- Convoy OA 178
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Convoy OA 178 Part of World War II Date 4th July 1940 Location English Channel Result German victory Belligerents Germany:
Luftwaffe,
KriegsmarineUnited Kingdom:
Royal Navy,
Merchant NavyCommanders and leaders OTL Oskar Dinort (StG 2) Comm:Capt. RP Galer RD, RNR
Escort: Lt Cdr Frederick J.G. Jones RD, RNR (HMS Clarkia)Strength 2 Gruppen of dive bombers from StG 2,
A force of E-boats1 corvette, 1 destroyer[1]
14 merchant ships[2]Casualties and losses unknown 4 ships sunk
9 damagedConvoy OA 178 was an Atlantic convoy that sailed in July 1940 from the Thames Estuary via the English Channel, prior to dispersal to various trans-Atlantic destinations.[3]
Contents
Departure and escort
OA 178 assembled off Southend-on-Sea on the coast of Essex and departed on 3 July.[1] It consisted of 35 merchant ships, escorted by the Flower class corvette Straits of Dover during the night of 3/4 July and by the afternoon of 4 July was in the Channel, some 20 miles south of Portland Bill.
Attack
At about 1300 hrs[4] on 4 July two Gruppen of Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers from StG 2 attacked the convoy in the English Channel off Portland Bill.[2] The Stukas were armed with 50 kilograms (110 lb) bombs and attacked in waves of six aircraft. There was no Allied air cover and the attack lasted about two hours.[4]
In this attack one ship, Portland Harbour, where the Luftwaffe attacked them again. Also in Portland Harbour were a number of other ships, which were hit in the attack. The Royal Navy anti-aircraft ship HMS Foylebank was severely damaged, and sank the next day with the loss of 176 lives.[5] The tug Silverdial was also sunk[5] and the cargo ships SS City of Melbourne, SS East Wales and MV William Wilberforce were damaged.[2]
Bombs had damaged the Antonio's rudder and the stanchions supporting her propellor shaft.[4] She had to reduce speed and did not reach anchorage in Portland Harbour until about 2300 hrs.[4] The continuing air raid prevented her from landing the survivors she had rescued until mid-day on 5 July.[4]
At dusk those members of the convoy that had remained at sea were 13 miles (21 km) south of Portland when they were attacked by German E-boats. Four ships were sunk, and one damaged. The cargo ship Selsey Bill,[6] which suggests that either she was a straggler or she was dive-bombed before the main air raid off Portland Bill.
Aftermath
On 5 July OA 178's lone escort was reinforced by the destroyer HMS Broke (D83).[1] She remained with the convoy until 6 July[1] when it dispersed in the Southwest Approaches.
The severity of loss and damage that OA 178 sustained was such that all subsequent OA convoys were re-routed, from Methil in Fife around the north of Scotland to avoid the English Channel.[2]
Table
Allied ships sunk
Date Name Nationality Casualties Tonnage (GRT) Sunk by… 4 July 1940 Dallas City British 4,952 aircraft 4 July 1940 Britsum Dutch 5,255 aircraft 4 July 1940 Deucalion Dutch 1,796 aircraft 4 July 1940 Kolga Estonian 1 3,526 S-boat S-19 4 July 1940 Elmcrest British 16 4,343 S-boat S-20 References
- ^ a b c d e f g Slader, 1988, page 55
- ^ a b A.Hague: OA 178 at convoyweb
- ^ a b c d e f Webster, Peter; Quinn, Peter (17 October 2005). "The Story of the SS Dover Hill in Russia, 1943". WW2 People's War. BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/70/a6178070.shtml. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
- ^ a b c "Day 308 July 4, 1940". World War II Day-by-Day. 4 July 2010. http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/2010/07/day-308-july-4-1940.html. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
- ^ Allen, Tony (2010). "SS Deucalion (+1940)". The Wreck Site. http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?4650. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
Sources
- Slader, John (1988). The Red Duster at War. London: William Kimber & Co Ltd. pp. 54–55. ISBN 0-7183-0679-1.
Categories:- Aerial operations and battles of World War II
- Naval battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom
- North Atlantic convoys of World War II
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