help with Troop Ships leaving UK Feb 1942

Discussion in 'General' started by Snelling, Feb 7, 2012.

  1. Snelling

    Snelling Junior Member

    Hi All

    Looking for specif lists of troop ships that left UK in Feb 1942 to take troops to India, arriving in Apr 1942, wondered if there were such lists, the general internet searches aren't really coming up with much

    thanks for your help

    dave
    :)
     
  2. Enigma1003

    Enigma1003 Member

    Hi Snelling.

    Only 1 sailing:

    WS16 sailed on 16.02.1942

    DENBIGHSHIRE*
    MONARCH OF BERMUDA
    DELFTDIJK*
    STRATHEDEN*
    (Commodore)
    VOLENDAM
    POTARO*
    CITY OF LINCOLN
    STRATHAIRD
    DUCHESS OF RICHMOND*
    NEA HELLAS
    DUCHESS OF YORK*
    EMPIRE PRIDE*
    CITY OF EDINBURGH
    PORT JACKSON*
    MOOLTAN
    AWATEA*
    EMPIRE PRIDE
    ORMONDE
    BRISBANE STAR*
    SIBAJAK*
    CUBA
    BERGENSFJORD
    Convoy split into 2 in South Africa.

    Those showing * after ships name then sailed onto Bombay. Others sailed to Aden.

    Escorted by ALAUNIA and WORCESTERSHIRE and duly arrived at Bombay 8.4.42.

    Mike
     
  3. broadoak

    broadoak broadoak

    Hi Snelling.

    Only 1 sailing:

    WS16 sailed on 16.02.1942

    DENBIGHSHIRE*
    MONARCH OF BERMUDA
    DELFTDIJK*
    STRATHEDEN*
    (Commodore)
    VOLENDAM
    POTARO*
    CITY OF LINCOLN
    STRATHAIRD
    DUCHESS OF RICHMOND*
    NEA HELLAS
    DUCHESS OF YORK*
    EMPIRE PRIDE*
    CITY OF EDINBURGH
    PORT JACKSON*
    MOOLTAN
    AWATEA*
    EMPIRE PRIDE
    ORMONDE
    BRISBANE STAR*
    SIBAJAK*
    CUBA
    BERGENSFJORD
    Convoy split into 2 in South Africa.

    Those showing * after ships name then sailed onto Bombay. Others sailed to Aden.

    Escorted by ALAUNIA and WORCESTERSHIRE and duly arrived at Bombay 8.4.42.

    Mike
    Hello Snelling and enigma1003
    My father Robert Lambert Suffolk regiment was on this convoy, does any body know the code names used on the ships, when he crossed the equator 9th Mar 1942 his ship was given as " His Britanic Majesty's Transport X 5 ", we think he may have been on the Duchess of Richmond, he eventually arrived Bombay we think to fight in Burmah . Any help on the points raised would be welcome.
     
  4. WS 16 sailed Freetown 6/Mar/1942 so there is every chance she crossed the line on 9/Mar/1942
    Read The Winston Specials (WS) Troopships via the Cape by Archie Munro. ISBN1-904459-20-X Probably get it at your local Library.
    For security reasons,Troopships changed their code number every voyage. As far as I know there are no records as to which number was assigned to which ship for which voyage.
    Roger
     

    Attached Files:

  5. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    Have you looked at the Regimental history and the battalion war diaries ? It's quite common for troopships to be mentioned by name.
     
  6. broadoak

    broadoak broadoak

    Have you looked at the Regimental history and the battalion war diaries ? It's quite common for troopships to be mentioned by name.


    Thanks Can you point me in that direction - Broadoak

    looking for info on Duchess of Richmond troop carrier 1942 Liverpool to India soldier my dad Robert J Lambert Suffolk Regiment 2nd Battalion
     
  7. sirjahn

    sirjahn Member

    Have you tried doing a reverse search in the ConvoyWeb data site? Look at arrivals in India in 1942.

    ConvoyWeb

    I seem to be having a problem bringing up that site today, otherwise I would give you some examples.

    Okay I was able to get in today. A couple of things that jump out are that convoys seem to have been built to go to Freetown or Port Siad, disperse and then the ships travel independently to India. I assume that the threat of submarines was small from that point to India. There are convoys that go to Australia and from India to other points in the Far East due most likely to the threat of air attack.

    Here are a couple of convoy series that travel that part of the world.

    BM Convoys
    The BM series sailed from Bombay to the Far East from September 1940 to January 1944 with the exception of BM.1 which sailed to Colombo. From February 1942 to November 1944 the series sailed from Bombay to various Indian ports.

    CO Convoys
    The Australian CO series sailed from Newcastle NSW to Melbourne from June 1942 to September 1943. CO.1 sailed to Whyalla. OC convoys reversed this route.

    JC Convoys
    The JC series sailed mainly from Colombo to various Indian ports from July 1942 to March 1945.
     
  8. Hemsy

    Hemsy New Member

    According to dates on photos in my father's albums he left Liverpool on 7th February 1942 in a convoy which split exactly at Latitude 15 Longitude 60 in the Indian Ocean, some sailed for Cairo and Bombay and I do know he went to Singapore but it had already been invaded by the Japanese on the 15th so I assume to pick up refugees??? I have no idea of the name of his ship but do know there was an ex German Ice Breaker sailing under the Dutch Ensign as an armed cruiser. Anyone know any more info? I do know he ended up in Bombay on the 10th March 1942. He was in the RAF
     
  9. Roy Martin

    Roy Martin Senior Member

    Sorry Hemsey, the dates don't match. I can't find a WS convoy that sailed on that date and, if the date is correct, they would never have got to Singapore before it was occupied. The last convoy to arrive in Singapore was BM12 which docked on 4 February 1942; some of the ships that were detached from WS convoys joined BM convoys..

    Roy
     
  10. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

  11. Hemsy

    Hemsy New Member

    The dates I have of his are from the back of his photographs relating to the convoy. He didn't get to Singapore as his ship the Christiaan Huygen was diverted to Bombay. I would love to know the ship he left Liverpool on as the date on the back of his photograph of the ship he was on stuck in the mud on the Mersey on 7th Feb 1942. Do you know if the Somersetshire, which I believe was used to transport RAF personnel left Liverpool on or near this date as he does have a photograph of that but not sure if it was part of the convoy. He does have a photograph of an ex German Ice Breaker now under Dutch ensign used as armed cruiser in the South Atlantic. He also includes 'part of the convoy leaving us to go to Cairo and Bombay, 22nd March 1942 - Indian Ocean Lat 15, Long 60. He also has photographs of the destroyer H. 80 and 'Woodlark' central Atlantic 24th Feb 1942. I have also looked up details on the Christiaan Huygen on 'Derbysulzers.com' and the dates you have on your website are different to this one, Derbysulzers has the same dates from Durban to Bombay as my father has written on the back of his photos. All the very best, brilliant site, do you have any info on the whereabouts of the Somersetshire in Feb. 1942??? Much appreciated.
     
  12. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    All the ships that departed Liverpool on 7th Feb 1942 - according to Arnold Hague database


    Sat Feb 7, 1942 CRESSINGTON COURT Independent
    .. EMPIRE MIST Independent
    .. INDUS Independent
    .. ISAC Independent
    .. REAVELEY Independent
    .. BRUSE JARL ON.64
    .. DINARA ON.64
    .. EMPIRE SILVER ON.64
    .. INNERTON ON.64
    .. LAGARTO ON.64
    .. MACBETH ON.64
    .. NICOLAS ON.64
    .. PRIMERO ON.64
    .. RADCHURCH ON.64
    .. SAINT BERNARD ON.64
    .. VENUS ON.64
    .. YEARBY ON.64
    .. ZURICHMOOR ON.64

    It would seem the Somersetshire was a Hospital ship - HMHS Somersetshire (British Hospital ship) - Ships hit by German U-boats during WWII - uboat.net
    HMHS Somersetshire
    British Hospital ship


    TD
     
    Roy Martin likes this.
  13. Roy Martin

    Roy Martin Senior Member

    ON 64 would have been a trans Atlantic convoy
     

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