Convoy ON 127

Convoy ON-127 was a trade convoy of merchant ships during the second World War. It was the 127th of the numbered series of ON convoys Outbound from the British Isles to North America and the only North Atlantic trade convoy of 1942 or 1943 where all U-boats deployed against the convoy launched torpedoes.[1] Ships departed Liverpool on 4 September 1942;[2] and were met at noon on 5 September[3] by the Royal Canadian Navy Mid-Ocean Escort Force Group C-4 consisting of the Canadian River class destroyer Ottawa and the Town class destroyer St. Croix with Flower class corvettes Amherst, Arvida, Sherbrooke, and Celandine.[4] St. Croixs commanding officer, acting lieutenant commander A. H. "Dobby" Dobson, RCNR, was the senior officer of the escort group.[3] The Canadian ships carried type 286 meter-wavelength radar but none of their sets were operational.[5] Celandine carried type 271 centimeter-wavelength radar.[5] None of the ships carried HF/DF high-frequency direction finding sets.[5]

Contents

Initial contact

Wolf pack Vorwarts was forming about 500 miles west of Ireland as the convoy left Liverpool.[6] U-91, U-92, U-96, U-211, U-218, U-380, U-404, U-407, U-411, U-584, U-594, U-608, and U-659 formed a search line across the convoy's path just beyond the range of land-based aircraft.[1] U-584 reported the convoy on 9 September, but lost contact that evening.[1]

10 September

U-96 regained contact on 10 September and torpedoed Norwegian tanker Svene, tanker F.J.Wolfe, and Belgian freighter Elisabeth van Belgie in a single submerged daylight attack.[1] Sherbrooke fell back to aid the torpedoed ships while St. Croix, Ottawa, and Celandine searched unsuccessfully for U-96.[6] F.J.Wolfe was able to regain its station with the convoy.[7] Ottawa continued to patrol astern of the convoy after St. Croix and Celandine resumed their normal patrol stations.[6]

A coordinated night attack on the convoy began with U-659 torpedoing British tanker Empire Oil on the evening of 10 September.[1][8] St. Croix made SONAR contact immediately prior to the attack; and Celandine, Ottawa, and St. Croix searched for U-659 after the attack.[6] St. Croix and Ottawa fell back to rescue 23 of the stricken tanker's crew of 41.[9] U-404 torpedoed the tanker Marit II, U-608 launched torpedoes which missed the convoy, U-218 torpedoed the tanker Fjordaas, and U-92 and U-594 launched torpedoes which missed the convoy before Ottawa, St. Croix, and Celandine rejoined the convoy.[1][10][11] Sherbrooke remained astern of the convoy aiding the ships torpedoed by U-96, and rescued all but one of the crew of the sinking Svene and Elisabeth van Belgie. The remaining escorts counter-attacked, and depth charge damage forced U-659 and U-218 to return to port.[12][13] Both Marit II and Fjordaas were able to regain their stations in the convoy.[14] Empire Oil was later sunk astern of the convoy by U-584.

11 September

None of the escort RADAR sets were functional on 11 September. U-584 torpedoed Norwegian Hindanger in a submerged daylight attack while St. Croix investigated a visual sighting six miles distant. Amherst fell back and rescued all but one of Hindangers crew. A B-24 Liberator patrol bomber of No. 120 Squadron RAF prevented further daylight attacks on 11 September;[13] but U-96 sank a 415-ton Portuguese sailing trawler by gunfire in the vicinity of the convoy.[1][12] In coordinated night attacks, U-380 missed with a salvo of four torpedoes, U-211 torpedoed British whale factory ship Hektoria and freighter Empire Moonbeam, U-92 missed Ottawa with four torpedoes, and U-404 torpedoed tanker Daghild before Amherst and Sherbrooke rejoined the convoy.[12] Daghild maintained station in the convoy and Arvida rescued all but four of the 140 crewmen from Hektoria and Empire Moonbeam before those ships were sunk astern of the convoy by U-608.[1][7][15]

Parting shots

Excellent visibility on 12 September allowed a close forward screen of four escorts to discourage U-boats sighted up to 7 miles away. U-407 and U-594 launched torpedoes unsuccessfully that night. U-594 sank straggling Stone Street[10] as the convoy came within range of Canadian Canso patrol bombers from Botland, Newfoundland on 13 September.[12] The escort was reinforced at dusk by the Town class destroyer HMCS Annapolis and the V and W class destroyer HMS Witch from the Newfoundland-based Western Local Escort Force (WLEF). Both U-91 and U-411 launched torpedoes unsuccessfully while U-91 torpedoed the Canadian River class destroyer Ottawa in the pre-dawn hours of 14 September.[16] Ottawa sank with 114 of its crew.[12] The remainder of the convoy reached New York City on 20 September 1942.[2]

Ships in convoy

Name[17] Flag[17] Dead[7] Tonnage[17] Cargo[7] Notes[17]
Athelduchess (1929) 8,940 gross register tons (GRT) destination New York City; carried convoy commodore RADM Sir E O Cochrane KBE
Bayano (1917) 6,815 GRT destination Halifax
Bohemian Club (1921) 6,906 GRT
Boston City (1920) 2,870 GRT china clay & mail veteran of convoy SC 94; destination New York City; survived this convoy, convoy SC 104 & convoy SC 122
British Endurance (1936) 8,406 GRT destination New York City
British Tradition (1942) 8,443 GRT destination New York City
Clausina (1938) 8,083 GRT destination New York City
Daghild (1927) 9,272 GRT torpedoed, but survived to be sunk 5 months later in convoy SC 118
Domby (1932) 5,582 GRT destination New York City
Egda (1939) 10,050 GRT veteran of convoy HX 79; destination New York City
El Mirlo (1930) 8,092 GRT destination New York City
Elisabeth van Belgie (1909) 1 4,241 GRT (in ballast) sunk by U-96 10 Sept
Empire Lytton (1942) 9,807 GRT destination New York City
Empire Moonbeam (1941) 3 6,849 GRT (in ballast) veteran of convoy SC 94; sunk by U-211 & U-608 12 Sept
Empire Oil (1941) 18 8,029 GRT (in ballast) sunk by U-659 & U-584 11 Sept
Empire Sailor (1926) 6,140 GRT general cargo destination Halifax; carried convoy vice commodore Capt H J Woodward DSO RN
Empire Thackeray (1942) 2,865 GRT destination Halifax
F J Wolfe (1932) 12,190 GRT damaged by U-96 10 Sept; reached St. Johns, Newfoundland 16 Sept
Fjordaas (1931) 7,361 GRT returned to Clyde; damaged by U-218 11 Sept
G C Brovig (1930) 9,718 GRT destination New York City
Hektoria (1899) 1 13,797 GRT (in ballast) veteran of convoy ON 67; sunk by U-211 & U-608 12 Sept
Heranger (1930) 4,877 GRT destination New York City
Hindanger (1929) 1 4,884 GRT (in ballast) sunk by U-584 11 Sept
Laurits Swenson (1930) 5,725 GRT romped
Liberty Glo (1919) 4,979 GRT destination Halifax
Marit II (1922) 7,417 GRT damaged by U-404 11 Sept; reached St. Johns, Newfoundland
Modavia (1927) 4,858 GRT destination Halifax
Montevideo (1928) 4,639 GRT destination New York City; survived this convoy & convoy HX 228
Nanking (1924) 5,931 GRT 8 passengers destination New York City
Pachesham (1920) 6,090 GRT detached for St. Johns, Newfoundland 15 Sept
Pan-Georgia (1919) 8,197 GRT destination New York City
Stone Street (1922) 6,131 GRT detached with defects 12 Sept; sunk by U-594
Sveve (1930) (none) 6,313 GRT (in ballast) sunk by U-96 10 Sept
Vardefjell (1940) 8,316 GRT returned to Clyde with engine defects
Willemsplein (1910) 5,489 GRT coal veteran of convoy SC 94; destination Halifax

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Rohwer&Hummelchen 1992 p.161
  2. ^ a b Hague 2000 p.158
  3. ^ a b Milner 1985 p.159
  4. ^ Milner 1985 p.289
  5. ^ a b c Blair 1998 p.30
  6. ^ a b c d Milner 1985 p.160
  7. ^ a b c d Hague 2000 p.161
  8. ^ Milner 1985 pp.162
  9. ^ Milner 1985 p.161
  10. ^ a b Milner 1985 p.162
  11. ^ Blair 1998 pp.30-31
  12. ^ a b c d e Blair 1998 p.31
  13. ^ a b Milner 1985 pp.161
  14. ^ Milner 1985 pp.160-161
  15. ^ Milner 1985 pp.161-163
  16. ^ Milner 1985 p.163
  17. ^ a b c d "ON convoys". Andrew Hague Convoy Database. http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/on/index.html. Retrieved 2011-05-26. 

References