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Convoy SC 42
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Convoy SC 42
Convoy SC 42 was the 42nd of the numbered series of World War II Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Liverpool. SC 42 was attacked over a three night period in September 1941, losing 16 ships sunk and 4 damaged. This was the worst Allied loss following the attack on convoy SC 7 the previous year. Two attacking U-boats were destroyed.
Sixty-five ships departed Sydney (Nova Scotia) on 30 August 1941 under local escort, bound for Liverpool. The convoy commodore was Rear Admiral WB Mackenzie in Everleigh. A week later, they were met just east of the Strait of Belle Isle by the Canadian 24th Escort Group consisting of the River-class destroyer Skeena (Lt Cdr JC Hibbard, senior officer) with Flower-class corvettes Alberni, Kenogami, and Orillia. Corvettes Chambly and Moose Jaw were conducting training exercises in the convoy path at the direction of Commander James D. Prentice, RCN, and were prepared to reinforce the escort as the convoy entered an area where U-boats were known to be waiting.
Ranged against them was the Markgraf wolf pack, a group of 14 U-boats in a patrol line southeast of Greenland.
Early on 9 September U-85 sighted the convoy near Cape Farewell, Greenland, and made an unsuccessful torpedo attack. She then commenced shadowing, while other Markgraf boats moved in. The moon rose on the southern side on the convoy that night, and U-432 torpedoed the silhouetted 5,229 GRT British freighter Muneric. Muneric and her cargo of 7000 tons of iron ore sank rapidly with all 63 of her crew. Kenogami commenced firing on a surfaced U-boat without benefit of star shell or flashless powder, and quickly lost contact as the crew lost their night-vision in the flash of gunfire.
The convoy made two emergency turns over the next half-hour as ships in the convoy reported sighting three more surfaced U-boats. Another emergency convoy turn ninety minutes later caught Skeena pursuing a contact at speed. While maneuvering to avoid collision, Skeena passed a surfaced U-boat on a reciprocal course, being fired upon by ships in the convoy so closely that Skeena's guns could not be depressed to bear. U-652 torpedoed Baron Pentland and Tahchee during the excitement. The tanker Tahchee was towed back to port by Orillia but the 3,410 GRT British freighter Baron Pentland sank with 1,512 standards of lumber and two of her crew.
Another emergency turn by the convoy brought two hours of suspenseful quiet while Orillia aided Tahchee and searched for survivors astern of the convoy. Then U-432 torpedoed the 3,205 GRT Dutch freighter Winterswijk and the 1,113 GRT Norwegian freighter Stargard. The freighter Regin stopped to rescue Starguard's survivors and opened fire on a surfaced U-boat. While Skeena and Kenogami searched for U-boats around stricken Winterswijk and Stargard, U-81 torpedoed the 3,252 GRT British freighter Sally Maersk, and the convoy made another emergency turn to avoid a surfaced U-boat. U-82 torpedoed the 7,465 GRT British CAM ship Empire Hudson less than two hours after Skeena regained station ahead of the convoy.
Daylight on 10 September brought several periscope sightings and emergency turns by the convoy before U-85 torpedoed the 4,748 GRT British freighter Thistleglen. Skeena and Alberni counterattacked and damaged U-85 with depth charges. Thistleglen sank with 5,200 tons of steel, 2,400 tons of pig iron, and 3 of her crew.
U-82 torpedoed the 7,519 GRT British tanker Bulysses that evening. U-82 then torpedoed the 3,915 GRT British freighter Gypsum Queen shortly after the convoy ordered an emergency turn. Gypsum Queen sank quickly with 5,500 tons of sulfur and ten of her crew. Bulysses sank with 9,300 tons of gas oil and 4 of her crew. Other ships in convoy rescued the survivors. The corvettes Chambly and Moose Jaw observed the fireworks of these attacks and surprised U-501 while steaming to reinforce the escort. U-501 was first depth-charged by Chambly then rammed by Moose Jaw as the damaged submarine surfaced. The captain of U-501 jumped from the conning tower to Moose Jaw's deck; and Moose Jaw sent a boarding party to enter the submarine. Eleven Germans and one of the Canadian boarding party (Stoker William Brown) were lost when U-501 sank. U-501 was the first U-boat sunk by Canadian escorts.
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Convoy SC 42
Convoy SC 42 was the 42nd of the numbered series of World War II Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Liverpool. SC 42 was attacked over a three night period in September 1941, losing 16 ships sunk and 4 damaged. This was the worst Allied loss following the attack on convoy SC 7 the previous year. Two attacking U-boats were destroyed.
Sixty-five ships departed Sydney (Nova Scotia) on 30 August 1941 under local escort, bound for Liverpool. The convoy commodore was Rear Admiral WB Mackenzie in Everleigh. A week later, they were met just east of the Strait of Belle Isle by the Canadian 24th Escort Group consisting of the River-class destroyer Skeena (Lt Cdr JC Hibbard, senior officer) with Flower-class corvettes Alberni, Kenogami, and Orillia. Corvettes Chambly and Moose Jaw were conducting training exercises in the convoy path at the direction of Commander James D. Prentice, RCN, and were prepared to reinforce the escort as the convoy entered an area where U-boats were known to be waiting.
Ranged against them was the Markgraf wolf pack, a group of 14 U-boats in a patrol line southeast of Greenland.
Early on 9 September U-85 sighted the convoy near Cape Farewell, Greenland, and made an unsuccessful torpedo attack. She then commenced shadowing, while other Markgraf boats moved in. The moon rose on the southern side on the convoy that night, and U-432 torpedoed the silhouetted 5,229 GRT British freighter Muneric. Muneric and her cargo of 7000 tons of iron ore sank rapidly with all 63 of her crew. Kenogami commenced firing on a surfaced U-boat without benefit of star shell or flashless powder, and quickly lost contact as the crew lost their night-vision in the flash of gunfire.
The convoy made two emergency turns over the next half-hour as ships in the convoy reported sighting three more surfaced U-boats. Another emergency convoy turn ninety minutes later caught Skeena pursuing a contact at speed. While maneuvering to avoid collision, Skeena passed a surfaced U-boat on a reciprocal course, being fired upon by ships in the convoy so closely that Skeena's guns could not be depressed to bear. U-652 torpedoed Baron Pentland and Tahchee during the excitement. The tanker Tahchee was towed back to port by Orillia but the 3,410 GRT British freighter Baron Pentland sank with 1,512 standards of lumber and two of her crew.
Another emergency turn by the convoy brought two hours of suspenseful quiet while Orillia aided Tahchee and searched for survivors astern of the convoy. Then U-432 torpedoed the 3,205 GRT Dutch freighter Winterswijk and the 1,113 GRT Norwegian freighter Stargard. The freighter Regin stopped to rescue Starguard's survivors and opened fire on a surfaced U-boat. While Skeena and Kenogami searched for U-boats around stricken Winterswijk and Stargard, U-81 torpedoed the 3,252 GRT British freighter Sally Maersk, and the convoy made another emergency turn to avoid a surfaced U-boat. U-82 torpedoed the 7,465 GRT British CAM ship Empire Hudson less than two hours after Skeena regained station ahead of the convoy.
Daylight on 10 September brought several periscope sightings and emergency turns by the convoy before U-85 torpedoed the 4,748 GRT British freighter Thistleglen. Skeena and Alberni counterattacked and damaged U-85 with depth charges. Thistleglen sank with 5,200 tons of steel, 2,400 tons of pig iron, and 3 of her crew.
U-82 torpedoed the 7,519 GRT British tanker Bulysses that evening. U-82 then torpedoed the 3,915 GRT British freighter Gypsum Queen shortly after the convoy ordered an emergency turn. Gypsum Queen sank quickly with 5,500 tons of sulfur and ten of her crew. Bulysses sank with 9,300 tons of gas oil and 4 of her crew. Other ships in convoy rescued the survivors. The corvettes Chambly and Moose Jaw observed the fireworks of these attacks and surprised U-501 while steaming to reinforce the escort. U-501 was first depth-charged by Chambly then rammed by Moose Jaw as the damaged submarine surfaced. The captain of U-501 jumped from the conning tower to Moose Jaw's deck; and Moose Jaw sent a boarding party to enter the submarine. Eleven Germans and one of the Canadian boarding party (Stoker William Brown) were lost when U-501 sank. U-501 was the first U-boat sunk by Canadian escorts.