86 CHALLENGER 



which passed through the Captain's cabin below the bridge, made 

 a churning noise, followed by the tinkle of the engine room 

 repeating telegraph. Sometimes the Captain slept undisturbed by 

 this, but at other times, when there were many movements, he 

 might appear at the back of the bridge, announcing his presence 

 by a gruff enquiry as to how things were going. Yes, it was a 

 nerve-racking business, this convoy work, for hundreds of naval 

 and merchant service officers in these early days of the war. The 

 four hours of the middle watch from midnight to 4 o'clock in 

 the morning seemed like an unending stretch of worry and strain, 

 reaching away almost to eternity. But slowly the hours passed as 

 cups of greasy cocoa punctuated the crawling time and then, quite 

 suddenly, the watch was nearly over and another came to take 

 on the duty as the convoy concertinaed on its way, up speed, 

 down speed, but all the time averaging little more than the speed 

 of a man running, as they crept around the coastline. The complete 

 and utter feeling of contentment that creeps over the relieved 

 watchkeeper as oblivion overtakes him in his bunk cannot be 

 described, it must be experienced. 



In such a convoy Challenger left Plymouth for Port A at 3.30 

 in the afternoon of Saturday, 4th November, 1939. The convoy 

 consisted of Challenger, the oil tanker El Alito and the cable ship 

 Marie Louise Mackaj under the escort of H.M.S. Montrose, an old 

 destroyer. Commander Jenks, being the senior naval officer 

 present, was in charge of this odd little group. A heavy gale blew 

 from the south-west as they rounded the Lizard and headed north- 

 eastwards for the Bristol Channel where the cable vessel was to 

 be detached. The El Alito was flying light, without cargo, and at 

 the height of the gale reported herself out of control ; but at last, 

 very slowly, she got her head round into the wind and hove to 

 on a course of 240 degrees, making good only two knots. 

 Challenger stood by her all through that night in case she should 

 drift in towards danger, and as grey dawn broke and the wind 

 moderated, the little convoy crawled on through the Irish Sea to 

 Liverpool Bay where two more ill-assorted vessels joined up 

 and El Alito was thankfully detached. A minor collision between 

 Challenger and s.s. Portavogiewas the next frustrating little incident 

 before the ships steamed slowly on through another night towards 

 the Clyde, where Challenger was detached to carry on to Port A 



