Other records of ships
Convoy Records
It is only possible to find which convoy a given ship was in if
it was lost in that convoy [definition], and then only
for the Second World War. The Public Record Office [address] has
the surviving records of Allied convoys in both world wars. First World War Generally, convoys were begun in April 1917. Records are in
class ADM 137, entitled `War of 1914-1918: Admiralty Historical
Section: Packs and Miscellaneous Records.` The main series of
convoy records are in the files ADM 137/2523 to 2664 and ADM
137/2751 to 2775. Second World War Convoys were operated throughout the Second World War. Reports
of about half of these have survived. They are in class ADM 237,
entitled `War of 1939-1945: Naval Staff: Operations Division:
Convoy Records.` The Public Record Office has a card index to
convoys. Documents concerning attacks on convoys are in class ADM 233,
`Naval Intelligence Papers` and in ADM 199, `War History Cases and
Papers`. Interviews with survivors of merchant ships sunk during
the war are in ADM 199/2130 to 2148, and these may provide convoy
numbers. There is an index to the ships mentioned in these
reports. An index of ships lost in the major convoys is in Hague,
A. The Allied convoy system 1939-1945: its organization,
defence, and operation. Chatham Publishing, London, 2000. This
book also provides background information on convoys in the Second
World War.
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