Office of the Historian

J.C.S. Files

Report by an Ad Hoc Committee of the Combined Chiefs of Staff1

secret
Enclosure to C.C.S. 222/3
[Quebec,] 22 August 1943.

Future Convoy Arrangements in the Atlantic

1.
a. C.C.S. 222/22 indicates that convoy UGS 16, sailing 26 August, has 91 firm presenters as against a convoy limit of 80 ships.
b. The Combined Chiefs of Staff have been requested by the Combined Military Transportation Committee to give a decision on one of two alternatives:
(1)
To raise the limit of UGS convoys.
(2)
To indicate the priority which should be assigned the presenters involved so that 80 ships can be selected.
2.
a. With regard to alternative (1), the Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet, has established the limit on the number of ships in UGS convoys at 80 for security reasons.
b. The immediate problem in priorities has been solved in large part by the withdrawal of 6 U.S. Army vessels and 2 B.M.W.T. vessels from the list of presenters. The convoy limitation of 80 ships now is exceeded by 3.
c. It is quite possible that, of the remaining 83 vessels, at least 3 may fail to meet the convoy sailing date.

recommendations

3.
It is recommended that:
a.
Three vessels be nominated for withdrawal from the convoy, if necessary, in the following priority:
  • First withdrawal—1 B.M.W.T. vessel
  • Second withdrawal—1 W.S.A. vessel
  • Third withdrawal—1 B.M.W.T. vessel
  • Vessel or vessels to be selected by the agency concerned.
b.
All vessels should be prepared to sail.
4.
In view of the fact that indications point to a recurrence of this problem in subsequent months, it is recommended that the U.S. Navy fix the earliest practical date when a program of four UGS convoys per month will be established.3
5.
It is further recommended that the Combined Chiefs of Staff delegate to the Combined Military Transportation Committee the executive authority to act on similar problems in the future with regard to UGS convoys in accordance with the following priority:4
a.
U.S. and British ships destined for forces commanded by the Allied Commander in Chief in Mediterranean.
b.
U.S. and British ships destined for India.
c.
U.S. and British ships destined for Allied forces in Middle East.
d.
U.S. and British ships carrying civil supplies for occupied territories in Mediterranean.
e.
Ships destined for Persian Gulf.
f.
Lend lease to Turkey.
g.
Miscellaneous.
  1. Circulated under cover of a note by the Secretaries of the Combined Chiefs of Staff (C.C.S. 222/3), August 22, 1943. This report was discussed at the 116th Meeting of the Combined Chiefs of Staff, August 24, 1943 (see ante, p. 959), and was approved with the amendments described in footnotes 3–4, below. The report, as amended and approved and with a few minor editorial changes, was then circulated as the enclosure to a note by the Secretaries of the Combined Chiefs of Staff (C.C.S. 222/4), August 24, 1943.↩
  2. Ante, p. 1040.↩
  3. The words “with due regard to the general set-up of convoys in the Atlantic” were added to this paragraph in C.C.S. 222/4.↩
  4. The words “unless otherwise agreed” were added at the end of this paragraph in C.C.S. 222/4.↩