Convoy ON 154 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Convoy ON 154 |
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| Part of Battle of the Atlantic | |||||||
 HMCS St. Laurent |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United Kingdom Canada |
 Germany |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| VAdm. Wion de Malpas Egerton † Lt.Cdr. Guy Windeyer RCN |
Admiral Karl Dönitz | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 50 freighters 1 destroyer 5 corvettes 1 Special Service Vessel |
20 submarines | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 13 freighters sunk (66,922 GRT) 177 killed/drowned 1 Special Service Vessel sunk 369 killed/drowned |
1 submarine sunk 46 killed/drowned |
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Imagine a group of 50 cargo ships, called a convoy, sailing across the huge North Atlantic Ocean during World War II. This was Convoy ON 154. It was heading from Europe to North America in December 1942. These ships were carrying important supplies or were empty, ready to pick up goods. But the ocean was dangerous. German submarines, known as U-boats, were hunting these convoys. During this trip, Convoy ON 154 faced a fierce attack. Sadly, 13 of its ships were sunk. However, the ships protecting the convoy managed to sink one of the attacking U-boats. This battle was part of the much larger Battle of the Atlantic, a long fight for control of the seas.
Contents
Why Convoys Sailed
During World War II, Germany used its U-boats to try and stop supplies from reaching Great Britain. These supplies were vital for the war effort. To protect their cargo ships, the Allies (like Britain and Canada) made them travel in large groups called convoys. These convoys were guarded by warships.
At first, U-boats mostly attacked ships close to the American coast. But as the Allies got better at protecting those areas, the U-boats moved to the middle of the Atlantic. This area was called the "Air Gap" because planes couldn't fly that far to help protect the convoys. German Admiral Karl Dönitz, who led the U-boats, hoped that more U-boats working together could find and sink convoys in this open ocean.
Ships and Crews Involved
Convoy ON 154 left Liverpool, England, on December 18, 1942. It had 50 merchant ships. These ships were quite slow, moving at about 8 knots (about 9 miles per hour). This made them easier targets for U-boats, which could travel faster on the surface.
The convoy was protected by a group of Canadian warships. This group was led by the destroyer HMCS St. Laurent. It also included five smaller warships called corvettes: HMCS Battleford, HMCS Chilliwack, HMCS Kenogami, HMCS Napanee, and HMCS Shediac. These Canadian ships often worked very hard and sometimes didn't have the newest equipment.
The convoy also had some special ships. The Toward was a convoy rescue ship, designed to pick up survivors from sunken vessels. The Scottish Heather was an oiler, carrying fuel for the escort ships. There was also a unique ship called HMS Fidelity. This was a Q-ship, which looked like a normal cargo ship but was secretly armed with guns and torpedoes. It even carried small landing boats and two small planes! The idea was to trick U-boats into attacking, then surprise them.
Against this convoy, Germany sent two large groups of U-boats, totaling 20 submarines. They were waiting in the "Air Gap" where Allied planes couldn't reach.
The Battle Begins
First Attacks: December 26-27
The convoy was sailing south to avoid bad weather. This route kept them out of reach of Allied patrol planes for longer. On December 26, a German U-boat spotted the convoy. That night, a U-boat named U-356 attacked. It torpedoed two British cargo ships, the Empire Union and the Melrose Abbey. Both ships sank quickly. The rescue ship Toward bravely saved many survivors.
U-356 attacked again, hitting the Dutch ship Soekaboemi and the British ship King Edward. The King Edward sank in just three minutes. But the convoy's escort ships fought back! HMCS St. Laurent, Chilliwack, Battleford, and Napanee worked together. They used depth charges (underwater bombs) to attack U-356, sinking it with all hands lost. The Toward and Napanee rescued survivors from the King Edward and Soekaboemi. The Soekaboemi stayed afloat for a while before sinking later.
More Attacks: December 27-28
The next day, another U-boat, U-225, tried to attack the oiler Scottish Heather while it was refueling the escort ships. The HMCS Chilliwack chased it away twice. But U-225 came back and hit the oiler with a torpedo. The crew had to leave the ship for a bit, but some brave sailors got back on board and managed to sail the damaged ship away from danger. It eventually made it back to England.
The Main Attack: December 28-29
On December 28, a U-boat called U-260 found the convoy and called in 18 other U-boats to attack. The Q-ship Fidelity tried to launch one of its small planes, but it crashed and sank. While HMCS St. Laurent was rescuing the plane's crew, the U-boats launched a big, coordinated attack.
Many ships were hit. U-591 torpedoed the Norwegian ship Norse King. U-225 hit the British ships Melmore Head and Ville de Rouen. U-260 sank the Empire Wagtail in a huge explosion that killed everyone on board. The Fidelity then reported engine trouble, and HMCS Shediac went to help it.
The U-boats then attacked the other side of the convoy. U-406 hit the British ships Lynton Grange, Zarian, and Baron Cochrane. U-662 hit the already damaged Ville de Rouen again. U-225 torpedoed the Empire Shackleton, which was carrying the convoy leader, Vice Admiral W. de M. Egerton. It also hit the Belgian ship President Francqui.
Many of these damaged ships, left behind the main convoy, were attacked again and sunk by other U-boats. HMCS Shediac had to leave the Fidelity to search for survivors. It rescued many people from the Melmore Head, Ville de Rouen, and Empire Shackleton.
The damaged President Francqui and Norse King tried to sail to safety but were also sunk by U-boats. Sadly, there were no survivors from the Norse King. More British destroyers, HMS Milne and HMS Meteor, arrived to help and rescued many survivors from the sunken ships.
The Fate of HMS Fidelity: December 29-30
The Q-ship Fidelity managed to restart its engines but was still moving slowly. A U-boat, U-615, found it and realized it was a trick ship. Fidelity launched its last plane, which spotted two U-boats. Fidelity then launched its small landing boats to rescue survivors from the Empire Shackleton.
Later that night, U-615 fired torpedoes at Fidelity, but the ship's special anti-torpedo net protected it. However, Fidelity's small patrol boat, MTB-105, had engine problems and lost contact. The next day, U-435 torpedoed Fidelity. The ship exploded and sank quickly. All 369 people on board, including the convoy leader Vice Admiral Egerton and the survivors from Empire Shackleton, were lost at sea.
End of the Battle: December 30
On December 30, another British destroyer, HMS Fame, arrived and took charge of the escort group. The captain of HMCS St. Laurent was so exhausted he collapsed. Some of the Canadian escort ships were running low on fuel and had to go to the Azores for supplies.
With more U-boats still around, two fast ships in the convoy were told they could try to escape on their own. As more Canadian and British destroyers arrived to reinforce the convoy, the German U-boats were finally ordered to leave.
HMCS Prescott later found and rescued the eight men from MTB-105, the small boat from Fidelity. But sadly, no other survivors from Fidelity or the Empire Shackleton were found. The rest of Convoy ON 154 finally reached New York City on January 12, 1943.
What Happened Next
The attack on Convoy ON 154 was a success for the Germans because they sank many ships. However, more than two-thirds of the convoy's ships made it safely, and the escorts managed to sink one U-boat, even though they were greatly outnumbered.
After this battle, the British Navy decided to send the Canadian escort groups for more training. They also started giving Canadian ships more modern equipment. This showed that the Canadian Navy's complaints about their ships were being heard. Meanwhile, the British Navy had to take on more of the tough job of escorting slow convoys across the Atlantic.
See also
- Convoy Battles of World War II
