Convoy ON 144 | |||||||
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Part of Battle of the Atlantic | |||||||
Bow of the corvette HMS Vervain | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
United Kingdom Norway | Germany | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
CAPT J K Brook RNR LCDR Monssen RNorN [1] | Admiral Karl Dönitz | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
33 freighters [1] 5 corvettes | 10 submarines | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
5 freighters sunk (25,396 GRT) 86 killed/drowned 1 corvette sunk 47 killed/drowned | 1 submarine sunk 50 killed/drowned |
Convoy ON 144 was a trade convoy of merchant ships during the Second World War. It was the 144th of the numbered series of ON convoys Outbound from the British Isles to North America. The ships departed Liverpool on 7 November 1942 and were joined on 8 November [2] by Mid-Ocean Escort Force Group B-6 consisting of the Flower-class corvettes Vervain, Potentilla, Eglantine, Montbretia and Rose [1] and the convoy rescue ship Perth. [3] Group B-6 had sailed without the destroyers Fame and Viscount which had been damaged in the battle for eastbound convoy SC 104. The United States Coast Guard cutters Bibb, Duane, and Ingham accompanied the convoy from the Western Approaches with ships that detached for Iceland on 15 November. [4]
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. [5] However, of the 180 trans-Atlantic convoys sailing from the end of July 1942 until the end of April 1943, only 20 percent lost ships to U-boat attack.
The Norwegian-manned corvettes of escort group B-6 fought three of these convoy battles in sequential voyages with convoys SC 104, ON 144, and HX 217. [6]
After rendezvousing with convoys to and from Iceland, Convoy ON 144 was discovered and shadowed by U-521. [7]
When initial attempts to summon additional U-boats to the convoy were unsuccessful, U-521 was granted permission to attack, and missed with a salvo of six torpedoes. [7] Rose unsuccessfully counterattacked with depth charges. [1]
U-184, U-262 and U-264 found the convoy and launched a simultaneous attack after sunset. U-262 missed with three torpedoes. [7] U-264 sank the 6,696-ton Greek freighter Mount Taurus, and U-184 sank the 3,192-ton British freighter Widestone. [2]
U-624, U-522, U-521, U-224, U-383, U-454 and U-753 launched torpedoes in the pre-dawn hours. [7] U-624 sank the 5,344-ton British tanker President Sergent and the 4,732-ton American freighter Parismina and damaged the 5,432-ton American freighter Yaka which was later sunk by U-522. [2] The Type 271 centimeter-wavelength radar-equipped corvettes counterattacked, and U-184 was sunk by one of those attacks. Montbretia was torpedoed by U-262 and sank while still moving forward. [7]
The U-boats had broken off the engagement by the time the four surviving corvettes were reinforced by the destroyers HMS Firedrake and USS Badger, and the Western Local Escort Force assumed responsibility for the convoy on 20 November. [7]
Name [4] | Flag [4] | Dead [2] | Tonnage (GRT) [4] | Cargo [2] | Notes [4] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Agia Marina (1912) | Greece | 4,151 | Destination Halifax | ||
Baxtergate (1925) | United Kingdom | 5,531 | Destination New York City | ||
Bestik (1920) | Norway | 2,684 | Destination New York City | ||
Borgfred (1925) | Norway | 2,183 | Coal | Destination Halifax | |
Cetus (1920) | Norway | 2,614 | Destination New York City | ||
Dimitros Inglessis (1918) | Greece | 5,275 | Destination St John, New Brunswick | ||
Empire Stour (1930) | United Kingdom | 4,696 | Ferro manganese | Destination Sydney, Nova Scotia | |
Fjallfoss (1919) | Iceland | 1,451 | Joined from Iceland on 15 November | ||
Godafoss (1921) | Iceland | 1,542 | Joined from Iceland on 15 November | ||
Governor John Lind (1918) | United States | 3,431 | Joined from Iceland on 15 November; Destination Halifax | ||
Guido (1920) | United Kingdom | 3,921 | General cargo | Destination New York City | |
Ingertre (1921) | Norway | 2,462 | Destination Halifax | ||
Leonidas N. Condylis (1912) | Greece | 3,923 | Destination Halifax | ||
Maycrest (1913) | United Kingdom | 5,923 | Destination New York City; ship's master was convoy vice-commodore | ||
Minister Wedel (1930) | Norway | 6,833 | Destination New York City | ||
Monkleigh (1927) | United Kingdom | 5,203 | Destination New York City | ||
Moscha D. Kydoniefs (1915) | Greece | 3,874 | Destination Halifax | ||
Mount Taurus (1920) | Greece | 2 | 6,696 | In Ballast | Sunk by U-624 |
Nordeflinge (1942) | United Kingdom | 2,873 | Destination New York City | ||
Norlom (1919) | Norway | 6,412 | Destination Halifax | ||
Orwell (1905) | Norway | 7,920 | Destination New York City | ||
Parismina (1908) | United States | 22 | 4,732 | In Ballast | Joined from Iceland on 15 November; sunk by U-624 on 18 November |
Perth (1915) | United Kingdom | 2,259 | Convoy rescue ship | ||
President Sergent (1923) | United Kingdom | 20 | 5,344 | In Ballast | Carried convoy commodore Capt J K Brook RNR. Sunk by U-624 on 18 November |
Reigh Count (1907) | Panama | 4,657 | Destination New York City | ||
Robert E. Hopkins (1921) | United States | 6,625 | Destination New York City | ||
Selfoss (1914) | Iceland | 775 | Joined from Iceland on 15 November | ||
Suderøy (1913) | Norway | 7,562 | Destination New York City | ||
Tahchee (1914) | United Kingdom | 6,508 | Destination New York City | ||
Titanian (1924) | Norway | 4,880 | Coal | Destination Saint John, New Brunswick | |
Van de Velde (1919) | Netherlands | 6,389 | Coal | Destination Boston | |
Widestone (1920) | United Kingdom | 42 | 3,192 | 3,400 tons coal | Sunk by U-184 |
Yaka (1920) | United States | 0 | 5,432 | In Ballast | Joined from Iceland on 15 November; sunk by U-522 |
Yemassee (1922) | Panama | 2,001 | Joined from Iceland on 15 November; Destination New York City |
Convoy ON 166 was the 166th of the numbered ON series of merchant ship convoys Outbound from the British Isles to North America. Sixty-three ships departed Liverpool 11 February 1943 and were met the following day by Mid-Ocean Escort Force Group A-3 consisting of the Treasury-class cutters Campbell and Spencer and the Flower-class corvettes Dianthus, Chilliwack, Rosthern, Trillium and Dauphin.
Convoy SC 121 was the 121st of the numbered series of World War II Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Liverpool. The ships departed New York City 23 February 1943; and were met by the Mid-Ocean Escort Force Group A-3 consisting of the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Treasury-class cutter USCGC Spencer, the American Wickes-class destroyer USS Greer, the British and Canadian Flower-class corvettes HMS Dianthus, HMCS Rosthern, HMCS Trillium and HMCS Dauphin and the convoy rescue ship Melrose Abbey. Three of the escorts had defective sonar and three had unserviceable radar.
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. The ships departed New York City on 24 January 1943 and were met by Mid-Ocean Escort Force Group B-2 consisting of V-class destroyers Vanessa and Vimy, the Treasury-class cutter Bibb, the Town-class destroyer Beverley, Flower-class corvettes Campanula, Mignonette, Abelia and Lobelia, and the convoy rescue ship Toward.
Convoy SC 107 was the 107th of the numbered series of World War II Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Liverpool. The ships departed New York City on 24 October 1942 and were found and engaged by a wolfpack of U-boats which sank fifteen ships. It was the heaviest loss of ships from any trans-Atlantic convoy through the winter of 1942–43. The attack included one of the largest non-nuclear man-made explosions in history, when U-132 torpedoed ammunition ships SS Hobbema and SS Hatimura - both were sunk, one exploded, with the German submarine also being destroyed in the explosion.
Convoy SC 94 was the 94th of the numbered series of World War II Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, to Liverpool. The ships departed Sydney on 31 July 1942 and were met by Mid-Ocean Escort Force Group C-1.
Convoy SC 42 was the 42nd of the numbered series of World War II Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Liverpool. SC 42 was attacked over a three night period in September 1941, losing 16 ships sunk and 4 damaged. This was the worst Allied loss following the attack on convoy SC 7 the previous year. Two attacking U-boats were destroyed.
Convoy ON 154 - also ON(S) 154 or ONS 154 - was a North Atlantic convoy of the ON series which ran during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II. It was the 154th of the numbered series of merchant ship convoys Outbound from the British Isles to North America. It came under attack in December 1942 and lost 13 of its 50 freighters. One of the attacking U-boats was destroyed.
Convoy SC 130 was a North Atlantic convoy which ran during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II. It was the 130th of the numbered series of Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Liverpool. SC 130 was one of several convoy battles that occurred during the crisis month of May 1943.
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. During October 1942, a U-boat wolf pack sank eight ships from the convoy. The convoy escorts sank two of the attacking submarines.
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Mid-Ocean Escort Force (MOEF) referred to the organisation of anti-submarine escorts for World War II trade convoys between Canada and Newfoundland, and the British Isles. The allocation of United States, British, and Canadian escorts to these convoys reflected preferences of the United States upon their declaration of war, and the organisation persisted through the winter of 1942–43 despite withdrawal of United States ships from the escort groups. By the summer of 1943, United States Atlantic escorts were focused on the faster CU convoys and the UG convoys between Chesapeake Bay and the Mediterranean Sea; and only British and Canadian escorts remained on the HX, SC and ON convoys.
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Western Local Escort Force (WLEF) referred to the organization of anti-submarine escorts for World War II trade convoys from North American port cities to the Western Ocean Meeting Point near Newfoundland where ships of the Mid-Ocean Escort Force (MOEF) assumed responsibility for safely delivering the convoys to the British Isles.
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Convoy TM 1 was the code name for an Allied convoy during the Second World War. Nine tankers, escorted by Royal Navy warships, attempted to reach Gibraltar from Trinidad. The convoy was attacked by a U-boat wolf pack in the central Atlantic Ocean, and most of the merchant vessels were sunk. This was one of the most successful attacks on Allied supply convoys throughout the entire war. The convoy was defended by the destroyer HMS Havelock, and three Flower-class corvettes, HMS Godetia, HMS Pimpernel and HMS Saxifrage. Seven tankers were sunk during the attacks, two surviving to reach Gibraltar. Two U-boats were damaged during the attacks.
Arctic naval operations of World War II were the World War II naval operations that took place in the Arctic Ocean, and can be considered part of the Battle of the Atlantic and/or of the European Theatre of World War II.
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