Convoy HX 126 was the 126th of the numbered series of World War II HX convoys of merchant ships from HalifaX to Liverpool.
| Convoy HX.126 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of World War II | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Germany |
 United Kingdom | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Admiral Karl Dönitz | Rear-Admiral F B Watson | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 9 U-boats |
33 merchant ships 22 escorts (1 during attacks) | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 9 merchant ships sunk | |||||||
Prelude
editThe ships departed Halifax on 10 May 1941.[1] At this time, there were no escorts to provide protection against U-boats for the whole duration of the journey across the North Atlantic. For the first leg of the crossing, the only escort was the armed merchant cruiser HMS Aurania which task was to provide protection against merchant raiders.
On the U-boat side, the submarines were reorganized in the group West after the attack on convoy OB 318 and were sent to scout for convoys ever more westward.[2]
Action
editOn 19 May, the U-boat U-94 found the convoy and she directed the other boats of the group West. The group began their attacks on 20 May. The first attack of U-94 in the early morning misses, but in a second attack she sank one[3] or two ships.[4][2] Then contact with the convoy is lost. The next U-boat, U-556 found the convoy at noon. In two attacks U-556 sank three ships.[3] As the convoy was still unescorted at the time, it started to break up.
U-111 discovered the large 13,000-ton tanker San Felix and damaged it with a torpedo, but the tanker did not belong to HX 126. It was an outbound vessel from the dispersed convoy OB 322.[5] In the evening U-98 sank the freighter Rothermere. Around the same time U-94 regained contact with the convoy and sank the tanker John P. Pedersen. Just before midnight, U-109 sank the straggler Harpagus with two torpedoes. Harpagus had fallen behind to rescue survivors from Norman Monarch. The 12th escort group, which comprised at the time five destroyers, four corvettes and two anti-submarine trawlers, arrived and started to round up the dispersed ships and reform the convoy. Five of the escorts find U-109 and damage the submarine with depth charges. As a result U-109 aborted to France.[6]
In the early morning of 21 May, U-93 struck the tanker Elusa which was later scuttled. U-74 was damaged and forced to abort to France by depth charge attacks from the corvette HMS Verbena and a destroyer (either HMS Churchill[4] or HMS Burnham[7]). Upon learning that a strong escort has arrived, German command disengaged the U-boats and reformed them in a new patrol line further south. Only U-111 is left in place in order to transmit decoy radio signals. On 22 May U-111 found and sank Barnby which either straggled or romped from the convoy.
Ships in the convoy
editAllied merchant ships
editA total of 33 merchant vessels joined the convoy, either in Halifax or later in the voyage.[8] Surviving ships reached Liverpool on 28 May.[1]
| Name | Flag | Tonnage (GRT) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athelprincess (1929) |  United Kingdom
|
8,882 | |
| Barnby (1940) | United Kingdom
|
4,813 | Straggled and sunk by U-111[9] |
| Baron Carnegie (1925) | United Kingdom
|
3,178 | |
| Baron Elgin (1933) | United Kingdom
|
3,942 | |
| Bente Maersk (1928) | United Kingdom
|
5,722 | |
| British Freedom (1928) | United Kingdom
|
6,985 | Straggled 20 May |
| British Security (1937) | United Kingdom
|
8,470 | Sunk by U-556[10] |
| British Splendour (1931) | United Kingdom
|
7,138 | |
| Cockaponset (1919) | United Kingdom
|
5,995 | Sunk By U-556[11] |
| Darlington Court (1936) | United Kingdom
|
4,974 | Sunk By U-556[12] |
| Dorelian (1923) | United Kingdom
|
6,431 | |
| Eemland (1906) |  Netherlands
|
4,188 | Straggled 20 May |
| Elusa (1936) | Netherlands
|
6,235 | Sunk By U-93[13] |
| Empire Kudu (1919) | United Kingdom
|
6,622 | |
| Gretavale (1928) | United Kingdom
|
4,586 | |
| Hada County (1921) |  Norway
|
4,853 | |
| Harpagus (1940) | United Kingdom
|
5,173 | Sunk By U-109.[14] Rescue Ship |
| Havsten (1930) | Norway
|
6,161 | |
| Hindustan (1940) | United Kingdom
|
5,245 | Rear-Admiral F B Watson DSO (Commodore) |
| John P Pedersen (1930) | Norway
|
6,128 | Sunk By U-94[15] |
| Karabagh (1932) | United Kingdom
|
6,427 | |
| Morgenen (1930) | Norway
|
7,093 | |
| Nicoya (1929) | United Kingdom
|
5,364 | |
| Norman Monarch (1937) | United Kingdom
|
4,718 | Sunk By U-94[16] |
| Regent Panther (1937) | United Kingdom
|
9,556 | |
| Ribera (1940) | United Kingdom
|
5,559 | Straggled 20 May |
| Rosewood (1931) | United Kingdom
|
5,989 | Iceland |
| Rothermere (1938) | United Kingdom
|
5,356 | Sunk By U-98[17] |
| Salando (1920) | Netherlands
|
5,272 | Returned |
| Tongariro (1925) | United Kingdom
|
8,720 | |
| Toward (1923) | United Kingdom
|
1,571 | Rescue Ship |
| Westport (1918) | United Kingdom
|
5,665 | Joined Ex Convoy SC 31 |
| Winona County (1919) | United Kingdom
|
6,159 | Returned |
Convoy escorts
editA series of armed military ships escorted the convoy at various times during its journey.[8] Only one escort was present during the German attacks.
References
edit- ^ a b Hague p.127
- ^ a b Rohwer &Hummelchen, p.62
- ^ a b "HX-126".
- ^ a b Blair, p.286
- ^ "San Felix".
- ^ Hirschfeld, Wolfgang (1985). Feindfahrten. Logbuch eines U-Bootfunkers (in German). Miunchen: Heyne. pp. 48–70. ISBN 3-453-02051-0.
- ^ "U-74".
- ^ a b "Convoy HX.126". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ "Barnby – British steam merchant". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ "British Security – British motor tanker". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ "Cockaponset – British steam merchant". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ "Darlington Court – British motor merchant". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ "Elusa – Dutch motor tanker". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ "Harpagus – British steam merchant". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ "John P Pedersen – Norwegian motor tanker". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ "Norman Monarch – British steam merchant". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ "Rothermere – British steam merchant". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 3 November 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.
- Blair, Clay (2000). Hitler's U-Boat War [Volume 1 ]: The Hunters. Cassell. ISBN 0-304-35260-8.