Convoy HG 73 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Convoy HG.73 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of World War II | |||||
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| Belligerents | |||||
 Regia Marina |
 United Kingdom |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||
| Admiral Karl Dönitz | |||||
| Strength | |||||
| 5 U-boats 3 Italian submarines |
25 merchant ships 16 escorts |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||
| 9 ships sunk | |||||
Imagine a long line of cargo ships sailing together across the ocean during World War II. This was called a convoy. Convoy HG 73 was one of these groups. It was made up of merchant ships, which are ships that carry goods for trade. The "HG" in its name meant it was travelling Homeward bound to the British Isles from Gibraltar.
This convoy left Gibraltar on September 17, 1941. Just one day later, on September 18, enemy submarines found it. The convoy was attacked for the next ten days. Sadly, nine ships from the convoy were sunk. The attacks stopped on September 28 when the submarines ran out of torpedoes. The ships that survived finally reached Liverpool in the United Kingdom on October 1.
Who Was Involved in Convoy HG 73?
The Convoy and Its Protectors
Convoy HG 73 had 25 merchant ships. Many of these ships were empty, or "in ballast," meaning they were carrying water or sand to help them stay stable. Others carried various trade goods.
The leader of the convoy was Rear Admiral K.E.L Creighton. He was on a cargo ship called the Avoceta. To protect these valuable cargo ships, a group of warships called an "escort group" sailed with them.
This escort group included a sloop (a type of warship) called HMS Fowey. There were also eight smaller warships called corvettes. For extra protection, an auxiliary anti-aircraft cruiser, HMS Springbank, joined them. This ship could also launch a fighter plane to defend against air attacks.
At the start of the journey, three destroyers (fast warships) also helped. These were Duncan, Vimy, and Farndale. More warships joined and left the escort at different times during the long trip.
The Attacking Forces
The ships of Convoy HG 73 faced a dangerous group of enemy submarines. This group was called an ad hoc wolfpack. It included five German submarines, known as U-boats. Their names were U-124, U-201, U-203, U-205, and U-371.
They worked with four Italian submarines. These were Da Vinci, Malaspina, Morosini, and Torelli. These submarines were waiting west of the Straits of Gibraltar.
Enemy aircraft also helped in the attacks. Long-range Fw 200 Condor planes from a German air group called Kampfgeschwader 40 (KG40) flew from Bordeaux, France. They helped spot the convoy for the submarines.
What Happened During the Attack?
The Convoy is Spotted
Convoy HG 73 began its journey from Gibraltar on September 17, 1941. Almost immediately, German spies in neutral Spain reported the convoy's details. They shared how many ships were in it, how strong its escort was, and when it left.
The Condor planes from KG40 and the four Italian submarines were ordered to find the convoy. However, one Italian submarine, Malaspina, had already been sunk the week before, but the German U-boat Command didn't know this. Three German U-boats further north were also sent to search for the convoy.
On September 18, a Condor plane spotted HG 73 near Cape St Vincent. But a Fulmar plane launched from the British ship Springbank chased it away.
On September 19, the convoy was seen again. First, the Italian submarine Morosini spotted it, and later, the German submarine U-371 did too. Both submarines lost contact. Morosini had engine problems and couldn't continue. U-371 was ordered to keep going to the Mediterranean Sea.
Attacks Begin
On September 20, the destroyers Duncan and Farndale left the convoy. Another destroyer, Wild Swan, took their place.
Also on September 20, U-124 made contact with a convoy. But it was actually a different convoy, OG 74, heading south. The U-boat Command didn't realize this. They ordered U-201 to join U-124. Over the next two days, both U-boats attacked OG 74. They sank five ships, but both U-boats were damaged and used up many of their torpedoes.
Meanwhile, the Italian submarines attacked HG 73, but without success. On the night of September 21/22, Vimy attacked a contact. It was later believed that Vimy had destroyed Malaspina. However, it was later thought that the attack might have been on Torelli, which survived but was badly damaged and had to return to base.
On September 22, the destroyers Vimy and Wild Swan left the escort. The destroyer Highlander joined instead.
On September 23, the Italian submarine Da Vinci found the convoy. It followed the convoy all day but couldn't get close enough to attack.
Intense Battles and Losses
On September 24, a Condor plane spotted the convoy again. It reported three ships on fire, but British records showed no ships were hit. The German U-boat Command sent two more U-boats, U-203 and U-205, from France to join the attack. They arrived over the next two days.
On September 25, U-124 found the convoy in rough seas. It fired at a ship it thought was a cruiser. This might have been Springbank, but no hits were made, and the Allied ships didn't notice any attack.
That night, U-203 joined the attack. Both U-boats attacked and hit several ships. Just after midnight, U-203 sank the Avoceta and Varangberg. The British corvette Larkspur then attacked U-203.
A few hours later, U-124 sank Cortes and Petrel. A small cargo ship called Lapwing stopped to rescue survivors from these two ships. But Lapwing itself was torpedoed just before dawn. Out of 109 men on these three ships, only 18 survived. They reached land after two weeks in an open lifeboat.
On September 26, Highlander left the escort. U-124 and U-203 continued to follow the convoy. U-201 and U-205 also joined. But during the day, an Allied aircraft attacked U-205. It was damaged and had to return to its base.
During the night of September 26/27, the three U-boats still in contact attacked again. Just before midnight, U-124 sank Siremalm. At 2 AM, U-201 torpedoed and sank Cervantes. It also torpedoed Springbank. The survivors from Springbank were rescued. The British ship Jasmine then sank Springbank with gunfire. This was done to prevent the damaged ship from being a danger to other ships.
On September 27, the three U-boats kept following the convoy. That night, U-201 made a final attack, sinking Margareta. Neither U-124 nor U-203 could attack again.
After this, the attacking U-boats had to give up. They returned to their bases to get more torpedoes. Convoy HG 73 continued its journey without further attacks. It arrived safely in Liverpool on October 1.
What Was the Result of Convoy HG 73?
Despite the best efforts of the escort ships, Convoy HG 73 suffered heavy losses. Out of the 25 ships that left Gibraltar, nine were sunk. One escort vessel was also lost. This made it the worst loss for any HG convoy during the war. It was also one of the worst losses in the entire Atlantic campaign.
From September 1939 to September 1942, there were 117 HG convoys. Only thirteen of them (just over one in ten) were attacked. Out of 2,994 ships that sailed in these convoys, 55 were lost. Thirty-nine of these were lost during convoy attacks, like HG 73. Another 16 were lost when they were not part of a convoy.
The attack on Convoy HG 73 was a success for the German and Italian forces. However, they greatly exaggerated their claims. The three U-boat commanders said they sank 15 ships. The three ships spotted sinking on September 24 were wrongly credited to Malaspina, which had already been sunk. The actual total weight of the nine ships sunk was 25,800 GRT (Gross Register Tonnage). The attackers often mistook the smaller cargo ships from the Gibraltar route for much larger ocean-going freighters.
Even though it was a victory for the attackers, this was the highest point of their success on the Gibraltar route. Just two months later, the heavy losses they faced while attacking Convoy HG 76 forced the German U-boat Command to stop operations in this area. They decided to look for easier targets elsewhere.
Ships in Convoy HG 73
Allied Merchant Ships
A total of 25 merchant ships joined the convoy in Gibraltar.
| Name | Flag | Tonnage (GRT) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avoceta (1923) |  United Kingdom |
3,442 | Passenger ship. Sunk by U-203 on 26 Sep. Convoy Commodore's ship. |
| Cervantes (1919) | United Kingdom |
1,810 | Sunk by U-201 on 27 Sep. |
| Cortes (1919) | United Kingdom |
1,374 | Sunk by U-203 on 26 Sep. |
| Coxwold (1938) | United Kingdom |
1,124 | |
| Cressado (1913) | United Kingdom |
1,228 | |
| Ebro (1920) |  Denmark |
1,547 | |
| Empire Lake (1941) | United Kingdom |
2,852 | |
| Empire Stream (1941) | United Kingdom |
2,911 | Sunk by U-124 on 25 Sep. |
| Finland (1939) | United Kingdom |
1,375 | |
| Lanarhone (1928) |  Ireland |
1,221 | Bound For Dublin. |
| Lapwing (1920) | United Kingdom |
1,348 | Straggler. Sunk by U-203 on 26 Sep, after rescuing survivors from Cortes and Petrel. |
| Leadgate (1925) | United Kingdom |
2,125 | |
| Margareta (1904) | United Kingdom |
3,103 | Sunk by U-201 on 27 Sep. Survivors picked up by HMS Hibiscus and landed at Gibraltar. |
| Marklyn (1918) | United Kingdom |
3,090 | |
| Meta (1930) | United Kingdom |
1,575 | |
| Panos (1920) | United Kingdom |
4,914 | |
| Penhale (1924) | United Kingdom |
4,071 | |
| Petrel (1920) | United Kingdom |
1,354 | Sunk by U-124 on 26 Sep. |
| Rudby (1924) | United Kingdom |
4,846 | |
| Siremalm (1906) |  Norway |
2,468 | Sunk by U-201 on 26 Sep. |
| Spero (1922) | United Kingdom |
1,589 | |
| Starling (1930) | United Kingdom |
1,320 | |
| Switzerland (1922) | United Kingdom |
1,291 | |
| Vanellus (1921) | United Kingdom |
1,886 | Ship's Master was the convoy's Vice-Commodore. |
| Varangberg (1915) | Norway |
2,842 | Sunk by U-203 on 26 Sep. |
Convoy Escorts
Many armed military ships protected the convoy at different times during its journey.
| Name | Flag | Type | Joined | Left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMS Begonia (K66) |  Royal Navy |
Flower-class corvette | 17 Sep 1941 | 30 Sep 1941 |
| HMS Duncan (D99) | Royal Navy |
D-class destroyer leader | 17 Sep 1941 | 20 Sep 1941 |
| HMS Farndale (L70) | Royal Navy |
Hunt-class destroyer | 17 Sep 1941 | 20 Sep 1941 |
| HMS Fowey (L15) | Royal Navy |
Shoreham-class sloop | 17 Sep 1941 | 30 Sep 1941 |
| HMS Gentian (K90) | Royal Navy |
Flower-class corvette | 17 Sep 1941 | 30 Sep 1941 |
| HMS Hibiscus (K24) | Royal Navy |
Flower-class corvette | 17 Sep 1941 | 30 Sep 1941 |
| HMS Highlander (H44) | Royal Navy |
H-class destroyer | 22 Sep 1941 | 26 Sep 1941 |
| HMS Jasmine (K23) | Royal Navy |
Flower-class corvette | 17 Sep 1941 | 30 Sep 1941 |
| HMS Larkspur (K82) | Royal Navy |
Flower-class corvette | 17 Sep 1941 | 30 Sep 1941 |
| HMS Myosotis (K65) | Royal Navy |
Flower-class corvette | 17 Sep 1941 | 30 Sep 1941 |
| HMS Periwinkle (K55) | Royal Navy |
Flower-class corvette | 17 Sep 1941 | 30 Sep 1941 |
| HMS Springbank | Royal Navy |
Fighter catapult ship | 17 Sep 1941 | Sunk by U-201 on 27 Sep 1941. |
| HMS Stonecrop (K142) | Royal Navy |
Flower-class corvette | 17 Sep 1941 | 30 Sep 1941 |
| HMS Vimy (D33) | Royal Navy |
V-class destroyer | 17 Sep 1941 | 22 Sep 1941 |
| HMS Wild Swan (D62) | Royal Navy |
Modified W class destroyer | 20 Sep 1941 | 22 Sep 1941 |
| HMS Wolverine (D78) | Royal Navy |
Modified W class destroyer | 28 Sep 1941 | 01 Oct 1941 |
