Convoy RS 3 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Convoy RS 3 |
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| Part of Battle of the Atlantic | |||||
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| Belligerents | |||||
 Germany |
 United Kingdom |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||
| V.Adm. Karl Dönitz | Convoy Commodore: Captain Harold W.M. Milne, D.S.C | ||||
| Strength | |||||
| 8 U-boats | 3 merchant ships 1 cable layer 2 escorts ( at the time of attack ) |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||
| no losses | 3 ships sunk | ||||
Convoy RS 3 was a group of ships traveling together for safety during World War II. This convoy sailed in the South Atlantic Ocean in March 1943. It was a small group of ships moving along the coast from Rabat, a city in Morocco, to Sierra Leone in West Africa.
During its journey, Convoy RS 3 faced attacks from German U-boats (submarines). The convoy lost its three largest ships to these attacks. This event was part of the larger Battle of the Atlantic, where U-boats tried to sink Allied (friendly) ships. In March 1943, many ships were sunk in convoys, which caused problems for the Allied forces.
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Convoy RS 3: Setting Sail
When Convoy RS 3 left Gibraltar, it included three cargo ships, a special ship called the Lady Denison-Pender, and five tugboats. The Lady Denison-Pender was a very important ship. It was a cable layer, meaning it could lay communication cables on the ocean floor. This ship was returning south after laying a cable between Gibraltar and Casablanca. This new cable helped provide secure phone lines for a big meeting called the Casablanca Conference.
The convoy was protected by two small warships called corvettes. It also had two armed naval trawlers, which are fishing boats made stronger for war.
How the Germans Found the Convoy
The German navy had a special team called B-Dienst. This team was very good at listening to and understanding secret enemy radio messages. They were able to figure out where Convoy RS 3 was located.
Because of this secret information, the Germans sent a group of eight U-boats to find the convoy. This group was known as "gruppe Seerauber" (which means "Sea Robber group"). On March 28, one of the U-boats, U-513, found the convoy. This happened between the Canary Islands and Dakar.
Sadly, the Allied commanders did not know the convoy was in danger. On the morning of March 28, the two corvettes that were protecting Convoy RS 3 were sent away. They were needed to help protect another convoy heading north. This left Convoy RS 3 with less protection.
U-boat Attacks on March 28
Soon after the corvettes left, the U-boat U-167 attacked. It fired a torpedo at the cargo ship SS Lagosian. The torpedo hit the ship in the middle, and it broke apart. The Lagosian sank very quickly, in just seven minutes. Eleven people who survived the sinking were rescued by the tugboat Empire Denis.
After this attack, the convoy tried to make it harder for U-boats to hit them. They started to "zigzag", meaning they changed direction often. They also tried to go faster, but the tugboats could not keep up. So, the convoy had to slow down to about 7 knots (about 8 miles per hour).
More Attacks and a Difficult Choice
At 3:00 PM, another U-boat, U-159, attacked. It fired a torpedo at the ship MV Silverbeech. The Silverbeech exploded and sank immediately. Sadly, no one survived from this ship.
At this point, the ships were in shallow waters. The leader of the convoy, called the convoy commodore, faced a tough decision. He wasn't sure if they should try to sail into a protected area with minefields (areas with underwater bombs) or risk more U-boat attacks.
A few minutes later, U-172 fired four torpedoes, but they all missed their targets. As night fell at 8:00 PM, the convoy stopped zigzagging. U-172 then caught up with the convoy again. Its first torpedo missed, but then it hit the ship MV Moanda with two more torpedoes. The Moanda sank early the next morning, at 2:00 AM.
After the Attacks
On March 29, the convoy was well protected by planes flying overhead. Because of these air patrols, all the German U-boats lost contact with the convoy. By March 30, the U-boats gave up their chase.
Two of the U-boats were damaged by the planes that were protecting the convoy:
- U-67 was hit by depth charges (underwater bombs) and had to stop its patrol.
- U-159 was also damaged but continued its journey towards Dakar. It was later moved to a safer area.
