Convoy OG 71

Convoy OG.71
Part of World War II
Date13–25 August 1941
LocationNorth Atlantic
Belligerents
Germany

United Kingdom

 Royal Norwegian Navy
Commanders and leaders
Admiral Karl Dönitz Vice-Admiral P E Parker DSO
Strength
8 U-boats 23 merchant ships
13 escorts
Casualties and losses
10 ships sunk

Convoy OG 71 was a trade convoy of merchant ships during the second World War. It was the 71st of the numbered OG convoys Outbound from the British Isles to Gibraltar. The convoy departed Liverpool on 13 August 1941[1] and was found on 17 August by a Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor of Kampfgeschwader 40. The convoy was attacked by eight U-boats from 1st U-boat Flotilla, operating out of Brest. Ten ships comprising a total tonnage of 15,185 tons were sunk before the U-boats lost contact on 23 August.[2]

Legacy

This convoy was known as "Nightmare Convoy".[3] Eight merchant ships,[2] two naval escorts and over 400 lives were lost, including 152 from the commodore ship Aguila. They included the 22 "lost wrens" who were en route to Gibraltar. After this, Wrens (Women's Royal Naval Service) were never sent again on passenger liners in convoys, but transported on HM ships.[4] Five of the convoy's surviving merchant ships reached Gibraltar; 10 retreated to neutral Portugal.[5][6] This was described as "a bitter act of surrender could ever come our way".[7] After this experience, Irish ship-owners, on the advice of their masters, decided not to sail their vessels in British convoys and by the early months of 1942 the practice had ceased.[8] (Both Irish ships were carrying, a British export: coal.)

Ships in the convoy

[9]

Name Flag Tonnage (GRT) Notes
Aguila (1917)  UK 3,255 91 Passengers. Sunk by U-201[10] on 19 Aug
Vice-Admiral P E Parker DSO
Aighai (1896)  Greece 1,406 Bound For Oporto
Aldergrove (1918)  UK 1,974 Sunk by U-201[11] on 23 Aug. 1 Dead
Alva (1934)  UK 1,584 Sunk by U-559[12] on 19 Aug
HNoMS Bath (I17)  Norwegian Navy Escort 13 Aug – 18 Aug. Destroyer
Sunk by U-204[13] on 19 Aug
HMS Bluebell (K80)  Royal Navy Escort 15 Aug – 23 Aug. Corvette
HMS Boreas (H77)  Royal Navy Escort 22 Aug – 23 Aug. Destroyer
HMS Campanula (K18)  Royal Navy Escort 15 Aug – 23 Aug. Corvette
HMS Campion (K108)  Royal Navy Escort 15 Aug – 23 Aug. Corvette
Cervantes (1919)  UK 1,810 Bound For Lisbon
Ciscar (1919)  UK 1,808 Sunk by U-201[14] on 19 Aug
Clonlara (1926)  Ireland 1,203 Bound For Lisbon
Sunk by U-201[15] on 22 Aug. 19 Dead
Copeland (1923)  UK 1,526 Rescue Ship
Ebro (1920)  Denmark 1,547 Bound For Gibraltar
Empire Oak (1941)  UK 484 Sunk by U-564[16] on 22 Aug. 19 Dead
Empire Stream (1941)  UK 2,911 Bound For Lisbon. Vice-Commodore’s Ship
HMS Gurkha (G63)  Royal Navy Escort 20 Aug – 23 Aug. Destroyer
Grelhead (1915)  UK 4,274 Bound For Lisbon
HMS Hydrangea (K39)  Royal Navy Escort 15 Aug – 23 Aug. Corvette
Lanarhone (1928)  Ireland 1,221 Bound For Lisbon
HMS Lance (G87)  Royal Navy Escort 20 Aug – 23 Aug. Destroyer
Lapwing (1920)  UK 1,348 Bound For Gibraltar
HMS Leith (U36)  Royal Navy Escort 13 Aug – 23 Aug. Sloop
Lyminge (1919)  UK 2,499 Bound For Lisbon
Marklyn (1918)  UK 3,090 Bound For Gibraltar
Meta (1930)  UK 1,575 Bound For Lisbon
Petrel (1920)  UK 1,354 Bound For Oporto
Spero (1922)  UK 1,589 Bound For Gibraltar
Spind (1917)  Norway 2,197 Torpedoed and damaged by U-564 & finally sunk by U-552[17] on 23 Aug. 0 Dead
Starling (1930)  UK 1,320 Bound For Gibraltar
Stork (1937)  UK 787 Sunk by U-201[18] on 23 Aug. 19 Dead
Switzerland (1922)  UK 1,291 Bound For Lisbon
HMS Vidette (D48)  Royal Navy Escort 21 Aug – 23 Aug. Destroyer
HMS Wallflower (K44)  Royal Navy Escort 15 Aug – 23 Aug. Corvette
HMS Wivern (D66)  Royal Navy Escort 22 Aug – 23 Aug. Destroyer
HMS Zinnia (K98)  Royal Navy Escort 13 Aug – 23 Aug
Sunk by U-564[19] on 23 Aug. 68 Dead

References

  1. ↑ Hague, pp. 175–176
  2. 1 2 Rohwer, Jürgen; Hummelchen (1999). Axis submarine successes of World War Two. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 9781853673405. p. 78
  3. ↑ Lund, Paul; Ludlam, Harry; Shuttleworth, Tom (1987). Nightmare Convoy. Foulsham. ISBN 978-0-572-01452-0.
  4. ↑ Mason, Ursula (1992). Britannia's daughters: the story of the WRNS. Barnsley: Leo Cooper. ISBN 978-0-85052-271-6. page 46.
  5. ↑ Hague, Arnold (2000). The Allied Convoy System 1939–1945. ISBN 1-86176-147-3.
  6. ↑ Forde, Frank (1988). Maritime Arklow. Dún Laoghaire: Glendale Press. ISBN 0-907606-51-2., page 198.
  7. ↑ Monsarrat, Nicholas (1970). Life is a Four Letter Word. London: Cassell. ISBN 978-0-330-02294-1., page 114.
  8. ↑ Forde, Frank (2000) [1981]. The Long Watch. Dublin: New Island Books. ISBN 1-902602-42-0., page 87.
  9. ↑ "Convoy OG.71". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  10. ↑ "Aguila – British Steam Passenger Ship". www.Uboat.Net. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  11. ↑ "Aldergrove – British Steam Merchant". www.Uboat.Net. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  12. ↑ "Alva – British Steam Merchant". www.Uboat.Net. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  13. ↑ "HNoMS Bath (I 17) – Norwegian Destroyer". www.Uboat.Net. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  14. ↑ "Ciscar – British Steam Merchant". www.Uboat.Net. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  15. ↑ "Clonlara – Irish Steam Merchant". www.Uboat.Net. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  16. ↑ "Empire Oak – British Steam Tug". www.Uboat.Net. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  17. ↑ "Spind – Norwegian Steam Merchant". www.Uboat.Net. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  18. ↑ "Stork – British Motor Merchant". www.Uboat.Net. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  19. ↑ "HMS Zinnia (K 98) – British Corvette". www.Uboat.Net. Retrieved 5 November 2013.

Bibliography

External links

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