Convoy HX 90

Convoy
Part of World War II
Date 1-3 December 1940 Location Western Approaches Result German victory
Belligerents
Germany Italy	United Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Admiral Karl Dönitz	Comm : VP Alleyne Escort :Lt.Cdr MS Townsend
Strength
7 U-Boats 3 Italian submarines	41 ships 5 escorts
Casualties and losses
none	11 ships sunk (73,495 GRT)

HX 90 was a North Atlantic convoy of the HX series which ran during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II.

Background

HX 90 was an east-bound convoy of 41 ships which sailed from Halifax 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-boats, 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.

Action

On 1 December 1940, some 500 miles south of Iceland 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.

Conclusion

U-Boat Command (BdU), 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)	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

External links

• HX 90 at convoyweb
• HX 90 at uboatnet

References

• Clay Blair : Hitler’s U-Boat War Vol I (1996) ISBN 0-304-35260-8
• Arnold Hague : The Allied Convoy System 1939-1945 (2000) .ISBN 1-55125-033-0 (Canada) .ISBN 1-86176-147-3 (UK)
• Stephen Roskill : The War at Sea 1939-1945 Vol I (1954) ISBN (none)