| Convoy SC 118 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Battle of the Atlantic | |||||
 USS Schenck at sea | |||||
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
 Germany | |||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||
| Karl Dönitz | ||||
| Strength | |||||
| 20 submarines | ||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||
|
| ||||
Convoy SC 118 was the 118th of the numbered series of World War II slow convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island, to Liverpool.[1] The ships departed New York City on 24 January 1943 and were met by the Mid-Ocean Escort Force Group B-2 consisting of the Treasury-class cutter Bibb, the Town-class destroyer Beverley, the V-class destroyers Vanessa and Vimy and four Flower-class corvettes, Abelia, Campanula, Lobelia and Mignonette, with the convoy rescue ship Toward.[2][3]
Background
As western Atlantic coastal convoys brought an end to the "second happy time" off the US coast, Admiral Karl Dönitz, the Befehlshaber der U-Boote (BdU, commander in chief of U-boats) shifted focus to the mid-Atlantic to avoid aircraft patrols. Although convoy routing was less predictable in the mid-ocean, Dönitz anticipated that the increased numbers of U-boats being produced would be able to find convoys with the advantage of intelligence gained through B-Dienst decryption of the British Naval Cypher Number 3.[4] Only 20 per cent of the 180 trans-Atlantic convoys sailing from the end of July 1942 until the end of April 1943 lost ships to U-boat attack.[5]
Prelude
On 2 February U-456 sank three ships from Convoy HX 224. A survivor of one of the sunken ships was picked up by U-632 and told his rescuers a slower convoy was following.[6]
Battle
4 February
A careless merchant seaman of Convoy SC 118 fired a pyrotechnic snowflake projector aboard the Norwegian cargo ship Vannik in the pre-dawn darkness of 4 February.[6] U-187 observed the snowflake display, reported the convoy and was promptly sunk by Beverley and Vimy after Bibb and Toward triangulated the submarine's location from the sighting report, using high-frequency radio direction-finding (HF/DF or Huff-Duff).[7] The destroyers rescued 44 of the submarine's crew.[8] The Polish merchant ship Zagloba was torpedoed on the unprotected side of the convoy by U-262 and U-413 torpedoed the straggling US merchantman West Portal.[7]
5 February
The convoy escort was reinforced by the US Coast Guard Treasury class cutter Ingham and the Wickes-class destroyers USS Babbitt and USS Schenck from Iceland.[7] The reinforced escort damaged U-262 and U-267.[9]
7−9 February
In the pre-dawn hours, U-402 (Kapitänleutnant Siegfried von Forstner) torpedoed the British freighter Afrika, the Norwegian tanker Daghild, the Greek merchant ship Kalliopi, the US tanker Robert E. Hopkins, the cargo liner Henry R. Mallory, and the convoy rescue ship Toward.[10]
Henry R. Mallory was capable of 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) but had been straggling well astern of the convoy for several days and was not zig-zagging, despite its exposed position. Mallory would normally have been assigned to one of the faster HX convoys but there had been no Iceland section of the preceding Convoy HX 224. No commands came from the bridge after Mallory was torpedoed, no flares were sent up, no radio distress message was sent out and no orders were given to abandon ship.[11] There were 272 casualties from Mallory's crew of 77, 34 Navy gunners, and the 136 American soldiers, 172 American sailors and 72 US Marines she was transporting to Iceland.[12]
U-614 sank the British straggler Harmala and Lobelia sank U-609.[10] The B-17 J of 220 Squadron sank U-614 on 7 February.[7] U-402 sank the British merchantman Newton Ash that night. On 9 February, Forstner was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for ships sunk by U-402 from this convoy and from Convoy SC 107 on the previous patrol. Convoy SC 118 reached Liverpool without further loss on 12 February.[2]
Ships in convoy
| Name | Year | Flag | GRT | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acme | 1916 |  United States |
6,878 | Petrol, oil |
| Adamas | 1918 |  Greece |
4,144 | Steel, lumber; 8 Feb, collided Samuel Huntington, sank, 0† |
| African Prince | 1939 |  Merchant Navy |
8,031 | Bauxite, ammunition, Convoy Commodore H. C. C. Forsyth |
| Afrika | 1920 | Merchant Navy |
8,597 | Steel, general cargo, 7 Feb, sunk U-402, 23† |
| Ann Skakel | 1920 | United States |
4,949 | General cargo, detached to Iceland 9 Feb |
| Arizpa | 1920 | United States |
5,437 | Stores |
| Athelprince | 1926 | Merchant Navy |
8,782 | Diesel, naphtha; convoy vice-commodore |
| Baron Haig | 1926 | Merchant Navy |
3,391 | Sugar |
| Baron Ramsey | 1929 | Merchant Navy |
3,650 | Iron ore |
| Bestik | 1920 |  Norway |
2,684 | Steel, lumber |
| Blairdevon | 1925 | Merchant Navy |
3,282 | Steel, lumber |
| Celtic Star | 1918 | Merchant Navy |
5,575 | Reefer ship |
| Cetus | 1920 | Norway |
2,614 | Sugar |
| City of Khios | 1925 | Merchant Navy |
5,574 | Sugar |
| Daghild | 1927 | Norway |
9,272 | Diesel, sunk, U-402, U-614, U-608 |
| Dallington Court | 1929 | Merchant Navy |
6,889 | Wheat |
| Danae II | 1936 | Merchant Navy |
2,660 | Bauxite |
| Danby | 1937 | Merchant Navy |
4,281 | Linseed, grain |
| Daylight | 1931 | United States |
9,180 | General cargo, escort oiler; detached Iceland 9 Feb |
| Deido | 1928 | Merchant Navy |
3,894 | Petrol |
| Dettifoss | 1930 |  Iceland |
1,564 | General cargo, 9 Feb, detached, Iceland |
| Dordrecht | 1928 |  Netherlands |
4,402 | Palm oil, returned to Halifax |
| Empire Gareth | 1942 | Merchant Navy |
2,847 | Bauxite |
| Empire Liberty | 1941 | Merchant Navy |
7,157 | General cargo |
| Glarona | 1928 | Norway |
9,912 | Fuel oil, diesel |
| Gogra | 1919 | Merchant Navy |
5,190 | General cargo |
| Gold Shell | 1931 | Merchant Navy |
8,208 | Petrol |
| Grey County | 1918 | Norway |
5,194 | General cargo, 3† |
| Gulf of Mexico | 1917 | United States |
7,807 | Oil, petrol |
| H M Flagler | 1918 |  Panama |
8,208 | Furnace fuel oil, escort oiler |
| Harmala | 1935 | Merchant Navy |
5,730 | Iron ore, straggled, sunk U-614 7 Feb, 53† |
| Helder | 1920 | Netherlands |
3,629 | General cargo |
| USS Henry R. Mallory | 1916 | United States |
6,063 | 383 passengers & general cargo, 7 Feb, sunk U-402, 272† |
| Ioannis Frangos | 1912 | Greece |
3,442 | Grain |
| Julius Thomsen | 1927 |  Denmark |
1,151 | Detached, Greenland |
| Kalliopi | 1910 | Greece |
4,965 | Steel, lumber, 7 Feb, sunk, U-402, 4† |
| King Stephen | 1928 | Merchant Navy |
5,274 | Grain |
| Kiruna | 1921 |  Sweden |
5,484 | General cargo |
| Lagarfoss | 1904 | Iceland |
1,211 | General cargo, 9 Feb, detached, Iceland |
| Makedonia | 1942 | Greece |
7,044 | Flour |
| Mana | 1920 |  Honduras |
3,283 | General cargo, 9 Feb, detached, Iceland |
| Maud | 1930 | Norway |
3,189 | Sugar |
| New York City | 1917 | Merchant Navy |
2,710 | General cargo |
| Newton Ash | 1925 | Merchant Navy |
4,625 | Grain, mail & military stores, 7 Feb, sunk, U-402, 32† |
| Norbryn | 1922 | Norway |
5,087 | Tea, rubber |
| Permian | 1931 | Panama |
8,890 | |
| Petter II | 1922 | Norway |
7,417 | Gas oil |
| Polyktor | 1914 | Greece |
4,077 | Grain, sunk by U-266 |
| Rådmansü | 1914 | Sweden |
4,280 | Sulphur |
| Radport | 1925 | Merchant Navy |
5,355 | General cargo |
| Redgate | 1929 | Merchant Navy |
4,323 | General cargo |
| Robert E. Hopkins | 1921 | United States |
6,625 | Furnace fuel oil, escort oiler, 7 Feb, sunk U-402 |
| Samuel Huntington | 1942 | United States |
7,181 | General cargo, Liberty ship |
| Sheaf Holme | 1929 | Merchant Navy |
4,814 | Potash & general cargo |
| Sommerstad | 1926 | Norway |
5,923 | Lubricating oil |
| Stad Arnhem | 1920 | Netherlands |
3,819 | Phosphates |
| Tilemachos | 1911 | Greece |
3,658 | Grain |
| Toward | 1923 | Merchant Navy |
1,571 | Rescue ship, 7 Feb, sunk by U-402, 58† |
| Vacuum | 1920 | United States |
7,020 | Petrol |
| Vannik | 1940 | Norway |
1,333 | General cargo, detached to Iceland 9 Feb |
| West Portal | 1920 | United States |
5,376 | Straggled, 4 Feb, sunk by U-413 |
| William Penn | 1921 | United States |
8,447 | Petrol |
| Yemassee | 1922 | Panama |
2,001 | General cargo, 9 Feb, detached, Iceland |
| Zagloba | 1938 |  Poland |
2,864 | Ammunition, general cargo, 4 Feb, sunk, U-262 |
Allied order of battle
Convoy escorts
Coastal Command
| Sqn | Flag | Group | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120 Squadron |  Royal Air Force |
15 Group | B-24 Liberator | Very Long Range ASW |
| 206 Squadron | Royal Air Force |
15 Group | B-17 Fortress | Very Long Range ASW |
| 220 Squadron | Royal Air Force |
15 Group | B-17 Fortress | Very Long Range ASW |
German order of battle
Wolfpack Pfeil (Arrow)
See also
Notes
- Hague 2000, p. 133.
- Hague 2000, p. 135.
- Rohwer & Hümmelchen 2005, p. 228.
- Tarrant 1989, p. 108.
- Hague 2000, p. 132, 137–138, 161–162, 164, 181.
- Waters 1966, p. 96.
- Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 191.
- Waters 1966, p. 97.
- Waters 1966, p. 98.
- Hague 2000, p. 137.
- Waters 1966, pp. 102–103.
- Morison 1957, p. 336.
- Jordan 2006, pp. 44, 79, 88, 96, 124, 128, 132, 141, 145, 147, 166, 175, 176, 177, 186, 192, 196, 204, 205, 213, 215, 272, 276, 290, 304, 308, 314, 316, 322, 329, 330, 332, 340, 367, 387, 390, 396, 404, 411, 417, 418, 422, 426, 433, 462, 465, 483, 491, 497, 498, 505, 513, 525, 527, 559, 582, 585, 587, 590, 592, 596, 598.
- Rohwer & Hümmelchen 2005, pp. 228–229.
- Woodman 2004, p. 719.
References
- Hague, Arnold (2000). The Allied Convoy System 1939–1945, Its Organisation, Defence and Operation. London: Chatham. ISBN 1-86176-147-3.
- Jordan, Roger W. (2006) [1999]. The World's Merchant Fleets 1939: The Particulars and Wartime Fates of 6,000 Ships (2nd ed.). London: Chatham/Lionel Leventhal. ISBN 978-1-86176-293-1.
- Morison, Samuel Eliot (1957). The Battle of the Atlantic September 1939 – May 1943. History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Vol. I. Boston, MS: Little, Brown and Company. OCLC 917591348.
- Rohwer, Jürgen; Hümmelchen, Gerhard (1992). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-105-X.
- Rohwer, Jürgen Authorlink1=Jürgen Rohwer; Hümmelchen, Gerhard (2005) [1972]. Chronology of the War at Sea, 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (3rd rev. ed.). London: Chatham. ISBN 978-1-86176-257-3.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - Tarrant, V. E. (1989). The U-Boat Offensive 1914–1945. London: Arms and Armour. ISBN 978-0-85-368928-7.
- Waters, John M. Jr. (1966). "Stay Tough". United States Naval Institute Proceedings (December). Annapolis, MD: U.S. Naval Institute. ISSN 0041-798X.
- Woodman, Richard (2004). The Real Cruel Sea: The Merchant Navy in the Battle of the Atlantic, 1939–1943. London: John Murray. ISBN 978-0-71-956403-1.
Further reading
- Blair, Clay (2000) [1998]. Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunted 1942–1945. Vol. II (pbk. repr. ed.). London: Cassell. ISBN 0-304-35261-6.
- British Vessels lost at Sea 1939–45 (2nd facs. repr. Patrick Stephens, Cambridge ed.). London: HMSO. 1976 [1947]. ISBN 978-0-85-059267-2. original titles, Ships of the Royal Navy: Statement of Losses during the Second World War and British Merchant Vessels lost of Damaged by enemy Action during Second World War
- Edwards, Bernard (1996). Dönitz and the Wolf Packs – The U-boats at War. ISBN 0-304-35203-9.
- Gretton, Peter (1964). Convoy Escort Commander. London: Cassell. OCLC 6441688.
- Kemp, Paul (1997). U-Boats Destroyed, German Submarine losses in the World Wars. London: Arms and Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3 – via Archive Foundation.
- Milner, Marc (2018) [1985]. North Atlantic Run: The Royal Canadian Navy and the Battle for the Convoys. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-1-4875-7728-5.
- Milner, Marc (2011) [2003]. Battle of the Atlantic. Stroud: Spellmount (History Press). ISBN 978-0-7524-6646-0.
- Niestlé, Axel (2014). German U-Boat Losses during World War II: Details of Destruction. Barnsley: Frontline Books. ISBN 978-1-84832-210-3.
- Sharpe, Peter (1998). U-Boat Fact File. Leicester: Midland Publishing. ISBN 1-85780-072-9.