Convoy commodore
A Convoy Commodore was the title of a civilian put in charge of the good order of the merchant ships in the British convoys used during World War II. Usually the convoy commodore was a retired naval officer or a senior merchant captain drawn from the RNR. He was aboard one of the merchant ships.
The convoy commodore is to be distinguished from the commander of the escort, always a naval officer.
Noted commodores include
- Admiral Sir Reginald Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax
- Admiral Sir Frederic Dreyer
- Admiral Lachlan Donald Ian Mackinnon Survived his ship sinking and was rescued after a prolonged period in the cold waters of the North Atlantic--health permanently damaged
- Vice Admiral Norman Atherton Wodehouse who went down with his ship when it was torpedoed en route to South Africa.
- Admiral Sir Studholme Brownrigg who went down with his ship, the SS Ville de Tamatave on Jan. 24, 1943 in a violent storm.
Bibliography
- The Fighting Commodores, Convoy Commanders in the Second World War, Alan Burn, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 1999