|
Convoy OG 82
OG 82 was an Allied convoy of the OG (Outward to Gibraltar) series during World War II. The action involving this convoy resulted in the destruction of a U-boat, and also had consequences for German U-boat strategy. Forces involved OG 82 comprised 17 ships outward bound to Gibraltar, carrying war materials and trade goods. The convoy commodore was Captain AJ Baxter in ''Baron Yarborough'', and the convoy was protected by an understrength escort group. This was 36th Escort Group, led by Cdr FJ "Johnnie" Walker, consisting of the sloop and the s , ''Pentstemon'', and ''Gardenia'' (joined 13 April). The convoy's protection was enhanced by armed merchants— the CAM ships '' Empire Eve'' and ''Empire Heath'', and the rescue ship ''Toward''.Hague p Action OG 82 left Liverpool on 8 April 1942. On 14 April 1942 OG 82 was at the western edge of the Bay of Biscay when it was encountered by ''U-252'', inbound to France after completing her first war patrol. Her skipper, KL Kai L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis powers. World War II was a total war that directly involved more than 100 million personnel from more than 30 countries. The major participants in the war threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. Aircraft played a major role in the conflict, enabling the strategic bombing of population centres and deploying the only two nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II was by far the deadliest conflict in human history; it resulted in 70 to 85 million fatalities, mostly among civilians. Tens of millions died due to genocides (including the Holocaust), starvation, ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Armed Merchantman
An armed merchantman is a merchant ship equipped with guns, usually for defensive purposes, either by design or after the fact. In the days of sail, piracy and privateers, many merchantmen would be routinely armed, especially those engaging in long distance and high value trade. In more modern times, auxiliary cruisers were used offensively as merchant raiders to disrupt trade chiefly during both World War I and World War II, particularly by Germany. While armed merchantmen are clearly inferior to purpose-built warships, sometimes they have scored successes in combat against them. Examples include East Indiamen mimicking ships of the line and chasing off regular French warships in the Battle of Pulo Aura in 1804, and the sinking the Australian light cruiser in their battle in 1941, although ''Kormoran'' was also destroyed and had to be scuttled. Pre-20th century East Indiamen of various European countries were heavily armed for their long journeys to the Far East. In parti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th century and most of the 19th, a sloop-of-war in the Royal Navy was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. The rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above; thus, the term ''sloop-of-war'' encompassed all the unrated combat vessels, including the very small gun-brigs and cutters. In technical terms, even the more specialised bomb vessels and fireships were classed as sloops-of-war, and in practice these were employed in the sloop role when not carrying out their specialised functions. In World War I and World War II, the Royal Navy reused the term "sloop" for specialised convoy-defence vessels, including the of World War I and the highly successful of World War II, with anti-aircraft and anti-submarine capability. They performed similar duties to the American destroyer escort class ships, and also performed similar duties to the smaller corvettes of the Royal Navy. Rigging A sloop-of-war was quite different from a civilian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anti-submarine Warfare
Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are typically carried out to protect friendly shipping and coastal facilities from submarine attacks and to overcome blockades. Successful ASW operations typically involved a combination of sensor and weapon technologies, along with effective deployment strategies and sufficiently trained personnel. Typically, sophisticated sonar equipment is used for first detecting, then classifying, locating, and tracking a target submarine. Sensors are therefore a key element of ASW. Common weapons for attacking submarines include torpedoes and naval mines, which can both be launched from an array of air, surface, and underwater platforms. ASW capabilities are often considered of significant strategic importance, particularly following provocative instan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Empire Ships (Si–Sy)
Suffix beginning with e ''Empire Sidney'' ''Empire Sidney'' was a cargo ship which was built by Harland & Wolff Ltd, Belfast. Launched on 4 September 1941 and completed in May 1942. Allocated in 1943 to the Dutch government and renamed ''Van der Helst''. Sold in 1946 to Koninklijke Java-China-Japan Lijn, Netherlands and renamed ''Tjimenteng''. Sold in 1963 to Diamandis Eikidi Naftiliaki Eteria and renamed ''Diamandis''. Operated under the management of A Halcoussis & Co, Greece. Arrived on 20 January 1970 at Cartagena, Spain for scrapping. ''Empire Silas'' ''Empire Silas'' was a tug which was built by Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby. Launched on 13 December 1943 and completed in April 1944. Sold in 1946 to Fairplay Towing & Shipping Co Ltd, London and renamed ''Fairplay Two''. Capsized on 22 June 1947 and sank off Vlissingen, Netherlands when towing . Refloated on 13 August 1947 and towed to Antwerp, Belgium. Declared a constructive total loss but repaired. Sold in 1948 to Soci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Empire Ships (H)
Suffix beginning with H ''Empire Haig'' ''Empire Haig'' was a 9,912 GRT cargo liner which was built by Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow. Launched on 6 October 1944 and completed in December 1944. Sailed Greenock to Bombay 28 Jan 1945 for Ellerman City, Hall line. Returned Madras to Liverpool for Elder Dempster, arrived 3 May 1945. Sold in 1946 to Lamport & Holt Ltd and renamed ''Dryden''. Sold in 1952 to Blue Star Line and renamed ''Freemantle Star''. Renamed ''Catalina Star'' in 1957. Chartered in 1963 by Lamport & Holt Ltd and renamed ''Devis''. Sold in 1969 to Bry Overseas Navigation Inc, Panama and renamed ''Mondia''. Arrived on 23 December 1969 at Kaohsiung, Taiwan for scrapping. ''Empire Hail'' '' Empire Hail'' was a 7,005 GRT cargo ship which was built by Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow. Launched on 27 December 1940 and completed in February 1941. Torpedoed on 23 February 1942 and sunk by east of St. John's, Newfoundland (). ''Empire Halberd'' '' Empire Halberd'' was a 7,1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
SS Empire Eve
''Empire Eve'' was a CAM ship that was built in 1941 by William Pickersgill & Sons Ltd, Sunderland, Co Durham, United Kingdom for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). She served until 1943, when she was torpedoed and sunk by off Algeria. Description The ship was built in 1941 by William Pickersgill & Sons Ltd, Sunderland, Co Durham. The ship was long, with a beam of . She had a depth of . She was assessed at , . The ship was propelled by a 292 nhp triple expansion steam engine, which had cylinders of , and diameter by stroke. The engine was built by George Clark (1938) Ltd, Sunderland. History ''Empire Eve'' was launched on 26 April 1941 and completed in June. She was placed under the management of J A Billmeir & Co Ltd. Her port of registry was Sunderland. The United Kingdom Official Number 168912 and Code Letters BCLM were allocated. Management would later be transferred to Headlam & Sons Ltd, Whitby, Yorkshire. ''Empire Eve'' was towed from Sunderland to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Depth Charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive Shock factor, hydraulic shock. Most depth charges use explosive, high explosive charges and a fuze set to detonate the charge, typically at a specific depth. Depth charges can be dropped by ships, patrol aircraft, and helicopters. Depth charges were developed during World War I, and were one of the first viable methods of attacking a submarine underwater. They were widely used in World War I and World War II, and remained part of the anti-submarine arsenals of many navies during the Cold War, during which they were supplemented, and later largely replaced, by anti-submarine homing torpedoes. A depth charge fitted with a nuclear warhead is also known as a "nuclear depth bomb". These were designed to be dropped from a patrol plane or deployed by an anti-submarine missile from a s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
High-frequency Direction Finding
High-frequency direction finding, usually known by its abbreviation HF/DF or nickname huff-duff, is a type of radio direction finder (RDF) introduced in World War II. High frequency (HF) refers to a radio band that can effectively communicate over long distances; for example, between U-boats and their land-based headquarters. HF/DF was primarily used to catch enemy radios while they transmitted, although it was also used to locate friendly aircraft as a navigation aid. The basic technique remains in use to this day as one of the fundamental disciplines of signals intelligence, although typically incorporated into a larger suite of radio systems and radars instead of being a stand-alone system. Earlier systems used a mechanically rotated antenna or solenoid and an operator listening for peaks or nulls in the signal, which often took considerable time to determine the bearing on the order of a minute or more. Later systems used a set of antennas to receive the same signal in slightly ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kapitänleutnant
''Kapitänleutnant'', short: KptLt/in lists: KL, ( en, captain lieutenant) is an officer grade of the captains' military hierarchy group () of the German Bundeswehr. The rank is rated OF-2 in NATO, and equivalent to Hauptmann in the Heer and Luftwaffe. It is grade A11 or A12 in the pay rules of the Federal Ministry of Defence. Address In line with ZDv 10/8, the formal manner of addressing people with the rank ''Kapitänleutnant'' (OF-2) is "Herr/Frau Kapitänleutnant". However, in German tradition and in line with seamen's language, the title is abbreviated to "Herr/Frau Kaleu" in verbal communication (contemporary usage). Historically, in the Wehrmacht, the abbreviation spoken was "Herr Kaleun". Rank and assignment The United States Navy's rank of lieutenant is equal to ''Kapitänleutnant'' in NATO's military hierarchy (classed as OF-2). However German Navy ''Kapitänleutnant'' might be assigned to the so-called “line officer career” (de: Truppendienstlaufbahn or Truppe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
German Submarine U-252
German submarine ''U-252'' was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's ''Kriegsmarine'' during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 1 November 1940 at the Vegesacker Werft at Bremen as yard number 17, launched on 14 August 1941 and commissioned on 4 October under the command of ''Kapitänleutnant'' Gunter Schiebusch. Schiebusch was replaced by ''Kapitänleutnant'' Kai Lerchen on 21 December 1941. After training with the ''6th U-boat Flotilla'' at Kiel, ''U-252'' was deemed to be ready for front-line service and sailed on her first patrol on 1 April 1942. On 6 April 1942, ''U-252'' landed espionage agent Ib Riis in Iceland. ''U-252'' is thought to have sunk the 1,355 GRT Norwegian ''Fanefield'' on 9 April. Five days later she encountered convoy OG 82, and was attacked and sunk by depth charges from the sloop and the corvette on 14 April 1942.Neistle p50 The U-252 can be seen on YouTube video 'Diving on Nazi submarine U-252' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw3EsX5bh4g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
