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.

Background

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 (Lt Cdr JC Hibbard, senior officer) with s , , and .Rohwer & Hummelchen 1992 p.82 Corvettes and 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.

Action

Early on 9 September 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 torpedoed the silhouetted 5229-GRT British freighter ''Muneric''. ''Muneric'' and her cargo of 7000 tons of iron ore sank rapidly with all 63 of her crew.Milner 1985 p.68 ''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 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 convoy so closely that ''Skeena''s guns could not be depressed to bear.Milner 1985 p.69 torpedoed ''Baron Pentland'' and ''Tahchee'' during the excitement. The tanker ''Tahchee'' was towed back to port by ''Orillia'' but the 3410-GRT British freighter ''Baron Pentland'' sank with 1512 standards of lumber and two of her crew.Hague 2000 p.136

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 3205-GRT Dutch freighter ''Winterswijk'' and the 1113-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'', torpedoed the 3252-GRT British freighter ''Sally Maersk'', and the convoy made another emergency turn to avoid a surfaced U-boat.Milner 1985 p.70 torpedoed the 7465-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 4748-GRT British freighter ''Thistleglen''. ''Skeena'' and ''Alberni'' counterattacked and damaged ''U-85'' with depth charges. ''Thistleglen'' sank with 5200 tons of steel, 2400 tons of pig iron, and 3 of her crew.

''U-82'' torpedoed the 7519-GRT British tanker ''Bulysses'' that evening. ''U-82'' then torpedoed the 3915-GRT British freighter ''Gypsum Queen'' shortly after the convoy ordered an emergency turn.Milner 1985 pp.71-2 ''Gypsum Queen'' sank quickly with 5500 tons of sulfur and ten of her crew. ''Bulysses'' sank with 9300 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 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.Blair 1996 p.364

Just after midnight on 10/11 September torpedoed the 4924-GRT British freighter ''Berury'' and the 4815-GRT British freighter ''Stonepool'', while ''Chambly'' and ''Moose Jaw'' were attacking ''U-501''. Then ''U-432'' torpedoed the 1231-GRT Swedish freighter ''Garm'' and ''U-82'' torpedoed the 5463-GRT British freighter ''Empire Crossbill'' and the 1980-GRT Swedish freighter ''Scania'' two hours later while ''Alberni'', ''Kenogami'' and ''Moose Jaw'' were rescuing survivors of ''Berury'' and ''Stonepool''. launched torpedoes unsuccessfully, damaged the Norwegian 2200-GRT freighter ''Bestum'', sank the crippled ''Scania'', while sank the Panamanian-flagged straggler ''Montana''.Blair 1996 p.363

On 11 September, the escort was reinforced by the naval trawler ''Buttermere'' and Flower-class corvettes , HMCS ''Mimosa'', and from convoy HX 147 and by the 2nd Escort Group consisting of the Admiralty type flotilla leader (Commander WE Banks senior officer), the , the V and W-class destroyer and S-class destroyers and HMS ''Saladin''. ''Leamington'' and ''Veteran'' dropped 21 depth charges on the afternoon of 11 September while investigating an RAF Coastal Command aircraft report of a U-boat ahead of the convoy. Postwar analysis indicated their attacks probably destroyed ''U-207''.

Aftermath

With the arrival of these reinforcements further attacks by ''Markgraf'' were stifled. Though the group continued to shadow, it was unable to mount any further assaults.

The arrival on 12 September of the naval trawler ''Windermere'' and Town-class destroyers from convoy SC 41 and from convoy HX 147 allowed the remaining original escorts ''Skeena'', ''Alberni'', and ''Kenogami'' to leave for refuelling . On 13 September destroyers of the 2nd Escort Group departed for refuelling following the arrival of American destroyers , and . The last incident of the voyage took place three days later when torpedoed the 4392-ton British freighter ''Jedmore'' as the convoy approached North Channel on the late afternoon of 16 September.

Convoy SC 42 arrived in Liverpool on 20 September 1941. Sixteen ships totalling 68,259 GRT had been sunk and four ships (14,132 GRT) damaged. One ship had turned back. Forty four ships arrived safely and unharmed, and two U-boats had been destroyed, though one of these sinkings was not confirmed until after the war.

Table of losses

Allied ships sunk

U-boats destroyed

See also

* Convoy Battles of World War II

Notes

References

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External links

SC 42 at convoyweb SC 42 at uboatnet

Further reading

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Naval battles of World War II involving Canada
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