Convoy HG 73
Part of World War II
Date10 August 1941 – 15 August 1941
Location
Belligerents

 Kriegsmarine

 Regia Marina
United Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Admiral Karl Dönitz Comm: R Adm. EW Leir
SOE: unknown
Strength
8 U-boats
1 Italian submarines
25 merchant ships
22 escorts (in rotation)
Casualties and losses
4 U-boats damaged, forced to return to base 2 ships sunk

HG 70 was an Allied convoy of the HG (Homeward from Gibraltar) series during World War II. It was attacked by a pack of ten U-boats, without success. All U-boats were beaten off, and they sank no ships of the convoy. Two ships were lost to aircraft; 23 ships arrived safely.

Forces involved

HG 70 comprised 25 ships homeward bound from Gibraltar, many in ballast, or carrying trade goods.[1] The convoy commodore was R Adm. EW Leir, in the freighter Polo, and the convoy was protected by a Western Approaches Command escort group, consisting of five corvettes. The convoy escort was augmented during the first few days by the destroyer Avon Vale and the submarine Clyde, and two ASW trawlers. They were joined during the first part of the voyage by the destroyers Boreas and Eridge, and a second escort group from OG 70, comprising the sloop HMS Deptford, destroyers Nestor and Encounter, and the corvette Convolvulus; they were also reinforced at various times throughout the voyage as warships came and went.[2]

Ranged against them was an ad hoc (and unnamed) wolfpack of five U-boats, reinforced with a group of four U-boats returning from a cancelled mission to the South Atlantic, all captained by experienced skippers and all holders of the Knight's Cross.[3]

Action

HG 70 sailed from Gibraltar on 9 August 1941,[1] and was reported almost immediately by German agents across the bay in neutral Spain; these were able to report the convoy's composition, escort strength and departure time. In response U boat Command (BdU) ordered five boats from a northerly patrol line (Group South) to intercept, and diverted four boats returning from a cancelled mission to the South Atlantic, at that time off the Canaries. He also summoned aircraft from KG 40, a unit of Fw 200 "Condors" based at Bordeaux, to patrol and report on the convoys progress.

On 10 August the convoy was sighted by U-79, from Group South, which commenced shadowing, but she was attacked by escorting ships and aircraft. She was driven under and lost contact.

On 11 August the convoy was found again, this time by U-93 from the Canaries group; she was found by an escorting aircraft, bombed and damaged so severely that she had to break off and return to base for repairs. The report from U-93 enabled U-79 to regain contact, and for U-94 from the Canaries group to join; Both were depth-charged heavily by escorts, but remained in contact. A third U-boat, U-331 from South group, also joined, but was also detected and driven off by the escorts, and had to break off due to damage. Also that day HG 70 was attacked by aircraft; two ships, Empire Hurst and Sud, were hit and reported sunk,[2] though other sources say Sud was still afloat on 14 August when she was found and sunk by Italian submarine Marconi[4] and by U-126,[5] en route to join the attack on HG 70.

On 12 August the convoy was sighted by a patrolling Condor, and another Freetown boat, U-123, joined the pursuit. She too was detected and counter-attacked; Her crew counted 126 depth-charges dropped on them, 36 of them close enough to damage the boat so severely that she too had to return to base for repairs.

Later HG 70 was found by U-109 and U-124, both returning from Freetown. Both U-boats were attacked before they could obtain a firing position. U-109 was driven off, and returned to base with damage; U-124 found it impossible to approach and also broke off the attack.

On 15 August BdU cancelled the operation against HG 70 and the convoy continued on without further incident, arriving at Liverpool on 23 August.[3][1]

Aftermath

The attack on HG 70 was, for the Germans, a disastrous failure. Ten U-boats had been involved in the operation; none had been able to get close enough to fire on the merchant ships, and four had been so severely handled that h they had been obliged to return to base for repairs. Using radio-detection (HF/DF) to locate the U-boats as they broadcast their sighting reports, and by vigorously attacking any contact to drive them under and thus unable to keep up, the escorts kept the merchant ships in the convoy safe from attack.

The failure prompted BdU to consider loss of morale as a factor, and on their return three of the four older commanders (from the Freetown operation) were moved to shore posts.[3]

Ships involved

Merchant ships

Ships[2] Flag Tonnage
(GRT)
Notes
AlhamaUK1352 
BaltallinnUK1303 
Baron KelvinUK3081 
BriarwoodUK4019 
British CoastUK889 
CaraUK1760 
City of WaterfordUK1017 
CsardaPanama3882 
DuxNorwegian1590 
Empire BayUK2824 
Empire BrookUK2852 
Empire HurstUK2852sunk by aircraft 11 Aug
Empire KestrelUK2674Rear Comm.
Empire SnipeUK2497 
Empire TernUK2479 
FlaminianUK2711 
GothlandUK1286 
Inger LiseNor1582 
LissaUK1511 
MenapiaUK902 
Philipp MUK2085 
PoloUK1950Comm. R.Adm EW Leir DSO
SudYug2589hit by aircraft 11 Aug
WallsendUK3157Vice Comm.

Escorts

Ship[2] Type Joined Left Notes
HMS Avon Vale (L06)Hunt-class destroyer9 Aug14 Aug 
HMS Begonia (K66)Flower-class corvette9 Aug23 Aug 
HMS Black Swan (L57) Black Swan-class sloop15 Aug21 Augfrom convoy OG 70
HMS Boreas (H77)B-class destroyer11 Aug13 Aug 
HMS Campbeltown (I42)Town-class destroyer19 Aug ?from convoy OS 3
HMS Clyde (N12)River-class submarine9 Aug11 Aug 
HMS Convolvulus (K45)Flower-class corvette11 Augbefore 18 Augfrom convoy OG 70,
to HG 71
CopelandConvoy rescue ship9 Aug23 Aug1526 tons
HMS Cossack (F03)Tribal-class destroyer14 Aug ? 
HMS Deptford (U53)Grimsby-class sloop11 Aug ?from OG 70
HMS Duncan (D99)D-class destroyer leader15 Aug19 Aug 
HMS Encounter (H10)E-class destroyer11 Aug ?from OG 70
HMS Eridge (L68)Hunt-class destroyer9 Aug14 Aug 
HMS Faulknor (H62)F-class destroyer10 Aug?(returning to UK for repair)
HMS Jasmine (K23)Flower-class corvette9 Aug23 Aug 
HMS Lady HogarthASW Trawler9 Aug ? 
HMS Lady ShirleyASW Trawler9 Aug ? 
HMS Larkspur (K82)Flower-class corvette9 Aug23 Aug 
HMAS Nestor (G02)N-class destroyer11 Aug13 Augfrom OG 70;
d/c damage 13 Aug
HMS Pimpernel (K71)Flower-class corvette9 Aug23 Aug 
HMS Rhodedendron (K78)Flower-class corvette9 Aug ? 
HMS Stork (L81)Bittern class sloop13 Aug ?from OG 71
HMS Wild Swan (D62)Modified W-class destroyer11 Aug15 Aug 

German U-boats

U-boat[3] Type First contact Notes
U-79Type VIIC10 Aug 
U-93Type VIIC11 Aug 
U-94Type VIIC11 Aug 
U-109Type IXB13 Aug 
U-123Type IXB12 Aug 
U-124Type IXB ? 13 Aug 
U-126Type IXCnot foundsank straggler Sud on 14 Aug[5]
U-331Type VIIC11 Aug 

Italian submarines

Name Class First contact Notes
Guglielmo MarconiMarconi-classnot foundattacked straggler Sud on 14 Aug and left sinking; claimed by U-126.[4]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Hague p178
  2. 1 2 3 4 HG 70 at convoyweb
  3. 1 2 3 4 Blair p335
  4. 1 2 Marconi at regiamarina.net; retrieved 22 December 2018
  5. 1 2 Sud at uboat.net; retrieved 22 December 2018

References

  • Blair, Clay (2000) [1996]. Hitler's U-boat War: The Hunters 1939–1942. Vol. I (Cassell ed.). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-304-35260-9.
  • Hague, Arnold (2000). The Allied Convoy System 1939–1945. ISBN 1-86176-147-3.
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