Convoy HG 53 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Convoy
Part of World War II
Date 8–11 February 1941 Location North Atlantic Result German victory
Belligerents
Kriegsmarine	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)

During World War II, a convoy was a group of ships traveling together. This helped protect them from enemy attacks. Convoy HG 53 was the 53rd group of ships sailing from Gibraltar to Liverpool. These ships were carrying important supplies back home to Britain.

In February 1941, Convoy HG 53 faced a big challenge. It lost nine ships in a special attack. This attack was unusual because ships were sunk by U-boats (submarines), by airplanes, and by large warships. It was one of the few times this happened in the Battle of the Atlantic.

Setting the Scene: Convoy HG 53 Begins

On February 6, 1941, twenty-one merchant ships left Gibraltar. They were heading towards Liverpool, a major port in the United Kingdom. To keep them safe, two warships escorted them. These were the destroyer Velox and the sloop HMS Deptford. A sloop was a smaller warship.

The leader of the convoy was Rear Admiral Sir OH Dawson. He was on board one of the merchant ships, the Dagmar.

The Attack: How Convoy HG 53 Was Attacked

Five German Fw 200 Condor bombers attacked Convoy HG 53.

The convoy's journey quickly became dangerous. On the evening of February 8, a German submarine, U-37, spotted the convoy. This was southwest of Cape St. Vincent. After midnight, the U-boat fired torpedoes. It sank two British freighters, the Courland and the Estrellano.

The U-37 then sent a message to a German air base. This message told them where the convoy was. It also sent out special signals. These signals helped German planes find the convoy.

Air Attack on the Convoy

At dawn, five Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor bombers took off. These planes were from a group called Kampfgeschwader 40. By noon, they found the convoy. It was about 400 miles (640 km) southwest of Lisbon.

The bombers flew very low, only about 150 feet (46 meters) high. They did this because their bomb sights were not very good. As they approached, a crew member in each plane fired a machine gun. This was to try and stop the ships' anti-aircraft guns from firing back.

One of the bombers was hit in its fuel tank. It had to crash-land in Spain on its way back. The planes dropped twenty bombs in total. Six of these bombs hit ships. They sank the Dagmar, which was the convoy leader's ship. They also sank the Norwegian freighter Tejo. Three British freighters, the Britannic, Jura, and Varna, were also sunk.

More Attacks by Sea

After dark, the U-37 struck again. It sank the British freighter Brandenburg. The submarine kept sending out signals. These signals guided a large German warship, the German cruiser Admiral Hipper.

On February 11, the Admiral Hipper found a ship that had fallen behind. It was the British freighter Iceland. The German cruiser quickly sank it.

After the Battle: What Happened Next

The Admiral Hipper did not search for more ships from Convoy HG 53. Instead, it found another convoy, SL 64. This convoy had no warships protecting it. The Hipper then sank seven ships from that convoy.

The remaining ships of Convoy HG 53 got more protection. On February 18, the sloop Londonderry joined them. On February 20, the destroyer Fury arrived. More ships joined on February 22. These were the destroyer Sabre, the destroyer Leamington, and the corvette HMS Anemone.

Finally, on February 24, 1941, the twelve surviving ships reached Liverpool. In total, nine ships had been sunk. These ships weighed a combined 15,217 GRT.

Ships in Convoy HG 53

Here is a list of the merchant ships that were part of Convoy HG 53:

Name	Flag	Casualties	Tonnage (GRT)	Cargo	Sunk by...
Brandenburg	United Kingdom	23	1,473	Ore	U-37
Britannic II	United Kingdom	1	2,490	Ore	KG 40 bomber
Courland	United Kingdom	30	1,325	General	U-37
Coxwald	United Kingdom		1,124	Scrap iron
Dagmar I	United Kingdom	5	2,471	Oranges	KG 40 bomber
Dago	United Kingdom		1,757	Oranges
Disa	Sweden		2,002	Ore
Egyptian Prince	United Kingdom		3,490	Oranges
Empire Lough	United Kingdom		2,824	Ore
Empire Tern	United Kingdom		2,479	Ore
Empire Warrior	United Kingdom		1,306	Ore
Estrellano	United Kingdom	6	1,982	General	U-37
Iceland	United Kingdom		1,236	Oranges	Admiral Hipper
Jura	United Kingdom	17	1,759	Ore	KG 40 bomber
Marklyn	United Kingdom		3,090	Ore
Ousel	United Kingdom		1,533	Ore
Sally Maersk	United Kingdom		3,252	General
Tejo	Norway	4	967	General	KG 40 bomber
Vanellus	United Kingdom		1,886	Ore
Varna	United Kingdom		1,514	Pit props	KG 40 bomber
Wrotham	United Kingdom		1,884	Ore

See also

• Convoy Battles of World War II

Sources