Convoy SC 48
Encyclopedia
SC 48 was a North Atlantic convoy
of the SC series
which ran during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II
.
It was notable for being the occasion of the Kearny incident
, which brought the United States
one step closer to war with Germany
.
on 5 October 1941 bound for Liverpool
. It was under the command of Commodore HM Sanders in the MV Castalia.
It was escorted by a Canadian escort group consisting of the destroyer
Columbia (Lt Cdr SW Davis as Senior Officer Escort), and 7 corvette
s; Wetaskiwin, Baddeck, Camrose, Shediac, the RN's
Gladiolus and Free French
Mimose.
Opposing this force was the patrol line Mordbrenner, which was to have comprised 8 U-boats and was in the process of forming south of Iceland near the Mid-Ocean Meeting Point
. This was the point at which North Atlantic convoys were handed over between the Ocean and the Western Approaches escorts at this stage of the Atlantic campaign.
Allied intelligence became aware of the presence of Mordbrenner, and started to divert the convoys then at sea, but a loss of Ultra intelligence
on 12/13 October left SC 48 in the dark; and on the night of 14/15 October it was sighted by U-553 (K/L Thurmann).
At this point in time SC 48 was in some disarray; 11 of its ships, including Castalia, were straggling following heavy weather on the night of 9/10 October. Columbia and two of the corvettes, Camrose and Rosthern, were detached looking for them. A third corvette, Shediac was also separated by the storm and out of radio contact.
On 14 October SC 48’s escort comprised just 4 corvettes; Wetaskiwin (as Acting SOE), Baddeck, Gladiolus and Mimose.
) and was ordered to shadow, whilst other U boats were gathered for the attack. However Thurmann chose to attack that night, and succeeded in sinking 2 ships, Silvercedar, which lost 21 crew, and Ila, most of whose crew were saved. U-553 was sighted by Silverhelm, the next ship in the column, which attempted to ram, but failed; U-553 was also sighted by WC Teagle, but she was unable to bring her gun to bear before U-553 escaped.
On 15 October Enigma
was re-acquired and Western Approaches Command
realized a major attack was building; a number of escorts from nearby convoys were diverted to reinforce SC 48.
First a force of US destroyers (DesRon
13), detached from ON 24; 2 RN destroyers (Highlander and Broadwater) from TC 14; 2 RN corvettes (HMS Abelia|Abelia]] and Veronica
) from ON 25; and a RCN corvette (Pictou) from Iceland.
Later on 15 October Columbia rejoined, while U-553 was joined by 2 more boats; U-558 (Krech) and U-568 (Preuss). As U-553 continued to shadow, she was sighted by Columbia, who attacked her, driving her away, but with no damage; U-553 fired a torpedo at Columbia, which missed.
During the day U-558 joined, having encountered the ship Vancouver Island sailing independently ; she was sunk with the loss of all 73 crew and 32 passengers. Before nightfall U-568 also arrived, and the 3 boats prepared to attack.
As darkness fell on the night of 15/16 October the U-boats attacked again. U-568 attacked and sank Empire Heron, Gladiolus counter-attacked, and U-568 was driven off. Gladiolus then detached to pick up survivors, but never rejoined the convoy; she was lost with all hands, reportedly by U-568 on the 17th, but more probably on the 16th by U-432.
After midnight on 15/16th SC 48 made an emergency turn to port, followed before dawn by a turn to starboard, in an attempt to shake off pursuit; this was initially successful, but the pack regained contact in the afternoon of 16th and again closed in.
Also that afternoon of 16 October the first reinforcements arrived, in the form of DesRon 13; this comprised the destroyers Decatur, Kearny, and Livermore, led by Plunkett
(Capt L Thebaud).
These were joined later by Thebaud's 5th destroyer,Greer accompanied by Pictou.
As senior officer present Thebaud assumed command of the escorts; however although he had seniority Thebaud had little experience in escort work, and a number of mistakes were made allowing the U-boats to mount a successful attack that night.
By nightfall on 16th BdU had gathered 9 U boats for the attack; the 3 Mordbrenner boats plus 7 newcomers, ( U-101, U-109, U-208, U-374, U-432, U-502 and U-573)
During the night of 16/17th the pack attacked, closing in with little interference from the escorts.
U-553 sank Bold Venture at about 8pm.
U-558 sank WC Teagle about an hour later; Erviken was attacked and sunk as she stopped to pick up survivors and Rym was also sunk as she slowed to do the same.
U-432 sank Evros and Barfonn just before midnight.
Just after midnight U-568 hit a destroyer which had stopped to avoid a collision with a corvette; this was USS Kearny
. She was severely damaged, losing 11 killed and 22 wounded, but was saved by effort of the crew. She was detached to Iceland, escorted by Decatur andGreer.
In the early hours of 17 October more warships arrived;
Highlander
and Broadwater from TC 14, and Abelia and Veronica from ON 25.
With this reinforcement further attacks were warded off, but the pack remained in contact, awaiting a further opportunity.
At dawn on 17 October the convoy was joined by Western Approaches escort; This was EG 3, comprising 4 destroyers (Bulldog, Amazon, Richmond and Georgetown)and 1 corvette (Heartsease
), with 2 trawlers and a rescue ship.
The RCN
group departed at this point, being low on fuel; also DesRon 13 left to follow Kearny to Iceland.
The pack was still in contact, but all further attacks were frustrated by the escort.
Veronica made a determined attack on a contact and claimed a kill, but no U boat loss was confirmed.
A Catalina
flying air cover also bombed U-558 which was damaged, but continued to shadow until the attack was called off.
On the night of 17/18 October the pack tried again; all attacks were repelled but U-101 fired on Broadwater, causing her mortal damage; she remained afloat for another 12 hours, but had to be abandoned and sunk.
On 18 October BdU ordered the attack discontinued. Mordbrenner, which had never completely formed, was dissolved, the remaining boats being sent west to form a new patrol line off the coast of Canada
. The remaining boats were moved east to form a new patrol line, Reisswolf, south-east of Greenland
.
SC 48 continued without further loss, the 31 ships arriving at Liverpool on 22 October 1941.
The 11 stragglers which had become separated in the storm on 10 October had been gathered up by Camrose and Rosthern. Led by Commodore Sanders in Castalia and with just two corvettes as escort this group was able to make the crossing without interference, arriving in Britain 10 days after the main body.
Some of the losses, in the face of a large and powerful escort force, can be attributed to Capt. Thebaud’s inexperience in convoy escort duty. This, and other cases, led to the practice of leaving the escort group commander of the convoy in charge of its defence, regardless of seniority; a major break with tradition.
The attack on Kearny and the loss of American lives was seen as an affront to the United States
, and was another step out of her isolation
in World War II.
Allied warships hit
U-boats hit
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
of the SC series
SC convoys
The SC convoys were a series of North Atlantic convoys that ran during the battle of the Atlantic during World War II.They were east-bound slow convoys originating in Sydney, Cape Breton ; from there they sailed to ports in the UK, mainly Liverpool.For a time after the entry of the...
which ran during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
It was notable for being the occasion of the Kearny incident
USS Kearny (DD-432)
USS Kearny , a Gleaves-class destroyer, was a United States Navy ship named for Commodore Lawrence Kearny, who was known for his tenacity in capturing slave traders in West-Indian waters and his tireless efforts in fighting Greek pirates in the Mediterranean.-Early history:Kearny was launched 9...
, which brought the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
one step closer to war with Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Prelude
SC 48 was an east-bound convoy of 52 ships, carrying war materials and sailed from Sydney, Cape BretonSydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
on 5 October 1941 bound for Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. It was under the command of Commodore HM Sanders in the MV Castalia.
It was escorted by a Canadian escort group consisting of the destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
Columbia (Lt Cdr SW Davis as Senior Officer Escort), and 7 corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
s; Wetaskiwin, Baddeck, Camrose, Shediac, the RN's
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
Gladiolus and Free French
Free French Naval Forces
Les Forces Navales Françaises Libres were the naval arm of the Free French Forces during the Second World War. They were commanded by Admiral Emile Muselier.- History :...
Mimose.
Opposing this force was the patrol line Mordbrenner, which was to have comprised 8 U-boats and was in the process of forming south of Iceland near the Mid-Ocean Meeting Point
Mid-Ocean Meeting Point
The Mid-Ocean Meeting Point was the name of a transfer point for the guarding of convoys.In the First and Second World War merchant ships of the Allies on the Atlantic sailed grouped into convoys to protect them better against enemy attacks....
. This was the point at which North Atlantic convoys were handed over between the Ocean and the Western Approaches escorts at this stage of the Atlantic campaign.
Allied intelligence became aware of the presence of Mordbrenner, and started to divert the convoys then at sea, but a loss of Ultra intelligence
Ultra
Ultra was the designation adopted by British military intelligence in June 1941 for wartime signals intelligence obtained by "breaking" high-level encrypted enemy radio and teleprinter communications at the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park. "Ultra" eventually became the standard...
on 12/13 October left SC 48 in the dark; and on the night of 14/15 October it was sighted by U-553 (K/L Thurmann).
At this point in time SC 48 was in some disarray; 11 of its ships, including Castalia, were straggling following heavy weather on the night of 9/10 October. Columbia and two of the corvettes, Camrose and Rosthern, were detached looking for them. A third corvette, Shediac was also separated by the storm and out of radio contact.
On 14 October SC 48’s escort comprised just 4 corvettes; Wetaskiwin (as Acting SOE), Baddeck, Gladiolus and Mimose.
Action
In the early hours of 15 October Thurmann of U-553 reported his contact to U-boat Command (BdUBefehlshaber der U-Boote
Befehlshaber der U-Boote was the title of the supreme commander of the Kriegsmarines U-boat Arm during World War II. The term also referred to the Command HQ of the U-boat arm itself....
) and was ordered to shadow, whilst other U boats were gathered for the attack. However Thurmann chose to attack that night, and succeeded in sinking 2 ships, Silvercedar, which lost 21 crew, and Ila, most of whose crew were saved. U-553 was sighted by Silverhelm, the next ship in the column, which attempted to ram, but failed; U-553 was also sighted by WC Teagle, but she was unable to bring her gun to bear before U-553 escaped.
On 15 October Enigma
Enigma machine
An Enigma machine is any of a family of related electro-mechanical rotor cipher machines used for the encryption and decryption of secret messages. Enigma was invented by German engineer Arthur Scherbius at the end of World War I...
was re-acquired and Western Approaches Command
Western Approaches Command
Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches was the commander of a major operational command of the Royal Navy during World War II. The admiral commanding, and his forces, sometimes informally known as 'Western Approaches Command,' were responsible for the safety of British shipping in the Western...
realized a major attack was building; a number of escorts from nearby convoys were diverted to reinforce SC 48.
First a force of US destroyers (DesRon
DESRON
A destroyer squadron is a naval squadron or flotilla usually consisting of destroyers rather than other types of vessel. In some navies other vessels, such as frigates, may be included. In English the word "squadron" tends to be used for larger and "flotilla" for smaller vessels, both may be used...
13), detached from ON 24; 2 RN destroyers (Highlander and Broadwater) from TC 14; 2 RN corvettes (HMS Abelia|Abelia]] and Veronica
HMS Veronica
HMS Veronica was an Acacia-class sloop of the Royal Navy, built by Dunlop Bremner & Company, Port Glasgow. She was laid down in January 1915, launched on 27 May 1915 and completed in August 1915...
) from ON 25; and a RCN corvette (Pictou) from Iceland.
Later on 15 October Columbia rejoined, while U-553 was joined by 2 more boats; U-558 (Krech) and U-568 (Preuss). As U-553 continued to shadow, she was sighted by Columbia, who attacked her, driving her away, but with no damage; U-553 fired a torpedo at Columbia, which missed.
During the day U-558 joined, having encountered the ship Vancouver Island sailing independently ; she was sunk with the loss of all 73 crew and 32 passengers. Before nightfall U-568 also arrived, and the 3 boats prepared to attack.
As darkness fell on the night of 15/16 October the U-boats attacked again. U-568 attacked and sank Empire Heron, Gladiolus counter-attacked, and U-568 was driven off. Gladiolus then detached to pick up survivors, but never rejoined the convoy; she was lost with all hands, reportedly by U-568 on the 17th, but more probably on the 16th by U-432.
After midnight on 15/16th SC 48 made an emergency turn to port, followed before dawn by a turn to starboard, in an attempt to shake off pursuit; this was initially successful, but the pack regained contact in the afternoon of 16th and again closed in.
Also that afternoon of 16 October the first reinforcements arrived, in the form of DesRon 13; this comprised the destroyers Decatur, Kearny, and Livermore, led by Plunkett
USS Plunkett (DD-431)
USS Plunkett , a Gleaves-class destroyer, is the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Rear Admiral Charles Peshall Plunkett....
(Capt L Thebaud).
These were joined later by Thebaud's 5th destroyer,Greer accompanied by Pictou.
As senior officer present Thebaud assumed command of the escorts; however although he had seniority Thebaud had little experience in escort work, and a number of mistakes were made allowing the U-boats to mount a successful attack that night.
By nightfall on 16th BdU had gathered 9 U boats for the attack; the 3 Mordbrenner boats plus 7 newcomers, ( U-101, U-109, U-208, U-374, U-432, U-502 and U-573)
During the night of 16/17th the pack attacked, closing in with little interference from the escorts.
U-553 sank Bold Venture at about 8pm.
U-558 sank WC Teagle about an hour later; Erviken was attacked and sunk as she stopped to pick up survivors and Rym was also sunk as she slowed to do the same.
U-432 sank Evros and Barfonn just before midnight.
Just after midnight U-568 hit a destroyer which had stopped to avoid a collision with a corvette; this was USS Kearny
USS Kearny (DD-432)
USS Kearny , a Gleaves-class destroyer, was a United States Navy ship named for Commodore Lawrence Kearny, who was known for his tenacity in capturing slave traders in West-Indian waters and his tireless efforts in fighting Greek pirates in the Mediterranean.-Early history:Kearny was launched 9...
. She was severely damaged, losing 11 killed and 22 wounded, but was saved by effort of the crew. She was detached to Iceland, escorted by Decatur andGreer.
In the early hours of 17 October more warships arrived;
Highlander
HMS Highlander (H44)
HMS Highlander was classed as an H class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She had originally been built for the Brazilian Navy but was bought by Britain on the outbreak of the Second World War. She resembled the standard destroyers of H class but displaced 1,400 tons and was completed with extra depth...
and Broadwater from TC 14, and Abelia and Veronica from ON 25.
With this reinforcement further attacks were warded off, but the pack remained in contact, awaiting a further opportunity.
At dawn on 17 October the convoy was joined by Western Approaches escort; This was EG 3, comprising 4 destroyers (Bulldog, Amazon, Richmond and Georgetown)and 1 corvette (Heartsease
HMS Heartsease
Two ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Heartsease, after the common name for the wildflower Viola tricolor:*HMS Heartsease was a 36-gun ship captured in 1652 and sold in 1656....
), with 2 trawlers and a rescue ship.
The RCN
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
group departed at this point, being low on fuel; also DesRon 13 left to follow Kearny to Iceland.
The pack was still in contact, but all further attacks were frustrated by the escort.
Veronica made a determined attack on a contact and claimed a kill, but no U boat loss was confirmed.
A Catalina
PBY Catalina
The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...
flying air cover also bombed U-558 which was damaged, but continued to shadow until the attack was called off.
On the night of 17/18 October the pack tried again; all attacks were repelled but U-101 fired on Broadwater, causing her mortal damage; she remained afloat for another 12 hours, but had to be abandoned and sunk.
On 18 October BdU ordered the attack discontinued. Mordbrenner, which had never completely formed, was dissolved, the remaining boats being sent west to form a new patrol line off the coast of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The remaining boats were moved east to form a new patrol line, Reisswolf, south-east of Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
.
SC 48 continued without further loss, the 31 ships arriving at Liverpool on 22 October 1941.
The 11 stragglers which had become separated in the storm on 10 October had been gathered up by Camrose and Rosthern. Led by Commodore Sanders in Castalia and with just two corvettes as escort this group was able to make the crossing without interference, arriving in Britain 10 days after the main body.
Conclusion
This was undoubtedly a victory for the U boat arm; SC 48 lost 9 ships of 51,093 tons, while the escort lost 2 ships sunk and 1 damaged; no U boats were lost.Some of the losses, in the face of a large and powerful escort force, can be attributed to Capt. Thebaud’s inexperience in convoy escort duty. This, and other cases, led to the practice of leaving the escort group commander of the convoy in charge of its defence, regardless of seniority; a major break with tradition.
The attack on Kearny and the loss of American lives was seen as an affront to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and was another step out of her isolation
Isolationism
Isolationism is the policy or doctrine of isolating one's country from the affairs of other nations by declining to enter into alliances, foreign economic commitments, international agreements, etc., seeking to devote the entire efforts of one's country to its own advancement and remain at peace by...
in World War II.
Tables
Allied ships sunk| Date | Name | Nationality | Casualties | Tonnage | Sunk by… |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14/15 October 1941 | Silvercedar | British | 20 | 4354 GRT | U-553 |
| 14/15 | Ila | Nor | 14 | 1583 GRT | U-553 |
| 15/16 Oct | Empire Heron | British | 42 | 6023 GRT | U-568 |
| 16/17 Oct | Bold Venture | Pan | 17 | 3222 GRT | U-553 |
| 16/17 | W.C Teagle | British | 48 | 9552 GRT | U-558 |
| 16/17 | Erviken | Nor | 28 | 6595 GRT | U-558 |
| 16/17 | Rym | Nor | none | 1369 GRT | U-558 |
| 16/17 | Evros | Greek | 30 | 5283 GRT | U-432 |
| 16/17 | Barfonn | Nor | 14 | 9739 GRT | U-432 |
Allied warships hit
| Date | Name | Nationality | Casualties | Type | Fate | Sunk by… |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16/17 October 1941 | Gladiolus HMS Gladiolus (K34) HMS Gladiolus was a Flower-class corvette of the Royal Navy, the first ship of her class.She was laid down at Smiths Dock Company on the River Tees on 19 October 1939, launched on 24 January 1940, and commissioned on 6 April 1940.... |
British | 89 | Corvette | sunk | U-558 |
| 16/17 Oct | Kearny USS Kearny (DD-432) USS Kearny , a Gleaves-class destroyer, was a United States Navy ship named for Commodore Lawrence Kearny, who was known for his tenacity in capturing slave traders in West-Indian waters and his tireless efforts in fighting Greek pirates in the Mediterranean.-Early history:Kearny was launched 9... |
US | 11 | Destroyer | damaged | U-568 |
| 17/18 Oct | Broadwater | British | ? | Destroyer | sunk | U-101 |
U-boats hit
| Date | Number | Type | Captain | Casualties | Fate | hit by… |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 October 1941 | U-558 | VIIC | Krech | none | damaged | Catalina PBY Catalina The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other... flying boat |