Convoy SC-104

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Convoy SC 104
Part of World War II
Date 13-16 October 1942
Location North Atlantic
Result  ?
Belligerents
Germany United Kingdom
Commanders
CinC:Admiral Karl Dönitz Commodore:
Escort: Cdr R Heathcote
Strength
8 U-Boats 48 ships
2 destroyers
4 corvettes
Casualties and losses
2 U-boats sunk
2 U-boats damaged
50 dead		 8 ships sunk
2 escorts damaged
216 dead

Convoy SC-104 was the 104th of the numbered series of World War II Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Liverpool.[1]

Contents

[edit] Background

.[2] [3]

Forty-seven ships departed New York City on 3 October 1942; and were met by Mid-Ocean Escort Force Group B-6 consisting of the E and F class destroyer Fame and V and W class destroyer Viscount with Norwegian-manned Flower class corvettes Potentilla, Eglantine, Montbretia, and Acanthus and the Convoy rescue ship Goathland.

Opposing this force was the U-boat patrol group Wotan comprising 8 boats: U-221, U-258, U-356, U-607, U-618, U-661, U-353, and U-254.

[edit] Action

.[4] [5]

The convoy was found and reported by U-258 on 11 October, and the other Wotan boats were ordered to join. By the evening of 12 October U-258 had been joined by U-221 and U-356, and during the night of 12/13 October these boats attacked. U-258 and U-356 were unsuccessful, being driven off by the escorts, but U-221 was able to sink three ships, the Norwegian freighters Senta,[6] and Fagersten, and the British freighter Ashworth.

On the 13th they continued to shadow the convoy, and were joined during the day by five other boats; on the night of the 13/14 October the wolf pack attacked again.

This time U-221 sank two ships, the American freighter Susana and the British whale factory ship Southern Empress. U-607 torpedoed the Greek freighter Nellie, which later sank, but was counter-attacked and severely damaged, and was forced to return to France/base for repairs. U-661 torpedoed the Yugoslav freighter Nikolina Matkovic , and U-618 torpedoed the Empire Mersey.

Throughout 15 October the Wotan boats shadowed SC 104, but were unable to mount any successful attacks that night.

On 15 October Viscount detected U-661 in fog, and attacked with gun-fire, ramming and depth-charge. U-661 was destroyed, but Viscount was also damaged, and had to finish the voyage as part of the convoy.

On 16 October U-353 was sighted by Fame which attacked and destroyed her by ramming, again suffering damage in the process. Command of the escort passed to Monsen in Potentilla who was able to make an attack on a contact later that day; no identification was made, or result credited, but post-war examination shows that U-254 was severely damaged in this attack, and forced to retire to base.

Also on 16th and 17th October SC 104 came in range of air patrols, long –range B-24 Liberators and Catalinas. These were able to break up any further attacks and on 17th Donitz ceased further operations against SC 104.

[edit] Conclusion

the remainder of the voyage was unhindered, and the convoy reached Liverpool on 21 October. SC104 lost 8 ships of 44,000 tons, with 2 escorts damaged, and saw the destruction of 2 U-boats with the damaging of 2 more.

[edit] Table of Losses

Convoy Losses
..[7]

Date Name Nationality Casualties Tonnage Cargo Sunk by…
12/13 Oct Senta Norwegian  ? 3785 gross register tons (GRT)  ? U-221
12/13 Oct Ashworth British 49 5227 GRT bauxite U-221
12/13 Oct Fagensten Norwegian 19 2342 GRT steel,lumber U-221
13/14 Oct Susana US 38 5929 GRT general cargo U-221
13/14 Oct Southern Empress British 48 12398 GRT fuel oil U-221
13/14 Oct Nellie Greek 32 4826 GRT steel, lumber U-607
13/14 Oct Nikolina Matkovic Yugoslav 14 3672 GRT lumber, sugar U-661
13/14 Oct Empire Mersey British 16 5791 GRT govt. stores U-618

. U-Boat Losses
..[8]

Date Number Type Captain Casualties Sunk by By…
15 Oct U-661 VIIC O/L v Lillenfeld 44 gun, d/c, ramming HMS Viscount
16 Oct U-353 VIIC O/L Romer 6 depth charge HMS Fame

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Hague 2000 p.133
  2. ^ Hague 2000 p.135
  3. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen 1992 p.167
  4. ^ Blair p 39-41
  5. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen 1992 p.167
  6. ^ Showell 2002 p.113
  7. ^ Hague 2000 p.135
  8. ^ Kemp p 92

[edit] External links

[edit] References