Convoy ON 127 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Convoy ON 127 |
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| Part of Battle of the Atlantic | |||||||
 HMCS Ottawa |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United Kingdom Canada |
 Germany |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| RADM Sir E O Cochrane KBE LCDR A.H. "Dobby" Dobson RCNR |
Admiral Karl Dönitz | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 35 freighters 4 destroyers 4 corvettes |
13 submarines | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 6 freighters sunk (44,113GRT) 24 killed/drowned 1 destroyer sunk 114 killed/drowned |
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Convoy ON 127 was a group of merchant ships traveling together for safety during World War II. This convoy was the 127th group of ships sailing from the British Isles to North America. It was special because all the German submarines (U-boats) that found this convoy launched torpedoes. The ships left Liverpool on September 4, 1942. On September 5, they met their escorts. These were ships from the Royal Canadian Navy and the British Royal Navy. The escort group included the destroyers Ottawa and St. Croix. It also had the smaller warships called corvettes: Amherst, Arvida, Sherbrooke, and Celandine. The Canadian ships had radar, but it was not working. Celandine had a newer type of radar that was working.
Contents
Why Convoys Were Important
During World War II, German U-boats tried to sink merchant ships. These ships carried vital supplies like food, fuel, and weapons. To protect them, ships traveled in large groups called convoys. Warships, like destroyers and corvettes, would guard the convoys.
U-boat Strategy Changes
Earlier in the war, U-boats had great success sinking ships near the American coast. This period was called the "second happy time" by the Germans. But as coastal defenses improved, U-boat commander Karl Dönitz changed his strategy. He moved his submarines to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Here, they were harder for aircraft to find. Dönitz hoped that more U-boats and secret intelligence would help them find convoys. However, most convoys still made it safely across the Atlantic.
First Contact with the Enemy
A group of 13 German U-boats, called the Vorwarts wolf pack, was waiting. They formed a long line across the convoy's path. This was about 500 miles west of Ireland. On September 9, U-584 spotted the convoy. But it lost contact later that evening.
The Battle Begins
On September 10, U-96 found the convoy again. It attacked three ships with torpedoes. These were the Norwegian tanker Svene, the tanker F.J.Wolfe, and the Belgian freighter Elisabeth van Belgie. The corvette Sherbrooke stayed behind to help the damaged ships. The other escorts, St. Croix, Ottawa, and Celandine, searched for U-96. F.J.Wolfe was able to rejoin the convoy.
Later that night, the U-boats launched a big attack.
- U-659 torpedoed the British tanker Empire Oil.
- St. Croix detected the U-boat with its sonar (sound detection).
- St. Croix and Ottawa rescued 23 crew members from Empire Oil.
- U-404 hit the tanker Marit II.
- U-218 torpedoed the tanker Fjordaas.
- Other U-boats, U-608, U-92, and U-594, also fired torpedoes but missed.
The escorts fought back with depth charges. These attacks damaged U-659 and U-218, forcing them to return to port. Both Marit II and Fjordaas were able to continue with the convoy. Empire Oil was later sunk by U-584. Sherbrooke rescued almost all the crew from Svene and Elisabeth van Belgie.
More Attacks on the Convoy
On September 11, the escorts' radar systems were still not working.
- U-584 torpedoed the Norwegian ship Hindanger during the day.
- Amherst rescued most of Hindanger's crew.
- A British B-24 Liberator aircraft helped keep U-boats away that day.
- But U-96 sank a small Portuguese fishing boat nearby.
That night, more U-boats attacked:
- U-380 missed with its torpedoes.
- U-211 torpedoed the British whale factory ship Hektoria and the freighter Empire Moonbeam.
- U-92 fired four torpedoes at Ottawa but missed.
- U-404 torpedoed the tanker Daghild.
Daghild stayed with the convoy. Arvida rescued many crew members from Hektoria and Empire Moonbeam. These two ships were later sunk by U-608.
The Final Attacks
On September 12, the weather was clear. The four escort ships could see U-boats up to 7 miles away. This made it harder for the U-boats to attack. U-407 and U-594 fired torpedoes but missed.
On September 13, the convoy came within range of Canadian patrol planes. U-594 sank the ship Stone Street, which had fallen behind. Two more destroyers, HMCS Annapolis and HMS Witch, joined the escort group.
In the early hours of September 14, U-91 torpedoed the Canadian destroyer HMCS Ottawa. Ottawa sank, and 114 of its crew members were lost. The rest of the convoy reached New York City on September 20, 1942.
Ships in Convoy
| Name | Nationality | Dead | Tonnage (GRT) |
Cargo | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athelduchess (1929) |  United Kingdom |
8,940 | Carried the convoy leader. | ||
| Bayano (1917) | United Kingdom |
6,815 | Destination Halifax. | ||
| Bohemian Club (1921) |  United States |
6,906 | |||
| Boston City (1920) | United Kingdom |
2,870 | China clay & mail | Survived this convoy and others. | |
| British Endurance (1936) | United Kingdom |
8,406 | Destination New York City. | ||
| British Tradition (1942) | United Kingdom |
8,443 | Destination New York City. | ||
| Clausina (1938) | United Kingdom |
8,083 | Destination New York City. | ||
| Daghild (1927) |  Norway |
9,272 | Torpedoed but survived. Sunk later in another convoy. | ||
| Domby (1932) | United Kingdom |
5,582 | Destination New York City. | ||
| Egda (1939) | Norway |
10,050 | Destination New York City. | ||
| El Mirlo (1930) | United Kingdom |
8,092 | Destination New York City. | ||
| Elisabeth van Belgie (1909) |  Belgium |
1 | 4,241 | Empty | Sunk by U-96 on Sept 10. |
| Empire Lytton (1942) | United Kingdom |
9,807 | Reached New York City, sunk later. | ||
| Empire Moonbeam (1941) | United Kingdom |
3 | 6,849 | Empty | Sunk by U-211 & U-608 on Sept 12. |
| Empire Oil (1941) | United Kingdom |
18 | 8,029 | Empty | Sunk by U-659 & U-584 on Sept 11. |
| Empire Sailor (1926) | United Kingdom |
6,140 | General cargo | Carried the convoy vice commodore. | |
| Empire Thackeray (1942) | United Kingdom |
2,865 | Destination Halifax. | ||
| F J Wolfe (1932) | United Kingdom |
12,190 | Damaged by U-96, reached port. | ||
| Fjordaas (1931) | Norway |
7,361 | Damaged by U-218, returned to port. | ||
| G C Brovig (1930) | Norway |
9,718 | Destination New York City. | ||
| Hektoria (1899) | United Kingdom |
1 | 13,797 | Empty | Sunk by U-211 & U-608 on Sept 12. |
| Heranger (1930) | Norway |
4,877 | Destination New York City. | ||
| Hindanger (1929) | Norway |
1 | 4,884 | Empty | Sunk by U-584 on Sept 11. |
| Laurits Swenson (1930) | Norway |
5,725 | Left the convoy. | ||
| Liberty Glo (1919) | United States |
4,979 | Destination Halifax. | ||
| Marit II (1922) | Norway |
7,417 | Damaged by U-404, reached port. | ||
| Modavia (1927) | United Kingdom |
4,858 | Destination Halifax. | ||
| Montevideo (1928) | Norway |
4,639 | Survived this convoy and another. | ||
| Nanking (1924) |  Sweden |
5,931 | 8 passengers | Destination New York City. | |
| Pachesham (1920) | United Kingdom |
6,090 | Left the convoy for St. Johns. | ||
| Pan-Georgia (1919) | United States |
8,197 | Destination New York City. | ||
| Stone Street (1922) |  Panama |
6,131 | Sunk by U-594 after falling behind. | ||
| Sveve (1930) | Norway |
0 | 6,313 | Empty | Sunk by U-96 on Sept 10. |
| Vardefjell (1940) | Norway |
8,316 | Returned to port due to engine problems. | ||
| Willemsplein (1910) |  Netherlands |
5,489 | Coal | Destination Halifax. |
See also
- Convoy Battles of World War II
