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Convoy Will Scatter: The Full Story of Jervis Bay and Convoy HX84
On 5 November 1940 the eastbound convoy HX 84 of thirty-seven merchant ships, escorted by the armed merchant cruiser HMS Jervis Bay was attacked in mid-Atlantic by the German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer. The Jervis Bay, commanded by Captain Edward Fegen, charged at the enemy. Hopelessly outgunned, she was blown out of the water by the Scheer’s 11-inch guns.
Meanwhile, led by HX 84’s commodore ship, the Cardiff tramp Cornish City, the merchantmen scattered under the cover of a smoke screen, were picked off one by one by the radar-equipped Admiral Scheer.
Captain Hugh Pettigrew, commanding the highly armed Canadian Pacific cargo liner Beaverford, began a desperate game of hide and seek with the Scheer, which continued until Beaverford was sunk with no survivors. Thanks to this sacrifice, incredibly, only four other merchantmen were sunk.
Later the neutral flag Swedish freighter Stureholm, commanded by Captain Olander, picked up survivors from the Jervis Bay. Without this brave and dangerous gesture no one would have lived to tell the tale of the death throes of the Jervis Bay, whose Captain was awarded the VC.
Sadly, the history books only mention the Beaverford and the Stureholm in passing. This thrilling book puts the record straight.
Meanwhile, led by HX 84’s commodore ship, the Cardiff tramp Cornish City, the merchantmen scattered under the cover of a smoke screen, were picked off one by one by the radar-equipped Admiral Scheer.
Captain Hugh Pettigrew, commanding the highly armed Canadian Pacific cargo liner Beaverford, began a desperate game of hide and seek with the Scheer, which continued until Beaverford was sunk with no survivors. Thanks to this sacrifice, incredibly, only four other merchantmen were sunk.
Later the neutral flag Swedish freighter Stureholm, commanded by Captain Olander, picked up survivors from the Jervis Bay. Without this brave and dangerous gesture no one would have lived to tell the tale of the death throes of the Jervis Bay, whose Captain was awarded the VC.
Sadly, the history books only mention the Beaverford and the Stureholm in passing. This thrilling book puts the record straight.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published June 12, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 20, 2017
I have read bits and pieces of the heroic stand of the HMS Jervis Bay againt the Admiral Scheer through the years so was really glad to be able to read this book so I could get the full story. The author does a great job at telling the story and in great detail as well, and covers the lead up to the battle, the battle and the aftermath very well. In the end I think Convoy HX84 was saved by a combination of the HMS Jervis Bay and the SS Beaverford. The Jervis Bay gave them the opportunity to scatter while the Beaverford gave them the chance to get away while attracting the Admiral Scheers' attention for 5 hours. The author also pays tribute to the Stureholm and the Gloucester City who came to the rescue of the men in the water after the convoy battle.
August 26, 2013
I as a teenager in the 1980s I am the last generation to have been taught by men who had fought in the Second World War. I remember one teacher in particular who was a tall upright man, well spoken and well educated, who had spent his war years in the Royal Navy as an officer. He would tell us about his time on the Atlantic Convoys and the fear of being attacked, while there was also the exhilaration of the hunt and destruction of U-Boats. He also introduced me to a book that I still read to remind myself of that side of war, Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monsarrat while reading Convoy will Scatter it reminded me of that story.
This book brings to life the bravery of the men on convoy HX 84 and the sacrifice of a few which saved many and allowed the bulk of the convoy to carry on to Port with their precious cargo. How when out gunned the Captain of Jervis Bay attacked the Battleship Admiral Scheer and in doing so saved many more lives while laying down his and the crews.
This is the story of how the sheer determination and bravery of the Navy were able to fight and protect Convoy HX 84 meaning that out of 37 merchant ships that only 4 merchant ships were sunk. The Navy had sacrificed themselves as a diversion to allow the merchant ships to escape amid the gunsmoke. This book shows the bravery of the men and why Captain Edward Fogarty Fegan earnt his VC and that the stories of the Jervis Bay and Beaverford sacrifice would have died with the war if it wasn’t for the neutral freighter the Stureholm who picked up the survivors.
As the veterans of the Atlantic battles and convoys are now on their final journeys to another life it is now more important to record the debt we owe, Bernard Edwards records this in Convoy Will Scatter. This book is a well researched historical record of Convoy HX 84 and those men who gave their lives in the service to protect us and as the years slip by this book will become more important because those who paid the ultimate price deserve to have their story remembered and not forgotten in the depths of the ocean or time.
This book brings to life the bravery of the men on convoy HX 84 and the sacrifice of a few which saved many and allowed the bulk of the convoy to carry on to Port with their precious cargo. How when out gunned the Captain of Jervis Bay attacked the Battleship Admiral Scheer and in doing so saved many more lives while laying down his and the crews.
This is the story of how the sheer determination and bravery of the Navy were able to fight and protect Convoy HX 84 meaning that out of 37 merchant ships that only 4 merchant ships were sunk. The Navy had sacrificed themselves as a diversion to allow the merchant ships to escape amid the gunsmoke. This book shows the bravery of the men and why Captain Edward Fogarty Fegan earnt his VC and that the stories of the Jervis Bay and Beaverford sacrifice would have died with the war if it wasn’t for the neutral freighter the Stureholm who picked up the survivors.
As the veterans of the Atlantic battles and convoys are now on their final journeys to another life it is now more important to record the debt we owe, Bernard Edwards records this in Convoy Will Scatter. This book is a well researched historical record of Convoy HX 84 and those men who gave their lives in the service to protect us and as the years slip by this book will become more important because those who paid the ultimate price deserve to have their story remembered and not forgotten in the depths of the ocean or time.
July 14, 2021
Convoy will Scatter tells the story of Convoy HX-84, which was attacked and mauled by the cruiser Admiral Scheer in November 1940. This includes the last stand of Jervis Bay, but also the far less well-known feats Stureholm, which is well worthy of remembrance. Somewhat sadly, the book also makes a big deal of the ‘last stand of the Beaverford’, despite there being little evidence to support the story other than a newspaper article, the information therein being based on eyewitness accounts that couldn’t possibly exist.
The introduction is a little sketchy, and while it gets some things right, there are details wrong and some more-myth-than-reality statements – for example, “it would be the spring of 1941 before the first British radar went to sea” is quite off the mark, even if the author is referring to production models (the first experimental trials afloat were done in 1937). Similarly, the evacuation to Dunkirk is described as a purely British rearguard action, and the characterisation of Anglo-American relations after the fall of France leaves much to be desired. The questionable attention to detail continues in the rest of the book (or perhaps in another of the author’s books) – in Edward’s “Donitz and the Wolf Packs”, Invershannon stayed afloat for some time after being torpedoed to be finished off in the morning. In “Convoy Will Scatter”, it sinks within minutes. Oddly, it’s the later-published “Convoy Will Scatter” that’s off the mark.
The worst element of the book, however, is presenting the last stand of the Beaverford as fact, despite limited (and sketchy) evidence to support it. A more honest account would have presented both sides of the story and at least let readers make up their own mind. Given the evidence involved, going ‘all-in’ on the account that appears to by myth, misleads readers and is a terrible way to do history. See http://www.forposterityssake.ca/Navy/... for more detail.
This is a shame, as there’s an awful lot of accurate detail there as well (more is right than wrong, there’s no question about that, particularly when discussing the key subject matter). It’s clear the book has been written by someone familiar with life at sea, and who is also a skilled writer and passionate about maritime and naval history – the writing is entertaining and skillful, if a little overly ‘dramatic’ for my personal tastes (particularly when the drama lures the author into making questionable or incorrect claims).
The standard of editing (other than the factual errors) is high. The pacing and structure of the book draws the reader in, and covers off both the action and other events that give important context. Importantly, the story is told from many different perspectives – we learn the name of the Italian commander of the submarine Giulio Chialamberto and the action he took in response to an attack from the destroyer Havelock, for example. It draws on numerous sources, including survivor’s accounts, and pays close attention to the experience of the people involved, which helps the reader understand the personal impact on those involved in the action.
The research is generally very good (making the odd errors of fact even more baffling), and outlined in a bibliography. There is an index, and, it is to the author’s credit that they include a list of those lost on the Beaverford in an appendix, as well as those rescued from the Jervis Bay in another appendix. There is an image section with 16 photographs and one diagram in the centre of the book, but otherwise it is a text-only affair.
Thus, while there were regular moments where there was a twinge of disappointment at something being a bit off, there was lots of very good writing as well, and the overall read through was an interesting and worthwhile experience. Had the treatment of Beaverford been better, it would have been better than three stars, but just too many errors to give it four. However, the presentation of myth as fact, as a key element of the story in a work passing itself off as historical, is poor form which, combined with other issues, make the book hard to recommend.
The introduction is a little sketchy, and while it gets some things right, there are details wrong and some more-myth-than-reality statements – for example, “it would be the spring of 1941 before the first British radar went to sea” is quite off the mark, even if the author is referring to production models (the first experimental trials afloat were done in 1937). Similarly, the evacuation to Dunkirk is described as a purely British rearguard action, and the characterisation of Anglo-American relations after the fall of France leaves much to be desired. The questionable attention to detail continues in the rest of the book (or perhaps in another of the author’s books) – in Edward’s “Donitz and the Wolf Packs”, Invershannon stayed afloat for some time after being torpedoed to be finished off in the morning. In “Convoy Will Scatter”, it sinks within minutes. Oddly, it’s the later-published “Convoy Will Scatter” that’s off the mark.
The worst element of the book, however, is presenting the last stand of the Beaverford as fact, despite limited (and sketchy) evidence to support it. A more honest account would have presented both sides of the story and at least let readers make up their own mind. Given the evidence involved, going ‘all-in’ on the account that appears to by myth, misleads readers and is a terrible way to do history. See http://www.forposterityssake.ca/Navy/... for more detail.
This is a shame, as there’s an awful lot of accurate detail there as well (more is right than wrong, there’s no question about that, particularly when discussing the key subject matter). It’s clear the book has been written by someone familiar with life at sea, and who is also a skilled writer and passionate about maritime and naval history – the writing is entertaining and skillful, if a little overly ‘dramatic’ for my personal tastes (particularly when the drama lures the author into making questionable or incorrect claims).
The standard of editing (other than the factual errors) is high. The pacing and structure of the book draws the reader in, and covers off both the action and other events that give important context. Importantly, the story is told from many different perspectives – we learn the name of the Italian commander of the submarine Giulio Chialamberto and the action he took in response to an attack from the destroyer Havelock, for example. It draws on numerous sources, including survivor’s accounts, and pays close attention to the experience of the people involved, which helps the reader understand the personal impact on those involved in the action.
The research is generally very good (making the odd errors of fact even more baffling), and outlined in a bibliography. There is an index, and, it is to the author’s credit that they include a list of those lost on the Beaverford in an appendix, as well as those rescued from the Jervis Bay in another appendix. There is an image section with 16 photographs and one diagram in the centre of the book, but otherwise it is a text-only affair.
Thus, while there were regular moments where there was a twinge of disappointment at something being a bit off, there was lots of very good writing as well, and the overall read through was an interesting and worthwhile experience. Had the treatment of Beaverford been better, it would have been better than three stars, but just too many errors to give it four. However, the presentation of myth as fact, as a key element of the story in a work passing itself off as historical, is poor form which, combined with other issues, make the book hard to recommend.
January 19, 2017
I have read of the Jervis Bay often since I was 9 years old. Next well known to me in that convoy, the San Demetrio. She was a tanker that was the subject of a film made in WW2 which I saw during that war. It has been on TV a good many times since. (UK). Just bought the DVD! Search Amazon!
I think the author's main point is to highlight the sacrifice of the Beaverford, which was unknown to the public at the time. He also brings attention to the fine seamanship displayed by the Master and crew of the neutral Swedish ship Stureholm, without which there would have been no survivors of the Jervis Bay to tell the story.
I think the author's main point is to highlight the sacrifice of the Beaverford, which was unknown to the public at the time. He also brings attention to the fine seamanship displayed by the Master and crew of the neutral Swedish ship Stureholm, without which there would have been no survivors of the Jervis Bay to tell the story.
June 29, 2022
Interesting story of this well known convoy with some new (to me at least) information.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews