Convoy Battles of World War II occurred when convoys of warships protected cargo ships assembled for mutual defense and were attacked by submarines, surface ships and/or aircraft. Most were in the North Atlantic from 1939 to 1943 and involved attacks by U-boat wolfpacks. Convoy battles also occurred in the Arctic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and western Pacific Ocean.
Convoy | Escort | Date Located [1] | Warships | Bombers | U-boats [1] | Ships Sunk [1] | GRT lost [1] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HX 65 | — | 24 August 1940 [2] | — | 12 [3] | 3 [4] | 7 [4] | 42,311 [4] |
HX 72 [5] | — | 20 September 1940 | — | — | 9 | 11 | 72,727 |
SC 7 | — | 16 October 1940 | — | — | 7 | 20 | 79,592 |
HX 79 | — | 19 October 1940 | — | — | 5 | 12 | 75,069 |
HX 84 [6] | HMS Jervis Bay | 5 November 1940 | Scheer | — | — | 5 | 33,331 |
HX 90 | — [7] | 1 December 1940 | — | — | 7 | 11 | 73,958 |
HG 53 | — | 8 February 1941 [8] | Hipper [8] | 5 [8] | 1 [8] | 9 [8] | 15,218 [8] |
SL 64 | — [8] | 12 February 1941 [8] | Hipper [8] | — | — | 7 [8] | 32,806 [8] |
HX 112 | 5th EG [9] | 15 March 1941 | — | — | 5 | 5 | 34,505 |
SC 26 | 1 April 1941 | — | — | 8 | 10 | 51,969 | |
OB 318 | 3rd EG [10] | 7 May 1941 | — | — | 4 | 9 | 50,985 |
HX 126 | HMS Aurania [11] | 19 May 1941 | — | — | 11 | 9 | 51,862 |
OG 69 | — | 24 July 1941 | — | — | 8 | 7 | 11,303 |
OG 71 | — | 17 August 1941 | — | — | 8 | 10 | 15,185 |
SC 42 | NEF 24th EG [12] | 9 September 1941 | — | — | 19 | 16 | 68,259 |
HG 73 | — | 19 September 1941 | — | — | 5 | 10 | 25,818 |
GM 2 | Force H [13] | 25 September 1941 [14] | 2 × BB [15] | 62 [16] | 11 [14] | 1 [17] | 12,427 [13] |
SC 48 | EG 4.1.15 [18] | 15 October 1941 | — | — | 9 | 11 | 49,835 |
HG 76 | 36th EG [19] | 16 December 1941 | — | — | 10 | 4 | 18,383 |
NA 2 | — | 31 January 1942 | — | — | 4 | 1 | 1,190 |
ON 67 | TU 4.1.5 [20] | 21 February 1942 [20] | — [20] | — [20] | 5 [20] | 8 [20] | 54,750 [21] |
MW 10 [22] | — | 21 March 1942 | Littorio | 9 | 3 | 2 | 17,031 |
PQ 13 | — | 28 March 1942 | — | — | 9 | 2 | 11,507 |
ONS 92 | A-3 [23] | 11 May 1942 | — | — | 6 | 7 | 36,284 |
ONS 100 | C-1 [23] | 8 June 1942 | — | — | 6 | 5 | 20,478 |
MW 11 [24] | — | 12 June 1942 | — | — | 6 | 2 | 12,915 |
GM 4 [24] | Force X | 14 June 1942 | — | — | — | 4 | 29,129 |
PQ 17 [25] | 1st EG | 1 July 1942 | — | 202 sorties [26] | 9 | 16 | 102,311 |
ON 115 | C-3 [23] | 29 July 1942 | — | — | 12 | 3 | 21,456 |
SC 94 [23] | C-1 | 5 August 1942 | — | — | 17 | 11 | 53,421 |
WS.5.21.S [27] | — | 10 August 1942 | — | 316 | 2 | 9 | 88,812 |
ON 122 [28] | B-6 [28] | 22 August 1942 | — | — | 14 | 4 | 17,235 |
ON 127 | C-4 [28] | 9 September 1942 | — | — | 12 | 8 | 51,619 |
PQ 18 | — | 12 September 1942 | — | 77 | 5 | 3 | 19,689 |
SC 100 [28] | C-4 | 18 September 1942 | — | — | 17 | 5 | 26,331 |
QP 14 | — | 20 September 1942 | — | — | 7 | 6 | 23,474 |
RB 1 [29] | — | 23 September 1942 | — | — | 9 | 3 | 11,525 |
SC 104 [28] | B-6 | 12 October 1942 | — | — | 17 | 8 | 43,970 |
HX 212 [28] | A-3 | 26 October 1942 | — | — | 13 | 6 | 51,918 |
SL 125 | — | 27 October 1942 | — | — | 10 | 12 | 80,005 |
SC 107 [28] | C-4 | 30 October 1942 | — | — | 16 | 15 | 82,817 |
ON 144 [28] | B-6 | 15 November 1942 | — | — | 13 | 6 | 26,321 |
ON 153 | B-7 [28] | 15 December 1942 | — | — | 13 | 4 | 19,551 |
JW 51B [30] | — | 24 December 1942 | 2 × CA | — | 1 | — | — [31] |
ONS 154 [28] | C-1 | 26 December 1942 [32] | 0 [33] | — [33] | 16 [32] | 14 [33] | 69,378 [34] |
TM 1 | B-5 [30] | 3 January 1943 | — | — | 14 | 7 | 56,453 |
SC 118 [28] | B-2 | 4 February 1943 | — | — | 20 | 11 | 59,765 |
ON 166 [28] | A-3 | 21 February 1943 | — | — | 19 | 14 | 88,001 |
UC 1 [35] | 44th EG [36] | 22 February 1943 | — | — | 11 | 3 | 26,682 |
81 [37] | 8 × DD | 1 March 1943 | 10 × MTB | 114 | — | 8 | 37,324 |
SC 121 [28] | A-3 | 6 March 1943 | — | — | 26 | 12 | 55,661 |
HX 228 [28] | B-3 | 10 March 1943 | — | — | 19 | 5 | 25,515 |
UGS 6 [38] | 12 March 1943 | — | — | 17 | 4 | 28,018 | |
HX 229 [28] | B-4 | 16 March 1943 | — | — | 43 | 13 | 93,502 |
SC 122 [28] | B-5 | 17 March 1943 | — | — | 43 | 9 | 53,094 |
RS 3 | 27 March 1943 | — | — | 7 | 3 | 15,389 | |
HX 231 [28] | B-7 | 4 April 1943 | — | — | 11 | 6 | 41,494 |
ONS 5 [28] | B-7 | 28 April 1943 | — | — | 55 | 13 | 61,958 |
TS 37 | — | 30 April 1943 | — | — | 1 | 7 | 43,255 |
JW 55B [39] | — | 22 December 1943 | Scharnhorst | — | 2 | — | — [31] |
JW 56A | — | 25 January 1944 | — | — | 4 | 3 | 21,584 [40] |
Hi-40 [41] | Shimushu [42] | 19 February 1944 [42] | — [42] | — [42] | 2 [42] | 5 [42] | 28,075 [41] |
Hi-71 [43] | 6th EG | 17 August 1944 | — | — | 6 | 5 | 73,071 [44] |
Hi-81 [45] | 8th EG | 15 November 1944 [45] | — | 1 | 6 [46] | 3 [45] | 36,100 [46] |
The ON and later ONS convoys were a series of North Atlantic trade convoys running Outbound from the British Isles to North America during the Atlantic campaign of the Second World War. The ON convoys replaced the earlier OA/OB series of outbound convoys in July 1941 and ran until the end of the campaign in May 1945. They were organized as alternating fast and slow convoys until March 1943, when the ONS series was begun to take over the slow trans-Atlantic traffic, after which all in the ON series were fast.
HMS Mallow was a Flower-class corvette commissioned into the Royal Navy that served as a convoy escort during World War II; with the Royal Navy in 1940–1944, and with the Royal Yugoslav Navy-in-exile in 1944–1945. In Yugoslav service she was renamed Nada. Her main armament was a single 4-inch (102 mm) Mk IX naval gun, although a significant number of secondary and anti-aircraft guns were added towards the end of the war. During the war she escorted a total of 80 convoys whilst in British service, sinking one German U-boat, and escorted another 18 convoys whilst in Yugoslav service. After the war she served in the fledgling Yugoslav Navy as Nada then Partizanka, before being returned to the Royal Navy in 1949. Later that year she was transferred to the Egyptian Navy in which she served as El Sudan until she was decommissioned in 1975.
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 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 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.
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 HX 156 was the 156th of the numbered series of World War II HX convoys of merchant ships from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Liverpool. Forty-three ships departed Halifax on 22 October 1941, and were met two days later by United States Navy Task Unit 4.1.3 consisting of Gleaves-class destroyer Niblack, Clemson-class destroyer Reuben James, Wickes-class destroyer Tarbell, and Benson-class destroyers Benson and Hilary P. Jones.
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.
HMS Orchis was a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Navy during World War II.
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.
The CU convoys were a World War II series of fast trans-Atlantic convoys to the British Isles. The earliest convoys of the series were tankers sailing directly from petroleum refineries at Curaçao to the United Kingdom. Most convoys of the series assembled in New York City and included fast freighters and troopships, with tankers arriving from Aruba via TAG convoys to Guantánamo Bay and GN convoys from Guantánamo to New York.
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.
HMS Weston was a Shoreham-class sloop of the British Royal Navy. Weston was built at Devonport Dockyard in 1931–1933.