Operation Details

MWS

'MWS' was the designation of Allied slow convoys (together with a numerical suffix) plying the route from Alexandria, Egypt, to various ports of Sicily as part of 'Husky' (i) (July/August 1943).

,

The first of these four convoys, on 3/5 July, was MWS.36 with 33 ships. The British vessels were the 7,519-ton Empire Charmian, 813-ton water carrier Empire Lass, 8,280-ton Ennerdale, 7,134-ton Fort Lawrence with 215 tons of motor transport and 429 tons of petrol, 7,596-ton Glaucus, 7,271-ton Harpagus II with 37 tons of motor transport and 128 tons of petrol, 7,043-ton Highland Prince with 234 tons of motor transport and 519 tons of petrol, 2,734-ton Kheti, 687-ton Murray Coast with cased petrol, 965-ton Nasprite with cased petrol, 7,178-ton Ocean Glory with 22 tons of motor transport and 150 tons of petrol, 7,178-ton Ocean Hunter with 114 tons of motor transport and 110 tons of petrol, 7,173-ton Ocean Peace with 253 tons of motor transport 432 tons of petrol (bombed on 12 July and later sunk by a British warship), 7,173-ton Ocean Pride with 45 tons of motor transport and 106 tons of petrol, 7,173-ton Ocean Strength with 44 tons of motor transport and 198 tons of petrol, 7,174-ton Ocean Valley with 183 tons of motor transport and 441 tons of petrol, 7,174-ton Ocean Vision with 129 tons of motor transport and 123 tons of petrol, 7,174-ton Ocean Vulcan with 45 tons of motor transport and 110 tons of petrol, 6,985-ton Ozarda with 40 tons of motor transport and 120 tons of petrol, 5,454-ton Shahjehan with 23 tons of motor transport, 121 tons of petrol and 230 personnel (sunk by Korvettenkapitän Gert Hetschko’s U-453 on 6 July), 7,268-ton Tarantia with 38 tons of motor transport, 128 tons of petrol and 155 troops, and 7,237-ton Thistlemuir with 148 tons of motor transport and 421 tons of petrol.

,

The Dutch vessel was the 5,621-ton Baarn with 137 tons of motor transport and 428 tons of petrol (sunk off the 'Husky' beach-head by air attack).

,

The US ships were the 7,176-ton Benjamin Goodhue with 205 tons of motor transport and 464 tons of petrol, 7,196-ton Big Foot Wallace with 43 tons of motor transport and 85 tons of petrol, 7,176-ton Colin P. Kelly Jr with 174 tons of motor transport, 399 tons of petrol and 144 troops, 7,176-ton Frank B. Kellogg with 42 tons of motor transport, 123 tons of petrol and 140 troops, 7,181-ton George H. Dern with 175 tons of motor transport and 475 tons of petrol, 7,181-ton George Rogers Clark with 41 tons of motor transport and 93 tons of petrol, 7,176-ton Jonathan Grout 262 tons of motor transport and 43 tons of petrol, 7,177-ton Joseph Alston with 269 tons of motor transport and 562 tons of petrol, 7,181-ton Joseph G. Cannon with 46 tons of motor transport and 91 tons of petrol (bombed off the 'Husky' beach-head on 11 July), 7,181-ton Leslie M. Shaw with 43 tons of motor transport and 153 tons of petrol, 7,191-ton Mayo Brothers with 174 tons of motor transport and 381 tons of petrol, 7,181-ton O’Henry with 173 tons of motor transport and 417 tons of petrol, 7,176-ton Pio Pico with 232 tons of motor transport, 542 tons of petrol and 129 troops, and 7,177-ton Pocahontas with 243 tons of motor transport, 543 tons of petrol and 129 troops.

,

The last of the convoys was MWS.39 of 8 August 1943. No data appear to have survived about this convoy, which departed with the MKS.21 convoy and whose destination was Syracuse.

Basic Overview

Theater

Nations Involved

Protagonists Antagonists

Related Operations

Child