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Notable events involving Kos VIII include:

24 Jun 1941

Convoy HG 66.

This convoy departed Gibraltar on 24 June 1941.

On departure from Gibraltar the convoy was made up of the following merchant vessels;
Agia Varvara (Greek, 2425 GRT, built 1904), Cape Corso (British, 3807 GRT, built 1929), Como (British, 1295 GRT, built 1910), Cortes (British, 1390 GRT, built 1919), Disa (Swedish, 2002 GRT, built 1918), Empire Ness (British, 2922 GRT, built 1941), Empire Strait (British, 2841 GRT, built 1940), Erato (British, 1335 GRT, built 1923), Lublin (Polish, 1409 GRT, built 1932), Osric (Swedish, 1418 GRT, built 1919), Pelayo (British, 1346 GRT, built 1927), Rhineland (British, 1381 GRT, built 1922), Serula (British, 2187 GRT, built 1918), Shuna (British, 1575 GRT, built 1937) and Tintern Abbey (British, 2471 GRT, built 1939).

On departure from Gibraltar the convoy was escorted by the destroyer HMS Wishart (Cdr. E.T. Cooper, RN), escort destroyer HMS Farndale (Cdr. S.H. Carlill, RN), sloop HMS Folkestone (Lt.Cdr. C.F.H. Churchill, RN), corvette HMS Azalea (Lt. G.C. Geddes, RNR), A/S trawler HMS Stella Carina (Lt. J.V. Lobb, RANVR), three ML's (so far unidentified) and the submarine HrMs O 21 (Lt.Cdr. J.F. van Dulm, RNN).

Around 1215A/25, the three ML's parted company to return to Gibraltar.

Around 0730A/27, HMS Wishart parted company with the convoy. Shortly afterwards she encountered the Italian submarine Glauco which was subsequently sunk.

Around 0800A/28, in position 36°02'N, 16°30'W, HMS Farndale parted company with the convoy.

Around 0745A/1, HMS Azalea, HMS Stella Carina and HrMs O 21 parted company with the convoy. HMS Folkestone is now the sole escort but HMS Azalea however later rejoined. She had a defective Asdic though.

Later the convoy broke into two portions due to thick fog. HMS Folkestone and HMS Azalea were each with a portion of the convoy.

On 4 July 1941, the destroyers HMS Maori (Cdr. R.E. Courage, DSO, DSC and Bar, RN) and ORP Garland ( Kmdr.ppor. (Cdr.) K.F. Namiesniowski) joined the part of the convoy escorted by HMS Folkestone. They parted company around 1200A/5 in position 51°46'N, 22°00'W to proceed to Londonderry and Greenock respectively.

Around 2130A/5, in position 52°37'N 20°28'W, the destroyers HMS Westcott (Cdr. I.H. Bockett-Pugh, RN), HNoMS St. Albans (Cdr. G. Hovdenak, RNorN) and the corvettes HMS Freesia (Lt.Cdr. T.P.G. Crick, RN) and HMS Myosotis (Lt. G.P.S. Lowe, RNVR) joined the portion of the convoy escortted by HMS Folkestone. These escorts were coming from convoy OB 341.

Around 0600A/6, in position 53°24'N, 19°03'W, both sections of the convoy rejoined company. It was noticed that the merchant vessel Osric was missing from the convoy. This vessel had been sighted around 2300A/5 in position 52°46'N, 18°15'W by HMS Maori and given instructions to rejoin the convoy which she never did.

Around 1330A/7, in position 55°18'N 13°42'W, the M/S whaler HMS Kos VIII (?) joined coming from convoy OG 67.

Around 1200A/8, in position 55°40'N 08°30'W, HMS Freesia parted company with the Oban section of the convoy which was made up of the following merchant vessels;
Cape Corso and Empire Strait. HMS Freesia went with them as escort.

Around 1830A/8, HMS Westcott, HMS Azalea and HMS Kos VIII parted company with the convoy to proceed to Londonderry.

On 8 July 1941, the following merchant vessels arrived in Belfast Lough;
Como, Cortes and Empire Ness.

On 9 July 1941, the following merchant vessels arrived in the Clyde;
Agia Varvara, Rhineland and Shuna. HNoMS St. Albans went with them.

On 9 July 1941, the Disa arrived at Barrow in Furness.

On 9 July 1941, the following merchant vessels arrived at Workington;
Osric, Serula and Tintern Abbey.

On 9 July 1941, the Lublin arrived at Holyhead.

On 9 July 1941, the following merchant vessels arrived at Liverpool;
Erato and Pelayo. Also HMS Folkestone and HMS Myosotis also arrived at Liverpool as did HMS Freesia after having delivered the Oban section. (1)

5 Jul 1941

Convoy OG 67.

This convoy was assembled to the west of the North Channel on 5 July 1941 and was made up of ships from four sections; the Milford Haven, Liverpool, Clyde and Oban sections.

The Milford Haven section (sailed 3 July 1941) was made up of the following merchant vessels;
Baron Kelvin (British, 3081 GRT, built 1924), Brabant (Belgian, 2483 GRT, buil 1938), Briarwood (British, 4019 GRT, built 1930), British Coast (British, 889 GRT, built 1934), Cara (British, 1760 GRT, built 1929), Evros (Greek, 5283 GRT, built 1918), Lissa (British, 1511 GRT, built 192), Olivebank (British, 5154 GRT, built 1926), Wentworth (British, 5212 GRT, built 1919) and Winterswijk (Dutch, 3205 GRT, built 1914).

On departure from Milford Haven this section was escorted by the escort destroyer HMS Wolsey (Lt.Cdr. C.H. Campbell, DSC, RN), sloop HMS Black Swan (Cdr. T.A.C. Pakenham, RN) and the A/S trawlers HMS Sphene (Ch.Skr. W.J.J. Tucker, RNR) and HMS York City (Skr. W. Tucker, RNR). These escorts were detached on 5 July and then arrived at Belfast later that day. <í>HMS Wolsey went to Greenock.

The Liverpool section (sailed 4 July 1941) was made up of the following merchant vessels;
Algerian (British, 2315 GRT, built 1924), Ardeola (British, 2609 GRT, built 1912), Ariosto (British, 2176 GRT, built 1940), Basil (British, 4913 GRT, built 1928), Glenstrae (British, 9460 GRT, built 1922), Polo (British, 1950 GRT, built 1919) and Solon II (British, 4561 GRT, built 1925). They were escorted by the sloop HMS Bideford (Lt.Cdr. W.J. Moore, RNR).

The Clyde section (sailed 4 / 5 July 1941) was made up of the following merchant vessels;
Baltallinn (British, 1303 GRT, built 1920), Csarda (Panamanian, 3882 GRT, built 1917), Empire Lake (British, 2852 GRT, built 1941), Framlington Court (), Hainaut (), Leonardia (Swedish, 1583 GRT, built 1906), Mentor (British, 7383 GRT, built 1914), Merchant Royal (British, 5008 GRT, built 1928), Nikoklis (Greek, 3576 GRT, built 1921), Prins Maurits (Dutch, 1287 GRT, built 1936) and River Afton (British, 5479 GRT, built 1935). With these ships was also the armed boarding vessel HMS Lady Somers (Cdr. G.L. Dunbar, RD, RNR). They were escorted by the A/S trawler HMS Arctic Ranger (Cdr.(Retd.) J.H. Young, RN) and M/S trawlers HMS Arran (T/Lt. J.E.B. Healy, RNVR), HMS Copinsay (Skr. E.R. Harris, RNR) and M/S whaler HMS Kos VIII (?).

The Oban section (sailed 4 / 5 July 1941) was made up of the following merchant vessels;
Alhama (British, 1352 GRT, built 1938), Atheltemplar (British (tanker), 8992 GRT, built 1930), Balteako (British, 1328 GRT, built 1920), Baron Kinnaird (British, 3355 GRT, built 1927), Baxtergate (British, 5531 GRT, built 1925), Corabella (British, 5682 GRT, built 1937), Dover Hill (British, 5815 GRT, built 1918), Dux (Norwegian, 1590 GRT, built 1934), Eulima (British (tanker), 6207 GRT, built 1937), Gullpool (British, 4868 GRT, built 1928), Holmside (British, 3433 GRT, built 1930), Inger Lise (Norwegian, 1582 GRT, built 1939), Rupert de Larrinaga (British, 5358 GRT, built 1930), Sabor (British, 5212 GRT, built 1920) and Wallsend (British, 3157 GRT, built 1937).

On final assembly the convoy was joined by the catapult ship HMS Pegasus (Capt.(Retd.) P.G. Wodehouse, DSO, RN), destroyers HMS Verity (Cdr. R.H. Mills, RN), HMS Chelsea (Lt.Cdr. R.D.H.S. Pankhurst, RN), HNoMS Mansfield (Cdr. F. Ulstrup, RNorN) and the corvettes HMS Arbutus (T/Lt. A.L.W. Warren, RNR), HMS Begonia (T/Lt. T.A.R. Muir, RNR), HMS Convolvulus (T/Lt. R.C. Connell, RNR), HMS Jasmine (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) C.D.B. Coventry, RNR), HMS Larkspur (Lt. S.C.B. Hickman, RNR), HMS Pimpernel (Lt. F.H. Thornton, RNR) and HMS Rhododendron (Lt.Cdr. W.N.H. Faichney, DSO, RNR).

On 7 July 1941, HMS Kos VIII parted company to join convoy HG 66 and return to the U.K. Possibly she had developed problems during her intended passage to the South Atlantic / West Africa station.

Around 0900B/8, in position 54.10'N, 16/30'W part of the escort parted company. This were most likely HMS Verity, HMS Chelsea and HNoMS Mansfield. They were to search for and join convoy SL 78.

Around 1200B/8, in position 54°00'N, 16°32'W, HMS Pegasus and HMS Arbutus, HMS Begonia, HMS Convolvulus, HMS Jasmine, HMS Larkspur, HMS Pimpernel and HMS Rhododendron also parted company to join convoy SL 78.

During the passage towards Gibraltar at three times [times and positions not given in the Convoy Commodore's report, which holds little information], ships were detached to proceed independently to their destinations.

First ships with destinations in North America and the Caribbean were detached, this were;
Atheltemplar (arrived at Curacao on 24 July 1941), Baron Kinnaird (arrived at Tampa on 26 July 1941), Baxtergate (arrived at Tampa on 24 July 1941), Brabant (arrived at La Guajira, Colombia on 22 July 1941), Eulima (arrived at Aruba on 24 July 1941), Framlington Court (arrived at Kingston on 27 July 1941), Gullpool (arrived at Neuvitas, Cuba on 25 July 1941), Hainaut (arrived at Tampa on 29 July 1941), Prins Maurits (arrived at Barbados on 24 July 1941) and Winterswijk (arrived at Tampa on 28 July 1941).

Then ships with destinations in the South Atlantic area were detached, this were;
Basil (arrived at Para, Brazil on 26 July 1941), Dover Hill (arrived at Capetown on 10 August 1941), Evros (arrived at Buenos Aires on 6 August 1941), Glenstrae (arrived at Capetown on 4 August 1941), Holmside (torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-66 on 19 July. Destination was Pepel, Sierra Leone), Mentor (arrived at Capetown on 5 August 1941), Merchant Royal (arrived at Takoradi on 27 July 1941), Nikoklis (torpedoed and sunk by the Italian submarine Alessandro Malaspina on 15 July. Destination was Pepel, Sierra Leone), Olivebank (arrived at Capetown on 6 August 1941), River Afton (arrived at Freetown on 22 July 1941), Rupert de Larrinaga (torpedoed and sunk by the Italian submarine Morosini on 14 July 1941. Destination was Las Palmas, Canary Islands), Sabor (arrived at Rio de Janeiro on 4 August 1941), Solon II (arrived at Capetown on 14 August 1941) and Wentworth (arrived at Rio de Janeiro on 1 August 1941).

Around the same time HMS Lady Somers must have detached from the convoy to proceed on patrol off the Azores. She was sunk by the Italian submarine Morosini on 15 July 1941.

Around 1800B/14, the corvettes HMS Joinquil (Lt.Cdr. R.E.H. Partington, RNR), HMS Spiraea (T/Lt. L.C. Head, RNVR), HMS Coreopsis (Lt.Cdr. A.H. Davies, RNVR) and HrMs O 24 (Lt.Cdr. O. de Booy, RNN) joined the convoy coming from convoy HG 67.

And finally ships with destinations in Portugal were detached (most likely south of Cape Trafalgar), this were;
Alahama (arrived at Lisbon on 19 July 1941), Ardeola (arrived at Lisbon on 19 July 1941), Briarwood (arrived at Lisbon on 19 July 1941), Cara (arrived at Lisbon on 19 July 1941), Dux (arrived at Lisbon on 19 July 1941), Inger Lise (arrived at Lisbon on 19 July 1941), Leonardia (arrived at Setubal on 19 July 1941), Lissa (arrived at Lisbon on 19 July 1941) and Polo (arrived at Oporto on 20 July 1941).

The remainder of the convoy arrived at Gibraltar on 18 July 1941 escorted by HMS Bideford, HMS Coreopsis, HMS Arctic Ranger, HMS Arran, HMS Copinsay and HrMs O 24. HMS Spiraea arrived on 20 July, apparently having been detached, possibly having escorted the ships with destinations in Portugal to the vicinity of Lisbon. (2)