CONVOYS IN WWII

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From the start of the war a convoy system was used for ships carrying troop reinforcements from India, Australia and New Zealand. One such convoy was that carrying the 11th Division to Egypt in November 1914, a brigade of which made an assault landing at Sheikh Syed to destroy the guns in Fort Turba.

 

Earlier that month another convoy carrying an ANZAC division towards the eastern Mediterranean (and later to Gallipoli) had also passed Perim. This was the convoy which HMAS Sydney had been escorting when she was detached to steam at full speed to intercept the German raider Emden which was in the process of knocking out the cable and wireless stations in the Cocos Keeling Islands. Another 17-ship convoy passed Perim during the night of 23/24 January 1915.

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HMS Duke of Edinburgh was one of two large warships escorting the convoy carrying the 11th Division from India to Egypt. Her guns were used to bombard the fort at Sheikh Syed during the assault landing.

 

In late 1917, due to the very heavy loss of merchant ships travelling alone and unescorted, an obligatory convoy system was introduced for all shipping travelling in the approaches to and from the United Kingdom. These stretched out as far as the Mediterranean. Initially Perim was the rendezvous for ships coming from the Indian Ocean, so that station keeping and convoy procedures could be practiced during passage up the Red Sea, with organised convoys commencing at Port Said. After two or three convoys had been assembled at Perim the RV was changed to Suez.