Convoy SC 19
| Convoy SC.19 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of World War II | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Kriegsmarine |
 Royal Canadian Navy Royal Navy | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Admiral Karl Dönitz | |||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| ~4 U-boats |
28 merchant ships 11 escorts (9 during attack) | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 7 ships sunk | |||||||
Convoy SC 19 was the 19th of the numbered series of World War II Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Liverpool. The trade convoy left Halifax, Nova Scotia on 12 January 1941[1] and was found by U-boats of the 7th U-boat Flotilla on 29 January. Seven ships were sunk before the convoy reached Liverpool on 2 February.[2]
Ships in the convoy
[edit]Allied merchant ships
[edit]A total of 28 merchant vessels joined the slow convoy, composed of ships making 8 knots or less.[3]
| Name | Flag | Tonnage (GRT) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aikaterini (1913) |  Greece
|
4,929 | 1 dead. 30 survivors. Sunk by U-93[4] |
| Baltara (1918) |  United Kingdom
|
3,292 | |
| Barrhill (1912) | United Kingdom
|
4,972 | |
| Basil (1928) | United Kingdom
|
4,913 | Commodore: Capt R Gill CBE Rd RNR |
| Brynhild (1907) | United Kingdom
|
2,195 | |
| Carperby (1928) | United Kingdom
|
4,890 | |
| Culebra (1919) | United Kingdom
|
3,044 | |
| Dimitrios Chandris (1910) | Greece
|
4,643 | Returned, must Dry-Dock |
| Grelrosa (1914) | United Kingdom
|
4,574 | Straggled, bombed & sunk by a Focke-Wulf Fw 200 aircraft |
| King Robert (1920) | United Kingdom
|
5,886 | Sunk by U-93[5] |
| Kul (1907) |  Norway
|
1,310 | |
| Kyriakoula (1918) | Greece
|
4,340 | |
| Merchant Royal (1928) | United Kingdom
|
5,008 | |
| Penhale (1924) | United Kingdom
|
4,071 | |
| Rockpool (1927) | United Kingdom
|
4,892 | Wrecked, then salved and became Empire Trent |
| Rushpool (1928) | United Kingdom
|
5,125 | Straggled and sunk by U-94[6] |
| Ruth I | Norway
|
3,531 | |
| Sesostris (1915) |  Egypt
|
2,962 | Straggled and sunk by U-106[7] |
| Shirvan (1925) | United Kingdom
|
6,017 | |
| Snar (1920) | Norway
|
3,176 | Ashore, re-floated, beached Bannatyne Cove |
| Stad Arnhem (1920) |  Netherlands
|
3,819 | |
| Tovelil (1925) | United Kingdom
|
2,225 | |
| Varanger (1925) | Norway
|
9,305 | |
| Vestland (1916) | Norway
|
1,934 | |
| Vigsnes (1930) | Norway
|
1,599 | |
| W B Walker (1935) | United Kingdom
|
10,468 | Sunk by U-93[8] |
| West Wales (1925) | United Kingdom
|
4,353 | Sunk by U-94[9] after convoy had scattered |
| Winkleigh (1940) | United Kingdom
|
5,468 |
Convoy escorts
[edit]A series of armed military ships escorted the convoy at various times during its journey.[3]
| Name | Flag | Type | Joined | Left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMS Antelope | Royal Navy
|
A-class destroyer | 27 Jan 1941 | 31 Jan 1941 |
| HMS Anthony | Royal Navy
|
A-class destroyer | 27 Jan 1941 | 31 Jan 1941 |
| HMCS Arrowhead | Royal Canadian Navy
|
Flower-class corvette | 12 Jan 1941 | 12 Jan 1941 |
| HMS Aurania | Royal Navy
|
Armed merchant cruiser | 12 Jan 1941 | 26 Jan 1941 |
| HMS Heather | Royal Navy
|
Flower-class corvette | 26 Jan 1941 | 1 Feb 1941 |
| HMS Jackal | Royal Navy
|
J-class destroyer | 29 Jan 1941 | 29 Jan 1941 |
| HMS/HMT Lady Madeleine | Royal Navy
|
ASW (anti-submarine warfare) trawler | 26 Jan 1941 | 31 Jan 1941 |
| HMS Pegasus | Royal Navy
|
Seaplane tender/prototype fighter catapult ship | 26 Jan 1941 | 31 Jan 1941 |
| HMS Picotee | Royal Navy
|
Flower-class corvette | 26 Jan 1941 | 01 Feb 1941 |
| HMS Sardonyx | Royal Navy
|
Admiralty S-class destroyer | 29 Jan 1941 | 30 Jan 1941 |
| HMS Scimitar | Royal Navy
|
Admiralty S-class destroyer | 29 Jan 1941 | 30 Jan 1941 |
References
[edit]- ^ Hague pp.133&134
- ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p.48
- ^ a b "Convoy SC.19". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- ^ "Aikaterini – Greek Steam merchant". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- ^ "King Robert – British Steam merchant". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- ^ "Rushpool – British Steam merchant". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- ^ "Sesostris – Egyptian Steam merchant". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- ^ "W B Walker – British Motor tanker". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- ^ "West Wales – British Steam merchant". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
Bibliography
[edit]- Hague, Arnold (2000). The Allied Convoy System 1939–1945. ISBN 1-86176-147-3.
- Rohwer, J.; Hummelchen, G. (1992). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-105-X.