Convoy SC-107
Encyclopedia
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
. Ships departed New York City
on 24 October 1942; and were found and reported by U-522 on 30 October as the Western Local Escort Force
turned the convoy over to Mid-Ocean Escort Force
Group C-4 consisting of the Canadian River class destroyer
Restigouche with Flower class corvette
s Amherst, Arvida, Sherbrooke, Celandine, Algoma, Moosejaw
, and the Convoy rescue ship
Stockport.
Digby bomber
. U-boat Ace Kapitänleutnant Siegfried von Forstner
's U-402
torpedoed Greek freighter Rinos and British freighters Empire Sunrise, Dalcroy, , and Empire Leopard after sunset on 1 November while U-522 torpedoed Greek freighter Mount Pelion and British freighters Hartington and Maratima. Kapitänleutnant von Forstner would receive the Knight's Cross
for U-402
's work in this convoy and in Convoy SC-118 on the next patrol. U-522 torpedoed Greek freighter Parthenon in a daylight attack on 2 November.
The escort was reinforced by the V and W class destroyer
Vanessa from convoy HX-213. U-521 torpedoed American tanker
Hahira on 3 November. U-89 torpedoed the convoy commodore's freighter Jeypore after sunset on 3 November while U-132
torpedoed Dutch freighter and British freighters Empire Lynx and Hatimura. U-132 is believed to have been destroyed by the kiloton-range detonation of the ammunition cargo of the latter ship.
On 4 November Arvida and Celandine were detached to Iceland
with Stockport and 2 tugs overcrowded with 240 survivors. U-89 torpedoed British freighter Daleby shortly before the convoy escort was reinforced by the USCG Treasury Class Cutter
Ingham and the Wickes class destroyer
s Leary
and Schenck
from Iceland
. No. 120 Squadron RAF
B-24 Liberator
s scrambled from Iceland drove off the remaining U-boats, and the convoy reached Liverpool
on 10 November.
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...
Slow Convoys
SC convoys
The SC convoys were a series of North Atlantic convoys that ran during the battle of the Atlantic during World War II.They were east-bound slow convoys originating in Sydney, Cape Breton ; from there they sailed to ports in the UK, mainly Liverpool.For a time after the entry of the...
of merchant ships from 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....
, Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the word Breton, the French demonym for Brittany....
to 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...
. Ships departed New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on 24 October 1942; and were found and reported by U-522 on 30 October as the Western Local Escort Force
Western Local Escort Force
Western Local Escort Force referred to the organization of anti-submarine escorts for World War II trade convoys from North American port cities to the Western Ocean Meeting Point near Newfoundland where ships of the Mid-Ocean Escort Force assumed responsibility for safely delivering the convoys...
turned the convoy over to Mid-Ocean Escort Force
Mid-Ocean Escort Force
Mid-Ocean Escort Force referred to the organization of anti-submarine escorts for World War II trade convoys between Canada and the British Isles...
Group C-4 consisting of the Canadian River class destroyer
Canadian River class destroyer
The River class was a class of fourteen destroyers of the Royal Canadian Navy that served before and during the Second World War. They were named after Canadian rivers.-Description:...
Restigouche with Flower class corvette
Flower class corvette
The Flower-class corvette was a class of 267 corvettes used during World War II, specifically with the Allied navies as anti-submarine convoy escorts during the Battle of the Atlantic...
s Amherst, Arvida, Sherbrooke, Celandine, Algoma, Moosejaw
HMCS Moosejaw (K164)
HMCS Moose Jaw was a Royal Canadian Navy which took part in convoy escort duties during World War II, and together with achieved the RCN's first U-boat kill of the war....
, and the Convoy rescue ship
Convoy rescue ship
During the Second World War purpose built convoy rescue ships accompanied some Atlantic convoys to rescue survivors from ships which had been attacked. Rescue ships were typically small freighters with passenger accommodations. Conversion to rescue service involved enlarging galley and food...
Stockport.
Battle
U-520 was sunk near the convoy by a No. 10 Squadron RCAFNo. 10 Squadron RCAF
No. 10 Squadron RCAF was a Royal Canadian Air Force squadron that was active during the Second World War. It was primarily used in an anti-submarine role and was based on the east coast of Canada and Newfoundland. It established the RCAF record for attacks on U-boats with 22 and was successful in...
Digby bomber
B-18 Bolo
The Douglas B-18 Bolo was a United States Army Air Corps and Royal Canadian Air Force bomber of the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was built by Douglas Aircraft Company and based on its DC-2 and was developed to replace the Martin B-10....
. U-boat Ace Kapitänleutnant Siegfried von Forstner
Siegfried von Forstner
Korvettenkapitän Siegfried Freiherr von Forstner was a German U-boat commander during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
's U-402
German submarine U-402
German submarine U-402 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for the German Kriegsmarine for service during World War II.U-402 commanded by Kapitänleutnant Siegfried von Forstner carried out eight combat patrols sinking 14 merchantmen and one warship during the Second World War. U-402 also damaged three...
torpedoed Greek freighter Rinos and British freighters Empire Sunrise, Dalcroy, , and Empire Leopard after sunset on 1 November while U-522 torpedoed Greek freighter Mount Pelion and British freighters Hartington and Maratima. Kapitänleutnant von Forstner would receive the Knight's Cross
Knight's Cross
Knight's Cross refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield....
for U-402
German submarine U-402
German submarine U-402 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for the German Kriegsmarine for service during World War II.U-402 commanded by Kapitänleutnant Siegfried von Forstner carried out eight combat patrols sinking 14 merchantmen and one warship during the Second World War. U-402 also damaged three...
's work in this convoy and in Convoy SC-118 on the next patrol. U-522 torpedoed Greek freighter Parthenon in a daylight attack on 2 November.
V and W class destroyer
The V and W class was an amalgam of six similar classes of destroyer built for the Royal Navy under the War Emergency Programme of the First World War and generally treated as one class...
Vanessa from convoy HX-213. U-521 torpedoed American tanker
Tanker (ship)
A tanker is a ship designed to transport liquids in bulk. Major types of tankship include the oil tanker, the chemical tanker, and the liquefied natural gas carrier.-Background:...
Hahira on 3 November. U-89 torpedoed the convoy commodore's freighter Jeypore after sunset on 3 November while U-132
German submarine U-132 (1941)
German submarine U-132 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for the German Kriegsmarine for service during World War II. She was laid down on 10 August 1940 by Bremer Vulkan, Bremen-Vegesack, launched on 10 April 1941 and commissioned on 29 May that year. In four patrols, U-132 sank eight ships for a total...
torpedoed Dutch freighter and British freighters Empire Lynx and Hatimura. U-132 is believed to have been destroyed by the kiloton-range detonation of the ammunition cargo of the latter ship.
On 4 November Arvida and Celandine were detached to Iceland
Iceland
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...
with Stockport and 2 tugs overcrowded with 240 survivors. U-89 torpedoed British freighter Daleby shortly before the convoy escort was reinforced by the USCG Treasury Class Cutter
USCG Treasury Class Cutter
The Treasury-class high endurance cutters were a group of seven ships launched by the United States Coast Guard between 1936 and 1937. The class were called the "Treasury-class" because they were each named for former Secretaries of the Treasury. These ships were also collectively known as the...
Ingham and the Wickes class destroyer
Wickes class destroyer
The Wickes-class destroyers were a group of 111 destroyers built by the United States Navy in 1917-1919. Along with the 6 preceding Caldwell class and 155 subsequent Clemson-class destroyers, they formed the "flush-deck" or "four-stack" class. Only a few were completed in time to serve in World...
s Leary
USS Leary (DD-158)
USS Leary was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was named for Lieutenant Clarence F. Leary USNRF , posthumously awarded the Navy Cross in World War I....
and Schenck
USS Schenck (DD-159)
USS Schenck was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was named for Rear Admiral James F. Schenck, USN ....
from Iceland
Iceland
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...
. No. 120 Squadron RAF
No. 120 Squadron RAF
No. 120 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operated the Nimrod MR2, based at RAF Kinloss, Moray, Scotland until the type's withdrawal in March 2010.-Formation in WWI:...
B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
s scrambled from Iceland drove off the remaining U-boats, and the convoy reached 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...
on 10 November.
Ships in convoy
| Name | Flag | Dead | Tonnage | Cargo | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agios Georgios (1911) |  |
4,248 gross register tons (GRT) | grain & general cargo | survived this convoy and convoy ONS 5 | |
| Ann Skakel (1920) |  |
4,949 GRT | detached to Iceland 7 Nov; survived this convoy and convoy SC 118 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.-Prelude:... |
||
| Benedick (1928) |  |
6,978 GRT | furnace fuel oil | survived this convoy, convoy SC 122 and convoy SC 130 | |
| Berkel (1930) |  |
2,130 GRT | lumber | survived this convoy, convoy ON 154 and convoy ONS 5 | |
| Bruarfoss (1927) |  |
1,580 GRT | detached to Iceland 7 Nov | ||
| Carrier (1921) |  |
3,036 GRT | grain | ||
| Dalcroy (1930) | |
(none) | 4,558 GRT | 1,809 tons steel & lumber | sunk by |
| Daleby (1929) | |
(none) | 4,640 GRT | 8,500 tons grain | sunk by |
| (1919) | |
(none) | 4,945 GRT | 5,560 tons general cargo | veteran of convoy SC 94; sunk by |
| (1917) | |
37 | 5,676 GRT | 7,410 tons zinc concentrates | sunk by |
| (1917) | |
(none) | 6,379 GRT | 7,850 tons general cargo | sunk by |
| (1941) | |
7,068 GRT | steel & lumber | CAM ship CAM ship CAM ships were World War II-era British merchant ships used in convoys as an emergency stop-gap until sufficient escort carriers became available. CAM is an acronym for catapult aircraft merchantman. A CAM ship was equipped with a rocket-propelled catapult launching a single Hawker Sea Hurricane,... ; survived to be sunk the following month in convoy ON 154 |
|
| (1941) | |
(none) | 7,459 GRT | 10,000 tons steel & lumber | sunk by & |
| (1924) | |
5,952 GRT | general cargo | survived to be sunk the following month in convoy ON 154 | |
| Fairwater (1928) | |
4,108 GRT | steel & lumber | ||
| Geisha (1921) | |
5,113 GRT | general cargo | ship's master was convoy vice commodore | |
| Granfoss (1913) | |
1,461 GRT | flour | ||
| Hahira (1920) | |
3 | 6,855 GRT | 8,985 tons furnace fuel oil | sunk by |
| Hartington (1932) | |
24 | 5,496 GRT | tanks & 8,000 tons wheat | sunk by , & |
| Hatimura (1918) | |
4 | 6,690 GRT | food, steel, ammunition & explosives | sunk by |
| Hobbema (1918) | |
28 | 5,507 GRT | 7,000 tons explosives & general cargo | sunk by |
| Janeta (1929) | |
4,312 GRT | steel & lumber | survived this convoy and convoy ON 154 | |
| Jeypore (1920) | |
1 | 5,318 GRT | 6,200 tons explosives & general cargo | carried convoy commodore VADM B C Watson CB DSO; sunk by |
| L V Stanford (1921) | |
7,138 GRT | fuel oil | survived this convoy and convoy SC 121 | |
| Maratima (1912) | |
32 | 5,804 GRT | 7,167 tons explosives & general cargo | sunk by |
| Marsa (1928) | |
4,405 GRT | steel & lumber | ||
| Mount Pelion (1917) | |
7 | 6,625 GRT | 7,452 tons general cargo & trucks | veteran of convoy SC 94; sunk by |
| New York City (1917) | |
2,710 GRT | general cargo | survived this convoy and convoy SC 118 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.-Prelude:... |
|
| Olney (1928) | |
7,294 GRT | diesel | survived this convoy and convoy ON 154 | |
| Oropos (1913) | |
4,474 GRT | grain | ||
| PLM 17 (1922) | |
4,008 GRT | phosphates | survived damaged by depth charge explosions | |
| Pacific (1914) |  |
4,978 GRT | general cargo | ||
| Parthenon (1908) | |
6 | 3,189 GRT | paper | sunk by |
| USS Pleiades USS Pleiades (AK-46) USS Pleiades was commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II. She was responsible for delivering military personnel and equipment to ships and stations in the war zone.... (1939) |
|
3,600 GRT | veteran of convoy ON 67 Convoy ON 67 Convoy ON-67 was a trade convoy of merchant ships during the second World War. It was the 67th of the numbered series of ON convoys Outbound from the British Isles to North America... ; detached to Iceland |
||
| Rinos (1919) | |
8 | 4,649 GRT | 6,151 tons general cargo & trucks | sunk by |
| Stockport (1911) | |
1,583 GRT | convoy rescue ship Convoy rescue ship During the Second World War purpose built convoy rescue ships accompanied some Atlantic convoys to rescue survivors from ships which had been attacked. Rescue ships were typically small freighters with passenger accommodations. Conversion to rescue service involved enlarging galley and food... |
||
| Tidewater (1930) | |
8,886 GRT | furnace fuel oil | ||
| Titus (1930) | |
1,712 GRT | flour | veteran of convoy SC 42 | |
| Vest (1920) | |
5,074 GRT | grain & lumber | survived this convoy and convoy ON 154 |