Convoy commodore

Office of the Convoy commodore
Ensign of the Royal Navy
Admiralty
Reports to	First Sea Lord
Nominator	First Sea Lord
Appointer	Prime Minister Subject to formal approval by the Queen-in-Council
Term length	Not fixed
Formation	1939-1945

Convoy commodore also known as Commodore, convoys 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 Royal Naval Reserve. He was aboard one of the merchant ships.

The convoy commodore was distinguished from the commander of the convoy's escort, always a naval officer.

Convoy commodores

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; his health was damaged permanently.
• 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, SS Ville de Tamatave, on 24 January 1943 in a violent storm.
• Admiral Eric Gascoigne Robinson, V.C. who served for three years. Retired exhausted.
• Captain Harry Charles Birnie, of the Cunard Line. Died commanding Convoy SC 121.

Bibliography

• Burn, Alan (1996). The Fighting Commodores, Convoy Commanders in the Second World War. Pen & Sword Books Ltd. ISBN 978-0850525045.