Convoy ON 122 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Convoy ON 122 |
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| Part of Battle of the Atlantic | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United Kingdom Norway |
 Germany |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| CAPT S.N. White RNR LCDR J.V. Waterhouse RN |
BdU: Karl Dönitz | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 37 merchant ships 5 escort ships |
9 submarines | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 4 merchants sunk (17,235 GRT) 40 killed/drowned |
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Convoy ON 122 was a group of merchant ships traveling together for safety during World War II. This particular convoy was the 122nd one heading Out from the British Isles to North America. The ships left Liverpool on August 15, 1942. Two days later, on August 17, they met up with their protectors, Escort Group B6.
Contents
What Was Convoy ON 122?
Convoy ON 122 was a group of 37 merchant ships. They were carrying important supplies across the North Atlantic Ocean. These ships were protected by five escort ships, which were smaller warships. Their journey took place from August 22 to 25, 1942.
Why Were Convoys Important?
During World War II, Germany used submarines, called U-boats, to sink Allied merchant ships. These ships carried food, fuel, and other supplies. To protect them, ships traveled in large groups called convoys. Escort ships would sail with them to fight off U-boat attacks.
The Battle of the Atlantic
Convoy ON 122 was part of the larger Battle of the Atlantic. This was the longest continuous military campaign of World War II. It was a fight between Allied convoys and German U-boats. The goal was to control the shipping lanes across the Atlantic.
How the U-boats Found the Convoy
German U-boats were always looking for Allied convoys. They wanted to sink the supply ships.
Unexpected Discovery
On August 22, 1942, a German submarine called U-135 found Convoy ON 122. This was a surprise because U-135 was not supposed to be in that area. It had missed a message to change its location.
Calling the Wolf Pack
U-135 sent messages to other U-boats. At first, the messages were confusing. But after U-135 sent clearer updates, a group of U-boats called the Lohs wolf pack was ordered to find the convoy. A "wolf pack" was a tactic where several U-boats attacked a convoy together.
The Chase Begins
The escort ships tried to find the U-boats. They used special equipment to listen for them.
Searching for Submarines
On August 23, the Norwegian corvettes (small warships) of Escort Group B6 searched for U-boats. They used a system called HF/DF (High-Frequency Direction Finding). This helped them figure out where U-boats were by listening to their radio signals.
Keeping U-boats Away
The escort ships, like Viscount and Potentilla, tried to force the U-boats to dive underwater. This made it harder for the U-boats to attack. They didn't always use depth charges (underwater bombs) right away. Sometimes, just making the U-boats submerge was enough to keep the convoy safe for a while.
The Attack on the Convoy
The U-boats finally launched their attack on the convoy.
Night Attack
On August 24, it was hard to see because of squalls (sudden, strong winds and rain). As evening came, the escorts had only found four of the nine U-boats. The convoy changed its direction to try and avoid them.
Around an hour later, a U-boat called U-605 fired torpedoes. It hit two merchant ships, the Katvaldis and the Sheaf Mount. The Viscount escort ship found the U-boat with its RADAR (Radio Detection and Ranging) and dropped depth charges.
While Viscount was busy, two other U-boats, U-176 and U-438, attacked. They torpedoed the ships Trolla and Empire Breeze.
Fighting Back and Escaping
The escort ships fought hard to protect the convoy.
Successful Defense
In the early hours of August 25, the convoy escorts did a great job. The sea was calm, which helped their Type 271 RADAR work well. They quickly counter-attacked, stopping the U-boats from getting into good positions to fire more torpedoes.
Damaged U-boats
The escort ship Eglantine attacked U-605 with depth charges, damaging its conning tower (the control room on top of the submarine). Other U-boats, U-135, U-174, and U-438, were also damaged by depth charges.
Losing Contact
After sunrise on August 25, the convoy entered a thick fog. The U-boats lost sight of the convoy and stopped chasing it on August 26. One U-boat, U-256, was badly damaged and needed repairs for over a year. Another, U-705, was hit by gunfire from the escorts and later sunk by Allied planes.
The remaining ships in the convoy reached North American ports by September 3.
Ships in the Convoy
Allied Merchant Ships
Here are the merchant ships that were part of Convoy ON 122.
| Name | Flag | Dead | Tonnage (GRT) | Cargo | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amberton (1928) |  United Kingdom |
5,377 | Destination Halifax | ||
| Athelprince (1926) | United Kingdom |
8,782 | Carried convoy commodore CAPT S.N. White RNR | ||
| Atland (1910) |  Sweden |
5,203 | Coal | Destination Saint John | |
| Baron Herries (1940) | United Kingdom |
4,574 | Destination New York City | ||
| City of Lancaster (1924) | United Kingdom |
3,041 | General cargo | Destination New York City | |
| Empire Breeze (1941) | United Kingdom |
1 | 7,457 | In ballast | Sunk by U-176 or U-438 |
| Empire Chamois (1918) | United Kingdom |
5,684 | Destination New York City | ||
| Empire Flamingo (1917) | United Kingdom |
4,994 | Returned to the Clyde | ||
| Empire Wagtail (1919) | United Kingdom |
4,893 | Destination New York City | ||
| Fintra (1918) | United Kingdom |
2,089 | Destination Saint John | ||
| Gloxinia (1920) | United Kingdom |
3,336 | Destination New York City | ||
| Inger Elizabeth (1920) | Norway |
2,166 | Coal | Destination Halifax | |
| Inger Toft (1920) | United Kingdom |
2,190 | Destination Sydney | ||
| Ingerfire (1905) | Norway |
3,835 | Coal | Destination Sydney | |
| Ingman (1907) | United Kingdom |
3,169 | Destination Sydney | ||
| Isobel (1929) |  Panama |
1,515 | Destination Halifax | ||
| Jan (1920) | Norway |
1,946 | Destination Herring Cove, Nova Scotia | ||
| Katvaldis (1907) | United Kingdom |
3 | 3,163 | In ballast | Sunk by U-605 |
| Kolsnaren (1923) | Sweden |
2,465 | Destination New York City | ||
| Lifland (1920) |  Denmark |
2,254 | Destination Montreal | ||
| Mariposa (1914) | United Kingdom |
3,807 | Destination New York City | ||
| Merchant Royal (1928) | United Kingdom |
5,008 | Destination Boston | ||
| Modlin (1906) |  Poland |
3,569 | Destination Halifax | ||
| Parismina (1908) |  United States |
4,732 | Destination Boston | ||
| Ramava (1900) |  Latvia |
2,141 | Destination Sydney | ||
| Rio Branco (1924) | Norway |
3,210 | Destination Sydney | ||
| Rolf Jarl (1920) | Norway |
1,917 | Coal | Destination Halifax | |
| Sheaf Mount (1924) | United Kingdom |
31 | 5,017 | In ballast | Sunk by U-605 |
| Silverelm (1924) | United Kingdom |
4,351 | General cargo | Destination New York City | |
| Sirehei (1907) | Norway |
3,888 | Destination Sydney | ||
| Souliotis (1917) |  Greece |
4,299 | Destination Halifax | ||
| Stad Arnhem (1920) |  Netherlands |
3,819 | Destination New York City | ||
| Start Point (1919) | United Kingdom |
5,293 | Destination Botwood | ||
| Stockport (1911) | United Kingdom |
1,583 | convoy rescue ship | ||
| Tenax (1925) | United Kingdom |
3,846 | Destination Sydney | ||
| Trolla (1923) | Norway |
5 | 1,598 | In ballast | Sunk by U-438 |
| Van de Velde (1919) | Netherlands |
6,389 | General cargo | Destination New York City |
Convoy Escorts
These military ships protected the convoy during its journey. They were part of Escort Group B6.
| Name | Flag | Type | Joined | Left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HNoMS Andenes (K01) |  Royal Norwegian Navy |
Flower-class corvette | 17 Aug 1942 | 3 Sep 1942 |
| HNoMS Eglantine (K197) | Royal Norwegian Navy |
Flower-class corvette | 17 Aug 1942 | 3 Sep 1942 |
| HNoMS Montbretia (K208) | Royal Norwegian Navy |
Flower-class corvette | 17 Aug 1942 | 3 Sep 1942 |
| HNoMS Potentilla (K214) | Royal Norwegian Navy |
Flower-class corvette | 17 Aug 1942 | 3 Sep 1942 |
| HMS Viscount (D92) |  Royal Navy |
Modified long-range V-class destroyer | 17 Aug 1942 | 3 Sep 1942 |
See also
- Convoy Battles of World War II
