This is a timeline for the

Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allies of World War II, ...

(1939–1945) in World War II. Officers on the bridge

1939

August

August 19, 1939 : Five

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...

s sail from

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...

and nine from

Wilhelmshaven Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmsh ...

to take waiting positions in the North Atlantic.Rohwer & Hummelchen, p.1 August 21, 1939 : German "pocket battleship" sails from Wilhelmshaven for a South Atlantic cruise. August 24, 1939 : German "pocket battleship" sails from Wilhelmshaven for a North Atlantic cruise.

September

September 3, 1939 : sinks the . This attack is interpreted by the United Kingdom as the start of

unrestricted submarine warfare Unrestricted submarine warfare is a type of naval warfare in which submarines sink merchant ships such as freighters and tankers without warning, as opposed to attacks per prize rules (also known as "cruiser rules") that call for warships to s ...

. However, in Germany it leads to stricter controls being issued by the

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the a ...

. Germany at this point had 39 of its 58

s at sea, but this was far less than the 300 which Admiral

Karl Dönitz Karl Dönitz (sometimes spelled Doenitz; ; 16 September 1891 24 December 1980) was a German admiral who briefly succeeded Adolf Hitler as head of state in May 1945, holding the position until the dissolution of the Flensburg Government fo ...

, chief of German submarine forces, considered to be necessary before the opening of war. September 5, 1939 : stops, evacuates and sinks the German freighter ''Inn'' off the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, :es:Canarias, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to ...

. September 7, 1939 : The first convoys sail outbound from the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isl ...

: OA from the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" ( Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), ( Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Ka ...

, OB from

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

, and OG to

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = "Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gibr ...

.Rohwer & Hummelchen, p.3 September 14, 1939 : The first of the SL convoys sails from

Freetown Freetown is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educ ...

. : attacks the British aircraft carrier , but fails to cause any damage. The

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

's escorts force ''U-39'' to the surface with depth charges and the crew are taken prisoner.Rohwer & Hummelchen, p.2 September 16, 1939 : The first Allied

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

sets sail from

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. Th ...

. Convoy HX 1 contains 18 merchant ships and is escorted by and to an Atlantic rendezvous with Royal Navy ships and .Rohwer & Hummelchen, p.4 September 17, 1939 : sinks the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

aircraft carrier . September 17, 1939 : The first Allied "fast convoy" HXF 1 sets sail from Halifax escorted by HMCS Fraser formerly . September 20, 1939 : is sunk with depth charges from the British destroyers and . September 26, 1939 : German media reports the sinking of the British aircraft carrier . However, this report is false: many such reports would be made during the war. September 30, 1939 : German "pocket battleship" sinks the first merchant ship of its cruise. Total sinkings for its sortie will total nine vessels of 50,000 tons before it becomes embroiled in the

Battle of the River Plate The Battle of the River Plate was fought in the South Atlantic on 13 December 1939 as the first naval battle of the Second World War. The Kriegsmarine heavy cruiser , commanded by Captain Hans Langsdorff, engaged a Royal Navy squadron, command ...

October

October 5, 1939 : German "pocket battleship" sinks the first merchant ship of its cruise. October 14, 1939 : , under ''Kapitänleutnant''

Günther Prien Günther Prien (16 January 1908 – presumed 8 March 1941) was a German U-boat commander during World War II. He was the first U-boat commander to receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and the first member of the ''Kriegsmarine'' to r ...

, penetrates the British naval base at

Scapa Flow Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern end in June 2009 Scapa Flow (; ) is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray,S. C. George, ''Jutland to Junkyard'', 1973. South Ronaldsay a ...

, sinking at anchor. October 16, 1939 : Germany begins employing magnetic mines. These cause significant losses to Allied shipping. October 27, 1939 : sinks ''Malabar'' from convoy HX 5.Hague, p.130 October 30, 1939 : sinks ''Bronte'' from convoy OB 25.Hague, p.155

November

November 21, 1939 : British light cruiser hits a German mine, and is seriously damaged while operating in the

Firth of Forth The Firth of Forth () is the estuary, or firth, of several Scottish rivers including the River Forth. It meets the North Sea with Fife on the north coast and Lothian on the south. Name ''Firth'' is a cognate of ''fjord'', a Norse word meani ...

. November 23, 1939 : A German magnetic mine is recovered successfully by the Allies, leading to the development of effective countermeasures. The German battleship sinks the British armed merchant vessel . The ''Scharnhorst'' and the accompanying are forced to abandon their sortie and return to port. November 25, 1939 : sinks ''Royston Grange'' from convoy SL 8.Hague, p.145

December

December 4, 1939 : First U-boat lost to an Allied submarine in the war when sinks outside Kristiansund in Norway. December 5, 1939 : sinks ''Navasota'' from convoy OB 46. December 10, 1939 : The first Allied troop convoy TC 1 sets sail from Halifax with 7,400 men of the

1st Canadian Infantry Division The 1st Canadian Division (French: ''1re Division du Canada'' ) is a joint operational command and control formation based at CFB Kingston, and falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command. It is a high-readiness unit, able to move on very short ...

1940

January

January 30, 1940 : sinks ''Vaclite'' and ''Keramiai'' from convoy OA 80G.Hague, p.149

February

February 5, 1940 : sinks ''Beaverburn'' from convoy OA 84. February 14, 1940 : The United Kingdom announces armaments will be carried by all passenger ships. Germany responds by announcing that all vessels will be considered warships.

March

March 16, 1940 : A German air raid at

damages a cruiser and causes the first civilian casualties in Britain of the war.

June

June 12, 1940 : sinks ''Willowbank'' and ''Barbara Marie'' from convoy SL 34. June 14, 1940 : sinks ''Italia'' and ''Erik Boye'' from convoy HX 47. June 22, 1940 : sinks ''San Fernando'' from convoy HX 49. June 25, 1940 : sinks ''Saranac'' and ''Windsorwood'' from convoy OA 172. : Canada loses its first navy vessel during an accident off the coast of France, when is cut in two by Royal Navy cruiser , with 45 lives lost aboard the ''Fraser'' and 19 aboard ''Calcutta''. June 30, 1940 : U-boats sink two ships from convoy SL 36.

July

July 2, 1940 : Aircraft sink ''Aeneas'' from convoy OA 177G. July 4, 1940 : Aircraft and

E-boats E-boat was the Western Allies' designation for the fast attack craft (German: ''Schnellboot'', or ''S-Boot'', meaning "fast boat") of the Kriegsmarine during World War II; ''E-boat'' could refer to a patrol craft from an armed motorboat to a lar ...

sink five ships from convoy OA 178. July 8, 1940 : sinks ''Humber Arm'' from convoy HX 53. July 10, 1940 : sinks ''Alwaki'' from convoy OA 179. July 17, 1940 : U-boats sink ''Manipur'' and ''Scottish Minstrel'' from convoy HX 55. July 26, 1940 : sinks four ships from convoy OB 188. July 31, 1940 : sinks ''Jersey City'' from convoy OB 191.

August

: BETASOM base opens in

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectu ...

for Italian submarine patrols into the Atlantic. August 4, 1940 : sinks 3 British merchant steamships from convoy HX 60. August 5, 1940 : sinks ''Boma'' from convoy OB 193. August 15, 1940 : A new system of SC convoys is initiated between

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

and the

, to provide convoy protection for slow ships. August 16, 1940 : sinks ''Hedrun'' from convoy OB 197. August 23, 1940 : sinks ''Cumberland'' and ''St. Dunstan'' from convoy OB 202. : Aircraft sink ''Llanishen'' and ''Makalla'' from convoy OA 203. August 24, 1940 : sinks ''Blairmore'' from convoy SC 1.Hague, P.136 August 25, 1940 : Convoy HX 65 comes under attack by U-boats and aircraft sinking five ships.Hague, p.131 August 28, 1940 : U-boats sink four ships from convoy HX 66. : sinks ''Dalblair'' and ''Astra II'' from convoy OA 204. August 30, 1940 : torpedoes ''San Gabriel'' from convoy OB 205. August 31, 1940 : British destroyers and are sunk and two other ships damaged by mines in the Texel Disaster with the loss of 300 killed and 100 wounded or taken prisoner.

September

September 2, 1940 : sinks ''Thornlea'' from convoy OB 206. September 4, 1940 : sinks ''Titan'' from convoy OA 207. September 6, 1940 : Aircraft sink ''St. Glen'' from convoy SL 44. September 8, 1940 : U-boats sink two ships from convoy SC 2. September 15, 1940 : sinks ''Alexandrios'' and ''Empire Volunteer'' from convoy SC 3. : Aircraft sink ''Nailsea River'' from convoy SL 45. September 17, 1940 : sinks ''Tregenna'' from convoy HX 71. September 18, 1940 : sinks ''Marina'' and ''City of Benares'' from convoy OB 213. September 20, 1940 : sinks four ships from convoy OB 216. September 21, 1940 : U-boats sink six ships from convoy HX 72. September 26, 1940 : sinks ''Manchester Brigade'' and ''Stratford'' from convoy OB 218. September 27, 1940 : Aircraft sink ''Port Denison'' from convoy OA 220. September 28, 1940 : Aircraft sink ''Dalveen'' from convoy HX 73. : sinks ''Empire Ocelot'' from convoy OB 218.

October

October 9, 1940 : sinks three ships from convoy SC 6. October 11, 1940 : U-boats sink six ships from convoy HX 77. October 14, 1940 : sinks ''Hurunui'' from convoy OA 228. October 15, 1940 : sinks ''Bonheur'' from convoy OB 228. October 17, 1940 : sinks ''Dokka'' and ''Uskbridge'' from convoy OB 228. October 18, 1940 : Minelaying begins on the Allied

Northern Barrage The Northern Barrage was the name given to minefields laid by the British during World War II to restrict German access to the Atlantic Ocean. The barrage stretched from the Orkney to the Faroe Islands and on toward Iceland. Mines were also lai ...

minefield between Scotland and Greenland. October 19, 1940 : U-boats sink ten ships from convoy HX 79 and fifteen ships from convoy SC 7. October 22, 1940 : , recently acquired to replace , is sunk in a collision with the freighter 480 km west of Ireland. 142 men are lost, including the captain and four other officers.

November

November 5, 1940 : German "pocket battleship" sinks five ships from convoy HX 84 and the escorting armed merchant cruiser . : sinks ''Scottish Maiden'' from convoy HX 83. November 6, 1940 : Aircraft sink ''Nalon'' from convoy SL 52F. November 15, 1940 : Aircraft sink ''Apapa'' from convoy SL 53. November 21, 1940 : sinks ''Daydawn'' and ''Victoria'' from convoy OB 244. November 22, 1940 : sinks ''King Idwal'' from convoy OB 244. November 23, 1940 : sinks six ships from convoy SC 11.

December

December 1, 1940 : U-boats sink nine ships from convoy HX 90. : is the first Canadian naval vessel hit by torpedo in the

, attacked 300 miles west of Ireland by a submarine while escorting Convoy HG 47. December 11, 1940 : sinks three ships from convoy HX 92. December 27, 1940 : Italian submarine '' Enrico Tazzoli'' sinks ''Ardanbhan'' from convoy OB 263.

1941

January

January 16, 1941 : Aircraft sink two ships from convoy OB 274. January 29, 1941 : sinks three ships from convoy SC 19.

February

February 12, 1941 : sinks seven ships from convoy SL 64S. February 19, 1941 : Aircraft sink three ships from convoy OB 287. February 24, 1941 : sinks three ships from convoy OB 289. February 26, 1941 :Aircraft sink eight ships from convoy OB 290. February 27, 1941 : sinks ''Kasongo'' and ''Borgland'' from convoy OB 290.

March

March 1, 1941 : sinks ''Cadillac'' from convoy HX 109. : Aircraft sink ''Rotula'' from convoy SC 22. March 7, 1941 :U-boats sink three ships from convoy OB 293. March 8, 1941 : U-boats sink five ships from convoy SL 67. March 13, 1941 : Aircraft sink ''Empire Frost'' from convoy SC 23. March 16, 1941 : sinks five ships from convoy HX 112. March 17, 1941 : U-boats sink six ships from convoy SL 68. March 19, 1941 : Aircraft sink ''Benvorlich'' from convoy OB 298. March 29, 1941 : sinks three ships from convoy HX 115.

April

April 1, 1941 : Aircraft sink two ships from convoy HX 114. April 3, 1941 : U-boats sink six ships from convoy SC 26. April 6, 1941 : Aircraft sink ''Dunstan'' from convoy OB 306. April 9, 1941 : The United States occupies

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland ...

. April 16, 1941 : Aircraft sink ''Swedru'' from convoy SL 69. April 28, 1941 : U-boats sink four ships from convoy HX 121.

May

May 8, 1941 : U-boats sink five ships from

convoy OB 318 OB 318 was a North Atlantic convoy which ran during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. During Operation Primrose Royal Navy convoy escorts , ''Broadway'' and captured with an intact Enigma machine and a wealth of signals intelligenc ...

. May 11, 1941 : Aircraft sink ''Somerset'' from convoy SL 72. May 14, 1941 : Aircraft sink ''Karlander'' from convoy OB 321. May 20, 1941 : U-boats sink nine ships from convoy HX 126.Hague, p.132 : sinks ''Starcross'' from convoy SL 73. May 21 or 22, 1941 : , , and three escorting destroyers leave Bergen and head toward the Arctic Ocean. May 24, 1941 : ''Bismarck'' and ''Prinz Eugen'' intercept the path of battleship and battlecruiser ;

Battle of Denmark Strait The Battle of the Denmark Strait was a naval engagement in the Second World War, which took place on 24 May 1941 between ships of the Royal Navy and the ''Kriegsmarine''. The British battleship and the battlecruiser fought the German battleshi ...

begins. : ''Bismarck'' sinks HMS ''Hood'' then badly damages ''Prince of Wales'', forcing it to retreat. May 27, 1941. : ''Bismarck'' sunk.

June

June 1, 1941 : The United States Coast Guard begins the

Greenland Patrol The Greenland Patrol was a United States Coast Guard operation during World War II. The patrol was formed to support the U.S. Army building aerodrome facilities in Greenland for ferrying aircraft to the British Isles, and to defend Greenland wit ...

. June 11, 1941 : Aircraft sink ''Baron Carnegie'' from convoy OB 334. June 13, 1941 : sinks ''Djurdjura'' and ''Eirini Kyriakidou'' from convoy SL 76. :

Newfoundland Escort Force The Newfoundland Escort Force (NEF) was a Second World War naval command created on 20 May 1941 as part of the Allied convoy system in the Battle of the Atlantic. Created in response to the movement of German U-boats into the western Atlantic O ...

is created under the command of Admiral Murray based at St John's Newfoundland, to provide escort cover from the coast of Canada to Iceland. June 24, 1941 : sinks ''Schie'' and ''Kinross'' from convoy OB 336. : U-boats sink five ships from convoy HX 133. June 26, 1941 : U-boats sink four ships from convoy SL 78.

July

July 7, 1941 : President

Roosevelt Roosevelt may refer to: *Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), 26th U.S. president * Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945), 32nd U.S. president Businesses and organisations * Roosevelt Hotel (disambiguation) * Roosevelt & Son, a merchant bank * Rooseve ...

announces that US warships will henceforth protect US merchant vessels in the North Atlantic, and the US effectively joined the Battle of the Atlantic.

August

August 5, 1941 : U-boats sink five ships from convoy SL 81.Hague, p.146

September

September 10, 1941 : While U-boats sink fifteen ships from

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 ...

, Canadian corvettes and sink by depth charges and ramming in the Denmark Strait south of Tasiilaq, Greenland. This is Canada's first U-boat kill of the

. September 15, 1941 : Aircraft sink ''Daru'' from convoy SL 85. September 19, 1941 : is the first Canadian corvette sunk during the war. ''Levis'' is hit by a torpedo while escorting Convoy SC 44 off the coast of Greenland. Four merchant ships are also sunk from the convoy by U-boats. September 22, 1941 : U-boats sink seven ships from convoy SL 87.

October

October 16, 1941 : U-boats sink nine ships from

convoy SC 48 SC 48 was a North Atlantic convoy of the SC series which ran during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II. It was notable for being the occasion of the ''Kearny'' incident, which brought the United States one step closer to war with G ...

. October 21, 1941 : sinks ''Serbino'' and ''Treverbyn'' from convoy SL 89. October 31, 1941 : torpedoes , which was escorting

Convoy HX 156 Convoy HX 156 was the 156th of the numbered series of World War II HX convoys of merchant ships from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Liverpool.Hague 2000 p.127 Forty-three ships departed Halifax on 22 October 1941, and were met two days later by Unite ...

. ''Reuben James'' is the first United States warship sunk during World War II.

November

November 3, 1941 : U-boats sink nine ships from convoy SC 52.Hague, p.137

December

December 10, 1941 : sinks three ships from convoy SC 57.

1942

January

January 12, 1942 : is sunk 160 miles south of Halifax, heralding the start of a U-boat campaign that saw approximately 200 merchant vessels sunk within 10 miles of the east coast of the US. January 30, 1942 :

Convoy SC 67 Convoy SC 67 was the 67th of the numbered series of World War II Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Liverpool. The convoy left Halifax on 30 January 1942 and picked up a tran- Atlantic escort in Newfoundland. ...

departs from Halifax and picks up a transatlantic escort in Newfoundland, which accompanies the convoy as far as Northern Ireland. This marks the start of the allied end-to-end convoy escort system, which remained in effect until the end of the war.

February

February 10, 1942 : sinks ''Heina'' from

convoy SC 67 Convoy SC 67 was the 67th of the numbered series of World War II Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Liverpool. The convoy left Halifax on 30 January 1942 and picked up a tran- Atlantic escort in Newfoundland. ...

. February 15, 1942 : 30 miles southwest of Cape Henry sinks Brazilian steamer Buarque (which became the 1st of 36 Brazilian merchant ships that would be sunk in WWII). February 16, 1942 : Operation Neuland opens with attacks on

Aruba Aruba ( , , ), officially the Country of Aruba ( nl, Land Aruba; pap, Pais Aruba) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands physically located in the mid-south of the Caribbean Sea, about north of the Venezuela peninsula of P ...

Curaçao Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coa ...

and

Lake Maracaibo Lake Maracaibo ( Spanish: Lago de Maracaibo; Anu: Coquivacoa) is a lagoon in northwestern Venezuela, the largest lake in South America and one of the oldest on Earth, formed 36 million years ago in the Andes Mountains. The fault in the northern se ...

petroleum facilities.

March

March 20, 1942 : A new system of BX and XB convoys is initiated between Halifax and Boston, to counter the U-boat campaign along the east coast of the US.

May

May 12, 1942 : sinks ''Denpark'' from convoy SL 109. : May 18–22, 1942 : Along Natal coast, although damaged the Italian submarine ''Barbarigo'' manage to escape two times of attacks done by Brazilians B-25, after have unsuccessfully tried to sink Brazilian merchant ship "Comandante Lyra" at May 18.

June

June 10, 1942 : torpedoes and sinks the British freighter ''Nicoya'' at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River several kilometres off

Anticosti Island ; moe, Notiskuan; mic, Natigostec , sobriquet = , image_name = RiviereHuileAnticosti.jpg , image_caption = Salmon fisherman on Rivière à l'Huile , image_map ...

, followed by the Dutch freighter ''Leto''

July

July 4, 1942 :

Convoy PQ 17 PQ 17 was the code name for an Allied Arctic convoy during the Second World War. On 27 June 1942, the ships sailed from Hvalfjörður, Iceland, for the port of Arkhangelsk in the Soviet Union. The convoy was located by German forces on 1 July, ...

is scattered in the

Barents Sea The Barents Sea ( , also ; no, Barentshavet, ; russian: Баренцево море, Barentsevo More) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia and divided between Norwegian and Russian terr ...

leading to the loss of 22 Allied merchant ships. July 5, 1942 : Six ships are sunk when

convoy QP 13 Convoy QP 13 was an Arctic convoy of the PQ/QP series which ran during the Second World War. It was the thirteenth of the numbered series of convoys of merchant ships westbound from the Arctic ports of Arkhangelsk and Murmansk to the United Kin ...

strays into Allied minefield SN72 in the

Denmark Strait The Denmark Strait () or Greenland Strait ( , 'Greenland Sound') is an oceanic strait between Greenland to its northwest and Iceland to its southeast. The Norwegian island of Jan Mayen lies northeast of the strait. Geography The strait connect ...

. July 6, 1942 : sinks three freighters off the Gaspé coast

August

August 8, 1942 : U-boats sink eleven ships from

convoy SC 94 Convoy SC 94 was the 94th of the numbered series of World War II Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, to Liverpool.Hague 2000 p.133 The ships departed Sydney on 31 July 1942 and were met by Mid-Ocean ...

. August 15, 1942 : sinks ''Balladier'' from convoy SC 95. August 16, 1942 : sinks ''Baependy'', a Brazilian merchant ship, killing 270 civilians. : Few hours later, the same ''U-507'' sinks another Brazilian passenger ship, the SS ''Araraquara'', killing another 131 people, : Followed hours later by the SS ''Annibal Benevolo'', on which 150 civilians drowned. August 17, 1942 : ''U-507'' continues its slaughter, sinking another Brazilian merchant ship, the SS ''Itagiba'' at the city of Vitória, killing 36, : and the SS ''Arara'' similarly sunk with 20 deaths as she picked up the survivors of the ''Itagiba''.Ibidem, Carey, 2004.Ibidem, Scheina, 2003. : U-boats sink four ships from convoy SL 118. August 19, 1942 : ''U-507'' sinks the tiny sailing vessel ''Jacyra''. August 22, 1942 : ''U-507'' sinks ''Hammeran'', a Swedish merchant ship. In just one week, ''U-507'' acting in Brazilian waters killed over 600 people, all of them neutral civilians. As result, Brazil declares war on Germany and Italy at that very same day. August 28, 1942 : sinks ''Zuiderkerk'' and ''City of Cardiff'' from convoy SL 119. August 31, 1942 : sinks ''Bronxville'' and ''Capira'' from convoy SC 97.

September

September 9, 1942 ''USS Muskeget'''','' a Coast Guard weather ship, is torpedoed near Weather Station #2, Lat. 54^o N, Long 44^o 30’W by '' U-755.'' 121 Officers and crew lost, including one Public Health Service officer and four weathermen, no survivors. September 14, 1942 : is torpedoed by while escorting

Convoy ON 127 Convoy ON 127 was a trade convoy of merchant ships during the second World War. It was the 127th of the numbered series of ON convoys Outbound from the British Isles to North America and the only North Atlantic trade convoy of 1942 or 1943 wh ...

500 nautical miles (930 km) east of St. John's, Newfoundland. 114 crew lost their lives, including the commanding officer, while 65 survivors were rescued by nearby vessels. September 20, 1942 : sinks ''Empire Hartebeeste'' from convoy SC 100. September 22, 1942 : sinks ''Athelsultan'' and ''Tennessee'' from convoy SC 100.

October

October 4, 1942 : sinks ''Robert H Colley'' from convoy HX 209. October 13, 1942 : U-boats sink seven ships from

convoy SC 104 Convoy SC 104 was the 104th of the numbered series of World War II Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Liverpool. During October 1942, a U-boat wolf pack sank eight ships from the convoy. The convoy escorts sank t ...

. October 14, 1942 :

Newfoundland Railway The Newfoundland Railway operated on the island of Newfoundland from 1898 to 1988. With a total track length of , it was the longest narrow-gauge railway system in North America. Early construction ] In 1880, a committee of the Newfoundland Leg ...

passenger ferry is torpedoed by the , in

Cabot Strait Cabot Strait (; french: détroit de Cabot, ) is a strait in eastern Canada approximately 110 kilometres wide between Cape Ray, Newfoundland and Cape North, Cape Breton Island. It is the widest of the three outlets for the Gulf of Saint L ...

October 24, 1942 : A new system of UG convoys is initiated between

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / ...

and the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...

, to support the Allied invasion of North Africa. October 25, 1942 : Battle of

convoy SL 125 Convoy SL 125 was the 125th of the numbered series of World War II SL convoys of merchant ships from Sierra Leone to Liverpool. Ships carrying commodities bound to the British Isles from South America, Africa, and the Indian Ocean travelled ...

begins as a tactical diversion to clear U-boats from the path of

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – 16 November 1942) was an Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa while al ...

invasion convoys. October 27, 1942 : U-boats sink five ships from convoy HX 212.

November

November 2, 1942 : U-boats sink fifteen ships from

convoy SC 107 Convoy SC 107 was the 107th of the numbered series of World War II Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Liverpool. The ships departed New York City on 24 October 1942 and were found and engaged by a wolfpack ...

. November 18, 1942 : sinks ''Brilliant'' from convoy SC 109.

December

December 8, 1942 : U-boats sink two ships from convoy HX 217.

1943

January

January 3, 1943 : ''U-507'' sinks the British ship Baron Dachmont.Carey, 2004. January 8, 1943 : ''U-507'' sinks the British ship Yorkwood. January 13, 1943 : ''U-507'' was sunk by the US

PBY Catalina The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. In Canadian service it was known as the Canso. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served w ...

VP-83. January 17, 1943 : sinks ''Vestfold'' from convoy HX 222. January 26, 1943 : sinks ''Nortind'' from convoy HX 223.

February

February 2, 1943 : sinks from convoy SG 19 killing 675 men. : sinks ''Inverilen'' and ''Jeremiah Van Rensselaer'' from convoy HX 224. February 7, 1943 : U-boats sink nine ships from

convoy SC 118 Convoy SC 118 was the 118th of the numbered series of World War II slow convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island, to Liverpool. The ships departed New York City on 24 January 1943Hague 2000 p.135 and were met by Mid-Ocean Esc ...

. February 15, 1943 : A new system of fast CU convoys is initiated to speed the flow of petroleum products from

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexic ...

refineries to

March

March 7, 1943 : U-boats sink seven ships for

convoy SC 121 Convoy SC 121 was the 121st of the numbered series of World War II Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Liverpool. The ships departed New York City 23 February 1943; and were met by the Mid-Ocean Escort Force Gr ...

. March 10, 1943 : U-boats sink four ships from

convoy HX 228 HX 228 was a North Atlantic convoy of the HX series which ran during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. It was one of a series of four convoy battles that occurred during the crisis month of March 1943 and is notable for the loss of ...

. March 16, 1943 : The largest convoy battle of World War II begins around convoys HX 229 and SC 122. March 28, 1943 : U-boats sink four ships from convoy SL 126.

April

April 4, 1943 : U-boats sink three ships from convoy HX 231. April 12, 1943 : sinks three ships from convoy HX 232. April 17, 1943 : U-boats sink ''Fort Rampart'' from convoy HX 233. April 22, 1943 : sinks ''Amerika'' from convoy HX 234.

May

May 6, 1943 : The battle for

convoy ONS 5 ONS 5 was the 5th of the numbered ONS series of Slow trade convoys Outbound from the British Isles to North America. The North Atlantic battle surrounding it in May 1943 is regarded as the turning point of the Battle of the Atlantic in World W ...

reaches a climax with the destruction of seven U-boats. May 7, 1943 : sinks ''Laconikos'' from convoy SL 128MK. May 11, 1943 : sinks ''Antigone'' and ''Grado'' from convoy SC 129.Hague, p.138

July

July 31, 1943 : In a coordinated action, one American and two Brazilian

maritime patrol aircraft A maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), also known as a patrol aircraft, maritime reconnaissance aircraft, or by the older American term patrol bomber, is a fixed-wing aircraft designed to operate for long durations over water in maritime patrol ro ...

sink the then modern '' U-199''.

September

September 8, 1943 : Italy surrenders, and Britain starts to redeploy their Mediterranean destroyers to the Atlantic.

October

October 9, 1943 : sinks ''Yorkmar'' from convoy SC 143. October 31, 1943 : sinks ''Hallfried'' from convoy SL 138MK.

December

December 26, 1943 : Ships of the

sink the German

battleship A battleship is a large armour, armored warship with a main artillery battery, battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1 ...

off

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...

's North Cape.

1944

April

April 6, 1944 : sinks ''Ruth I'' and ''South America'' from convoy SC 156.

July

July 20, 1944 : sinks the freighter-

troopship A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable land troops directly on shore, typicall ...

''Vital de Oliveira'', the only Brazilian military ship sunk due to submarine action at WWII, and the last Brazilian vessel to be torpedoed in that war.

August

August 3, 1944 : The largest convoy of World War II,

convoy HX 300 Convoy HX 300 was the 300th of the numbered series of World War II HX convoys of merchant ships from Halifax to Liverpool. It started its journey on 17 July 1944 and was the largest convoy of the war, comprising 166 ships. Background These H ...

, arrives in the British Isles without loss.

September

September 8, 1944 : sinks ''Empire Heritage'' and ''Pinto'' from convoy HX 305.Hague, p.133

1945

January

January 27, 1945 : sinks ''Solor'' from convoy HX 332.

March

March 2, 1945 : sinks ''Novasli'' and ''King Edgar'' from convoy SC 167.

April

April 18, 1945 : sinks ''Empire Gold'' and ''Cyrus H McCormick'' from convoy HX 348.

Month-by-month summaries

1939

* September : Allied shipping losses total 53 vessels. 41 vessels totaling 153,800 tons are lost to submarines. German losses are two submarines. * October : Allied shipping losses total 196,000 tons. German losses are five submarines. * November : Allied shipping losses to submarines are 21 vessels totaling 51,600 tons. More than 100,000 tons are lost to German mines. * December : Allied shipping losses are 73 vessels totaling 189,900 tons. 25 are sunk by submarines. The Germans lose one submarine. Total Allied losses to mines during 1939 are 79 vessels totaling 262,700 tons.

1940

* January : Allied losses are 73 vessels totaling 214,500 tons, of which 40 vessels totaling 111,200 tons are sunk by submarines. Germany has 38 operational submarines to begin the year. * February : Allied losses are 226,900 tons, of which 45 vessels totaling 169,500 tons are lost to submarines. * March : Allied losses are 45 vessels, of which 23 are lost to submarines. Germany loses three submarines. * October : Massacre of Convoy SC 7

1941

* June : Allied losses are 590,000 tons

1942

1943

* March : Allied shipping losses are 627,000 tons. * April : Closing of

Mid-Atlantic gap The Mid-Atlantic gap is a geographical term applied to an undefended area beyond the reach of land-based RAF Coastal Command antisubmarine (A/S) aircraft during the Battle of the Atlantic in the Second World War. It is frequently known as The Bla ...

* May : Allied shipping losses are 157,000 tons, and 37 U-boats are sunk plus 32 damaged. : U-boats withdrawn Black May * June : 17 U-boats destroyed * July : 46 U-boats destroyed * August : 20 U-boats destroyed

References

* ''The Battle of the Atlantic'' by John Costello and Terry Hughes (1977, Collins, London) * Barone, João (2013) ''1942: O Brasil e sua guerra quase desconhecida (1942: Brazil and its almost forgotten war)'' (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro, * Donald A Bertke, Gordon Smith & Don Kinde.''World War II Sea War, Vol 5.'' Bertke Publications, 2013. * * Carey, Alan C. (2004) ''Galloping Ghosts of the Brazilian Coast'' Lincoln, NE, US: iUniverse, Inc. * Hague, Arnold ''The Allied Convoy System 1939–1945'' Naval Institute Press 2000 * * * * Scheina, Robert L. ''Latin America's Wars Volume II: The Age of the Professional Soldier, 1900–2001.'' Potomac Books, 2003.

Notes

External links

The Battle of the Atlantic
Original reports and pictures from ''The Times''

{{World War II, state=collapsed * Chronology of World War II