Convoy OB 293
| Convoy OB 293 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofWorld War II | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Germany |
 United Kingdom | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| AdmiralKarl Dönitz |
convoy: escort:LtCdrJM Rowlands | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 4 U-boats |
37 ships 4 escorts | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
2 U-boats sunk 1 damaged |
2 ships sunk 3 damaged | ||||||
OB 293was aNorth Atlanticconvoywhich ran during thebattle of the AtlanticinWorld War II. It was notable for seeing the loss to theKriegsmarine(KM) ofU-47,with her commanderKLGünther Prien,the person responsible for the sinking ofHMSRoyal Oaktwo years previously.
Prelude
[edit]OB 293 was a west-bound convoy of 37 ships, either in ballast or carrying trade goods, and sailed fromLiverpoolon 2 March 1941 bound for ports inNorth America.
It was escorted by an escort group of twodestroyers,WolverineandVerity,and twocorvettes,ArbutusandCamellia.They were led by LtCdr Rowlands ofWolverine,which would stay with them till they left theWestern Approaches.(At this stage of the campaign escort groups were too scarce to provide "end-to-end" cover).
On 6 March 1941 the convoy was sighted byU-47commanded by Prien. After sending a sighting report he set to shadowing the convoy, being joined throughout the day by three other boats. They wereU-99(Kretschmer),U-70(Matz) andUA(Eckermann).
Action
[edit]The wolf pack launched its attack on the night of March 6-7.
In the early hours of 7 MarchU-99slipped into the convoy from ahead, to attack on the surface. She torpedoed and sank the tankerAthelbeach,already damaged byU-47,and the whale factory shipTerje Viken. U-70damaged a British tanker,Delilian,and a Dutch tanker,Mijdrecht.The latter rounded onU-70and attempted to ram, forcingU-70to crash-dive to escape. UAhit a freighter, but did not sink her.
The response of the escorts was swift and effective. The U-boats were subjected to a fierce bombardment as the warships chased down contacts. Over 100 depth charges were expended over a five-hour period. UAwas damaged but was able to escape. U-99only escaped by diving deep and waiting out the attack. U-70was damaged in the onslaught and forced to the surface, where she was fired on and sunk by the corvettesCamelliaandArbutus.
U-47avoided damage and was able to stay in contact with the convoy, sending further reports and requesting reinforcements. They had also been able to torpedoTerje Viken,which was straggling after being damaged, though she still remained afloat. The escorts attempted to bring her to port, but she finally sank on the 14th. Her loss was credited to bothU-99andU-47.
At about 1am on the night of March 7-8,Wolverinesighted a U-boat on the surface which she identified asU-47.She andVerityattacked, and after four hours the U-boat was driven to the surface within yards ofWolverine,before diving again. The destroyer sent down a pattern of depth charges and was rewarded with an underwater explosion, marked by an orange glow, and flames that broke the surface.
Aftermath
[edit]Wolverinewas credited with destroyingU-47,and this featured in the official record until the late 1990s. However, after reviewing the available records modern historians regard this attack as being directed againstUA,which was badly damaged, but survived to reach port.
No conclusion can be reached about the fate ofU-47,and it is thought likely to be the result of a diving accident.
The success of the defence of OB 293, with the loss of Prien, coupled with the successful defence ofConvoy HX 112,and the loss of two more aces, Kretschmer and Schepke, one week later, marks a minor turning point in the Atlantic campaign.
Ships involved
[edit]Merchant ships
[edit]| Name | Flag | Tonnage(GRT) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athelbeach(1931) |  United Kingdom
|
6,568 | Sunk byU-99;7 dead. 37 survivors.[2] |
| Basil(1928) | United Kingdom
|
4,913 | |
| Bayano(1917) | United Kingdom
|
6,815 | Vice-Admiral Sir FM Austin KBE CB (Commodore) |
| Capsa(1931) | United Kingdom
|
8,229 | |
| Cardium(1931) | United Kingdom
|
8,236 | |
| City of Baroda(1918) | United Kingdom
|
7,129 | |
| Delilian(1923) | United Kingdom
|
6,423 | Damaged byU-70[3]& towed to Clyde |
| Dunaff Head(1918) | United Kingdom
|
5,258 | Damaged byUA;5 dead & 39 survivors.[4] |
| Eastgate(1940) | United Kingdom
|
5,032 | |
| Embassage(1935) | United Kingdom
|
4,954 | |
| Empire Attendant(1921) | United Kingdom
|
7,524 | |
| Empire Wildebeeste(1918) | United Kingdom
|
5,631 | |
| Jade(1938) | United Kingdom
|
930 | |
| Kelbergen(1914) |  Netherlands
|
4,823 | |
| Korsholm(1925) |  Sweden
|
2,647 | |
| Leerdam(1921) | Netherlands
|
8,815 | |
| Leiesten(1930) |  Norway
|
6,118 | |
| Loreto(1913) | United Kingdom
|
6,682 | |
| Mercier(1915) |  Belgium
|
7,886 | |
| Michael J Goulandris(1921) |  Greece
|
6,669 | |
| Mijdrecht(1931) | Netherlands
|
7,493 | Damaged byU-70[5] |
| Miralda(1936) | United Kingdom
|
8,013 | |
| New Brunswick(1919) | United Kingdom
|
6,529 | |
| New Westminster City(1929) | United Kingdom
|
4,747 | |
| Peru(1916) | United Kingdom
|
6,569 | |
| Port Caroline(1919) | United Kingdom
|
8,263 | |
| Puck(1935) |  Poland
|
1,065 | |
| Sacramento Valley(1924) | United Kingdom
|
4,573 | |
| Terje Viken(1936) | United Kingdom
|
20,638 | Sunk byU-99;2 dead and 105 survivors.[6] |
| Tiradentes(1922) | Norway
|
4,960 | |
| Tregarthen(1936) | United Kingdom
|
5,201 | |
| Ulysses(1918) | Netherlands
|
2,666 | |
| Vernon City(1929) | United Kingdom
|
4,748 | |
| Viking Star(1920) | United Kingdom
|
6,445 | |
| Waroonga(1914) | United Kingdom
|
9,365 | |
| White Crest(1928) | United Kingdom
|
4,365 | |
| Woensdrecht(1926) | Netherlands
|
4,668 | |
| Yselhaven(1921) | Netherlands
|
4,802 |
Escorts
[edit]| Name | Class | Type | Date joined | Date departed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMSArbutus | Flower | Corvette | 2 March | 7 March | attacked and sankU-70,7 March |
| HMSBeverley | Town | Destroyer | 4 March | 8 March | |
| HMSCamellia | Flower | Corvette | 2 March | 7 March | attacked and sankU-70,7 March |
| HMSChelsea | Town | Destroyer | 2 March | 7 March | |
| HMSVerity | V and W | Destroyer | 2 March | 7 March | attacked and damagedUA,7 March |
| HMSWolverine | V and W | Destroyer | 2 March | 7 March | attacked and damagedUA,7 March |
U-boats
[edit]| Name | Type | Navy/Commander | Success | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U-37 | IX | KLNicolai Clausen | N/A | Did not make contact |
| U-47 | VIIB | KKGünther Prien | hitTerje Viken | lost, cause unknown; originally credited tod/cattacks byWolverine,Verity |
| U-70 | VIIC | KL Joachim Matz | hitAthelbeachhitDelilan,hitMijdrecht | rammed byMijdrecht,attacked and sunk byArbutus,Camellia |
| U-99 | VIIB | KKOtto Kretschmer | hitTerje Viken(sank later), sankAthelbeach | |
| UA | UA | FKHans Eckermann | sankDunaff Head | attacked byWolverine,Verity;damaged and force to return to base |
References
[edit]- ^"Convoy OB.293".Arnold Hague Convoy Database.Retrieved29 October2013.
- ^Helgason, Guðmundur."Athelbeach – British Motor tanker".German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.Retrieved29 October2013.
- ^Helgason, Guðmundur."Delilian – British Steam merchant".German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.Retrieved29 October2013.
- ^Helgason, Guðmundur."Dunaff Head – British Steam merchant".German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.Retrieved29 October2013.
- ^Helgason, Guðmundur."Mijdrecht – Dutch Motor tanker".German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.Retrieved29 October2013.
- ^Helgason, Guðmundur."Terje Viken – British Whale factory ship".German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.Retrieved29 October2013.
- ^"Convoy OB.293".Arnold Hague Convoy Database.Retrieved29 October2013.
- ^Convoy OB 293 at uboat.net
- Stephen Roskill:The War at Sea 1939–1945Vol I (1954). ISBN (none)
- Dan van der Vat:The Atlantic Campaign(1988).ISBN0-340-37751-8
- Arnold Hague:The Allied Convoy System 1939–1945(2000). SBN (Canada) 1 55125 033 0. ISBN (UK) 1 86176 147 3
- Kemp, Paul (1997).U-Boats Destroyed, German submarine losses in the World Wars.Arms and Armour.ISBN1-85409-515-3.
- *Niestle, Axel (1998).German U-Boat Losses During World War II.Greenhill.ISBN1-85367-352-8.