| Convoy SC 118 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Battle of the Atlantic | |||||||
 USS Schenck (DD-159) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United Kingdom Canada United States |
 Nazi Germany | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
CAPT H C C Forsyth RNR CDR Proudfoot RN | Admiral Karl Dönitz | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
64 freighters 5 destroyers 2 cutters 4 corvettes | 20 submarines | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
8 freighters sunk (51,592GRT) 445 killed/drowned |
3 submarines sunk 101 killed/drowned 45 captured | ||||||
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[2] and were met by Mid-Ocean Escort Force Group B-2 consisting of V class destroyers Vanessa and Vimy, the USCG Treasury Class Cutter Bibb, the Town class destroyer Beverley, Flower class corvettes Campanula, Mignonette, Abelia and Lobelia, and the convoy rescue ship Toward.[3]
Background
As western Atlantic coastal convoys brought an end to the second happy time, Admiral Karl Dönitz, the Befehlshaber der U-Boote (BdU) or 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 effectively search for convoys with the advantage of intelligence gained through B-Dienst decryption of British Naval Cypher Number 3.[4] However, only 20 percent 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]
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 behind HX-224.[6]
Battle
A careless merchant seaman of convoy SC-118 accidentally fired a pyrotechnic snowflake projector aboard SS Annik in the pre-dawn darkness of 4 February.[6] U-187 observed the snowflake display, reported sighting the convoy, and was promptly sunk by Beverly and Vimy after Bibb and Toward triangulated her location from the sighting report, using High-Frequency radio Direction-Finder (HF/DF or Huff-Duff).[3] The destroyers rescued 44 of the submarine's crew.[7] The Polish freighter Zagloba was torpedoed on the unprotected side of the convoy by U-262 and U-413 torpedoed the straggling American freighter West Portal.[3]
On 5 February the convoy escort was reinforced by the USCG Treasury Class Cutter Ingham and the Wickes class destroyers Babbitt and Schenck from Iceland.[3] The reinforced escort damaged U-262 and U-267.[8]
In the pre-dawn hours of 7 February, U-boat Ace Kapitänleutnant Siegfried von Forstner's U-402 torpedoed the British freighter Afrika, Norwegian tanker Daghild, Greek freighter Kalliopi, American tanker Robert E. Hopkins, American cargo liner Henry R. Mallory, and Convoy rescue ship Toward.[9]
Henry R. Mallory was capable of 14 knots but had been straggling well astern of the convoy for several days and was not zig-zagging in that exposed position.[10] 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.[10] 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 heavy casualties from Mallory's crew of 77, 34 Navy gunners, and the 136 American soldiers, 172 American sailors, and 72 American Marines she was transporting to Iceland.[12]
U-614 sank the straggling British freighter Harmala[9] while Lobelia sank U-609.[3]
B-17 Flying Fortress J of No. 220 Squadron RAF sank U-614 on 7 February.[3] U-402 sank British freighter Newton Ash that night. On 9 February Kapitänleutnant von 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. SC-118 reached Liverpool without further loss on 12 February.[2]
Ships in convoy
| Name[13] | Flag[13] | Dead[9] | Tonnage (GRT)[13] | Cargo[9] | Notes[13] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acme (1916) |  United States
|
6,878 | Petrol & oil | ||
| Adamas (1918) |  Greece
|
0 | 4,144 | Steel & lumber | Sank 8 Feb after collision with Samuel Huntington |
| African Prince (1939) |  United Kingdom
|
8,031 | Bauxite and ammunition | carried convoy commodore Capt H C C Forsyth RD RNR | |
| Afrika (1920) | United Kingdom
|
23 | 8,597 | 4,000 tons steel & 7,000 tons general cargo | Sunk by U-402 7 Feb |
| Ann Skakel (1920) | United States
|
4,949 | General cargo | Veteran of convoy SC 107; Detached to Iceland 9 Feb | |
| Annik (1940) |  Norway
|
1,333 | General cargo | Detached to Iceland 9 Feb | |
| Arizpa (1920) | United States
|
0 | 5,437 | Stores | |
| Athelprince (1926) | United Kingdom
|
8,782 | Diesel & naptha | Convoy vice commodore was ship's master | |
| Baron Haig (1926) | United Kingdom
|
3,391 | Sugar | ||
| Baron Ramsey (1929) | United Kingdom
|
3,650 | iron ore | Veteran of convoy SC 42 | |
| Bestik (1920) | Norway
|
2,684 | Steel & lumber | ||
| Blairdevon (1925) | United Kingdom
|
3,282 | Steel & lumber | ||
| Celtic Star (1918) | United Kingdom
|
5,575 | refrigerated & general cargo | ||
| Cetus (1920) | Norway
|
2,614 | Sugar | Veteran of convoy HX 84; survived this convoy and convoy SC 130 | |
| City of Khios (1925) | United Kingdom
|
5,574 | Sugar | ||
| Daghild (1927) | Norway
|
0 | 9,272 | 13,000 tons Diesel | Veteran of convoy ON 127; sunk by U-402, U-614 & U-608 |
| Dallington Court (1929) | United Kingdom
|
6,889 | Wheat | Survived this convoy and convoy SC 130 | |
| Danae II (1936) | United Kingdom
|
2,660 | Bauxite | Veteran of convoy HX 84 | |
| Danby (1937) | United Kingdom
|
4,281 | linseed & grain | ||
| Daylight (1931) | United States
|
9,180 | General cargo | Escort oiler; Detached to Iceland 9 Feb; survived this convoy and convoy SC 130 | |
| Deido (1928) | United Kingdom
|
3,894 | Petrol | ||
| Dettifoss (1930) |  Iceland
|
1,564 | General cargo | Detached to Iceland 9 Feb | |
| Dordrecht (1928) |  Netherlands
|
4,402 | Palm oil | returned to Halifax | |
| Empire Gareth (1942) | United Kingdom
|
2,847 | Bauxite | ||
| Empire Liberty (1941) | United Kingdom
|
7,157 | General cargo | ||
| Glarona (1928) | Norway
|
9,912 | fuel oil & Diesel | ||
| Gogra (1919) | United Kingdom
|
5,190 | General cargo | ||
| Gold Shell (1931) | United Kingdom
|
8,208 | Petrol | ||
| Grey County (1918) | Norway
|
3 | 5,194 | General cargo | |
| Gulf of Mexico (1917) | United States
|
7,807 | Oil & petrol | ||
| H M Flagler (1918) |  Panama
|
8,208 | Furnace fuel oil | Escort oiler | |
| Harmala (1935) | United Kingdom
|
53 | 5,730 | 8,500 tons iron ore | Straggled and sunk by U-614 7 Feb |
| Helder (1920) | Netherlands
|
3,629 | General cargo | ||
| Henry Mallory (1916) | United States
|
272 | 6,063 | 383 passengers & general cargo | Veteran of convoy ON 154; sunk by U-402 7 Feb |
| Ioannis Frangos (1912) | Greece
|
3,442 | Grain | ||
| Julius Thomsen (1927) |  Denmark
|
1,151 | Detached to Greenland | ||
| Kalliopi (1910) | Greece
|
4 | 4,965 | 6,500 tons steel & lumber | Sunk by U-402 7 Feb |
| King Stephen (1928) | United Kingdom
|
5,274 | Grain | ||
| Kiruna (1921) |  Sweden
|
5,484 | General cargo | Veteran of convoy HX 79 and convoy ON 154 | |
| Lagarfoss (1904) | Iceland
|
1,211 | General cargo | Detached to Iceland 9 Feb; survived this convoy and convoy SC 130 | |
| Makedonia (1942) | Greece
|
7,044 | Flour | ||
| Mana (1920) |  Honduras
|
3,283 | General cargo | Detached to Iceland 9 Feb | |
| Maud (1930) | Norway
|
3,189 | Sugar | ||
| New York City (1917) | United Kingdom
|
2,710 | General cargo | Veteran of convoy SC 107 | |
| Newton Ash (1925) | United Kingdom
|
32 | 4,625 | 6,500 tons grain, mail & military stores | Sunk by U-402 7 Feb |
| Norbryn (1922) | Norway
|
5,087 | Tea & rubber | ||
| Permian (1931) | Panama
|
8,890 | Survived this convoy and convoy SC 122 | ||
| Petter II (1922) | Norway
|
7,417 | Gas oil | ||
| Polyktor (1914) | Greece
|
4,077 | Grain | Sunk by U-266 | |
| Radmanso (1914) | Sweden
|
4,280 | Sulphur | ||
| Radport (1925) | United Kingdom
|
5,355 | General cargo | ||
| Redgate (1929) | United Kingdom
|
4,323 | General cargo | ||
| Robert E. Hopkins (1921) | United States
|
0 | 6,625 | 8,500 tons furnace fuel oil | Escort oiler; sunk by U-402 7 Feb |
| Samuel Huntington (1942) | United States
|
7,181 | General cargo | Liberty ship | |
| Sheaf Holme (1929) | United Kingdom
|
4,814 | Potash & general cargo | Survived this convoy and convoy SC 130 | |
| Sommerstad (1926) | Norway
|
5,923 | Lubricating oil | ||
| Stad Arnhem (1920) | Netherlands
|
3,819 | Phosphates | ||
| Tilemachos (1911) | Greece
|
3,658 | Grain | ||
| Toward (1923) | United Kingdom
|
58 | 1,571 | Rescue ship; sunk by U-402 7 Feb | |
| Vacuum (1920) | United States
|
7,020 | Petrol | ||
| West Portal (1920) | United States
|
5,376 | Stores | Straggled and sunk by U-413 4 Feb | |
| William Penn (1921) | United States
|
8,447 | Petrol | ||
| Yemassee (1922) | Panama
|
2,001 | General cargo | Detached to Iceland 9 Feb | |
| Zagloba (1938) |  Poland
|
2,864 | Ammunition & general cargo | Sunk by U-262 4 Feb |
Notes
- ↑ Hague 2000 p.133
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hague 2000 p.135
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Rohwer & Hummelchen 1992 p.191
- ↑ Tarrant p.108
- ↑ Hague pp.132, 137-138, 161-162, 164, 181
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Waters December 1966 p.96
- ↑ Waters December 1966 p.97
- ↑ Waters December 1966 p.98
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Hague 2000 p.137
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Waters December 1966 p.102
- ↑ Waters December 1966 p.103
- ↑ Morison 1975 p.336
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 "SC convoys". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/sc/index.html. Retrieved 2011-05-29.
References
- Hague, Arnold (2000). The Allied Convoy System 1939-1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-019-3.
- Milner, Marc (1985). North Atlantic Run. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-450-0.
- Morison, Samuel Eliot (1975). History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Volume I The Battle of the Atlantic 1939-1943. Little, Brown and Company.
- Rohwer, J. and Hummelchen, G. (1992). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939-1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-105-X.
- Tarrant, V.E. (1989). The U-Boat Offensive 1914-1945. Arms and Armour. ISBN 1-85409-520-X.
- Waters, John M. Jr., CAPT USCG (December 1966). "Stay Tough". United States Naval Institute Proceedings.
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