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Convoy HX-84
Part of World War II
Date5 November 1940
LocationNorth Atlantic
Result German Victory
Belligerents
War Ensign of Germany 1938-1945 Germany Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom United Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Theodor Krancke E.S.F. Fegen
Strength
1 heavy cruiser 1 armed merchant cruiser
38 merchant ships
Casualties and losses
None 1 armed merchant cruiser sunk
5 merchant ships sunk
1 merchant ship damaged


HX-84 was a North Atlantic convoy of the HX series during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II. It consisted of 38 merchant ships which sailed eastbound from Halifax, Nova Scotia, for Liverpool, England, on 28 October 1940 and was escorted by the armed merchant cruiser HMS Jervis Bay

The Action[]

On 5 November 1940, the German heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer found the convoy at 50°30′N 32°00′W / 50.5°N 32°W / 50.5; -32 and attacked immediately. Captain E.S.F. Fegen of the Jervis Bay attacked the raider so as to delay Admiral Scheer and to allow the convoy to escape. The Jervis Bay was quickly sunk with the loss of 190 of her crew. Nevertheless, their sacrifice gave the convoy time to scatter, allowing all but six of the merchantmen to escape.

Maiden, Trewellard, Kenbame Head, Beaverford and Fresno were sunk and the tanker MV San Demetrio damaged, but failing light now allowed the rest of the convoy to escape. The San Demetrio was abandoned by her crew, but two days later some of the crew, now in lifeboats, sighted the San Demetrio, still afloat and still ablaze. They reboarded her, got the engines running, and brought her in to port. This incident later formed the basis for the script of the film San Demetrio London.

Ships in the convoy[1][]

Name Flag Tonnage (GRT) Notes
Andalusian (1918) Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 3,082
Anna Bulgaris (1912) Flag of Greece Greece 4,603
Athelempress (1930) Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 8,941 Joined Ex BHX 84
Atheltemplar (1930) Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 8,992 Joined Ex BHX 84
Beaverford (1928) Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 10,042 Sunk By Admiral Scheer
Briarwood (1930) Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 4,019
Castilian (1919) Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 3,067
Cetus (1920) Flag of Norway Norway 2,614
HMCS Columbia (I49) Canadian Blue Ensign 1868-1921 Royal Canadian Navy Escort 28 Oct - 29 Oct
Cordelia (1932) Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 8,190 Joined Ex BHX 84. Returned post-dispersal
Cornish City (1936) Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 4,952
Dan-Y-Bryn (1940) Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 5,117
Danae Ii (1936) Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 2,660
Delhi (1925) Flag of Sweden Sweden 4,571 Joined Ex BHX 84
Delphinula (1939) Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 8,120
Emile Francqui (1929) Flag of Belgium (civil) Belgium 5,859
Empire Penguin (1919) Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 6,389
Erodona (1937) Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 6,207
Fresno City (1929) Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 4,955 Sunk By Admiral Scheer
Hjalmar Wessel (1935) Flag of Norway Norway 1,742
James J Maguire (1939) Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 10,525
HMS Jervis Bay Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom Royal Navy Escort 28 Oct - 05 Nov
Sunk By Admiral Scheer
Kenbane Head (1919) Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 5,225 Sunk By Admiral Scheer
Lancaster Castle (1937) Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 5,172
Maidan (1925) Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 7,908 Sunk By Admiral Scheer
Morska Wola (1924) Flag of Poland Poland 3,208
Oilreliance (1929) Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 5,666 Joined Ex BHX 84
Pacific Enterprise (1927) Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 6,736 Jx BHX 84
Persier (1918) Flag of Belgium (civil) Belgium 5,382
Puck (1935) Flag of Poland Poland 1,065
Rangitiki (1929) Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 16,698
Saint Gobain (1936) Flag of Sweden Sweden 9,959 Joined Ex BHX 84
San Demetrio (1938) Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 8,073
Solfonn (1939) Flag of Norway Norway 9,925 Joined Ex BHX 84
Sovac (1938) Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 6,724
HMCS St Francis Canadian Blue Ensign 1868-1921 Royal Canadian Navy Escort 28 Oct - 29 Oct
Stureholm (1919) Flag of Sweden Sweden 4,575 Returned Halifax post-dispersal
Trefusis (1918) Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 5,299
Trewellard (1936) Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 5,201 Sunk By Admiral Scheer
Varoy (1892) Flag of Norway Norway 1,531
Vingaland (1935) Flag of Sweden Sweden 2,734 Sunk by Luftwaffe aircraft post-dispersal W of County Donegal

External links[]

References[]

  1. "Convoy HX.84". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/hx/index.html. Retrieved 19 October 2013. 
  • Dan van der Vat : The Atlantic Campaign (1988).ISBN 0-340-37751-8
  • Arnold Hague : The Allied Convoy System 1939-1945 (2000). ISBN (Canada) 1 55125 033 0 . ISBN (UK) 1 86176 147 3
  • Theodor Krancke, Hans Brennecke : The Battleship ‘Scheer’ (1956). ISBN
  • Calum MacNeil : San Demetrio (1957). ISBN
All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at Convoy HX 84 and the edit history here.
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