Convoy SC 118

Convoy SC 118 was the 118th of the numbered series of World War II slow convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island, to Liverpool. The ships departed New York City on 24 January 1943 and were met by the Mid-Ocean Escort Force Group B-2 consisting of the cutter , the , the V-class destroyers and and four s, , , and , with the convoy rescue ship Toward.

Background As western Atlantic coastal convoys brought an end to the "second happy time" off the US coast, Admiral Karl Dönitz, the (BdU, commander in chief of U-boats) shifted focus to the mid-Atlantic to avoid aircraft patrols. Although convoy routing was less predictable in the mid-ocean, Dönitz anticipated that the increased numbers of U-boats being produced would be able to find convoys with the advantage of intelligence gained through decryption of the British Naval Cypher Number 3. Only 20 per cent of the 180 trans-Atlantic convoys sailing from the end of July 1942 until the end of April 1943 lost ships to U-boat attack.

Prelude On 2 February sank three ships from Convoy HX 224. A survivor of one of the sunken ships was picked up by and told his rescuers a slower convoy was following.

Battle 4 February

A careless merchant seaman of Convoy SC 118 fired a pyrotechnic snowflake projector aboard the Norwegian cargo ship Vannik in the pre-dawn darkness of 4 February. observed the snowflake display, reported the convoy and was promptly sunk by Beverley and Vimy after Bibb and Toward triangulated the submarine's location from the sighting report, using high-frequency radio direction-finding (HF/DF or Huff-Duff). The destroyers rescued 44 of the submarine's crew. The Polish merchant ship Zagloba was torpedoed on the unprotected side of the convoy by and torpedoed the straggling US merchantman West Portal.

5 February The convoy escort was reinforced by the US Coast Guard cutter and the s and from Iceland. The reinforced escort damaged U-262 and .

7−9 February

In the pre-dawn hours, (Kapitänleutnant Siegfried von Forstner) torpedoed the British freighter Afrika, the Norwegian tanker Daghild, the Greek merchant ship Kalliopi, the US tanker Robert E. Hopkins, the cargo liner , and the convoy rescue ship Toward.

Henry R. Mallory was capable of but had been straggling well astern of the convoy for several days and was not zig-zagging, despite its exposed position. Mallory would normally have been assigned to one of the faster HX convoys but there had been no Iceland section of the preceding Convoy HX 224. No commands came from the bridge after Mallory was torpedoed, no flares were sent up, no radio distress message was sent out and no orders were given to abandon ship. There were 272 casualties from Mallorys crew of 77, 34 Navy gunners, and the 136 American soldiers, 172 American sailors and 72 US Marines she was transporting to Iceland.

sank the British straggler Harmala and Lobelia sank . The B-17 J of 220 Squadron sank U-614 on 7 February. U-402 sank the British merchantman Newton Ash that night. On 9 February, Forstner was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for ships sunk by U-402 from this convoy and from Convoy SC 107 on the previous patrol. Convoy SC 118 reached Liverpool without further loss on 12 February.

Ships in convoy +Merchant ships Name Year Flag GRT NotesAcme19166,878Petrol, oilAdamas19184,144Steel, lumber; 8 Feb, collided , sank, 0†African Prince19398,031Bauxite, ammunition, Convoy Commodore H. C. C. ForsythAfrika19208,597Steel, general cargo, 7 Feb, sunk , 23†Ann Skakel19204,949General cargo, detached to Iceland 9 FebArizpa19205,437StoresAthelprince19268,782Diesel, naphtha; convoy vice-commodoreBaron Haig19263,391SugarBaron Ramsey19293,650Iron oreBestik19202,684Steel, lumberBlairdevon19253,282Steel, lumberCeltic Star19185,575Reefer shipCetus19202,614SugarCity of Khios19255,574SugarDaghild19279,272Diesel, sunk, , , Dallington Court19296,889WheatDanae II19362,660BauxiteDanby19374,281Linseed, grainDaylight19319,180General cargo, escort oiler; detached Iceland 9 FebDeido19283,894PetrolDettifoss19301,564General cargo, 9 Feb, detached, IcelandDordrecht19284,402Palm oil, returned to Halifax19422,847Bauxite19417,157General cargoGlarona19289,912Fuel oil, dieselGogra19195,190General cargoGold Shell19318,208PetrolGrey County19185,194General cargo, 3†Gulf of Mexico19177,807Oil, petrolH M Flagler19188,208Furnace fuel oil, escort oilerHarmala19355,730Iron ore, straggled, sunk 7 Feb, 53†Helder19203,629General cargo19166,063383 passengers & general cargo, 7 Feb, sunk , 272†Ioannis Frangos19123,442GrainJulius Thomsen19271,151Detached, GreenlandKalliopi19104,965Steel, lumber, 7 Feb, sunk, , 4†King Stephen19285,274GrainKiruna19215,484General cargoLagarfoss19041,211General cargo, 9 Feb, detached, IcelandMakedonia19427,044FlourMana19203,283General cargo, 9 Feb, detached, IcelandMaud19303,189SugarNew York City19172,710General cargoNewton Ash19254,625Grain, mail & military stores, 7 Feb, sunk, , 32†Norbryn19225,087Tea, rubberPermian19318,890Petter II19227,417Gas oilPolyktor19144,077Grain, sunk by Rådmansü19144,280SulphurRadport19255,355General cargoRedgate19294,323General cargoRobert E. Hopkins19216,625Furnace fuel oil, escort oiler, 7 Feb, sunk 19427,181General cargo, Liberty shipSheaf Holme19294,814Potash & general cargoSommerstad19265,923Lubricating oilStad Arnhem19203,819PhosphatesTilemachos19113,658GrainToward19231,571Rescue ship, 7 Feb, sunk by , 58†Vacuum19207,020PetrolVannik19401,333General cargo, detached to Iceland 9 FebWest Portal19205,376Straggled, 4 Feb, sunk by William Penn19218,447PetrolYemassee19222,001General cargo, 9 Feb, detached, IcelandZagloba19382,864Ammunition, general cargo, 4 Feb, sunk,

Allied order of battle Convoy escorts

+Mid-Ocean Escort Force NameFlagTypeNotesEscort Group B2V-class destroyerV-class destroyer Reinforcements

Coastal Command +Coastal Command squadrons SqnFlagGroupTypeNotes120 Squadron15 GroupB-24 LiberatorVery Long Range ASW206 Squadron15 GroupB-17 FortressVery Long Range ASW220 Squadron15 GroupB-17 FortressVery Long Range ASW

German order of battle

Wolfpack (Arrow) + Gruppe Pfeil IINameFlagClass NotesType VIIC submarineType VIIC submarine8 February, damaged, Liberator K, 120 SquadronType IXC/40 submarine4 February, sunk, Vimy and BeverleyType VIIC submarineType VIIC submarineType VIIC submarine5 February, damaged, VimyType VIIC submarineType VIIC submarineType VIIC submarineType VIIC submarineType VIIC submarineType VIIC submarineType VIIC submarineType VIIC submarineType VIIC submarine6 February, sunk, LobéliaType VIIC submarineType VIIC submarine9 February, damaged, Fortress L, 206 SquadronType VIIC submarine7 February, sunk, Fortress J, 220 SquadronType VIIC submarineType VIIC submarine

Convoy SC 118

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