HX convoys
Encyclopedia
The HX convoys were a series of North Atlantic convoy
s which ran during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II
. They were east-bound convoys and originated in Halifax, Nova Scotia
from where they sailed to ports in the United Kingdom
. Later, after the United States
had entered the war the HX convoys began at New York
.
They were designated fast convoys, that is, made up of ships that could make 9-13 knots. A parallel series of slow convoys, the SC
series, was run for ships making 8 knots or less, while ships making more than 13 knots sailed independently, until 14-knot CU convoys
were organized in late 1943.
HX convoys were organized at the beginning of the Atlantic campaign and ran without major changes until the end, the longest continuous series of the war. HX-1 set sail on September 16. 1939 and contained 18 merchant ships, escorted by HMCS St Laurent and HMCS Saguenay
to an Atlantic rendezvous with Royal Navy ships HMS Berwick
and HMS York
.
The HX designation also perpetuated a similar series that ran in World War I
, between 1917 and 1918.
A total of 377 convoys ran during the campaign, conveying a total of approximately 20,000 ships. 38 convoys were attacked (about 10%), resulting in losses of
110 ships in convoy; a further 60 lost straggling, and 36 while detached or after dispersal, with loses from marine accident and other causes, for a total loss of 206 ships, or about 1% of the total.
The largest convoy of World War II was HX 300
which sailed for the UK via New York on 17 July 1944, with 167 merchant ships (1500000 LT (1,524,075 t)). It arrived in the UK, without incident, on 3 August 1944.
As fast convoys they were less vulnerable to U-boat
attack than the slow convoys, but they still witnessed some of the great convoy battles of the war.
Of the 40 convoys during the campaign which lost more than 6 ships, 5 were in the HX series.
Among the best known HX convoy battles were:
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...
s 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...
. They were east-bound convoys and originated in Halifax, Nova Scotia
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
from where they sailed to ports in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Later, after the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
had entered the war the HX convoys began at New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
They were designated fast convoys, that is, made up of ships that could make 9-13 knots. A parallel series of slow convoys, the SC
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...
series, was run for ships making 8 knots or less, while ships making more than 13 knots sailed independently, until 14-knot CU convoys
CU convoys
The CU convoys were a World War II series of fast trans-Atlantic convoys to the British Isles. The earliest convoys of the series were tankers sailing directly from petroleum refineries at Curaçao to the United Kingdom...
were organized in late 1943.
HX convoys were organized at the beginning of the Atlantic campaign and ran without major changes until the end, the longest continuous series of the war. HX-1 set sail on September 16. 1939 and contained 18 merchant ships, escorted by HMCS St Laurent and HMCS Saguenay
HMCS Saguenay (D79)
HMCS Saguenay was a River-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy from 1931-1945.She was similar to the Royal Navy's A-class and initially wore the pennant D79, changed in 1940 to I79....
to an Atlantic rendezvous with Royal Navy ships HMS Berwick
HMS Berwick (65)
HMS Berwick was a Royal Navy County class heavy cruiser, of the Kent subclass. She was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company , with the keel being laid down on 15 September 1924...
and HMS York
HMS York (90)
HMS York, pennant number 90, was a heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy built in the late 1920s. She mostly served on the North America and West Indies Station before World War II. Early in the war the ship escorted convoys in the Atlantic and participated in the Norwegian Campaign in 1940...
.
The HX designation also perpetuated a similar series that ran in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, between 1917 and 1918.
A total of 377 convoys ran during the campaign, conveying a total of approximately 20,000 ships. 38 convoys were attacked (about 10%), resulting in losses of
110 ships in convoy; a further 60 lost straggling, and 36 while detached or after dispersal, with loses from marine accident and other causes, for a total loss of 206 ships, or about 1% of the total.
The largest convoy of World War II was HX 300
Convoy HX 300
Convoy HX-300 was the 300th of the numbered series of World War II HX convoys of merchant ships from Halifax to Liverpool. These HX convoys had been established shortly after declaration of war; and the first sailed on 16 September 1939...
which sailed for the UK via New York on 17 July 1944, with 167 merchant ships (1500000 LT (1,524,075 t)). It arrived in the UK, without incident, on 3 August 1944.
As fast convoys they were less vulnerable to U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
attack than the slow convoys, but they still witnessed some of the great convoy battles of the war.
Of the 40 convoys during the campaign which lost more than 6 ships, 5 were in the HX series.
Among the best known HX convoy battles were:
- HX 79 Attacked by a U-boatU-boatU-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
wolf pack in October 1940. 12 ships were lost, which, with the attack on Convoy SC 7 on the same day made the worst day's shipping losses of the entire Atlantic campaign.
- HX 84Convoy HX-84HX-84 was a North Atlantic convoy of the HX series during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II. It consisted of 38 merchant ships which sailed eastbound from Halifax, Nova Scotia, for Liverpool, England, on 28 October 1940 and was escorted by the armed merchant cruiser HMS Jervis Bay-The...
Attacked on November 5, 1940, the German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer. 5 ships were quickly sunk, and only the sacrifice of the Armed Merchant Cruiser HMS Jervis BayHMS Jervis Bay (F40)HMS Jervis Bay was a British liner later converted into an Armed Merchant Cruiser, pennant F40. She was launched in 1922 and sunk on 5 November 1940 by the German pocket battleship ....
and failing light allowed the rest of the convoy to escape. The SS San DemetrioSS San DemetrioMV San Demetrio was a British motor tanker, notable for her service during the Second World War. She was built in 1938 for the Eagle Oil and Shipping Company. In 1942 she was damaged by enemy action in mid-Atlantic, abandoned by her crew but later re-boarded and successfully brought into harbour...
was also part of this convoy.
- HX 106Convoy HX-106Convoy HX-106 consisted of some 41 ships, eastbound from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Liverpool, England. The use of convoys was a standard tactic throughout the Battle of the Atlantic as a defence against U-boats and German commerce raiders....
On 8 February, 1941 the two German small battleships, ScharnhorstGerman battleship ScharnhorstScharnhorst was a German capital ship, alternatively described as a battleship and battlecruiser, of the German Kriegsmarine. She was the lead ship of her class, which included one other ship, Gneisenau. The ship was built at the Kriegsmarinewerft dockyard in Wilhelmshaven; she was laid down on 15...
and GneisenauGerman battleship GneisenauGneisenau was a German capital ship, alternatively described as a battleship and battlecruiser, of the German Kriegsmarine. She was the second vessel of her class, which included one other ship, Scharnhorst. The ship was built at the Deutsche Werke dockyard in Kiel; she was laid down on 6 May 1935...
, appeared over the horizon. The presence of the escorting battleshipBattleshipA battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
HMS RamilliesHMS Ramillies (07)HMS Ramillies was a Revenge-class battleship of the Royal Navy, named after the Battle of Ramillies. The ship is notable for having served in both the First and Second World Wars...
was sufficient to deter the attack.
- HX 112 Attacked in March 1941 this battle was notable for seeing the loss to the German navyKriegsmarineThe Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
of two of its U-boat aces, Otto KretschmerOtto KretschmerFlotilla Admiral Otto Kretschmer was a German U-boat commander in the Second World War and later an admiral in the Bundesmarine. From September 1939 until being captured in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak...
and Joachim SchepkeJoachim SchepkeLieutenant-Commander Joachim Schepke was a German U-boat commander during World War II. He was the seventh recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded by the Third Reich to recognise extreme...
.
- HX 156 was being escorted by the United States NavyUnited States NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
in October, 1941, when U-552Unterseeboot 552German submarine U-552 was a Type VIIC U-Boat built for the German Kriegsmarine for service during World War II. She was laid down on 1 December 1939 at Blohm & Voss in Hamburg and went into service on 4 December 1940. U-552 was nicknamed the Roter Teufel after its mascot of a grinning devil which...
torpedoed Reuben JamesUSS Reuben James (DD-245)USS Reuben James —a post-World War I four-funnel Clemson-class destroyer—was the first United States Navy ship sunk by hostile action in World War II and the first named for Boatswain's Mate Reuben James , who distinguished himself fighting in the Barbary Wars.Reuben James was laid down on 2 April...
. Reuben James was the first United States warship sunk during World War IIWorld War IIWorld 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...
.
- HX 228Convoy HX 228HX 228 was a North Atlantic convoy of the HX series which ran during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II. It was one of 4 convoy battles that occurred during the crisis month of March 1943 and is notable for seeing the loss of the Escort Group leader Cdr AA "Harry" Tait.-Prelude:HX 228 was...
Was one of several convoys attacked sequentially in March 1943. Two U-boats were destroyed while sinking four merchant ships and the escort commander's destroyer.
- HX 229. Attacked in March 1943, this action, which converged with the action around SC 122, was the largest convoy battle of the Atlantic campaign.