Allied Warships

USS Henley (i) (DD 391)

Destroyer of the Bagley class

Navy	The US Navy
Type	Destroyer
Class	Bagley
Pennant	DD 391
Built by	Mare Island Navy Yard (Vallejo, California, U.S.A.)
Ordered
Laid down	28 Oct 1935
Launched	12 Jan 1937
Commissioned	14 Aug 1937
Lost	3 Oct 1943
Loss position	7° 40'S, 148° 06'E

History	USS Henley (Cdr. Carlton Rolla Adams, USN) was sunk after being torpedoed by the Japanese submarine RO-108 (offsite link) off Cape Cretin, New Guinea in position 07º40'S, 148°06'E. 17 crewmembers lost their lives.

Commands listed for USS Henley (i) (DD 391)

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	Commander	From	To
1	Ruthledge Barker Tomkins, USN	23 May 1938	14 Jan 1941 (1)
2	Lt.Cdr. Robert Hall Smith, USN	14 Jan 1941	14 Aug 1942 (1)
3	Lt.Cdr. Earl Kendall van Swearingen, USN	14 Aug 1942	9 Apr 1943
4	T/Cdr. Carlton Rolla Adams, USN	9 Apr 1943	3 Oct 1943

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Notable events involving Henley (i) include:

1 Feb 1943

'Pamphlet' convoy, Suez - Sydney, 1 February to 27 February 1943.

This convoy, made up of the troopships Queen Mary (81235 GRT, built 1936), Aquitania (45647 GRT, built 1914), Ile de France (43548 GRT, built 1927, former French), Nieuw Amsterdam (36287 GRT, built 1938) and the British auxiliary cruiser Queen of Bermuda (A/Capt.(Retd.) the Hon. Sir A.D. Cochrane, DSO, RN) (22575 GRT, built 1933) were transporting 30000 men of the Australian 9th Division from Suez to Melbourne and Sydney.

This convoy had departed Suez on 1 February 1943 and were escorted during their passage through the Red Sea by the destroyers HMS Pakenham (Capt. E.B.K. Stevens, DSO, DSC, RN), HMS Petard (Lt.Cdr. R.C. Egan, RN), HMS Isis (Cdr. B. Jones, DSC, RN), HMS Hero (Lt.Cdr. W. Scott, DSC and Bar, RN), RHS Vasilissa Olga (Lt.Cdr. G. Blessas, DSO, RHN) and the escort destroyer Derwent (Cdr. R.H. Wright, DSC, RN).

The convoy was joined around 1545C/4 by the heavy cruiser HMS Devonshire (Capt. D. Young-Jamieson, RN).

Around 1800E/6, HMS Hero and HMS Derwent parted company with the convoy to proceed to Aden.

Around 2000E/6, HMS Pakenham, HMS Petard, HMS Isis and RHS Vasilissa Olga parted company with the convoy to proceed to Aden.

Around 1230FG/9, the destroyers HMS Quilliam (Capt. S.H. Carlill, DSO, RN) and HMS Foxhound (Cdr. C.J. Wynne-Edwards, DSC and Bar, RN) joined the convoy.

The convoy entered Addu Atoll late in the afternoon / early in the evening of the 9th where all warships fuelled.

The convoy departed Addu Atoll to continue its passage to Australia in the afternoon of the 10th. The light cruiser HMS Gambia (Capt. M.J. Mansergh, CBE, RN) had joined the convoy escort.

Around 0030FG/11, HMS Quilliam and HMS Foxhound parted company to proceed to Addu Atoll.

Around 0840H/16, the light cruiser HrMs Tromp (Capt. J.B. de Meester, RNN) and the destroyer HrMs Van Galen (Lt.Cdr. F.T. Burghard, RNN) joined the convoy in approximate postion 26°06'S, 101°09'E.

Around 2000H/16, the AA cruiser HrMs Jacob van Heemskerck (Capt. E.J. van Holthe, RNN) joined the convoy in approximate position 27°41'S, 104°35'E.

Around 2000H/17, the destroyer HrMs Tjerk Hiddes (Lt.Cdr. W.J. Kruys, RNN) joined the convoy in approximate position 30°30'S, 112°52'E.

In the afternoon of the 18th the convoy arrived off Fremantle.

In the evening of the 20th the convoy departed Fremantle now escorted by the light cruisers HMAS Adelaide (A/Capt. J.C.D. Esdaile, OBE, RAN), HMS Tromp, AA cruiser HrMs Jacob van Heemskerck and the destroyers HrMs Van Galen and HrMs Tjerk Hiddes (Lt.Cdr. W.J. Kruys, RNN). HrMs Jacob van Heemskerck and HrMs Van Galen only remained with the convoy for a short period.

Around 1615 hours on the 24th the convoy was joined by the heavy cruiser Australia (Capt. H.B. Farncomb, MVO, DSO, RAN) and the destroyers USS Henley (Lt.Cdr. E.K. van Swearingen, USN) and USS Bagley (Lt.Cdr. T.E. Chambers, USN). The New Amsterdam escorted by HMAS Adelaide, HrMs Heemskerk and HrMs Tjerk Hiddes then departed the convoy and proceeded to Melbourne where they arrived arrived noon on the 25th. The other ships continued to Sydney.

In the afternoon of the 26th the HrMs Heemskerck rejoined the convoy. Later in the afternoon the destroyer Le Triomphant (Capt. Ortoli) also joined.

The convoy arrived at Sydney on the 27th.