Convoy SC 42 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Convoy |
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| Part of World War II | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Kriegsmarine |
 Royal Navy Royal Canadian Navy |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Admiral Karl Dönitz | Comm: R Adm. WB Mackenzie SOE: Lt.Cmdr. JC Hibbard |
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| Strength | |||||||
| Markgraf group 14 U-boats |
65 merchant ships 4 escorts |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 2 U-boats sunk | 16 merchant ships sunk (68,259 tons) 4 ships damaged (14,132 tons) |
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Convoy SC 42 was a group of merchant ships traveling together for safety during World War II. This particular convoy was the 42nd in a series of "Slow Convoys" that sailed from Sydney, Nova Scotia, in Canada, to Liverpool in the United Kingdom.
In September 1941, Convoy SC 42 faced a major attack over three nights. It lost 16 ships, and 4 others were damaged. This was one of the worst losses for the Allies since a similar attack on Convoy SC 7 the year before. However, the Allies managed to sink two of the attacking German submarines, known as U-boats.
Contents
The Journey Begins
Sixty-five merchant ships left Sydney, Nova Scotia, on August 30, 1941. They were headed for Liverpool, carrying important supplies. At first, they had a local escort to protect them.
A week later, near Greenland, a stronger escort group joined them. This group included the Canadian destroyer Skeena and three smaller warships called corvettes: Alberni, Kenogami, and Orillia. Two more corvettes, Chambly and Moose Jaw, were also nearby, ready to help if needed.
Waiting for the convoy was a group of 14 German U-boats, called the Markgraf wolf pack. They were spread out in a patrol line southeast of Greenland, ready to attack.
The Battle Begins
Early on September 9, a U-boat named U-85 spotted the convoy. It tried to attack but missed. Then, it started following the convoy, guiding other U-boats from the Markgraf group towards it.
That night, the moon made the ships easy targets. U-432 fired a torpedo at the British freighter Muneric, which was carrying iron ore. The Muneric sank quickly, and all 63 crew members were lost. One of the escort ships, Kenogami, tried to fire at a surfaced U-boat but lost sight of it because its own gunfire made the crew unable to see in the dark.
Over the next hour, the convoy had to make two sudden turns as ships reported seeing more U-boats on the surface. Later, another turn caused confusion. While the Skeena was chasing a U-boat, it almost collided with another one that was being fired upon by other ships in the convoy. During this chaos, U-652 torpedoed two more ships: Baron Pentland and Tahchee. The Tahchee was damaged but later towed to safety. However, the Baron Pentland, carrying lumber, sank with two crew members lost.
After another emergency turn, things were quiet for a couple of hours. Then, U-432 struck again, sinking the Dutch freighter Winterswijk and the Norwegian freighter Stargard. Another ship, Regin, stopped to rescue survivors from Stargard and even fired at a U-boat. While the Skeena and Kenogami searched for U-boats near the sinking ships, U-81 torpedoed the British freighter Sally Maersk. The convoy had to make another sudden turn to avoid yet another surfaced U-boat. Less than two hours later, U-82 torpedoed the British ship Empire Hudson.
Daylight Attacks and a Canadian Victory
Daylight on September 10 brought more danger. Several U-boat periscopes were spotted, forcing the convoy to make more emergency turns. Then, U-85 torpedoed the British freighter Thistleglen, which was carrying steel and iron. The Skeena and Alberni fought back, damaging U-85 with depth charges. The Thistleglen sank, and three of its crew were lost.
That evening, U-82 torpedoed the British oil tanker Bulysses. Shortly after, it also hit the British freighter Gypsum Queen, which sank quickly with its cargo of sulfur and ten crew members. The Bulysses also sank, losing four crew members. Other ships in the convoy rescued the survivors.
The corvettes Chambly and Moose Jaw, which were on their way to help, saw these attacks. They surprised U-501. The Chambly attacked it with depth charges, and then the Moose Jaw rammed the damaged U-boat as it surfaced. The captain of U-501 jumped onto the Moose Jaw's deck. The Moose Jaw sent a team to board the U-boat, but U-501 sank, taking 11 Germans and one Canadian sailor, Stoker William Brown, with it. This was the first U-boat sunk by Canadian escort ships.
More Attacks and Reinforcements
Just after midnight on September 10/11, U-207 torpedoed the British freighters Berury and Stonepool, while Chambly and Moose Jaw were busy with U-501. Then, U-432 sank the Swedish freighter Garm. Two hours later, U-82 torpedoed the British freighter Empire Crossbill and the Swedish freighter Scania. Meanwhile, Alberni, Kenogami, and Moose Jaw were rescuing survivors from Berury and Stonepool.
Another U-boat, U-43, launched torpedoes but missed. U-433 damaged the Norwegian freighter Bestum. U-202 finished off the already damaged Scania. Finally, U-105 sank the Panamanian ship Montana, which had fallen behind the convoy.
On September 11, more warships arrived to help protect the convoy. These included the naval trawler Buttermere and several corvettes like HMCS Wetaskiwin, HMCS Mimosa, and HMS Gladiolus. A second escort group also joined, led by HMS Douglas, along with destroyers HMS Leamington, HMS Veteran, HMS Skate, and HMS Saladin.
That afternoon, Leamington and Veteran dropped 21 depth charges after an aircraft reported a U-boat ahead of the convoy. Later analysis showed that these attacks likely destroyed U-207.
The Convoy Reaches Safety
With all these new warships, the Markgraf U-boat pack found it much harder to attack. They continued to follow the convoy but couldn't launch any more successful assaults.
On September 12, even more ships arrived to help, including the naval trawler Windermere and destroyers St. Croix and Columbia. This allowed the original escort ships like Skeena, Alberni, and Kenogami to leave for refuelling. On September 13, the destroyers from the second escort group also left for refuelling after American destroyers Sims, Hughes, and Russell joined the convoy.
The last incident of the journey happened three days later, on September 16. As the convoy neared the North Channel, U-98 torpedoed the British freighter Jedmore.
Finally, Convoy SC 42 arrived in Liverpool on September 20, 1941. In total, 16 ships were sunk, and 4 were damaged. One ship had turned back earlier. However, 44 ships arrived safely, and two German U-boats were destroyed during the battle.
Images for kids
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HMS Leamington
See also
- Convoy Battles of World War II
