Convoy SC 48 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Convoy
Part of World War II
Date 14–18 October 1941 Location North Atlantic Result German victory
Belligerents
Kriegsmarine	Royal Navy  Royal Canadian Navy
Commanders and leaders
Admiral Karl Dönitz	Comm:HM Sanders SOE: Lt.Cdr SW Davis :Capt L Thebaud :Cdr J Baker-Cresswell
Strength
Mordbrenner 8 U-boats	52 ships 18 escorts
Casualties and losses
none lost 1 U-boat damaged	9 merchant ships sunk 2 warships sunk 1 warship damaged

During World War II, a convoy was a group of ships traveling together. They were protected by warships called escorts. This helped keep them safe from enemy attacks.

One important convoy was called SC 48. It sailed across the North Atlantic Ocean in October 1941. This was part of the long and difficult Battle of the Atlantic. This battle was fought to control the shipping lanes.

SC 48 became famous because of the Kearny incident. A US Navy ship, the USS Kearny, was attacked. This event brought the United States much closer to joining the war against Germany.

Getting Ready for the Journey

SC 48 was a large convoy. It had 52 ships carrying important war supplies. These ships were sailing from Sydney, Nova Scotia in Canada. Their destination was Liverpool in England. The journey began on October 5, 1941. Commodore HM Sanders was in charge of the convoy. He was on the ship called MV Castalia.

The convoy had a group of Canadian warships protecting it. This escort group included the destroyer HMCS Columbia. It also had seven smaller ships called corvettes. These were HMCS Wetaskiwin, HMCS Rosthern, HMCS Baddeck, HMCS Camrose, HMCS Shediac, HMS Gladiolus, and the Free French ship Mimosa.

German U-boats (submarines) were also active. A group of U-boats called Mordbrenner was formed. They gathered near Iceland. This area was a meeting point for convoys. Here, escorts from one region would hand over the convoy to escorts from another.

Allied forces knew about the Mordbrenner group. They tried to change the routes of other convoys. However, on October 12-13, they lost their secret intelligence. This meant SC 48 did not know about the danger. On the night of October 14-15, U-553 spotted the convoy.

At this time, SC 48 was a bit scattered. Eleven ships, including the Castalia, had fallen behind. This happened because of bad weather on October 9-10. The Columbia and two corvettes were looking for them. Another corvette, Shediac, was also separated. So, on October 14, SC 48 only had four corvettes left. These were Wetaskiwin, Baddeck, Gladiolus, and Mimosa.

The Battle Begins

October 15, 1941

Early on October 15, U-553 reported finding the convoy. The German U-boat command ordered other U-boats to join the attack. But U-553 decided to attack right away. It sank two ships that night. These were the Silvercedar and the Ila. Many crew members from the Ila were saved.

Later on October 15, Allied forces regained their secret intelligence. They realized a big attack was coming. More escort ships were sent to help SC 48. These included US destroyers and British corvettes.

The Columbia rejoined the convoy later that day. U-553 was joined by two more U-boats, U-558 and U-568. The Columbia attacked U-553, but the U-boat escaped. U-558 sank another ship, the Vancouver Island, which was sailing alone. All 73 crew and 32 passengers on board were lost.

As night fell, the U-boats attacked again. U-568 sank the Empire Heron. The Gladiolus fought back, forcing U-568 away. The Gladiolus then left to rescue survivors. Sadly, the Gladiolus never rejoined the convoy. It was lost with all its crew.

October 16, 1941

After midnight, SC 48 changed direction to try and escape. This worked for a while. But the U-boats found the convoy again later that day.

In the afternoon, more US destroyers arrived. These included the USS Kearny. Captain L Thebaud took command of the escorts. He had more experience, but not much with convoy protection. Some mistakes were made, which allowed the U-boats to attack successfully.

During the night, the U-boats attacked fiercely. U-553 sank the Bold Venture. U-558 sank the WC Teagle. The Erviken and Rym were also sunk. U-432 sank the Evros and Barfonn.

Just after midnight, the USS Kearny was hit by a torpedo from U-568. The Kearny was badly damaged. Eleven sailors were killed and 22 were wounded. But the crew worked hard and saved the ship. The Kearny then headed to Iceland for repairs.

More warships arrived in the early hours of October 17. These reinforcements helped push back further attacks.

October 17, 1941

At dawn on October 17, more escorts joined the convoy. These were from the Western Approaches Command. This group included four destroyers and a corvette. The Canadian escort group left because they were low on fuel. The US destroyers also left to help the damaged Kearny.

The U-boats were still nearby. But the strong escort force stopped all their attacks. A patrol plane also bombed U-558, damaging it.

October 18, 1941

On the night of October 17-18, the U-boats tried one last time. All their attacks were stopped. However, U-101 hit the Broadwater. The ship was badly damaged and sank after 12 hours.

On October 18, the German U-boat command called off the attack. The Mordbrenner U-boat group was broken up. The remaining U-boats were sent to new areas.

October 22, 1941

SC 48 continued its journey without more losses. The 31 ships arrived in Liverpool on October 22, 1941. The 11 ships that had fallen behind earlier also made it safely. They arrived 10 days after the main convoy.

What We Learned

This battle was a clear victory for the German U-boats. SC 48 lost nine merchant ships. Two escort warships were sunk, and one was damaged. No U-boats were lost.

Some of these losses happened even with a large escort force. This was partly due to Captain Thebaud's lack of experience. He was not used to leading convoy escorts. Because of this and other similar events, a new rule was made. The original escort group commander would stay in charge of the convoy's defense. This was true even if a more senior officer arrived. This was a big change from old naval traditions.

The attack on the USS Kearny and the loss of American lives was very important. It made the United States even more determined to join World War II. It helped move the US away from its policy of staying out of the war.

Tables

Allied ships sunk

Date	Name	Nationality	Casualties	Tonnage	Sunk by...
14/15 October 1941	Silvercedar	United Kingdom	20	4,354	U-553
14/15 October 1941	Ila	Norway	14	1,583	U-553
15/16 October 1941	Empire Heron	United Kingdom	42	6,023	U-568
16/17 October 1941	Bold Venture	Panama	17	3,222	U-553
16/17 October 1941	W.C Teagle	United Kingdom	48	9,552	U-558
16/17 October 1941	Erviken	Norway	28	6,595	U-558
16/17 October 1941	Rym	Norway	0	1,369	U-558
16/17 October 1941	Evros	Greece	30	5,283	U-432
16/17 October 1941	Barfonn	Norway	14	9,739	U-432

Allied warships hit

Date	Name	Nationality	Casualties	Type	Fate	Hit by...
16/17 October 1941	Gladiolus	Royal Navy	89	Flower-class corvette	sunk	U-558
16/17 October 1941	Kearny	United States Navy	11	Benson-Livermore-class destroyer	damaged	U-568
17/18 October 1941	Broadwater	Royal Navy	56	Town-class destroyer	sunk	U-101

U-boats hit