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Detailed Account |
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By Thomas M. Allison |
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Above Photo supplied by the late Maurice Rooney |
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Aircraft |
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Vought SB 2U Vindicator Scout Bomber - USS Ranger which was flying an Anti Submarine patrol over the convoy. |
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Ships Front Line Top to Bottom |
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USS West Point - USS Mount Vernon - USS Wakefield - USS Quincy (Heavy Cruiser) |
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Ships Back Line Top to Bottom |
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USAT Leonard Wood - USS Vincennes (Heavy Cruiser) - USS Joseph T Dickman |
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A reproduction of an account by Thomas M. Allison who we understand was a serving American Naval officer in the convoy. |
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CONVOY WILLIAM SAIL 12X (Task Force 14) This is a true account of the little known convoy that sailed from Halifax, Nova Scotia prior to the United States entry into World War Two. The convoy was loaded with British Troops on US troopships and escorted by American men-of-war. Designated "William Sail", it was nicknamed "Winstons Specials". |
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The writer gratefully acknowledges the cooperation received from the Ministry of Defence, London, England Public Records Office, Surrey, UK Operational Archives Branch, Naval Historical Center, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, DC Declassified Secret report dated 8 December 1941 written by Commander Task Force Fourteen to Commander -in-Chief, US Atlantic Fleet Letters from Miss M W Thirkettle, Naval Historical Branch, Ministry of Defence, London, dated 4 June 1980 - 18 December 1980 Historical Department, Naval Staff, The Hague, Netherlands The National Archives, Tokyo, 102, Japan Log entries of German Supply vessel "Python" supplied by German Archives, Flensburg, West Germany Declassified Secret report from Captain D B Beary dated 28 December 1941 to US Navy Chief of Naval Operations, USA Copies of deck log entries of all US Navy vessels in Convoy William Sail 12X from 3 November 1941 to 20 January 1942 supplies by National Archives and Record Service, Washington, DC Declassified Secret report from Captain F H Kelly, CO of West Point, dated 10 January 1942 to Chief of Naval Operations, US Navy Library, US Naval Education and Training Center, Newport, RI, USA Daytona Beach City (Halifax County) Library, Daytona Beach, FL, USA. Spruce Creek High School Library, Port Orange, FL, USA Letters from Capt. R. Wilcox formerly first Lt. of Mount Vernon dated 21st November 1981 Letters from Mr Ernest Tuck, London, England, UK Sergeant 53rd Brigade Letters from Mr Grant Walner, former crewman USS Wakefield Letters from Mr V Bryan, former crewman USS Quincy Letters from Mr Harold Moore former crewman of USS Wakefield Letters from the following troops carried by USS Mount Vernon (53rd Brigade) from Halifax, NS to Singapore: Mr R Bartle, Suffolk, England, UK; Mr J Caplan, Canterbury, England; Mr W L Davis Data from my personal log and from my recollection of the events as they occured. My sincere appreciation to my wife, Mary, for her patience while trying to teach me proper grammar and form. Thomas M Allison US Navy (Ret.) |
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