Convoy ON 166 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of Battle of the Atlantic | |||||||
A depth charge being loaded onto a depth-charge thrower aboard the corvette HMS Dianthus | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
CAPT W E B Magee RN CAPT P.R. Heineman USN | Admiral Karl Dönitz | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
63 freighters 1 destroyer 2 cutters 5 corvettes | 18 submarines | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
14 freighters sunk (87,994 GRT) 262 killed/drowned | 3 submarines sunk 128 killed/drowned 11 captured |
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-classcutters Campbell and Spencer and the Flower-classcorvettes Dianthus, Chilliwack, Rosthern, Trillium and Dauphin.
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. [1] 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. [2]
On 20 February U-604 sighted the convoy scattered by sailing eight days in a northwesterly gale. U-332 torpedoed the straggling Norwegian Stigstad on the morning of 21 February. U-623 was sunk by a No. 120 Squadron RAF B-24 Liberator that afternoon, and Campbell attacked a U-boat that evening. Postwar analysis concluded that Campbell sank U-225, [3] but more recent re-evaluation indicates the attack may have destroyed U-529. [4]
U-92 torpedoed the British Empire Trader at 2032 and the Norwegian NT Nielsen Alonso at 0153 on the night of February 21–22. Both ships were hit by a single torpedo on the port side, flooding the forward hold, and boiler room, respectively. [5] ORP Burza from the following convoy ONS 167 was ordered to reinforce the convoy escort.
U-606 torpedoed the British Empire Redshank and American Chattanooga City and Expositor after sunset 22 February, but was damaged by depth charges from the recently arrived Burza. Campbell was disabled in a collision with U-606. Twelve men were rescued from the crew of the sinking U-boat. Burza left the convoy to tow Campbell back to port. The convoy rescue ship Stockport was sunk by U-604 while returning to the convoy after rescuing men from the three ships torpedoed by U-606. [6]
U-628 torpedoed the Panamanian Winkler at 0420 and Norwegian Glittre at 0425. U-186 torpedoed the American Hastings about 0430 and British Eulima at 0458 on 23 February. [5] Spencer, Rosthern and Chilliwack remained with the convoy and Dianthus left to refuel. [7]
U-600 torpedoed the Norwegian Ingria at 0520 before dawn on 24 February. [5] U-653 torpedoed the straggling American Liberty ship Jonathan Sturges.
U-628 hit the British Manchester Merchant with two torpedoes on the starboard side at 0527 before dawn 25 February. [5] [8]
The U-boats discontinued the attack on 26 February. The surviving ships in the convoy were joined by Empire Cavalier from Halifax, Nova Scotia on 28 February with escorts New Westminster, Blairmore and Rimouski. [9] They reached New York City on 3 March 1943. [10]
Name [11] | Flag [11] | Dead [7] | Tonnage [11] | Cargo [7] | Notes [11] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Amastra (1935) | 8,031 gross register tons (GRT) | ||||
Aruba (1929) | 3,979 GRT | general cargo | |||
Beauregard (1920) | 5,976 GRT | returned to England | |||
Brasil (1935) | 8,130 GRT | ||||
Charles H Cramp (1920) | 6,220 GRT | straggled 1 March [5] | |||
Chattanooga City (1921) | 0 | 5,687 GRT | (in ballast) | sunk by U-606 22 Feb | |
City of Canberra (1927) | 7,484 GRT | carried convoy commodore Capt W E B Magee DSO RN | |||
Delilian (1923) | 6,423 GRT | ||||
Edward Rutledge (1942) | 7,177 GRT | 16 passengers | Liberty ship; returned to England | ||
El Almirante (1917) | 5,248 GRT | returned to England | |||
El Coston (1924) | 7,286 GRT | joined from Iceland 16 Feb but returned to Iceland when leaking condenser caused water shortage [5] | |||
El Oceano (1925) | 6,767 GRT | ||||
Empire Cato (1942) | 7,039 GRT | returned to England | |||
Empire Cavalier (1942) | 9,891 GRT | joined Halifax to New York; survived this convoy and convoy HX 229 | |||
Empire Chivalry (1937) | 6,007 GRT | ||||
Empire Confidence (1935) | 5,023 GRT | ||||
Empire Redshank (1919) | 0 | 6,615 GRT | (in ballast) | torpedoed by U-606 & scuttled by escort 22 Feb | |
Empire Trader (1908) | 0 | 9,990 GRT | 985 tons chemicals | veteran of convoy HX 79; torpedoed by U-92 & scuttled by escort 23 Feb | |
Empire Wordsworth (1942) | 9,891 GRT | ||||
Eulima (1937) | 63 | 6,207 GRT | (in ballast) | sunk by U-186 23 February | |
Exilona (1919) | 4,971 GRT | ||||
Expositor (1919) | 6 | 4,959 GRT | (in ballast) | sunk by U-606 & U-303 | |
Fort Thompson (1942) | 7,134 GRT | coal | |||
Fort Vermillion (1942) | 7,133 GRT | ||||
Franz Klasen (1932) | 1,194 GRT | ||||
Gateway City (1920) | 5,432 GRT | veteran of convoy PQ 18 | |||
George W McKnight (1933) | 2,502 GRT | ||||
Glittre (1928) | 3 | 6,402 GRT | (in ballast) | veteran of convoy ON 67; acting as escort oiler; sunk by U-628 & U-603 23 Feb | |
Gyda (1934) | 1,695 GRT | general cargo | straggled and lost following 24 Feb collision with Fort Thompson [5] | ||
Hastings (1920) | 9 | 5,401 GRT | (in ballast) | sunk by U-186 23 Feb | |
Ingria (1931) | 0 | 4,391 GRT | (in ballast) | sunk by U-600 & U-628 24 Feb | |
Jonathan Sturges (1942) | 56 | 7,176 GRT | (in ballast) | Liberty ship straggled & sunk by U-653 24 Feb [5] | |
Kaipaki (1939) | 5,862 GRT | ||||
Lechistan (1929) | 1,937 GRT | general cargo | straggled 20 Feb [5] | ||
Lochmonar (1924) | 9,412 GRT | 28 passengers | ship's master was convoy vice commodore | ||
Madoera (1922) | 9,382 GRT | straggled 24 Feb & damaged by U-653 [5] | |||
Manchester Merchant (1940) | 36 | 7,264 GRT | (in ballast) | sunk by U-628 25 Feb | |
Mark Twain (1942) | 7,176 GRT | Liberty ship straggled with steering failure | |||
Markay (1942) | 10,342 GRT | joined from Iceland 16 Feb; romped 23 Feb | |||
Molda (1937) | 5,137 GRT | general cargo | |||
N T Nielsen-Alonso (1900) | 3 | 9,348 GRT | (in ballast) | sunk by U-92 & U-753 22 Feb | |
Pacific Exporter (1928) | 6,734 GRT | ||||
Pacific Grove (1928) | 7,117 GRT | ||||
Pan-Maine (1936) | 7,237 GRT | ||||
Pan-Maryland (1938) | 7,701 GRT | ||||
Samuel Chase (1942) | 7,191 GRT | Liberty ship veteran of convoy PQ 17 | |||
Skandinavia (1940) | 10,044 GRT | veteran of convoy ON 67 | |||
Stigstad (1927) | 3 | 5,964 GRT | (in ballast) | straggled & sunk by U-332 & U-603 21 Feb [5] | |
Stockport (1911) | 63 | 1,683 GRT | (rescued crewmen of sunken ships) | rescue ship; sunk by U-604 while rescuing survivors | |
Tai Shan (1929) | 6,962 GRT | 12 passengers | |||
Thomas B Robertson (1942) | 7,176 GRT | Liberty ship romped & arrived New York 28 Feb | |||
Thomas Hooker (1942) | 7,176 GRT | Liberty ship returned to England | |||
Tortuguero (1921) | 5,285 GRT | ||||
Tropic Star (1926) | 5,088 GRT | ||||
Wind Rush (1918) | 5,586 GRT | ||||
Winkler (1930) | 20 | 6,907 GRT | (in ballast) | sunk by U-628 & U-223 23 Feb |
This is a timeline for the Battle of the Atlantic (1939–1945) in World War II.
ORP Burza was a Wicher-class destroyer of the Polish Navy which saw action in World War II.
The SC convoys were a series of North Atlantic convoys that ran during the battle of the Atlantic during World War II.
The ON convoys were a series of North Atlantic trade convoys running Outbound from the British Isles to North America during the Battle of the Atlantic (1939-1945).
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 ON 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 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.
Convoy SL 125 was the 125th of the numbered series of World War II SL convoys of merchant ships from Sierra Leone to Liverpool. Ships carrying commodities bound to the British Isles from South America, Africa, and the Indian Ocean travelled independently to Freetown, Sierra Leone, to be convoyed for the last leg of their voyage. Thirty-seven merchant ships departed Freetown on 16 October 1942 and were joined at sea by five more.
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.
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. The ships departed Liverpool on 4 September 1942 and were met at noon on 5 September 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 the Flower-class corvettes Amherst, Arvida, Sherbrooke, and Celandine. St. Croix's commanding officer, acting Lieutenant Commander A. H. "Dobby" Dobson RCNR, was the senior officer of the escort group. The Canadian ships carried type 286 meter-wavelength radar but none of their sets were operational. Celandine carried Type 271 centimeter-wavelength radar. None of the ships carried HF/DF high-frequency direction finding sets.
Convoy ON 67 was a trade convoy of merchant ships during the Second World War. It was the 67th of the numbered series of ON convoys Outbound from the British Isles to North America. The ships departed from Liverpool on 14 February 1942 with convoy rescue ship Toward, and were escorted to the Mid-Ocean Meeting Point by escort group B4.
Convoy HX 300 was the 300th of the numbered series of World War II HX convoys of merchant ships from Halifax to Liverpool. It started its journey on 17 July 1944 and was the largest convoy of the war, comprising 166 ships.
German submarine U-606 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for service during World War II. She was laid down on 12 March 1941 by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg as yard number 582, launched on 27 November 1941 and commissioned on 22 January 1942 under Oblt.z.S. Hans Klatt.
The Arctic Circle defining the "midnight sun" encompasses the Atlantic Ocean from the northern edge of Iceland to the Bering Strait in the Pacific Ocean. Military activity in this area between 1939 and 1945 is often considered part of the Battle of the Atlantic or of the European Theatre of World War II. Pre-war navigation focused on fishing and the international ore-trade from Narvik and Petsamo. Soviet settlements along the coast and rivers of the Barents Sea and Kara Sea relied upon summer coastal shipping for supplies from railheads at Arkhangelsk and Murmansk. The Soviet Union extended the Northern Sea Route past the Taymyr Peninsula to the Bering Strait in 1935.
Convoy HX 212 was the 212th of the numbered series of World War II HX convoys of merchant ships from HalifaX to Liverpool. The ships departed New York City on 18 October 1942 and were met on 23 October by Mid-Ocean Escort Force Group A-3 consisting of the United States Coast Guard Treasury-class cutter USCGC Campbell, the destroyer Badger and the Flower-class corvettes Dianthus, Rosthern, Trillium, Dauphin, Alberni, Summerside and Ville de Quebec. The first five escorts had worked together previously, but the last three corvettes were attached to the convoy only for passage to the eastern Atlantic in preparation for assignments on Operation Torch. Summerside was the only escort equipped with modern Type 271 centimeter-wavelength radar.
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 by Mid-Ocean Escort Force Group B-6 consisting of the Flower-class corvettes Vervain, Potentilla, Eglantine, Montbretia and Rose and the convoy rescue ship Perth. 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.
Convoy ON 122 was a trade convoy of merchant ships during the second World War. It was the 122nd of the numbered series of ON convoys Outbound from the British Isles to North America. The ships departed Liverpool on 15 August 1942 and were joined on 17 August by Escort Group B6 of the Mid-Ocean Escort Force.