Convoy SC 7 was the seventh of the SC convoys, bound from Sydney, Nova Scotia across the North Atlantic to British ports, mainly Liverpool. [1] They were called SC as their departure point was designated Sydney, Cape Breton to avoid confusion with Sydney in Australia. [2] The convoys formed part of the battle of the Atlantic during the Second World War. Large numbers of merchant ships travelled with naval escorts to protect against U-boat attacks. Th convoys were often slow, the merchantmen often only being capable of a speed of around 8 kn (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) and so were particularly vulnerable to attack. [2] This problem was exacerbated by a shortage of suitable escorts from either the Royal Canadian Navy or the Royal Navy early in the war. [3]
Convoy SC 7 left Sydney on 5 October 1940, consisting of 36 freighters initially escorted by the Canadian armed yacht HMCS Elk and the British sloop HMS Scarborough. [4] Having seen the convoy out of Canadian waters, Elk turned back on 7 October, leaving the convoy to spend three-quarters of the crossing escorted by Scarborough. [4] SS Winona had developed engine problems and also turned back. [4] The crossing was uneventful, the only casualty being SS Trevisa, which straggled behind the convoy and was torpedoed and sunk near Rockall on 16 October by U-124. [5]
The main convoy was spotted the following day by U-38, which sank SS Aenos. [6] Further sporadic attacks continued that day and the following, despite the arrival of the sloop HMS Fowey and the corvette HMS Bluebell. The night of 18/19 October saw the use of the wolf pack tactic by the U-boats. Five U-boats; U-46, U-99, U-100, U-101 and U-123 attacked together, overwhelming the escorts, despite being reinforced by HMS Leith and Heartsease. [7] They sank 16 ships in a six-hours, bringing the total to twenty freighters sunk and a total tonnage lost of 79,592 gross registered tons. The U-boats only broke off their attacks to intercept convoy HX 79, which had arrived in the area. They went on to sink a further 12 ships from this convoy, for a total of 28 ships sunk on 18/19 October, making this the deadliest two days of the battle of the Atlantic. [7] The surviving merchant ships were gathered up by the remaining escorts and brought into port several days later.
This along with the * indicates that the ship was sunk
Name | Flag | Cargo | Fate | Date | Lived | Died | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aenos | Greece | Wheat | Sunk, U-38* [8] | 17 October | 25 | 4 | Straggler |
Assyrian | United Kingdom | Grain | Sunk, U-101* | 19 October | 34 | 17 | Convoy commodore's ship [9] |
Beatus | United Kingdom | Steel, timber, aircraft | Sunk, U-46* | 18 October | 37 | 0 | |
Blairspey | United Kingdom | Timber | Damaged, U-101 Damaged, U-100 | 18 October 19 October | 34 | 0 | Reached port, repaired |
Boekelo | Netherlands | Timber | Damaged, U-100 Sunk, U-123* | 18 October 19 October | 25 | 0 | Straggler |
Botusk | United Kingdom | Timber | Reached port | 42 | 0 | ||
Carsbreck | United Kingdom | Timber | Damaged, U-38 | 18 October | 55 | 0 | Towed into port |
Clintonia | United Kingdom | Pulpwood | Damaged, U-99 Sunk, U-123* | 19 October 19 October | 35 | 1 | |
SS Convallaria | Sweden | Pulpwood | Sunk, U-46* | 18 October | 22 | 0 | |
Corinthic | United Kingdom | Steel, scrap metal | Reached port | 21 | 0 | ||
Creekirk | United Kingdom | Iron ore | Sunk, U-101* | 18 October | 0 | 36 | |
Dioni | Greece | Grain | Reached port | 82 | 0 | ||
Eaglescliffe Hall | United Kingdom | Timber | Reached port | 64 | 0 | ||
Empire Brigade | United Kingdom | Metals, ores | Sunk, U-99* | 19 October | 35 | 6 | |
Empire Miniver | United Kingdom | Pig iron, steel | Sunk, U-99* | 19 October | 35 | 3 | |
Fiscus | United Kingdom | Steel, timber, aircraft | Sunk, U-99* | 18 October | 1 | 38 | Straggler |
Flynderborg | United Kingdom | Pulpwood | Reached port | 12 | 0 | ||
SS Gunborg | Sweden | Pulpwood | Sunk, U-46* | 18 October | 23 | 0 | |
Havørn [10] | Norway | Pit props | Reached port | 53 | 0 | ||
Inger Elisabeth [11] | Norway | Pit props | Reached port | 44 | 0 | ||
Karlander [12] | Norway | Timber | Reached port | 92 | 0 | ||
Languedoc | United Kingdom | Fuel oil | Sunk, U-48* [8] | 17 October | 39 | 0 | |
SS Niritos | Greece | Sulphur | Sunk, U-99* | 18 October | 27 | 1 | |
Scoresby | United Kingdom | Pit props | Sunk, U-48* [8] | 17 October | 39 | 0 | |
SS Sedgepool | United Kingdom | Wheat | Sunk, U-123* | 19 October | 36 | 3 | |
SS Shekatika | United Kingdom | Pit props, steel | Damaged, U-123, U-100 Sunk, U-123* | 19 October | 36 | 0 | Joined from convoy SHX 76. 'Romper' (travelling ahead of the convoy) |
Snefjeld [13] | Norway | Timber | Sunk, U-99* | 19 October | 21 | 0 | |
Sneland I [14] | Norway | Sulphur | Reached port | 94 | 0 | ||
Soesterberg | Netherlands | Pit props | Sunk, U-101* | 19 October | 19 | 6 | |
Somersby | United Kingdom | Flour | Reached port | 83 | 0 | ||
SS Thalia | Greece | Steel, lead, zinc | Sunk, U-99* | 19 October | 4 | 22 | |
Thorøy [15] | Norway | Fuel oil | Reached port | 63 | 0 | ||
SS Trevisa | Canada | Timber | Sunk, U-124* | 16 October | 14 | 7 | Straggler. First sinking. |
Trident | United Kingdom | Steel, timber | Reached port | 43 | 0 | ||
Valparaiso | Sweden | General cargo | Reached port | 14 | 0 | ||
Winona | United States | Timber | Returned to port | 34 | 0 | ||
Name | Class | Navy | With convoy | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
HMS Bluebell | Flower-class corvette | Royal Navy | 18–21 October | |
HMCS Elk | Armed yacht | Royal Canadian Navy | 5 –7 October | |
HMS Fowey | Shoreham-class sloop | Royal Navy | 18–21 October | |
HMS Heartsease | Flower-class corvette | Royal Navy | 18–21 October | Dispatched with Carsbreck, 18 October |
HMS Leith | Grimsby-class sloop | Royal Navy | 18–21 October | |
HMS Scarborough | Hastings-class sloop | Royal Navy | 5–21 October | Lost contact 17 October, unable to rejoin |
Name | Commander | Sunk | Damaged | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
U-38 | Heinrich Liebe | 1 | 1 | |
U-46 | Engelbert Endrass | 3 | 0 | |
U-48 | Heinrich Bleichrodt | 2 | 0 | |
U-99 | Otto Kretschmer | 6 | 1 | |
U-100 | Joachim Schepke | 0 | 3 | |
U-101 | Fritz Frauenheim | 3 | 1 | |
U-123 | Karl-Heinz Moehle | 4 | 0 | |
U-124 | Georg-Wilhelm Schulz | 1 | 0 | |
HX convoys were transatlantic convoys in the North Atlantic during the First World War and in the Battle of the Atlantic in the Second World War. HX convoys sailed eastwards from Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada, to Liverpool and other ports in Britain. They were joined the BHX convoys from Bermuda en route. After the United States entered the war, HX convoys began at New York.
HMS Gladiolus was a Flower-class corvette of the Royal Navy, the first ship of her class.
The first USS Twiggs (DD–127) was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I. She was named for Major Levi Twiggs. She was later transferred to the Royal Navy, as HMS Leamington and to the Soviet Navy as Zhguchy, before returning to Britain to star in the film The Gift Horse, which depicts the St. Nazaire Raid.
This is a timeline for the Battle of the Atlantic (1939–1945) in World War II.
SC 7 was the code name for a large Allied convoy in the Second World War comprising 35 merchant ships and six escorts, which sailed eastbound from Sydney, Nova Scotia, for Liverpool and other British ports on 5 October 1940. While crossing the Atlantic, the convoy was attacked by one of the first U-boat wolfpacks. The escorts were overwhelmed, twenty of the 35 cargo vessels were sunk and two were damaged, with 141 lives lost. The disaster demonstrated the potency of wolfpacks and the inadequacy of British anti-submarine operations.
HMS Arbutus was a Flower-class corvette of the Royal Navy, which was active during the Second World War. She was a successful escort vessel, and took part in the destruction of two U-boats during the Battle of the Atlantic. Arbutus was sunk in the North Atlantic in February 1942.
During the Battle of the Atlantic, British merchant shipping was formed into convoys for protection against German submarine attack. In March 1943 convoys HX 229 and SC 122 were the focus of the largest convoy battle of the war. Kriegsmarine tactics against convoys employed multiple-submarine wolfpack tactics in nearly simultaneous surface attacks at night. Patrolling aircraft restricted the ability of submarines to converge on convoys during daylight. The North Atlantic winters offered the longest periods of darkness to conceal surfaced submarine operations. The winter of 1942–43 saw the largest number of submarines deployed to the mid-Atlantic before comprehensive anti-submarine aircraft patrols could be extended into that area.
HX 79 was an Allied convoy in the North Atlantic of the HX series, which sailed east from Halifax, Nova Scotia. The convoy took place during the Battle of the Atlantic in the Second World War. One ship dropped out and returned to port, leaving 49 to cross the Atlantic for Liverpool. Two armed merchant cruisers and a submarine escorted the convoy to protect it from German commerce raiders.
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 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 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.
HMS Arabis was a Flower-class corvette of the Royal Navy. The ship was commissioned into the Royal Navy as HMS Arabis. She was transferred to the United States Navy in 1942, serving as USS Saucy. Returned to the United Kingdom in 1945, she was recommissioned into the Royal Navy as HMS Snapdragon.
Convoy HX 90 was a North Atlantic convoy of the HX series which ran during the Battle of the Atlantic in both world wars, this being a Second World War convoy.
SC 2 was an Allied North Atlantic convoy of the SC series which ran during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. It was attacked by a wolfpack of German U-boats, losing five merchant ships.
SC 129 was a North Atlantic convoy of the SC series which ran during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. It was one of several convoy battles that occurred during the crisis month of May 1943.
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.
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 HX 65 was a North Atlantic convoy of the HX series which ran during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II. It was the 65th of the numbered series of merchant convoys run by the Allies from Halifax to Liverpool. The convoy was attacked by German U-boats and aircraft, losing eight of its 51 ships sunk and a further three damaged. One U-boat was damaged.
Convoy HX 47 was a North Atlantic convoy of the HX series which ran during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II. It was the 47th of the numbered series of merchant convoys run by the Allies from Halifax to Liverpool. The convoy was attacked by German U-boats and lost three of its 58 ships.
HMS Periwinkle was a Flower-class corvette, built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War, and was in service in the Battle of the Atlantic. In 1942 she was transferred to the United States Navy as part of the Reverse Lend-Lease arrangement and renamed USS Restless, one of the Temptress-class gunboats. With the end of hostilities she was returned to the Royal Navy and sold into mercantile service.