their rendezvous off Durban on 1.3, again with varied ships
and in a changed formation:
HMS RESOURCE
was with the convoy.
DILWARA
returned to Durban with defects shortly after sailing, and RESOURCE detached
9.3.43 to Kilindini; LANCASHIRE detached to Tamatave escorted by COMMANDANT
DUBOC 6.3.
Escorts
from the Durban rendezvous were the corvettes JASMINE and FREESIA to 3.3,
COMMANDANT DUBOC to 6.3, destroyers BLACKMORE, CATTERICK, and RELENTLESS and
minesweeper CARNATIC to 4.3, cruisers CERES to 8.3 and
BIRMINGHAM to 9.3,
corvette NIGELLA to 2.3. The cruisers
HAWKINS joined the convoy 9.3, and FROBISHER
10.3.
WS 26A
The
cruiser FROBISHER detached on 11.3 escorting the following ships ARUNDEL
CASTLE, CITY OF PARIS, HIGHLAND CHIEFTAIN, MALOJA, ORDUNA, REMBRANDT and
SELANDIA to Aden arriving off that port 15.3 when ships dispersed for Suez as independents.
WS 26B
The
cruiser
HAWKINS detached on 11.3 with CALIFORNIA, CHYEBASSA, DEMPO, DOMINION
MONARCH, MOOLTAN and STRATHEDEN under this designation for Bombay, arriving
there 17.3.
WS 27
Forming
off Oversay 27.2.43 in company with KMF 10A, the joint convoy comprised the
ships shown below:
When the
KMF ships detached on 2.4, there was a considerable shuffling of positions and
the WS convoy was formed as shown:
The
convoy arrived at Freetown 8.3.43 and the escort from the UK was the sloops
EGRET and ERNE, cutter FISHGUARD, frigate TEST and destroyer CLARE to 2.3,
destroyer QUADRANT to 5.3, battleship
MALAYA and destroyers QUAIL, QUEENBOROUGH,
RAIDER and WOLVERINE to 8.3.
The
convoy sailed from Freetown 11.3, the positions of ships are unknown but the
following sailed:
JAMES
LYKES joined from Marshall 12.3 and detached to Takoradi 14.3, and DUCHESS OF
RICHMOND, RUYS and SIBAJAK joined from Lagos 14.3.
Escort
from Freetown comprised the corvettes CROCUS and PETUNIA to 14.3, US destroyer
GHERARDI 15 to 17.3, RN destroyers QUAIL, QUEENBOROUGH and RAIDER to 24.3,
FOXHOUND, QUILLIAM and RACEHORSE 24 to 26.3. Cruiser SUSSEX provided major ship
escort 11 to 26.3 and the corvettes ARMERIA and BELLWORT, which brought out the
Lagos ships, remained with the convoy from 14 to 17.3.
ALMANZORA,
BERGENSFJORD, DUCHESS OF RICHMOND, JAMES PARKER, LEOPOLDVILLE, ORBITA, RUYS and
SIBAJAK arrived at Capetown 23.3, CITY OF BRISTOL and SYDNEY STAR detached to
Port Elizabeth 24.3 (it is not known at what stage in the passage these ships
joined the convoy), the remaining ships to Durban 26.3.43
Ships
sailed from Capetown 26.3 and made a rendezvous off Durban 29.3 with ships from
that port, when the following formation was taken up:
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