| Navy | The Royal Navy |
| Type | Armed Merchant Cruiser |
| Class | [No specific class] |
| Pennant | F 47 |
| Built by | Workman Clark & Co. Ltd. (Belfast, Northern Ireland) |
| Ordered | |
| Laid down | |
| Launched | 14 Aug 1923 |
| Commissioned | 4 Jan 1940 |
| Lost | 4 Apr 1941 |
| Loss position | 14° 30'N, 40° 30'W |
| History | On 27 October 1939 the passenger ship Voltaire of the Lamport & Holt Ltd, Liverpool was requisitioned by the Admiralty and converted to an armed merchant cruiser. Conversion was completed on 4 January 1940. Displacement: 13245 BRT Career: On 4 April 1941 HMS Voltaire (A/Capt. James Alexander Pollard Blackburn, DSC, (retired), RN) was on isolated patrol in the central Atlantic, about 900 nautical miles west of the Cape Verde Islands: at 0615 hrs she was spotted by the lookouts of the german raider Thor (Schiff 10, 3862 tgr, 6-150 {5.9"}, 4-21" tubes, FK Kähler) and the ships headed for each other. |
Commands listed for HMS Voltaire (F 47)
Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.
| Commander | From | To | |
| 1 | Capt. (retired) Claude Lindesay Bate, DSO, RN | 25 Sep 1939 | 21 Sep 1940 |
| 2 | A/Capt. (retired) James Alexander Pollard Blackburn, DSC, RN | 21 Sep 1940 | 4 Apr 1941 |
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Notable events involving Voltaire include:
30 Apr 1940
Convoy HX 39.
This convoy departed Halifax on 30 April 1940.
It was made up of the following merchant vessels; Aelybryn (British, 4986 GRT, built 1938), Ainderby (British, 4860 GRT, built 1925), Arthur F. Corwin (British (tanker), 10516 GRT, built 1938), Aspasia Nomikos (Greek, 4855 GRT, built 1938), Athelcrown (British (tanker), 11999 GRT, built 1929), Atlantian (British, 6549 GRT, built 1928), Auditor (British, 5444 GRT, built 1924), Benwood (Norwegian, 3931 GRT, built 1910), Canadolite (British (tanker), 11309 GRT, built 1926), Comanchee (British (tanker), 6837 GRT, built 1936), Daleby (British, 4640 GRT, built 1929), Dalemoor (British, 5835 GRT, built 1922), Delilian (British, 6423 GRT, built 1923), Desmoulea (British (tanker), 8120 GRT, built 1939), Diloma (British (tanker), 8146 GRT, built 1939), Donacilla (British (tanker), 8113 GRT, built 1939), Empire Industry (British, 3682 GRT, built 1916), Ethan Allen (British, 7777 GRT, built 1920), Hopemount (British, 7434 GRT, built 1929), Inverlee (British (tanker), 9158 GRT, built 1938), Josiah Macy (Panamanian (tanker) 6899 GRT, built 1917), Kalliopi S. (Greek, 5230 GRT, built 1918), King Robert (British, 5880 GRT, built 1920), King Stephen (British, 5274 GRT, built 1928), Kirnwood (British, 3829 GRT, built 1928), Kotor (Yugoslavian, 3564 GRT, built 1904), Nestos (Greek, 5764 GRT, built 1919), Nurtureton (British, 6272 GRT, built 1929), Nyland (Norwegian, 1374 GRT, built 1940), Oilfield (British (tanker), 8516 GRT, built 1938), Shekatika (British, 5458 GRT, built 1936), Swiftpool (British, 5205 GRT, built 1929), Temple Mead (British, 4427 GRT, built 1928), Temple Yard (British, 5205 GRT, built 1937), Tornus (British (tanker), 8054 GRT, built 1936), Tower Field (British, 4241 GRT, built 1935), Tredinnick (British, 4589 GRT, built 1921), Trehata (British, 4817 GRT, built 1928), Vav (Norwegian (tanker), 6415 GRT, built 1931) and Wanderer (British, 5079 GRT, built 1925).
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) tanker Oligarch (6894 GRT, built 1918) was also part of the convoy.
On departure from Halifax the convoy was escorted by the armed merchant cruiser HMS Voltaire (Capt.(Retd.) C.L. Bate, DSO, RN), destroyers HMCS Restigouche (Lt.Cdr. H.N. Lay, RN), HMCS St. Laurent (Lt.Cdr. H.G. De Wolf, RCN) and the submarine Archimede (Lt. R.F.J. Attane).
Around 0500Q/1, the following merchant vessels overtook and joined the convoy, having sailed late from Halifax; Coptic ((British, 8281 GRT, built 1928), Grayburn (British, 6342 GRT, built 1938), Roussillon (French (tanker), 9967 GRT, built 1936) and Westbury (British, 4712 GRT, built 1928).
Around 1400Q/1, the Canadian destroyers parted company to return to Halifax.
Around 0750O/7, in position 44°55'N, 36°45'W, the Josiah Mary fell out of the convoy as she was not under control. She was lost from sight after dark and did not rejoin the convoy. Her destination was Southampton [arrival date not known].
Around 0800Z/11, in position 49°40'N, 17°40'W, HMS Voltaire parted company with the convoy to return to Halifax.
The Archimede parted company later on the 11th to proceed to Brest.
Around 0700A/12, in position 49°53'N, 13°10'W, the sloop HMS Enchantress (Cdr. A.K. Scott-Moncrieff, RN) and corvette HMS Gladiolus (Lt.Cdr. H.M.C. Sanders, RNR) joined the convoy.
Around 1930A/12, in position 48°52'N, 10°50'W, the convoy split into two sections. Around the same time, the Kalliopi S. left the convoy without permission. She arrived at Queenstown, Ireland in 13 May.
The Irish Sea / west coast section was made up of the following merchant vessels; Aelybryn (arrived in the Clyde on 15 May), Ainderby (arrived at Liverpool on 14 May), Atlantian (arrived at Liverpool on 14 May), Auditor (arrived at Liverpool on 14 May), Comanchee (arrived at Avonmouth on 14 May), Daleby (arrived at Liverpool on 14 May), Delilian (arrived in the Clyde on 15 May), Ethan Allen (arrived at Liverpool on 14 May), Grayburn (arrived at Liverpool on 14 May), Inverlee (arrived in the Clyde on 14 May), King Stephen (arrived at Swansea on 14 May), Kirnwood (arrived at Liverpool on 14 / 15 May), Kotor (arrived at Liverpool on 14 / 15 May), Nestos (arrived at Cardiff on 14 May), Nurtureton (arrived at Liverpool on 14 May), Nyland (arrived at Avonmouth on 14 May), Oilfield (arrived at Avonmouth on 14 May), Oligarch (arrived at Liverpool on 14 May), Tredinnick (arrived at Avonmouth on 14 May), Trehata (arrived at Avonmouth on 14 May) and Vav (arrived at Belfast on 15 May). They were escorted by HMS Enchantress which after having escorted the bulk of this section towards Liverpool proceeded to Plymouth where she arrived on 15 May.
The Channel / east coast section was made up of the following merchant vessels; Arthur F. Corwin (arrived in the Downs on 15 May), Aspasia Nomikos (arrived at Le Havre on 15 May), Athelcrown (arrived at Portland on 14 May), Benwood (arrived at Falmouth on 13 May), Canadolite (arrived at Le Havre on 14 May), Coptic (arrived at Portland on 14 May), Dalemoor (arrived in the Downs on 15 May), Desmoulea (arrived at Portland on 14 May), Diloma (arrived at Southampton on 14 May), Donacilla (arrived at Portland on 14 May), Empire Industy (arrived in the Downs on 15 May), Hopemouth (arrived at Portland on 14 May), King Robert (arrived at Portland on 14 May), Roussillion (arrived at Le Havre on 15 May), Shekatika (arrived at Southampton on 15 May), Swiftpool (arrived at Portland on 14 May), Temple Mead (arrived at Portland on 14 May), Temple Yard (arrived at Portland on 14 May), Tornus (arrived at Portland on 14 May), Tower Field (arrived in the Downs on 15 May), Wanderer (arrived at Portland on 14 May) and Westbury (arrived at Portland on 14 May). They were escorted by HMS Gladiolus which arrived at Dover on 15 May 1940. (1)
Sources
- ADM 53/113402 + ADM 53/113403 + ADM 199/49 + ADM 199/53
ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.