Allied Warships
HMS Jervis Bay (F 40)
Armed Merchant Cruiser
Photo courtesy of Allan C. Green Collection
| Navy | The Royal Navy |
| Type | Armed Merchant Cruiser |
| Class | [No specific class] |
| Pennant | F 40 |
| Built by | Vickers Ltd. (Barrow-in-Furness, U.K.) |
| Ordered | |
| Laid down | |
| Launched | 17 Jan 1922 |
| Commissioned | 15 Oct 1939 |
| Lost | 5 Nov 1940 |
| Loss position | 53° 41'N, 32° 17'W |
| History | On 25 August 1939 the passenger ship Jervis Bay of the Aberdeen & Commonwealth Line Ltd, London was requisitioned by the Admiralty and converted to an armed merchant cruiser. Conversion was completed on 15 October 1939. Displacement: 14164 BRT Career: On 5 November 1940, HMS Jervis Bay (A/Capt. Edward Stephen Fogarty Fegen, RN) was shelled and sunk in position 52º41'N, 32º17'W by the German pocket-battleship Admiral Scheer while engaging the superior enemy ship in a heroic, if hopeless, fight to give the 37 merchants in the convoy HX-84 a chance to escape, because the armed merchant cruiser was the sole escort. Her sacrifice allowed many ships of the convoy to scatter and escape in the night. Capt. E.S.F. Fegen (RN) was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. 190 men were lost, while 65 survivors were picked up by the Swedish merchant Stureholm that had turned back during the night to search for survivors. |
Commands listed for HMS Jervis Bay (F 40)
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) Arthur Gerald Harris, RN | 2 Sep 1939 | 12 Feb 1940 |
| 2 | Cdr. (retired) James Alexander Pollard Blackburn, DSC, RN | 12 Feb 1940 | 28 Feb 1940 |
| 3 | A/Capt. Edward Stephen Fogarty Fegen, RN | 28 Feb 1940 | 5 Nov 1940 (+) |
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Notable events involving Jervis Bay include:
13 Oct 1939
While at Rosyth HMS Sabre (Lt.Cdr. B. Dean, RN) is heavily damaged when she is rammed by the armed merchant cruiser HMS Jervis Bay. Sabre was under repair to 6 May 1940.
6 Jan 1940
During the morning, HMS Kelvin (Lt.Cdr. J.L. Machin, RN) and HMS Kimberley (Lt.Cdr. R.G.K. Knowling, RN), screened the armed merchant cruiser HMS Jervis Bay (Capt.(Retd.) A.G. Harris, RN).
In the middle of the day they screened the heavy cruiser HMS Hawkins (Capt. E. Rotherham, RN) during her gunnery exercises in the first part of the afternoon.
Later in the afternoon they screened the armed merchant cruiser HMS Dunvegan Castle (Capt.(Retd.) H. Ardill, RN) during her gunnery exercises. (1)
16 Jan 1940
Convoy SL 17.
This convoy departed Freetown on 16 January 1940.
The convoy was made up of the following merchant vessels; Clumberhall (British, 5198 GRT, built 1930), Harpasa (British, 5082 GRT, built 1932), Hawnby (British, 5380 GRT, built 1936), King Edgar (British, 4536 GRT, built 1927), Loch Ranza (British, 4958 GRT, built 1934), Marconi (British, 7402 GRT, built 1917), Oswerty Grange (British, 4684 GRT, built 1935), River Lugar (British, 5423 GRT, built 1937), Salvus (British, 4815 GRT, built 1928), Stonepool (British, 4803 GRT, built 1928) and Thomas Holt (British, 3585 GRT, built 1929).
Escort was provided on leaving Freetown by the destroyer HMS Dainty (Cdr. F.M. Walton, RN).
Around 0800Z/18, near Dakar, in position 11°24'N, 17°58'W, the armed merchant cruiser HMS Carnarvon Castle (Capt.(Retd.) G.B. Lewis, RN) joined. HMS Dainty then left the convoy.
Also on the 18th, the merchant vessel Northmoor (British, 4392 GRT, built 1928) overtook and joined the convoy. She had arrived at Freetown as the convoy was forming up sailing later to overtake and join at sea.
Around 1730N/22, in position 25°31'N, 19°53'W, the Hawnby parted company with the convoy due to engine defects. She arrived at Gibraltar on 30 January 1940.
Around 1530N/31, in position 46°18'N, 13°04'W, the convoy merged with convoy SLF 17. HMS Carnarvon Castle then parted company to proceed to Belfast independently.
Convoy SLF 17 was made up of the following merchant vessels; Afric Star (British, 11900 GRT, built 1926), Anchises (British, 10000 GRT, built 1911), Apapa (British, 9332 GRT, built 1927), City of Canberra (British, 7484 GRT, built 1927), Duquesa (British, 8651 GRT, built 1918) and Sangara (British, 4174 GRT, built 1939).
It was escorted by the armed merchant cruiser HMS Jervis Bay (Capt.(Retd.) A.G. Harris, RN) which now became the only escort of the combined convoy after HMS Carnarvon Castle had left.
Around 2200N/1, HMS Jervis Bay parted company to return to Freetown.
On 2 February the convoy was split into the Irish Sea and Channel sections.
Around 1430N/2, in position 49°48'N, 07°00'W, the sloop HMS Rochester (Cdr. G.F. Renwick, RN) joined the Irish Sea section of the convoy.
Around 1530N/2, the destroyer HMS Walker (Lt.Cdr. A.A. Tait, RN) also joined the Irish Sea section of the convoy but at 1730N/2 she was detached to proceed to Liverpool.
The destroyers HMS Wren (Cdr. H.T. Armstrong, RN) and HMS Viscount (Lt.Cdr. M.S. Townsend, RN) joined the Channel section.
HMS Viscount arrived at Plymouth from this escort duty on 3 February. On 4 February HMS Wren arrived at Dover.
Most ships of the convoy arrived at their destinations on 4 February 1940. (2)
20 Jan 1940
Convoy SLF 17.
This convoy departed Freetown on 20 January 1940.
The convoy was made up of the following merchant vessels; Afric Star (British, 11900 GRT, built 1926), Anchises (British, 10000 GRT, built 1911), Apapa (British, 9332 GRT, built 1927), City of Canberra (British, 7484 GRT, built 1927) and Duquesa (British, 8651 GRT, built 1918).
On departure from Freetown the convoy was escorted by the armed merchant cruiser HMS Jervis Bay (Capt.(Retd.) A.G. Harris, RN).
Around 0800N/23, the merchant vessel Sangara (British, 4174 GRT, built 1939) joined the convoy coming from Dakar.
Around 1530N/31, in position 46°18'N, 13°04'W, the convoy merged with convoy SL 17.
15 Feb 1940
At 0430O/15, HMS Queen of Bermuda (Capt. G.A.B. Hawkins, MVO, DSC, RN) is ordered to proceed towards position 13°02'S, 22°43'W, where the merchant vessel Hartismere (British, 5498 GRT, built 1933) reported being with engines disabled, and then take her in tow. Course is set accordingly.
Around 0800O/17, in position 12°00'S, 23°12'W, the disabled ship was taken in tow towards Freetown.
Around 1000O/19, in position 07°26'S, 21°18'W, tow was taken over by HMS Jervis Bay (Cdr.(Retd.) J.A.P. Blackburn, DSC, RN).
HMS Queen of Bermuda then set course to make rendezvous with HMS Hawkins (Capt. E. Rotherham, RN, flagship of Rear-Admiral Sir H. Harwood, KCB, OBE, RN) and HMS Dorsetshire (Capt. B.C.S. Martin, RN) in area K 32. The medical specialist which HMS Queen of Bermuda had on board since leaving the U.K. will then be transferred to HMS Dorsetshire which is to take him to the Falkland Islands to treat wounded personnel from the Battle of the River Plate. (3)
Sources
- ADM 53/112094 + ADM 53/112398 + ADM 53/112519
- ADM 53/111743 + ADM 53/112497 + ADM 53/112498 + ADM 53/113130 + ADM 199/218 + ADM 199/219
- ADM 53/113004 + ADM 199/380
ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.