Convoy HG 53

Last updated

Convoy
Part of World War II
Date8–11 February 1941
Location
Result German victory
Belligerents
War ensign of Germany (1938-1945).svg  Kriegsmarine Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  Royal Navy
Commanders and leaders
KL Nicolai Clausen R Adm. OH Dawson
Strength
1 U-boat
5 bombers
1 heavy cruiser
21 merchant ships
2 escorts
Casualties and losses
1 bomber 9 merchant ships sunk (15,217 tons)

Convoy HG 53 was the 53rd of the numbered series of World War II HG convoys of Homeward bound merchant ships from Gibraltar to Liverpool. [1] Convoy HG 53 lost nine ships during a coordinated attack in February 1941. HG 53 was one of the few Atlantic convoys to have ships sunk by submarines, by aircraft, and by surface ships.

Contents

Background

Twenty-one ships departed Gibraltar on 6 February 1941 bound for Liverpool and escorted by the V and W-class destroyer Velox and the Grimsby-class sloop HMS Deptford. The convoy commodore was Rear Admiral Sir OH Dawson aboard Dagmar. [2]

Action

Convoy HG 53 was attacked by five of these KG 40 bombers. Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1978-043-02, Focke-Wulf Fw 200 C Condor.jpg
Convoy HG 53 was attacked by five of these KG 40 bombers.

While southbound to African waters [3] on the evening of 8 February German Type IX submarine U-37 sighted the convoy southwest of Cape St. Vincent and torpedoed the British freighters Courland and Estrellano after midnight. [4] U-37 reported the convoy to Bordeaux-Mérignac Air Base and commenced shadowing the convoy providing beacon signals for Kampfgeschwader 40. Five Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor bombers took off at dawn and found the convoy at noon 400 miles (640 km) southwest of Lisbon. The Fw 200s bombed from an altitude of 150 feet (46 m) because they lacked bombsights. Each flight mechanic fired at their target ship with a ventral machine gun during the approach to discourage anti-aircraft gunners; but one of the bombers was hit in a wing fuel tank [5] and crash-landed in Spain when fuel was exhausted on the return trip. [3] Six of the twenty bombs dropped hit ships, [5] sinking the convoy commodore's freighter Dagmar, the Norwegian freighter Tejo, and British freighters Britannic, Jura, and Varna. U-37 sank the British freighter Brandenburg after dark and continued sending beacon signals for the German cruiser Admiral Hipper. Admiral Hipper found and sank the straggling British freighter Iceland on 11 February. [4]

Aftermath

Hipper was distracted from further search by finding convoy SL 64 and sinking seven ships from that unescorted convoy. [4] The escort of convoy HG 53 was reinforced by the Grimsby-class sloop Londonderry on 18 February, by the F-class destroyer Fury on 20 February, and by the S-class destroyer Sabre, the Town-class destroyer Leamington, and the Flower-class corvette HMS Anemone from convoy OG 53 on 22 February. The surviving 12 ships of convoy HG 53 arrived in Liverpool on 24 February 1941. Nine ships totaling 15,217 GRT had been sunk. [2]

Merchant ships in convoy

Name [2] FlagCasualties [6] Tonnage (GRT) CargoSunk by...
BrandenburgCivil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 231,473Ore U-37
Britannic IICivil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 12,490Ore KG 40 bomber
CourlandCivil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 301,325General U-37
CoxwaldCivil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 1,124Scrap iron
Dagmar ICivil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 52,471Oranges KG 40 bomber
DagoCivil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 1,757Oranges
DisaFlag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 2,002Ore
Egyptian PrinceCivil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 3,490Oranges
Empire LoughCivil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 2,824Ore
Empire TernCivil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 2,479Ore
Empire WarriorCivil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 1,306Ore
EstrellanoCivil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 61,982General U-37
IcelandCivil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 1,236Oranges Admiral Hipper
JuraCivil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 171,759Ore KG 40 bomber
MarklynCivil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 3,090Ore
OuselCivil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 1,533Ore
Sally MaerskCivil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 3,252General
TejoFlag of Norway.svg  Norway 4967General KG 40 bomber
VanellusCivil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 1,886Ore
VarnaCivil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 1,514Pit props KG 40 bomber
WrothamCivil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 1,884Ore

See also

Notes

  1. Hague 2000 p. 177
  2. 1 2 3 "HG Convoy Series". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  3. 1 2 Blair pp. 234 & 235
  4. 1 2 3 Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 50
  5. 1 2 Bekker pp. 371–373
  6. Hague 2000 p.179

Sources

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