Convoy tales from my father

[WG Smith]

I only just happened to come across this post hence a somewhat belated reply. A full list of all the Allied merchant ships which sailed in the Russian convoys can be found in the Tables to Churchill's Arctic Convoys - Strength Triumphs Over Adversity.

[j.sabourn]

#10 In case I didn’t mention Des the second mate had the same surname as yourself , the next time have the clippings available will put on here , if already haven’t done so . Cheers JS

[PFN Monaghan]

List of British Merchant ships that took part in Convoys to Russia and back.

Adolph S Ochs JW-60, JW-63, JW-64, JW-67, RA-61, RA-65 Aldersdale DERVISH, PQ-14, PQ-17 Atheltemplar PQ-14, PQ-18, QP-11 Atlantic PQ-1, PQ-9, PQ-16, QP-2, QP-8, QP-13, JW-52, JW-53, RA-54B Barrwhin PQ-11, QP-9 Beaconstreet PQ-12, QP-10 Black Ranger PQ-1, PQ-16, PQ-18, QP-1, QP-14, JW-64, JW-66, RA-64, RA-66 Blairnevis PQ-1, QP-2 Blue Ranger JW-63, JW-65, JW-66, RA-63, RA-65, RA-66 Bolton Castle PQ-17 Botavon PQ-7B, PQ-15, QP-7 Briarwood PQ-3, PQ-5, PQ-14, OP FB, QP-4, QP-11, JW-51A, RA-52 British Corporal PQ-14 British Governor JW-53, RA-54A British Merit JW-64, RA-65 British Patience JW-60, RA-61 British Pride PQ-8, QP-8 British Promise JW-59, JW-63, JW-67, RA-60, RA-64 British Respect JW-62, JW-66, RA-63, RA-67 British Statesman JW-55B, RA-56 British Valour JW-57, RA-58 British Workman PQ-8, QP-8 Cape Corso PQ-3, PQ-14, PQ-15, QP-4 Cape Race PQ-3, PQ-15, QP-4, QP-12 Chulmleigh PQ-5, QP-13 OP FB, Copeland PQ-18, QP-15, JW-54A, JW-57, JW-66, RA-54B, RA-57, RA-58, RA-66 Daldorch PQ-11, QP-9, OP FB, JW-51B, JW-54B, RA-52, RA-55B Dan-Y-Bryn PQ-4, PQ-14, PQ-18, QP4, QP-11, QP-15, JW-52, RA-53 Daphnella JW-57, RA-58 Dartford PQ-8, QP-7 Dolabella JW-58, JW-61, JW-65, RA-59, RA-62, RA-66 Dover Hill JW-51B, JW-53, RA-54B Earlston PQ-12, PQ-17, QP-9 El Mirlo PQ-6, PQ-14, QP-4, QP-10 Elona PQ-6,QP-Empire Archer JW-51B, JW-55A, JW-63, RA-53, RA-56, RA-64 Empire Baffin PQ-2, PQ-11, PQ-16, PQ-18, QP-3, QP-9, QP-13, QP-15, JW-52, JW-53 Empire Bard PQ-14, PQ-15, RA-57, RA-59A Empire Beaumont PQ-18 Empire Buttress JW-59 Empire Byron PQ-12, PQ-17, QP-9 Empire Carpenter JW-54A, JW-57, RA-55A Empire Celia JW-54A, JW-57, JW-60, JW-63, RA-55A, RA-58, RA-61, RA-64 Empire Clarion JW-52, RA-53 Empire Cowper PQ-13, QP-10 Empire Elgar PQ-16, RA-59A Empire Emerald JW-51B, JW-67, RA-53 Empire Flint JW-64, RA-65 Empire Fortune JW-53, RA-54A Empire Galliard JW-53, OP FB, RA-51, RA-54A Empire Garrick JW-62, JW-66, RA-63, RA-67 Empire Gilbert OP FB, Empire Halley PQ-7B, QP-7 Empire Howard PQ-7B, PQ-14, QP-6 Empire Kinsman JW-53, RA-54A Empire Lawrence PQ-16 Empire Lionel JW-54B, RA-56 Empire Magpie PQ-11, QP-9 Empire Mavis PQ-6, QP-13 Empire Meteor PQ-4, QP-13, JW-51A, RA-52 Empire Morn PQ-15, PQ-18, QP-12, QP-15 Empire Nigel JW-54A, JW-57, RA-55A Empire Pickwick JW-55A, RA-56, RA-57 Empire Ploughman JW-56A, RA-57 Empire Portia JW-52, RA-54A Empire Prowess JW-58, JW-67, RA-59A Empire Purcell PQ-16 Empire Ranger PQ-13 Empire Redshank PQ-7B, QP-6 Empire Scott OP FB, JW-53, RA-51, RA-54B Empire Selwyn PQ-9, PO-16, QP-8,QP-13Empire Sky OP FB, Empire Snow PO-18, QP-15, JW-52, RA-53 Empire Stalwart JW-54B, JW-62, JW-65, RA-55B, RA-63, RA-66 Empire Starlight PQ-13 Empire Stevenson PQ-5, PQ-18, QP-13 Empire Tide PQ-17, QP-14 Empire Tourist JW-56B, RA-57 Empire Tristram PQ-18, QP-15, JW-52, RA-53 Empress of Australia JW-61A, RA-61A Esneh DERVISH, QP-1 Eulima PQ-4, QP-4, QP-5 Explorer PQ-6, QP-8, JW-53 Fort Astoria JW-55A, RA-56 Fort Bellingham JW-56A Fort Boise JW-62, JW-65, RA-63, RA-66 Fort Brule JW-57, RA-59 Fort Columbia JW-54B, JW-58, RA-55B, RA-59 Fort Crevecoeur JW-56B, JW-61, JW-64, RA-57, RA-62, RA-65 Fort Glenora JW-59, RA-60 Fort Hall JW-55A, JW-58, RA-56, RA-59 Fort Highfield JW-62, JW-67, RA-63 Fort Island JW-62, RA-63 Fort Kullyspell JW-55B, JW-58, RA-56, RA-59 Fort Massac JW-62, JW-65, RA-63, RA-66 Fort McMurray JW-54B, JW-57, RA-55A, RA-58 Fort Missanabie JW-55A, RA-56 Fort Nakasley JW-55B, RA-56 Fort Norfolk JW-56B, RA-57 Fort Poplar JW-54B, RA-55B Fort Romaine JW-57, JW-61, RA-58, RA-62 Fort Slave JW-56A, RA-57 Fort Thompson JW-55A, RA-56 Fort Vercheres JW-55B, JW-58, JW-64, RA-56, RA-59A, RA-65 Fort Yukon JW-54A, JW-58, JW-61, JW-65, RA-55A, RA-59, RA-62, RA-66 Gemstone PQ-l, QP-2 Goolistan PQ-18, QP-15 Gray Ranger PQ-15, PQ-17, PQ-18, QP-14Harmatris PQ-8, QP-14 Harmonic PQ-1, QP-2 Harpalion PQ-2, PQ-13, QP-3, QP-10 Hartlebury PQ-2, PQ-11, PQ-17, QP-3, QP-9 Hopemount PQ-14, RA-51 Induna PQ-13 Junecrest JW-54A, RA-55A Jutland PQ-7B, PQ-15, QP-7 Kingswood PQ-11, QP-9 Lacklan JW-58, JW-63, JW-65, RA-59A, RA-63, RA-65 Lancaster Castle PQ-12 Lancastrian Prince DERVISH, QP-1 Lapland JW-55A, JW-61, RA-59 Lars Kruse PQ-13 Laurelwood JW-61, JW-62, JW-66, RA-61, RA-62, RA-67 Llandaff PQ-12, QP-9, JW-53, RA-54B Llanstephan Castle DERVISH, QP-1 Longwood JW-62, RA-63 Lorca PQ-l, QP-2 Lowther Castle PQ-11, PQ-16, QP-9 Lucerna JW-55A, JW-57, JW-60, JW-64, RA-55B, RA-58, RA-61, RA-65 Luculus JW-59, JW-62, RA-59A, RA-62 Mano PQ-13 Marylyn PQ-11, QP-9 Montcalm PQ-15 Nacella JW-59, JW-63, RA-60, RA-64 Navarino PQ-12, PQ-17, QP-10 Neritina JW-60, JW-64, RA-61, RA-65 New Westminster City DERVISH, PQ-13, QP-1 Ocean Faith PQ-18, QP-15, JW-52, RA-53 Ocean Freedom PQ-17, QP-14, JW-53 Ocean Gypsy JW-55B, RA-56 Ocean Messenger JW-55B, RA-56 Ocean Pride JW-55B, RA-56 Ocean Strength JW-54B, JW-57, RA-55A, RA-58 Ocean Valour JW-55B, RA-56 Ocean Vanity JW-54A, RA-55A Ocean Verity JW-54A, RA-55A Ocean Viceroy JW-55B, RA-56 Ocean Voice PQ-16, QP-14 Oligarch PQ-18, QP-14, JW-51A, JW-52, RA-51, RA-53Orient City PQ-2, QP-3 Pontfield JW-51B, RA-54A Queen City PQ-2, QP-3 Rathlin PQ-17, QP-14, JW-54B, JW-58, JW-59, JW-62, JW-67, RA-55A, RA-58, RA-60, RA-62, RA-67 River Afton PQ-1, PQ-13, PQ-17, QP-2, QP-10 Samannan JW-59, RA-60 Samaritan JW-60, JW-63, JW-66, RA-61, RA-64, RA-67 Samcalia JW-59, RA-60 Samconstant JW-59, RA-60 Samgara JW-59, RA-60 Samidway JW-59, RA-60 Samloyal JW-59, RA-60 Samlyth JW-59, RA-60 Samsuva JW-59, RA-60 Samtredy JW-59, RA-60 San Adolfo JW-54B, JW-56A, RA-55A, RA-57 San Ambrosio PQ-3, QP-4, QP-5, JW-55A, JW-57, RA-55A, RA-57 San Cipriano JW-51A, RA-53 San Cirilo JW-56A, RA-57 San Venancio JW-61, JW-65, RA-62, RA-66 Scottish American PQ-13, QP-12 Scythia JW-61 A, RA-61A Southgate PQ-8, PQ-15, QP-7, QP-12 St Clears PQ-5, QP-13 Syrian Prince JW-61, RA-61 Temple Arch PQ-2, PQ-12, PQ-18, QP-3, QP-10, QP-15, JW-52, RA-53 Thistledale JW-55A, RA-56 Trehata DERVISH, PQ-5, PQ-14, QP-1, QP-4, QP-11 Trekieve PQ-3, QP-4 Trevorian PQ-9, QP-9 Ville D'Anvers PQ-l, QP-2 Wanstead PQ-3, QP-4 Waziristan PQ-7A Zaafaran PQ-17 Zamalek PQ-6, PQ-17, QP-14, JW-60, RA-60

This is a truly remarkable historical document. Is it available in a spreadsheet form, or some other form which would make it more easily readable? And perhaps it might be added to, insofar as is possible, tonnage, losses/damage, ships lost, cargo, differentiation between cargo and tankers and so forth.

Also I notice the SS Ballot (formerly Alberta), a Panamanian ship, Lykes Bros Line, is missing. There is little available on this ship in books or online unfortunately. John Hughes' book contains an oral account of its bombing during PQ-13, with which it sailed. She was laid down in 1922 at Cantiere Navale Triestino as the Alberta, at Montfalcone. Lloyd's says she was a 6131 GRT screwsteamer, a tweendecker. She was confiscated on or around June 1941 by the US, who confiscated a number of Italian, German and Finnish ships at the time, chartered them to shipping companies then registered them in Panama. She burned fuel oil, flashpoint > 150 deg Fahrenheit.
She sailed, was scattered, bombed during PQ16. Master Henry Bejer, a Dane, moved 16 crew members to a whaler which was being transported to the Soviets. (Scylla? Sulla? Sumba? something along those lines).
Does anyone know the name of that whaler?
The whaler was overladen with men. It ran out of fuel.
The men, many burned from the bomb, were moved to the Induna. Woodman has the account in his book on the Arctic Convoys. Schofield too. Austin Byrne was on the Induna which carried gasoline (in part). This was hit and exploded killing (according to u-boat.net) 16 of the Ballot's crew members.
I have INS documents from when Ballot returned to New York. They're filled out by Henry Bejer. He mentions no losses, strangely. I've got another document or series of them, laid over each other and so hard to read, in which some unnamed correspondent aims to file a complaint against Bejer, his radioman and a few others. This presumably has to do with the order to remove the 16 men from the ship (if indeed it was an order).
An oral account from John Hughes' book Frozen Fury, from an Icelander, says it was an order. The ship was straggling and I believe had stopped moving due to ice in the propeller and/or other engine problems.
Half the crew stayed aboard, the half who had already been injured went aboard the Induna across ice floes which cut their feet.
Again, the BBC's website includes Austin Byrne's account of this. I may have made a few mistakes in my account here. Byrne's is best, I think.
Induna's crew got into lifeboats, a difficult process because barbed wire bails surrounded the ship and some of the boat divets had been damaged, some of the boats destroyed or burned.
Unsure how many died. I think there are some discrepancies as to u-boat.net's casualty lists, but I cannot confirm this as I am unsure where they get those lists. For instance, u-boat.net's site for the Ballot lists some crew members as dead - my INS first-hand sources (lists of crew members given to the US INS upon the Ballot's return to New York after PQ-13) show those crew members as alive.
The Ballot was fixed and her crew switched. I believe most of the men, if not all, based on those INS documents, were Naval Armed Guard gunners and/or US Navy men.
The Ballot sailed again as part of JW51B. On or around December 31st she ran aground on Tildin Island in foul weather. She was either torpedoed, bombed, or both. I am unsure about this. A Russian website describes it as 'hurricane' but lists no Beaufort rating. Survivors, upon seeing the Soviets, ran to them. The Soviets found the ship and examined it carefully, finding M3 Lee tanks, M4A2 Shermans and other material. The holds flooded, they saved the tanks they could.
Later the Russians removed the tanks from the wreck, which had been, for many years, subject to the strong winds and weather on Tildin Island.

If anyone has more information on the Ballot, and/or the whaler a number of her crew moved to, can you please help me? I have 2 first-hand accounts from Danes who sailed aboard the ship. Both men were friends of a relative, his own father a German mariner who died near Kristiansand. These accounts differ, one says he was ordered by an officer to get off the ship, but in the confusion, stayed aboard. The other man stayed aboard the ship as well. Both were quite young and unsure what to do. Both made it to the Kola Inlet and Murmansk. Both returned to New York, but their accounts (written letters) end after they found new ships and returned to North Atlantic convoys.

BTW SS Ballot is listed in Lloyd's 1923, 1941 (I believe), but in 1942, as Lloyd's excellent online resource itself shows in a letter, was delisted from Lloyd's (https://hec.lrfoundation.org.uk/arch...-006079-0061-l)
and re-registered with the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), of which I do not have a copy for the relevant years, if such exists.

Thank you kindly,
PFN Monaghan

[Doc Vernon]

Very interesting indeed!
You may already have this but as its not posted and may help
Cheers

2022-08-03 20:13


WRECKSITE - BALLOT CARGO SHIP 1922-1943

[j.sabourn]

#13/ Must ask this question ,are you any relation to Rinty Monaghan the boxer from NI ? I sailed with his brother in 1958 he was the bosun. JS

[Jos Odijk]

I have information about the SS Ballot convoy PQ13 and JW51b.
Enclosed the report about what happend in JW51b

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