Convoy OG 71 was a trade

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 ...

of merchant ships during the

second World War 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 opposi ...

. It was the 71st of the numbered OG convoys 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 Isles, ...

to Gibraltar. The convoy departed

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

on 13 August 1941 and was found on 17 August by a

Focke-Wulf Fw 200 The Focke-Wulf Fw 200 ''Condor'', also known as ''Kurier'' to the Allies (English: Courier), was a German all-metal four-engined monoplane originally developed by Focke-Wulf as a long-range airliner. A Japanese request for a long-range maritime ...

''Condor'' of

Kampfgeschwader 40 ''Kampfgeschwader'' 40 (KG 40) was a Luftwaffe medium and heavy bomber wing of World War II, and the primary maritime patrol unit of any size within the World War II Luftwaffe. It is best remembered as the unit operating a majority of the four-eng ...

. Starting on August 19, it became the first convoy of the war to be attacked by a German submarine wolfpack, when reached by eight

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 from

1st U-boat Flotilla The 1st U-boat flotilla (German ''1. Unterseebootsflottille'') also known as the Weddigen flotilla, was the first operational U-boat unit in Nazi Germany's ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy). Founded on 27 September 1935 under the command of ''Fregattenkap ...

, operating out of

Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress * Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria * Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France ** Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Br ...

. Ten ships comprising a total tonnage of 15,185 tons were sunk before the U-boats lost contact on 23 August. p. 78

Legacy

This convoy was known as "Nightmare Convoy". Eight merchant ships, two naval escorts and over 400 people died, including 152 from the

commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore ...

's ship, (146 on August 19 and 6 survivors lost on August 22 when ''

Empire Oak ''Empire Oak'' was a ocean-going tug which was built by Goole Shipbuilding & Repairing Co. Ltd. of Goole. The ship was launched on 15 March 1941 and completed in July 1941. She was torpedoed on 22 August 1941 and sunk by at while a member of ...

'' sank). The ''Aguila'' losses included the 22 ''"lost Wrens"'' (members of the

Women's Royal Naval Service The Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS; popularly and officially known as the Wrens) was the women's branch of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. First formed in 1917 for the First World War, it was disbanded in 1919, then revived in 1939 at the ...

, or WRNS) who had volunteered for duties at

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 = Gib ...

. After this, Wrens were never sent again on passenger liners in convoys, but transported on HM ships. In their honour, a new sloop, launched in 1942, was named , while a ''Liverpool''-class

lifeboat Lifeboat may refer to: Rescue vessels * Lifeboat (shipboard), a small craft aboard a ship to allow for emergency escape * Lifeboat (rescue), a boat designed for sea rescues * Airborne lifeboat, an air-dropped boat used to save downed airmen ...

, launched in 1951, was named . Of the convoy's surviving merchant ships, five reached Gibraltar while 10 retreated to neutral Portugal. This was described as the most ''"bitter act of surrender could ever come our way"''. The two ships from neutral Ireland were carrying British coal—after this incident, the Irish ship owners decided not to sail their vessels in British convoys and by the early months of 1942 the practice had ceased., page 87.

Ships in the convoy

Allied merchant ships

A total of 23 merchant vessels joined the convoy in Liverpool.

Convoy escorts

A series of armed military ships escorted the convoy at various times during its journey.

Legacy

Ships in the convoy

Allied merchant ships

Convoy escorts

See also

References

Bibliography

External links