WS Convoys

<body bgcolor=#FFFFFF text=#000000 background=images/cyan.jpg bgproperties=fixed><p><font size="6" color="#003399"><b><a href="/gotcha.html"></a>The OB Convoy Series</b></font></p><p class="style1 style5"><font size="4"><b>This site is a database of mercantile and escort vessels that sailed in the OB convoy series.</b></font> </p> <h3 class="style1 style4"><font size="4">The OB series of convoy sailed from Liverpool and catered for vessels sailing transatlantic to North and South America; for the South Atlantic to Freetown, the Cape and beyond together with coastal traffic. En route, vessels sailing from the Bristol Channel ports (Avonmouth, Barry, Newport, Cardiff and Methil) would join the convoy at a designated position, usually a few miles south of the Smalls Lighthouse (51.43N, 5.40W). The convoy was initially routed south through St. Georges Channel (see <a href="javascript:popUp('pop1.htm',470)">here</a>) and then west to be dispersed <em>after dark</em> in position 50N, 45W (about 750 nautical miles west of Lands End). Later, when bases in France were available to the Axis, the convoy was routed round the north of Ireland. At intervals, the OB series was designated with the letter G and would be combined with the OA series (also designated G) for direct passage to Gibraltar. The combined convoy was then coded as the OG series (see <a href="javascript:popUp('pop2.htm', 560)">here</a>). The complimentary OA series of the same number sailed on the same date from Southend and later from Methil (from July 13, 1940). In addition to their conjunction in the OG convoys, the OA and OB series would combine if they met each other at sea.</font> </h3> <h3 class="style4"><font size="4">The OB series ran from September 7, 1939 (OB.1) to July 21, 1941 (OB.349) when two new convoy series were formed. The <a href="../oskms/index.html" target="_blank">OS series</a> to Freetown, Sierra Leone, for ships bound for the South Atlantic (later sailing with the KMS series to Gibraltar) and the ON series sailing west to Halifax although initially these were still dispersed before their destination.</font> </h3> <p class="style1 style5"><b><font size="5">Click here for the <a href="../mainsitemap.htm">Site Map</a>, <br> For OS/ KMS convoys, see the <a href="../oskms/sitemap.htm">OS/ KMS</a> section, <br> For SL/ MKS convoys, see the <a href="../sl/sitemap.htm">SL/ MKS</a> section,<br> For Russian convoys, see the <a href="../russian/home.htm">Russian Convoys</a> section,<br> for convoy OS.33 see the <a href="../os33/sitemap.htm">OS.33</a> and for <br> the Main Page click <a href="../home.htm">here</a>.</font></b> </p> <p class="style1 style5">The author wishes to express thanks to <a href=http://users.swing.be/naveditoen/edito/9855.html target=_blank>Dominique Lemaire</a> for diligently proofreading these convoy pages.<b><font color=#003399></p></font></b><p align=left><b><font size=4 face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">You are viewing this page because your browser does not support frames.<br> However, you can still access the whole site without frames from the <a href=sitemap.htm>Contents Page</a>.</font></b> <br> </p></body>