- Convoy ON 127
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Convoy ON-127 was a trade convoy of merchant ships during the second World War. It was the 127th of the numbered series of ON convoys Outbound from the British Isles to North America and the only North Atlantic trade convoy of 1942 or 1943 where all U-boats deployed against the convoy launched torpedoes.[1] Ships departed Liverpool on 4 September 1942;[2] and were met at noon on 5 September[3] by the Royal Canadian Navy Mid-Ocean Escort Force Group C-4 consisting of the Canadian River class destroyer Ottawa and the Town class destroyer St. Croix with Flower class corvettes radar but none of their sets were operational.[5] Celandine carried type 271 centimeter-wavelength radar.[5] None of the ships carried HF/DF high-frequency direction finding sets.[5]
Contents
Initial contact
Wolf pack Vorwarts was forming about 500 miles west of Ireland as the convoy left Liverpool.[6] U-91, edit] 10 September
U-96 regained contact on 10 September and torpedoed Norwegian tanker Svene, tanker F.J.Wolfe, and Belgian freighter Elisabeth van Belgie in a single submerged daylight attack.[1] Sherbrooke fell back to aid the torpedoed ships while St. Croix, Ottawa, and Celandine searched unsuccessfully for U-96.[6] F.J.Wolfe was able to regain its station with the convoy.[7] Ottawa continued to patrol astern of the convoy after St. Croix and Celandine resumed their normal patrol stations.[6]
A coordinated night attack on the convoy began with edit] 11 September
None of the escort RADAR sets were functional on 11 September. B-24 Liberator patrol bomber of No. 120 Squadron RAF prevented further daylight attacks on 11 September;[13] but U-96 sank a 415-ton Portuguese sailing trawler by gunfire in the vicinity of the convoy.[1][12] In coordinated night attacks, U-380 missed with a salvo of four torpedoes, edit] Parting shots
Excellent visibility on 12 September allowed a close forward screen of four escorts to discourage U-boats sighted up to 7 miles away. Town class destroyer HMCS Annapolis and the V and W class destroyer Canadian River class destroyer Ottawa in the pre-dawn hours of 14 September.[16] Ottawa sank with 114 of its crew.[12] The remainder of the convoy reached New York City on 20 September 1942.[2]
Ships in convoy
Name[17] Flag[17] Dead[7] Tonnage[17] Cargo[7] Notes[17] Athelduchess (1929) 
8,940 gross register tons (GRT) destination New York City; carried convoy commodore RADM Sir E O Cochrane KBE Bayano (1917) 6,815 GRT destination Halifax Bohemian Club (1921) 
6,906 GRT Boston City (1920) 2,870 GRT china clay & mail veteran of convoy SC 94; destination New York City; survived this convoy, convoy SC 104 & convoy SC 122 British Endurance (1936) 8,406 GRT destination New York City British Tradition (1942) 8,443 GRT destination New York City Clausina (1938) 8,083 GRT destination New York City Daghild (1927) 
9,272 GRT torpedoed, but survived to be sunk 5 months later in convoy SC 118 Domby (1932) 5,582 GRT destination New York City Egda (1939) 10,050 GRT veteran of convoy HX 79; destination New York City El Mirlo (1930) 8,092 GRT destination New York City Elisabeth van Belgie (1909) 
1 4,241 GRT (in ballast) sunk by U-96 10 Sept 9,807 GRT destination New York City 3 6,849 GRT (in ballast) veteran of convoy SC 94; sunk by 18 8,029 GRT (in ballast) sunk by 6,140 GRT general cargo destination Halifax; carried convoy vice commodore Capt H J Woodward DSO RN 2,865 GRT destination Halifax F J Wolfe (1932) 12,190 GRT damaged by U-96 10 Sept; reached St. Johns, Newfoundland 16 Sept Fjordaas (1931) 7,361 GRT returned to Clyde; damaged by U-218 11 Sept G C Brovig (1930) 9,718 GRT destination New York City Hektoria (1899) 1 13,797 GRT (in ballast) veteran of convoy ON 67; sunk by 4,877 GRT destination New York City Hindanger (1929) 1 4,884 GRT (in ballast) sunk by 5,725 GRT romped Liberty Glo (1919) 4,979 GRT destination Halifax Marit II (1922) 7,417 GRT damaged by U-404 11 Sept; reached St. Johns, Newfoundland Modavia (1927) 4,858 GRT destination Halifax Montevideo (1928) 4,639 GRT destination New York City; survived this convoy & convoy HX 228 Nanking (1924) 
5,931 GRT 8 passengers destination New York City Pachesham (1920) 6,090 GRT detached for St. Johns, Newfoundland 15 Sept Pan-Georgia (1919) 8,197 GRT destination New York City Stone Street (1922) 
6,131 GRT detached with defects 12 Sept; sunk by (none) 6,313 GRT (in ballast) sunk by U-96 10 Sept Vardefjell (1940) 8,316 GRT returned to Clyde with engine defects Willemsplein (1910) 
5,489 GRT coal veteran of convoy SC 94; destination Halifax Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h Rohwer&Hummelchen 1992 p.161
- ^ a b Hague 2000 p.158
- ^ a b Milner 1985 p.159
- ^ Milner 1985 p.289
- ^ a b c Blair 1998 p.30
- ^ a b c d Milner 1985 p.160
- ^ a b c d Hague 2000 p.161
- ^ Milner 1985 pp.162
- ^ Milner 1985 p.161
- ^ a b Milner 1985 p.162
- ^ Blair 1998 pp.30-31
- ^ a b c d e Blair 1998 p.31
- ^ a b Milner 1985 pp.161
- ^ Milner 1985 pp.160-161
- ^ Milner 1985 pp.161-163
- ^ Milner 1985 p.163
- ^ a b c d "ON convoys". Andrew Hague Convoy Database. http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/on/index.html. Retrieved 2011-05-26.
References
- Blair, Clay (1998). Hitler's U-Boat War The Hunted 1942-1945. Random House. ISBN 0-679-45742-9.
- Hague, Arnold (2000). The Allied Convoy System 1939-1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-019-3.
- Lenton, H.T. and Colledge, J.J. (1968). British and Dominion Warships of World War Two. Doubleday and Company.
- Milner, Marc (1985). North Atlantic Run. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-450-0.
- Rohwer, J. and Hummelchen, G. (1992). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939-1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-105-X.
Categories:- North Atlantic convoys of World War II
- World War II Battle of the Atlantic
- Naval battles of World War II involving Canada
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