Convoy HX 79 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Convoy HX.79
Part of World War II
Date 19–20 October 1940 Location Western Approaches Result German victory
Belligerents
Kriegsmarine	Royal Navy
Commanders and leaders
Admiral Karl Dönitz
Strength
5 U-boats	50 ships (49 during attack) 17 escorts (11 during attack)
Casualties and losses
none	12 ships sunk 1 damaged

Convoy HX 79 was a group of Allied ships sailing together across the North Atlantic during World War II. This convoy was part of the important HX series that helped supply Britain. It happened during the long and dangerous Battle of the Atlantic, where German submarines tried to stop these supply convoys.

This convoy faced a very strong attack from German U-boats (submarines). It suffered huge losses. Along with another convoy attacked the day before (SC 7), these two days were the worst for shipping losses in the entire Atlantic campaign.

The Start of the Journey

Convoy HX 79 was heading east, carrying goods from Halifax, Canada, to Liverpool, England. It set sail on October 8, 1940, with 50 ships.

On October 19, after many days at sea, the convoy was getting close to Britain, entering an area called the Western Approaches. This was a dangerous zone where U-boats often waited. At this time, another convoy, SC 7, was already under attack nearby.

The convoy's protection for most of the trip had been quite small. Only two armed merchant cruisers (large ships that looked like regular cargo ships but carried guns) were with them. Their job was to protect against attacks from enemy surface ships. However, these protectors left the convoy when a German U-boat, U-47, spotted HX 79. This U-boat was commanded by a famous German submarine captain named Günther Prien.

The U-boat Attack

With the armed merchant cruisers gone, Convoy HX 79 was left without protection. Captain Prien sent a message to other U-boats, telling them where the convoy was. The head of the German U-boat force, Karl Dönitz, ordered a group of submarines, known as a "wolfpack," to gather and attack.

Some U-boats that had just attacked convoy SC 7 were sent to join the new attack. Four of them – U-100, U-46, U-48, and U-38 – joined U-47 during the day.

Meanwhile, the British Admiralty (the British navy command) was worried about the convoy. They knew SC 7 was in trouble and expected HX 79 to be attacked next. So, they sent more escort ships to help. Throughout the day, these ships arrived one by one, eventually adding up to 11 warships.

The U-boat wolfpack attacked as night fell. They used the darkness to sneak up on the convoy while staying on the surface of the water. Captain Prien's U-47 managed to get past the escort ships from the south and attack from inside the convoy itself. Another U-boat, commanded by Engelbert Endrass, did the same from the north.

Over the next six hours, 13 ships were hit by torpedoes. Six of these were hit by U-47 alone. In total, 10 ships from the convoy were sunk. Two more ships, Shirak and Loch Lomond (which was a rescue ship), were hit and sank later. Another ship, Athelmonarch, was damaged but managed to reach port safely.

In the end, Convoy HX 79 lost 12 ships out of 49. This was a huge loss of cargo and supplies. The attacking U-boats were not damaged at all.

Ships in the Convoy

A total of 50 merchant ships joined Convoy HX 79. One ship, the SS Erna III, turned back before the attack began. Here are some examples of the ships that were part of the convoy, including those that were sunk or damaged:

• Damaged:
  • Athelmonarch (UK, 8,995 tons) – Damaged by U-47.

• Sunk:
  • Bilderdijk (Netherlands, 6,856 tons) – Sunk by U-47.
  • Caprella (UK, 8,230 tons) – Sunk by U-100.
  • Janus (Sweden, 9,965 tons) – Sunk by U-46.
  • La Estancia (UK, 5,185 tons) – Sunk by U-47.
  • Loch Lomond (UK, 5,452 tons) – Sunk by U-100.
  • Matheran (UK, 7,653 tons) – Sunk by U-38.
  • Ruperra (UK, 4,548 tons) – Sunk by U-46.
  • Shirak (UK, 6,023 tons) – Sunk by U-47 and U-48.
  • Sitala (UK, 6,218 tons) – Sunk by U-100.
  • Uganda (UK, 4,966 tons) – Sunk by U-38.
  • Wandby (UK, 4,947 tons) – Sunk by U-47.
  • Whitford Point (UK, 5,026 tons) – Sunk by U-47.

Convoy Escorts

Many different military ships helped escort the convoy at various times. These included:

• Corvettes: Small warships good at hunting submarines, like HMS Arabis, HMS Coreopsis, HMS Heliotrope, and HMS Hibiscus.
• Destroyers: Fast warships with guns and torpedoes, such as HMCS Saguenay, HMS Sardonyx, HMS Sturdy, and HMS Whitehall.
• Trawlers: Fishing boats converted for anti-submarine warfare (ASW), like HMT Angle, HMT Blackfly, and HMT Lady Elsa.
• Armed Yachts: Private yachts fitted with weapons, including HMCS French, HMCS Husky, and HMCS Reindeer.
• Other: A minesweeper (HMS Jason), an armed merchant cruiser (HMS Montclare), and a submarine (HNLMS O 14).

Lessons Learned

Even though many escort ships joined the convoy, they weren't very effective during the attack. The main problem was that these ships weren't used to working together. They didn't have a clear plan or shared tactics.

The escort ships arrived one by one, whenever they were available. The command of the escort force kept changing as new, more senior officers arrived. This meant that any battle plans had to be made up on the spot and communicated slowly using signal lamps.

Because of these problems, the British Navy made important changes to how they protected convoys. The first big change was creating permanent escort groups. These groups of ships would train and operate together under one leader. This helped them develop better tactics and work as a team, making them much more effective at fighting U-boats in the future.