Convoy HX 49
| Convoy HX 49 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofWorld War II | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Germany |
 United Kingdom | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| V.Adm.Karl Dönitz | V.Adm.L D Mackinnon | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 3U-boats |
50 merchant ships 2 escorts | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| no losses |
3 ships sunk 1 ship sunk after dispersal | ||||||
Convoy HX 49was aNorth Atlanticconvoyof theHX serieswhich ran during theBattle of the AtlanticinWorld War II.It was the 49th of the numbered series of merchant convoys run by theAlliesfromHalifaxtoLiverpool.The convoy was attacked byGermanU-boats,losing three of its 50 ships sunk.[1]Another ship was lost after dispersal.
Background
[edit]HX 49 was formed of two sections sailing from the Americas. The main body, of 26 ships, departed Halifax on 9 June 1940 with ships gathered from the US eastern seaboard; it was led byconvoy commodorevice-admiralLD Mackinnon RN in the steamshipEurybates.It was accompanied by its ocean escort, theArmed Merchant CruiserAusonia,and a local escort of twoRCNdestroyers.[2]
On 13 June the convoy was joined by BHX 49, 24 ships from theCaribbeanandSouth America,that had gathered atBermuda,departing there on 8 June escorted by the AMCRagputanaand a local escort.[3]
Ranged against HX 49 were U-boats of theGerman Navy'sU-boat Arm,on patrol in Britain's South West Approaches. The UBW had five U-boats in area when contact was made on 21 June 1940.[4]
Action
[edit]On 20 June HX 49's Western Approaches escort arrived; the sloopsSandwich,from escorting the outbound OB 169, andFowey,from OA 169. During the crossing two ships had dropped out of convoy; both arrived safely. A third,Moordrecht,was detached for a port in neutral Spain: She was found byU-48on 20 June and torpedoed, without examination.[5]
The following eveningU-47found HX 49 about 50 miles south ofCape Clear Island.Her commander, rising starGunther Prien,took her into the middle of the convoy and sank the tankerSan Fernando.The U-boat then had to crash-dive to avoid being run down by a freighter, but the attack caused the convoy to scatter.[6] Later that night two more ships were found and sunk;RandsfjordbyU-30[7]andEli KnudsenbyU-32.[8]
At daybreak on 22 June the two sloops began to gather the ships back together, and HX 49 continued without further loss. The main body arrived in Liverpool on 24 June.
Ships lost
[edit]| Name | Flag | Tonnage(GRT) | Date sunk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moordrecht |  Netherlands |
7,493 | 20 June | detached 18 June for landfall inCorunna.Torpedoed byU-48;25 dead, 4 survivors[5] |
| San Fernando |  United Kingdom |
13,056 | 21 June | torpedoed byU-47;49 survivors, picked up byFoweyandSandwich[6] |
| Randsfjord |  Norway |
3,999 | 22 June | torpedoed byU-30;4 dead, 29 survivors, picked up byPort Hobart[7] |
| Eli Knudsen | Norway |
9,026 | 22 June | torpedoed byU-32;37 survivors, picked up bySandwich[8] |
References
[edit]- ^Hague, p.126
- ^Hague, Arnold;HX 49at convoyweb.org.uk
- ^Hague, Arnold;BHX 49at convoyweb.org.uk
- ^U-boats on patrol, 21 June 1940at uboat.net
- ^abMoordrechtat www.uboat.net. Retrieved 30 April 2020
- ^abSan Fernandoat www.uboat.net. Retrieved 30 April 2020
- ^abRandsfjordat www.uboat.net. Retrieved 30 April 2020
- ^abEli Knudsenat www.uboat.net. Retrieved 30 April 2020
Bibliography
[edit]- Blair, Clay(1996)Hitler's U-boat WarVol I CassellISBN0-304-35260-8
- Arnold Hague (2000)The Allied Convoy System 1939–1945ISBN1-86176-147-3