Convoy HX 90
Encyclopedia
HX 90 was a North Atlantic convoy
of the HX series
which ran during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II
.
on 21 November 1940 bound for Liverpool
and carrying war materials.
The convoy, made up of contingents from Halifax, Sydney
and Bermuda
was led by Commodore VP Alleyne in Botavon.
The escort for the crossing had been sparse, as was common at this stage of the campaign, while the Western Approaches escort did not generally meet incoming convoys until south of Iceland, reckoned to be the limit of any patrolling U-boat’s endurance.
In HX 90’s case the ocean escort was the Armed Merchant Cruiser Laconia, and she was due to rendezvous with the Western Approaches escort on 2 December..
Also at sea were several other convoys; SC 13 was to the north of HX 90, also heading east; while heading towards them was the west-bound OB 251.
To the south, heading home from Gibraltar, was HG 47.
Ranged against them was a pack of seven U-boat
s, reinforced by three Italian submarines currently operating with them in the Atlantic. These were deployed in a patrol line at the fringe of the Western Approaches
, hoping to intercept east-bound convoys before they met their ASW escorts.
HX 90 was sighted by U-101 which reported its postion. Her skipper, Mengersen, was ordered to shadow and report, but during the day also the first Western Approaches escort, the destroyer Viscount (Lt.Cdr MS Townsend), arrived from OB 251.
That evening Mengersen, was unable to resist attacking. He fired all twelve of his torpedoes, claiming four ships sunk and two damaged; in fact he sank three ships during the night, Apalachee, Kavak and Lady Glanely, and damaged another, Loch Ranza.
Just after midnight on 1/2 December U-47 joined, skippered by U-boat ace Gunther Prien
; his attack sank one ship, Ville D'Arlon, which had become separated from the convoy, and damaged another, Conch. Prien attacked a third ship, Dunsley, with his deck gun, but was driven off by an escort ship.
Later U-95 joined, attacking the damaged Conch. She was again hit, but remained afloat.
U-99, commanded by another ace, Otto Kretschmer
, was en route to join the attack, but encountered the AMC Forfar
, on her way to join OB 251 as ocean escort. Kretschmer attacked her, and Forfar was hit five times with torpedoes; she sank with the loss of 172 of her crew. There were 21 survivors.
U-43 also missd the convoy, but fell in with OB 251, sinking two ships, while Argo, having attacked HG 43, also missed HX 90, but found SC 13, attacking and sinking one ship.
In the morning of 2 December the pack was joined by U-52, which sank two ships, Tasso and Goodleigh, while the convoy was joined by a further two escorts, Folkestone and Gentian, also from OB 251. They were assisted by the destroyer St Laurent, which had ben travelling with Forfar, but had detached to reinforce HX 90’s escort.
Viscount and St Laurent attacked numerous ASDIC contacts, making thirteen depth-charge attacks over four hours. No U-boats were hit, but all were kept submerged and silent, allowing HX 90 to escape.
Later that evening however the convoy was sighted again, by newcomer U-94; she attacked during the night of 2/3 December and sank two more ships, Stirlingshire and Wilhelmina.
Also that night U-99 found and sank a straggler, Victoria City (though other sources say she was sunk by U-140) and the damaged Conch which she also sank.
No further U-boat attacks developed for HX 90, though on 3 December W Hendrik was bombed and sunk. The convoy met its local escort on 5 December and arrived in Liverpool
later that day.
), in the person of Adm. Karl Doenitz, was delighted with the attack, believing his U-boats had sunk eighteen ships of over 120, 000 GRT. In fact the confirmed loss to HX 90 was eleven ships of 73,495 GRT (other sources give 73,958 GRT). During the same period the pack had also sunk the AMC Forfar, two ships from OB 251, another from SC 13 and damaged an escort from HG 47. None of the attacking U-boats had been sunk or damaged.
However 30 ships of HX 90 arrived safely, as did 41 ships of SC 13, the 30 ships of HG 47, and 31 ships of OB 251.
Nevertheless the attack on HX 90 was a setback for the Allies, and one of the more serious convoy losses of the Atlantic campaign.
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, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
of the HX series
HX convoys
The HX convoys were a series of North Atlantic convoys which ran during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. They were east-bound convoys and originated in Halifax, Nova Scotia from where they sailed to ports in the United Kingdom...
which ran during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Background
HX 90 was an east-bound convoy of 41 ships which sailed from HalifaxCity of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
on 21 November 1940 bound for Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and carrying war materials.
The convoy, made up of contingents from Halifax, Sydney
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
and Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
was led by Commodore VP Alleyne in Botavon.
The escort for the crossing had been sparse, as was common at this stage of the campaign, while the Western Approaches escort did not generally meet incoming convoys until south of Iceland, reckoned to be the limit of any patrolling U-boat’s endurance.
In HX 90’s case the ocean escort was the Armed Merchant Cruiser Laconia, and she was due to rendezvous with the Western Approaches escort on 2 December..
Also at sea were several other convoys; SC 13 was to the north of HX 90, also heading east; while heading towards them was the west-bound OB 251.
To the south, heading home from Gibraltar, was HG 47.
Ranged against them was a pack of seven U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s, reinforced by three Italian submarines currently operating with them in the Atlantic. These were deployed in a patrol line at the fringe of the Western Approaches
Western Approaches
The Western Approaches is a rectangular area of the Atlantic ocean lying on the western coast of Great Britain. The rectangle is higher than it is wide, the north and south boundaries defined by the north and south ends of the British Isles, the eastern boundary lying on the western coast, and the...
, hoping to intercept east-bound convoys before they met their ASW escorts.
Action
On 1 December 1940, some 500 miles south of IcelandIceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
HX 90 was sighted by U-101 which reported its postion. Her skipper, Mengersen, was ordered to shadow and report, but during the day also the first Western Approaches escort, the destroyer Viscount (Lt.Cdr MS Townsend), arrived from OB 251.
That evening Mengersen, was unable to resist attacking. He fired all twelve of his torpedoes, claiming four ships sunk and two damaged; in fact he sank three ships during the night, Apalachee, Kavak and Lady Glanely, and damaged another, Loch Ranza.
Just after midnight on 1/2 December U-47 joined, skippered by U-boat ace Gunther Prien
Günther Prien
Lieutenant Commander Günther Prien was one of the outstanding German U-boat aces of the first part of the Second World War, and the first U-boat commander to win the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Under Prien's command, the submarine sank over 30 Allied ships totaling about...
; his attack sank one ship, Ville D'Arlon, which had become separated from the convoy, and damaged another, Conch. Prien attacked a third ship, Dunsley, with his deck gun, but was driven off by an escort ship.
Later U-95 joined, attacking the damaged Conch. She was again hit, but remained afloat.
U-99, commanded by another ace, Otto Kretschmer
Otto Kretschmer
Flotilla Admiral Otto Kretschmer was a German U-boat commander in the Second World War and later an admiral in the Bundesmarine. From September 1939 until being captured in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak...
, was en route to join the attack, but encountered the AMC Forfar
HMS Forfar (F30)
HMS Forfar was formerly the liner SS Montrose, requisitioned as an Armed Merchant Cruiser in 1939 and sunk in 1940.She was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd in Glasgow, being launched in 1920 as passenger ship Montrose of Canadian Pacific Steamships Ltd...
, on her way to join OB 251 as ocean escort. Kretschmer attacked her, and Forfar was hit five times with torpedoes; she sank with the loss of 172 of her crew. There were 21 survivors.
U-43 also missd the convoy, but fell in with OB 251, sinking two ships, while Argo, having attacked HG 43, also missed HX 90, but found SC 13, attacking and sinking one ship.
In the morning of 2 December the pack was joined by U-52, which sank two ships, Tasso and Goodleigh, while the convoy was joined by a further two escorts, Folkestone and Gentian, also from OB 251. They were assisted by the destroyer St Laurent, which had ben travelling with Forfar, but had detached to reinforce HX 90’s escort.
Viscount and St Laurent attacked numerous ASDIC contacts, making thirteen depth-charge attacks over four hours. No U-boats were hit, but all were kept submerged and silent, allowing HX 90 to escape.
Later that evening however the convoy was sighted again, by newcomer U-94; she attacked during the night of 2/3 December and sank two more ships, Stirlingshire and Wilhelmina.
Also that night U-99 found and sank a straggler, Victoria City (though other sources say she was sunk by U-140) and the damaged Conch which she also sank.
No further U-boat attacks developed for HX 90, though on 3 December W Hendrik was bombed and sunk. The convoy met its local escort on 5 December and arrived in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
later that day.
Conclusion
U-Boat Command (BdUBDU
The abbreviation BDU may refer to:*Battle Dress Uniform, United States' combat uniforms.*Befehlshaber der U-Boote , commander-in-chief of Germany's submarine fleets in WW-II.*FAA location identifier for Boulder Municipal Airport...
), in the person of Adm. Karl Doenitz, was delighted with the attack, believing his U-boats had sunk eighteen ships of over 120, 000 GRT. In fact the confirmed loss to HX 90 was eleven ships of 73,495 GRT (other sources give 73,958 GRT). During the same period the pack had also sunk the AMC Forfar, two ships from OB 251, another from SC 13 and damaged an escort from HG 47. None of the attacking U-boats had been sunk or damaged.
However 30 ships of HX 90 arrived safely, as did 41 ships of SC 13, the 30 ships of HG 47, and 31 ships of OB 251.
Nevertheless the attack on HX 90 was a setback for the Allies, and one of the more serious convoy losses of the Atlantic campaign.
Table
| Date | Name | Nationality | Casualties | Tonnage (GRT Gross Register Tonnage Gross register tonnage a ship's total internal volume expressed in "register tons", one of which equals to a volume of . It is calculated from the total permanently enclosed capacity of the vessel. The ship's net register tonnage is obtained by reducing the volume of non-revenue-earning spaces i.e... ) |
Sunk by… |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/2 December 1940 | Appalachee | Br | 7 | 8,824 | U-101 |
| 1/2 Dec | Kavak | Br | 25 | 2,782 | U-101 |
| 1/2 Dec | Lady Glanely | Br | 32 | 5,497 | U-101 |
| 1/2 Dec | Ville D’Arlon | Belg | 56 | 7,555 | U-47 |
| 2 December 1940 | Tasso | Br | 5 | 1,586 | U-52 |
| 2 Dec | Goodleigh | Br | 1 | 5,448 | U-52 |
| 2/3 December 1940 | Stirlingshire | Br | nil | 6,022 | U-94 |
| 2/3 Dec | Wilhelmina | Dutch/Br | 5 | 6,725 | U-94 |
| 3 December 1940 | Conch | Br | nil | 8,376 | U-47,U-95,U-99 |
| 3 Dec | Victoria City | Br | 43 | 4,739 | U-140 |
| 3 Dec | W Hendrik | Br | ? | 4,360 | aircraft |