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Armed Merchant Cruiser HMS Carthage (F 99)

6 Jul 1942 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) is undocked from No.5 Dock at Southampton and immediately docking in No.7 Dock. (1)

8 Jul 1942 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) is undocked from No.7 Dock at Southampton. (1)

25 Jul 1942 (position 0.00, 0.00)
With her refit completed, HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) conducted D/G, compass swing, D/F calibration and gunnery trials in The Solent. (1)

26 Jul 1942
Around 0930A/26, the armed merchant cruiser HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) departed The Solent for Greenock. She was escorted by the escort destroyer HMS Bleasdale (Lt. P.B.N. Lewis, RN).

Around 1230A/26, the destroyer HMS Broke (Lt.Cdr. A.F.C. Layard, RN) joined coming from Portland.

Around 2345A/26, HMS Bleasdale parted company.

Around 2300A/27, HMS Carthage and HMS Broke arrived in the Clyde. HMS Broke then parted company to continue on to Tobermory to work-up. (2)

1 Aug 1942 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) conducted engine trials in the Clyde. (3)

5 Aug 1942 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) is docked in the floating dock at Greenock. (3)

13 Aug 1942 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) is undocked. (3)

18 Aug 1942 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) conducted engine trials in the Clyde area. (3)

19 Aug 1942 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) conduced gunnery exercises in the Clyde area on completion of which she proceeded to Lamlash Bay. (3)

21 Aug 1942 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) conduced gunnery exercises in the Clyde area on completion of which she returned to Lamlash Bay. (3)

23 Aug 1942 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) departed Lamlash Bay for Greenock. (3)

24 Aug 1942 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) arrived at Greenock from Lamlash Bay. (3)

28 Aug 1942 (position 0.00, 0.00)
Around 2030A/28, the light cruiser HMS Aurora (Capt. W.G. Agnew, CB, RN), armed merchant cruiser HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) departed Greenock to join convoy WS 22 on assembly of Oversay the following morning.

[For more info on this convoy see the event ' Convoy WS 22 ' for 29 August 1942.] (4)

16 Sep 1942
Around 0715Z/16, HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) departed Freetown to patrol in the mid-Atlantic. Patrol was later shifted further to the south-east to an area to the north-west of Ascension. (5)

29 Sep 1942
Around 1645Z/29, the armed merchant cruiser HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) arrived at Freetown from patrol.

Around 1100Z/29, the destroyer HMS Wivern (Cdr. M.D.C. Meyrick, RN) had joined to escort her in. (5)

20 Oct 1942
The light cruisers HMS Despatch (Capt. W.R.C. Leggatt, RN), HMS Durban (Capt. G.F. Stevens-Guille, DSO and Bar, OBE, RN), armed merchant cruiser HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN), escort destroyers HMS Avon Vale (Lt.Cdr. P.A.R. Withers, DSO, RN), RHS Kanaris, sloop HMS Milford (Cdr.(Retd.) the Hon. V.M. Wyndham-Quin, RN) and the corvette HMS Tamarisk (Lt. S. Ayles, RNR) departed Freetown as escorts for convoy WS 23.

[For more info on this convoy see the event ' Convoy WS 23 ' for 5 October 1942.] (6)

21 Nov 1942 (position 0.00, 0.00)
Around 1300C/21, the armed merchant cruiser HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) and the destroyer RHS Panther arrived at Aden with the ' Aden Section ' of convoy WS 23. (7)

23 Nov 1942 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) departed Aden to proceed with despatch to position 07°36'N, 61°08'E where the (troop) transport Tilawa (British, 10006 GRT, built 1924) had been torpedoed and sunk by I-29 during the night of 22/23 November.

HMS Carthage commenced searching for survivors from 1200D/26. Wreckage and bodies were soon encountered.At

At 1545D/27, a life raft with four survivors was encountered which were picked up.

At 1810D/27, HMS Carthage abandoned her search for survivors and left the area for Kilindini / Mombasa.

A total of 280 passengers and crew lost their lives in the sinking of the Tilawa. (7)

1 Dec 1942 (position 0.00, 0.00)
Around 1300C/1, HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) arrived at Kilindini.

[No logbooks of HMS Carthage are available for the period December 1942 / May 1943. Some details of her wartime history might therefore be missing on this page.] (8)

11 Dec 1942 (position 0.00, 0.00)

Convoy MJ 1.

This convoy departed Kilindini / Mombasa on 11 December 1942.

The convoy was made up of only one transport, the Karagola (British, 7053 GRT, built 1917).

The convoy was escorted by the armed merchant cruiser HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN).

The convoy arrived at Bombay on 21 December 1942.

25 Dec 1942 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) departed Bombay for Aden. (9)

29 Dec 1942 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) arrived at Aden from Bombay. (9)

25 Jan 1943 (position 0.00, 0.00)
Around 0915C/25, HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) departed Durban for Saldanha Bay. (10)

27 Jan 1943 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) arrived at Saldanha Bay from Durban. (10)

30 Jan 1943 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) departed Saldanha Bay for an anti-blockade runner patrol to the south of South Africa. (11)

11 Feb 1943 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) arrived at Capetown from patrol. At Capetown she was taken in hand for boiler cleaning and repairs to minor defects. (12)

2 Mar 1943 (position 0.00, 0.00)
The armed merchant cruiser HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) and the destroyer HMS Quality (Lt.Cdr. G.L. Farnfield, DSO, RN) departed Capetown for Durban. (13)

7 Mar 1943 (position 0.00, 0.00)
The armed merchant cruiser HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) and the destroyer HMS Quality (Lt.Cdr. G.L. Farnfield, DSO, RN) arrived at Durban from Capetown. (14)

26 Mar 1943 (position 0.00, 0.00)
Around 1650C/26, HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) departed Kilindini / Mombasa to make rendezvous with convoy WS 27.

For more info on this convoy see the event ' Convoy WS 27 ' for 26 March 1943.] (15)

12 Apr 1943 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) departed Aden for Bombay. (16)

17 Apr 1943
HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) arrived at Bombay from Aden.

At Bombay she was taken in hand for boiler cleaning and docking. (16)

8 May 1943 (position 0.00, 0.00)

Convoy BA 43.

This convoy departed Bombay on 8 May 1943.

It was made up of the (troop) transports; Akbar (British, 4043 GRT, built 1924), Aletta (Dutch, 3085 GRT, built 1927), Devonshire (British, 11275 GRT, built 1939), Islami (British, 5879 GRT, built 1934) and Jehangir (British, 3566 GRT, built 1924).

The convoy was escorted by the armed merchant cruiser HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN), sloop HMIS Jumna (A/Cdr. I.B.W. Heanly, RIN) and the minesweeper HMAS Geraldton (Cdr.(Retd.) H.M. Harris, RNR).

The convoy arrived at Aden on 16 May 1943.

17 May 1943 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) departed Aden for Kilindini / Mombasa. (16)

22 May 1943 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) arrived at Kilindini / Mombasa from Aden. (16)

23 May 1943 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) departed Kilindini / Mombasa for Durban. (16)

28 May 1943 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) arrived at Durban from Kilindini / Mombasa. (16)

2 Jul 1943
Around 1800FG/2, the armed merchant cruiser HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) and the destroyer HMAS Nepal (Cdr. F.B. Morris, RAN) departed Colombo. They were escorting the (troop) transport Salween (British, 7063 GRT, built 1937) to Kilindini.

HMAS Nepal had actually left Colombo harbour two hours previously presumably to conduct an A/S sweep of the area.

Around 0330DE/5, HMAS Nepal was detached to fuel at Port Victoria, Seychelles. She did not rejoin.

HMS Carthage and the Salween arrived at Kilindini / Mombasa around 1700C/11. (17)

4 Aug 1943 (position 0.00, 0.00)
During 4/5 August 1943, the armed merchant cruisers HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) and HMS Chitral (A/Capt.(Retd.) G.W. Hoare-Smith, RN) conducted exercises off Kilindini / Mombasa. These included night exercises. (18)

25 Aug 1943
Around 1430C/25, HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) departed Kilindini / Mombasa for Colombo. On board was the first party of the Commander in Chief Eastern Fleet's staff whose headquarters was being transferred from Mombasa to Colombo. (19)

1 Sep 1943
Around 1030FG/1, HMS Carthage (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.V.H. Harris, DSC, MVO, RN) arrived at Colombo from Kilindini / Mombasa.

At Colombo she was immediately docked. (20)

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