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Convoy HX 65

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Convoy HX.65
Part of World War II
Date24–27 August 1940
Location
North Atlantic
Result German victory
Belligerents
 Kriegsmarine  Royal Canadian Navy
 Royal Navy
Commanders and leaders
Admiral Karl Dönitz V-Adm. B G Washington (Comm.)
Strength
5 U-boats 51 merchant ships
7 escorts
Casualties and losses
1 U-boat damaged 8 ships sunk
3 damaged
197 killed

Convoy HX 65 was a North Atlantic convoy of the HX series which ran during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II. It was the 65th of the numbered series of merchant convoys run by the Allies from Halifax to Liverpool. The convoy was attacked by German U-boats and aircraft, losing eight of its 51 ships sunk and a further three damaged. One U-boat was damaged.

Background

HX 65 formed of three sections sailing from the Americas, and was to divide into two sections for the landfall in the United Kingdom. The main body, of 13 ships, departed Halifax on 12 August 1940;[1] with ships gathered from the US eastern seaboard; it was led by convoy commodore Vice Admiral BG Washington in the steamship Harpalyce. It was accompanied by its ocean escort, the armed merchant cruiser Voltaire, and a local escort of two Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) warships. It was joined on 14 August by 16 ships from Sydney, on Cape Breton Island, also with a local escort. These had gathered from ports on the St Lawrence and the Great Lakes.[2] On 16 August the convoy was joined by BHX 65, 22 ships from the Caribbean and South America, that had gathered at Bermuda, departing there on 11 August escorted by the armed merchant cruiser HMS Montclare.[3]

Ranged against HX 65 were U-boats of the German Navy's 1st, 2nd and 7th U-boat Flotillas, operating from Kiel and Wilhelmshaven.

Action

On 22 August HX 65's Western Approaches escort began to arrive; the destroyer Skeena and the corvette Godetia left the outbound OA 201, arriving later that day. On 24 August the destroyer Westcott and the corvette Gladiolus arrived from OB 201.[4]

On the morning of 24 August, the tanker La Brea (one of two ships that had dropped out of HX 65 five days earlier) was sighted by U-48 in the North West Approaches west northwest of Rockall. She was attacked and sunk, leaving two boats of survivors in bad weather and rough seas. They made landfall in the Hebrides over the next two days.[5][6]

On the evening of 24 August the convoy divided, one section (referred to in some sources as HX 65A) of 20 ships bound for Methil on Scotland's east coast via Cape Wrath and the north of Scotland, and a second section (HX 65 B) of 22 ships bound for Liverpool.

The Methil section, led by Harpalyce and escorted by Skeena and Godetia was found by U-48, which attacked during the night of 24/25 August, sinking two ships, Empire Merlin and Athelcrest. She was counterattacked by Godetia but escaped without damage. Later, on the morning of 25 August the convoy was sighted twice more, by U-28 and U-32, but the convoy had been joined by a Sunderland from Coastal Command, and both submerged on sighting the aircraft. U-32 made a perfunctory attack, which failed. That evening the convoy was found again, by U-124, and attacked just before midnight. U-124 fired four torpedoes and claimed four ships sunk; the actual success was two ships sunk (Harpalyce and Fircrest) and another (Stakesby) damaged. Harpalyce and Fircrest went down quickly with heavy loss of life. Stakesby was abandoned, but was later salvaged by the tug Thames and repaired. U-124 was counterattacked by Godetia and damaged when she ran onto a rock. After the corvette had left, U-124 was unable to continue convoy operations relegated to weather reporting.[7] Later that day the convoy was reinforced by Jaguar and Javelin, two destroyers from Scapa Flow.[8] On the evening of 26 August the convoy came under air attack near Kinnaird Head by Luftwaffe aircraft from occupied Denmark; eight Ju 88s of KG 30 based at Aalborg. four ships were hit; one was sunk and three damaged. Nellie and City of Hankow made port safely, but Cape York sank under tow on the following day. Later on the night of 26/27 August a second air attack by four He 115 torpedo bombers of KuFlGr 506, based in Stavanger, hit Remuera, which sank. The remaining 16 ships arrived at safely at Methil on 27th.[9]

Meanwhile, on 25 August the Liverpool section, led by V.Adm. Leir in Manchester Merchant and escorted by Westcott, was found by U-57 which gave chase. Several tankers had fallen out of the convoy, to be chivvied by the escort, and one of these, Pecten, was torpedoed by U-57. The escort counter-attacked, but U-57 escaped. This section was also reinforced on 26 August, by the sloop Lowestoft. No further attacks developed and the 21 ships arrived without further incident at Liverpool on 27 August.[10][11]

Conclusion

Of the 51 ships that set out, two turned back and eight were sunk. 41 ships made a safe and timely arrival. HX 65 was one of three HX convoys attacked during August: HX 60 lost 3 ships in one attack, while HX 66 lost 4 ships over three days. During the month as a whole the UBW sank 55 ships in the Atlantic; about half of these were unescorted vessels sailing independently (including ships hit after dispersal, or straggling).[12] August 1940 was the third month seeing a marked increase in successes by the U-boat Arm, referred to by them as "The Happy Time".[12]

Forces involved

Allied forces

Merchant ships

Convoy information is from Arnold Hague's Convoyweb[13]

Merchant ships
Name Flag Tonnage (GRT) Section Notes
Agapenor (1914)  United Kingdom 7,391 HX
Alfred Olsen (1934)  Norway 8,817 BHX 65
Anna Mazaraki (1913)  Greece 5,411 SHX
Aspasia Nomikos (1938)  Greece 4,855 SHX en route to Dublin
Athelcrest (1940)  United Kingdom 6,825 BHX 65 Sunk 25 August by U-48[14] 30 dead, 6 survivors
Atlantic (1939)  United Kingdom 5,414 HX
Axel Johnson (1925)  Sweden 4,915 SHX
Blairatholl (1925)  United Kingdom 3,319 SHX
British Lord (1922)  United Kingdom 6,098 BHX 65
Canford Chine (1917)  United Kingdom 3,364 SHX Returned to Sydney, Nova Scotia
Cape York (1926)  United Kingdom 5,027 BHX 65 Bombed 26 August by Luftwaffe aircraft 10 nautical miles (19 km) off Kinnaird Head near Peterhead[15] sank under tow 27th.
Cetus (1920)  Norway 2,614 HX
Chama (1938)  United Kingdom 8,077 BHX 65
City of Hankow (1915)  United Kingdom 7,360 SHX Bombed 26 August, but made port
Conus (1931)  United Kingdom 8,132 BHX 65
Cymbula (1938)  United Kingdom 8,082 BHX 65
Eclipse (1931)  United Kingdom 9,767 BHX 65
Empire Merlin (1919)  United Kingdom 5,763 BHX 65 Straggled:[16] sunk 25 August by U-48[17] 35 dead, 1 survivor
F J Wolfe (1932)  United Kingdom 12,190 BHX 65
Fernbank (1924)  Norway 4,333 HX
Fircrest (1907)  United Kingdom 5,394 HX Cargo of iron ore. Torpedoed amidships by U-124[18] and sank very rapidly. All 40 crew died
Gard (1938)  Norway 8,259 HX
Gitano (1921)  United Kingdom 3,956 HX
Harpalyce (1940)  United Kingdom 5,169 HX Sunk 25 August by U-124.[19]

42 of 47 crew dead. Vice-Admiral B G Washington CMG DSO (Commodore)

Housatonic (1919)  United Kingdom 5,559 HX
Inverlee (1938)  United Kingdom 9,158 BHX 65
Juno (1908)  Netherlands 1,763 SHX
La Brea (1916)  United Kingdom 6,665 BHX 65 Straggled 19 August, sunk 24th by U-48.[20] 2 dead, 31 survivors
Lodestone (1938)  United Kingdom 4,877 BHX 65
Manchester Merchant (1940)  United Kingdom 7,264 SHX Rear-Admiral E W Leir DSO (Vice-Commodore)
Maplewood (1930)  United Kingdom 4,566 HX
Nellie (1913)  Greece 4,826 SHX Bombed 26 August but made port
Nerissa (1926)  United Kingdom 5,583 HX Armed passenger/cargo steamer carrying 190 Canadian troops from Newfoundland.
Nikoklis (1921)  Greece 3,576 HX
Nordlys (1916)  United Kingdom 3,726 SHX
Pecten (1927)  United Kingdom 7,468 BHX 65 Straggled and sunk 25 August by U-57.[21] 48 dead with 8 survivors.
Prins Maurits (1936)  Netherlands 1,287 SHX
Rangitane (1929)  United Kingdom 16,712 BHX 65
Reedpool (1924)  United Kingdom 4,848 HX
Regent Panther (1937)  United Kingdom 9,556 BHX 65
Remuera (1911)  United Kingdom 11,445 BHX 65 Sunk 26 August by Luftwaffe aircraft off Rattray Head. All 93 crew and one gunner were saved, some by Fraserburgh lifeboat.[22]
Sitala (1937)  United Kingdom 6,218 BHX 65
Solarium (1936)  United Kingdom 6,239 BHX 65
Stakesby (1930)  United Kingdom 3,900 HX Torpedoed 25 Aug by U-124[23] Salvaged
Statesman (1923)  United Kingdom 7,939 BHX 65
Taria (1939)  Netherlands 10,354 BHX 65
Torr Head (1937)  United Kingdom 5,021 SHX
Torvanger (1920)  Norway 6,568 HX
Uskbridge (1940)  United Kingdom 2,715 SHX Returned to Sydney, Nova Scotia
Welsh Prince (1940)  United Kingdom 5,148 HX
Winkleigh (1940)  United Kingdom 5,468 BHX 65

Escort

Escort information is from Arnold Hague's Convoyweb[24]

Escort ships
Name Flag Ship Type Notes
HMCS Assiniboine  Royal Canadian Navy C-class destroyer Halifax local escort, 12 Aug – 13 Aug
HMCS French  Royal Canadian Navy Auxiliary Halifax local escort, 12 Aug – 13 Aug
HMS Gladiolus  Royal Navy Flower-class corvette Western Approaches escort, 24 Aug – 27 Aug
HMS Godetia  Royal Navy Flower-class corvette Western Approaches escort, 22 Aug – 27 Aug
HMS Jaguar  Royal Navy J-class destroyer Reinforcement, 26 Aug – 27 Aug
HMS Javelin  Royal Navy J-class destroyer Reinforcement, 26 Aug – 27 Aug
HMCS Laurier  Royal Canadian Navy Auxiliary Sydney local escort, 12 Aug – 14 Aug
HMS Lowestoft  Royal Navy Grimsby-class sloop Reinforcement, 26 Aug – 27 Aug
HMS Montclare  Royal Navy Armed merchant cruiser Ocean escort, 11 Aug – 16 Aug
HMCS Saguenay  Royal Canadian Navy River-class destroyer Sydney local escort, 12 Aug – 14 Aug
HMCS Skeena  Royal Canadian Navy River-class destroyer Western Approaches escort, 22 Aug – 27 Aug
HMS Voltaire  Royal Navy Armed merchant cruiser Ocean escort, 12 Aug – 23 Aug
HMS Westcott  Royal Navy V and W-class destroyer Western Approaches escort, 24 Aug – 27 Aug

Axis forces

Number Type Navy Contact date Notes
U-28 VIIA Kriegsmarine 25 August 1940  
U-32 VIIA Kriegsmarine 25 August 1940  
U-48 VIIB Kriegsmarine 24 August 1940  
U-57 IIC Kriegsmarine 25 August 1940  
U-124 IXB Kriegsmarine 25 August 1940  

References

  1. ^ Hague, p. 126
  2. ^ Hague, Arnold; HX 65 at convoyweb.org.uk
  3. ^ Hague, Arnold; BHX 65 at convoyweb.org.uk
  4. ^ Hague lists Gladiolus as escort for OB 201 with Westcott, but not joining HX 65. Uboat.net has Gladiolus joining HX 65 with Westcott on 24th, but from OA 201.
  5. ^ Blair p. 181
  6. ^ HX 65 at uboat.net; retrieved 19 April 2020
  7. ^ Blair p181-182
  8. ^ HX 65A at uboat.net; retrieved 19 April 2020
  9. ^ Hague, Arnold; HX 65 at convoyweb.org.uk
  10. ^ Blair p184
  11. ^ HX 65B at uboat.net; retrieved 19 April 2020
  12. ^ a b Tarrant p.89
  13. ^ "Convoy HX.65". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  14. ^ "Athelcrest – British steam tanker". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  15. ^ "mv Cape York". Clydebuilt database. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  16. ^ Hague lists Empire Merlin as a straggler; Uboat.net states she was in convoy when hit
  17. ^ "Empire Merlin – British steam merchant". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  18. ^ "Fircrest – British steam merchant". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  19. ^ "Harpalyce – British steam merchant". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  20. ^ "La Brea – British steam tanker". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  21. ^ "Pecten – British motor tanker". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  22. ^ "RMS Remuera [+1940]". www.wrecksite.eu. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  23. ^ "Stakesby – British steam merchant". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  24. ^ "Convoy HX.65". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 4 November 2013.

Bibliography

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