Convoy SC 104

Convoy SC 104 was the 104th of the numbered series of World War II slow convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Liverpool.Hague 2000 p. 133 During October 1942, a U-boat wolf pack sank eight ships from the convoy. The convoy escorts sank two of the attacking submarines.

Background As western Atlantic coastal convoys brought an end to the second happy time, Admiral Karl Dönitz the Befehlshaber der U-Boote (BdU) or 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 effectively search for convoys with the advantage of intelligence gained through B-Dienst decryption of British Naval Cypher Number 3.Tarrant p.108 However, only 20 percent 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.Hague pp.132, 137-138, 161-162, 164, 181

Forty-seven ships departed New York City on 3 October 1942 and were met by Mid-Ocean Escort Force Group B-6 consisting of the and , with the Norwegian-manned s , , , and and the convoy rescue ship Goathland.

Opposing this force was the U-boat Wolf pack Wotan comprising 8 boats: , , , , , , , and .Hague 2000 p.135Rohwer & Hummelchen 1992 p.167

Action The convoy was found and reported by U-258 on 11 October, and the other Wotan boats were ordered to join. By the evening of 12 October, U-258 had been joined by U-221 and U-356, and during the night of 12/13 October these boats attacked. U-258 and U-356 were unsuccessful, being driven off by the escorts, but U-221 was able to sink three ships: the Norwegian freighters Senta,Showell 2002 p.113 and Fagersten, and the British freighter Ashworth.

On the 13th the three U-boats continued to shadow the convoy, and were joined during the day by five other boats. On the night of the 13/14 October the wolf pack attacked again. This time U-221 sank two ships: the American freighter and the British whale factory ship Southern Empress. U-607 torpedoed the Greek freighter Nellie, which later sank, but was itself attacked and severely damaged, and was forced to return to France for repairs. U-661 torpedoed the Yugoslavian freighter Nikolina Matkovic, and U-618 torpedoed the Empire Mersey.

Throughout 15 October the Wotan boats shadowed SC 104, but were unable to mount any successful attacks that night. On 15 October, Viscount detected U-661 in fog, and attacked with gunfire, ramming and depth charges. U-661 was destroyed, but Viscount was also damaged, and had to finish the voyage as part of the convoy.

On 16 October U-353 was sighted by Fame, which attacked and destroyed her by ramming, again suffering damage in the process. Command of the escort passed to LtCdr C.A. Monsen in Potentilla, who was able to make an attack on a contact later that day. No identification was made, or result credited, but post-war examination shows that U-254 was severely damaged in this attack and forced to retire to base.

On 16 and 17 October SC 104 came in range of allied air patrols, long–range B-24 Liberators and Catalina flying boats. These were able to break up any further attacks and on the 17th, Dönitz ceased further operations against SC 104.Blair p 39-41 The remainder of the voyage was unhindered, and the convoy reached Liverpool on 21 October. SC 104 lost 8 ships of 44,000 tons, with 2 escorts damaged, and saw the destruction of 2 U-boats with the damaging of 2 more.

Ships in convoy

NameFlagDeadHague p.161Tonnage gross register tons (GRT) Cargo NotesSenta (1917)3,785Steel & woodpulpSunk by 12/13 OctoberAshworth (1920)495,227BauxiteSunk by 13 OctoberFagersten (1921)192,342Steel & lumber Sunk by 13 October (1914)385,929Valuable general cargo, mailSunk by 14 OctoberSouthern Empress (1914)4812,398Fuel oilSunk by 14 OctoberNellie (1913)324,826Steel & lumberSunk by 14 OctoberNikolina Matkovic (1918)143,672Sugar & lumberSunk by 14 OctoberEmpire Mersey (1920)165,791General cargo including government storesSunk by 14 OctoberMerchant Royal (1928)5,008General cargoCarried convoy commodore Capt F H Taylor DSC RNMariposa (1914)3,807Explosives, steel & timberShip's master was convoy vice-commodoreAghios Spyridon (1905)3,338GrainVeteran of convoy SC 94Anna (1919)5,173Grain and general cargoAnna N Goulandris (1921)4,358GrainSurvived this convoy and convoy HX 300Bernhard (1924)3,563BauxiteSurvived this convoy and convoy HX 300Bonde (1936)1,570General cargoReturned to Canada; sunk 7 months later in Convoy ONS 5Boreas (1920)2,801SugarBoston City (1920)2,870General cargo including explosivesVeteran of convoy SC 94 and convoy ON 127British Progress (1927)4,581petrolBritish Renown (1928)6,997petrolCampus (1925)3,667Steel and woodSurvived this convoy and convoy ONS 5Carslogie (1924)3,786Steel and woodCharles Carroll (1942)7,191Cased petrol & explosivesLiberty shipCydonia (1927)3,517GrainSurvived this convoy and convoy ONS 5Disa (1918)2,002FlourEmpire Lightning (1940)6,942phosphatesCollided with Milcrest of convoy ON 132Empire Mouflon (1921)3,234Explosives & general cargoSurvived this convoy and convoy HX 300Empire Waterhen (1920)6,004General cargoGarnes (1930)1,559Survived this convoy and convoy SC 107George B. McClellan (1942)7,181Vitriol, cased petrol & explosivesLiberty shipGeorgios P (1903)4,052General cargoSurvived this convoy and convoy SC 122Gothland (1932)1,286 Rescue shipGudvor (1928)2,280Survived this convoy, convoy SC 122 and convoy ONS 5Inger Lise (1939)1,582lumber Veteran of convoy SC 94Ingerfem (1912)3,987GrainVeteran of convoy SC 94John Hathorn (1942)7,176Cased petrol & explosivesLiberty shipLido (1930)1,918FlourLiverpool Loyalist (1932)1,416Llangollen (1928)5,056General cargoMars (1925)1,582FlourVeteran of convoy SC 94Nea (1921)1,877lumberVeteran of convoy SC 26Ozark (1919)2,689Lost rudder and diverted to IcelandPeterston (1925)4,680Grain & lumberPorjus (1906)2,965phosphatesReturned to Canada; also returned from convoy SC 121 and survived convoy SC 122Prinses Maria-Pia (1938)2,588Sugar & bombsRamava2,141lumberReigh Count (1907)4,657Explosives & valuable cargoRobert Morris (1942)7,176Cased petrol & explosivesLiberty shipRocha (1933)1,471Roxane (1929)7,813Fuel oilSaintonge (1936)9,386Fuel oilSurvived this convoy and convoy HX 300Saluta (1906)6,261Fuel oilSinnington Court (1928)6,910Survived this convoy and convoy SC 121Souliotis (1917)4,299Steel & lumberSuderoy (1913)7,562Fuel oilSurvived this convoy and convoy SC 121Theomitor (1910)4,427Steel & lumberVinga (1927)7,321Furnace fuel oilWilliam Johnson (1942)7,191Cased petrol & explosivesLiberty Ship

Losses

+U-boat lossesKemp p 92DateNumberTypeCaptainCasualtiesPositionCauseBy 15 October 1942U-661VIICOberleutnant zur See Erich Lilienfeld44Gunfire, depth charge, rammingHMS Viscount16 October 1942U-353VIICKapitänleutnant Wolfgang Römer6Depth chargeHMS Fame

Convoy SC 104

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