- Convoy SL 125
-
Convoy SL 125 was the 125th of the numbered series of World War II convoys of merchant ships from Sierra Leone to Liverpool. Ships carrying commodities bound to the British Isles from South America, Africa, and the Indian Ocean traveled independently to Freetown, Sierra Leone to be convoyed for the last leg of their voyage.[1] Thirty-seven merchant ships departed Freetown on 16 October 1942 and were joined at sea by 5 more.[2]
Contents
Initial contact
German cryptographers decoded message traffic containing tactical information about convoy SL 125, and wolf pack Streitaxt (battle axe)[3] of U-103, U-134, U-203, Isles class trawler HMS Copinsay and Free French corvette Commandant Drogou had been detached by the time[2] U-203 found the convoy on 25 October. U-203 was depth charged and damaged while attempting to attack straggling British tanker Anglo Maersk.[3] The tanker was subsequently shadowed by U-134 and damaged by U-509.[3]
27 October
The armed merchant cruiser and troopship HMS Esperance Bay was detached with the Shakespearian class trawler HMS Juliet, tugboat HMS Salvonia, and repair ship HMNZS Kelantan[2] when Flower class corvettes edit] 28 October
After unsuccessful submerged daylight attacks on 28 October, U-509 sank British freighter Nagpore and damaged British freighter Hopecastle after sunset. U-203 sank the damaged Hopecastle before dawn.[7]
29 October
U-509 sank British freighter Britanny during foul weather on the night of 29–30 October.[7] British tanker Bullmouth (sailing in ballast) was damaged by edit] 30 October
Improved weather brought coordinated attacks on the night of 30–31 October. edit] Aftermath
RAF Coastal Command long range bombers arrived over the convoy on 31 October.[4] Admiral Karl Dönitz canceled operations on the morning of 1 November.[3] The convoy was reinforced with eleven more escorts[2] and reached Liverpool on 9 November.[5] It suffered the greatest loss of any SL convoy,[8] but its timing focused available U-boats in the area away from the Operation Torch convoys for the allied invasion of North Africa on 8 November 1942.[4] Some historians have suggested trade convoy SL 125 was an intentional tactical diversion to keep U-boats away from the loaded troop transports.[9] Eleven of the ships surviving this convoy later sailed two months later with convoy ON 154, where four of them were sunk.[10]
Ships in convoy
Name[2] Flag[2] Dead[11] Tonnage[2] Cargo[11] Notes[2] Alaska (1918) 
5,681 gross register tons (GRT) torpedoed and fell out 31 Oct Alexandre Andre (1928) 
5,322 GRT Amstelkerk (1929) 
4,457 GRT romped 30 Oct Anglo Maersk (1930) 
7,705 GRT straggled 19 Oct; torpedoed by U-509 26 Oct but survived Baron Elgin (1933) 3,942 GRT detached to Funchal; survived this convoy, convoy ON 154, convoy SC 122 & convoy ONS 5 Baron Kinnaird (1927) 3,355 GRT Baron Vernon (1929) 0 3,642 GRT 5,500 tons iron ore sunk by 2,871 GRT joined at sea 19 Oct Bornholm (1930) 3,177 GRT survived this convoy, convoy ON 154, & convoy ONS 5 Bothnia (1928) 2,407 GRT joined at sea 23 Oct, survived this convoy & convoy HX 228 British Ardour (1928) 7,124 GRT joined at sea 19 Oct as escort oiler Brittany (1928) 14 4,772 GRT 7,132 tons general cargo veteran of convoy HX 79; sunk by U-509 28 Oct Bullmouth (1927) 50 7,519 GRT (ballasted tanker) sunk by 7,206 GRT survived this convoy & convoy ON 154 Clan Murray (1918) 5,953 GRT Corinaldo (1921) 8 7,131 GRT 5,141 tons frozen meat sunk by U-509, 6,244 GRT Dundrum Castle (1919) 5,259 GRT veteran of convoy SC 42; survived this convoy & convoy ON 154 Empire Cougar (1919) 5,758 GRT arrived with engine defects & later survived convoy ON 154 Empire Simba (1919) 5,691 GRT survived this convoy & convoy ON 154 Germa (1920) 5,282 GRT Guinean (1936) 5,205 GRT Henry Stanley (1929) 5,026 GRT Hopecastle (1937) 5 5,178 GRT 5,500 tons general cargo sunk by U-509 & U-203 29 Oct King Edward (1919) 5,224 GRT survives to be sunk 2 months later in convoy ON 154 Lafonia (1911) 1,961 GRT Lynton Grange (1937) 5,029 GRT survives to be sunk 2 months later in convoy ON 154 Mano (1925) 1,418 GRT joined at sea 23 Oct; survived this convoy & convoy ONS 5 Marquesa (1918) 8,979 GRT Nagpore (1920) 19 5,283 GRT 1,500 tons copper & 5,500 tons general cargo carried convoy commodore RADM Sir C N Reyne KBE; sunk by U-509 28 Oct Pacific Star (1920) 0 7,591 GRT 5,037 tons refrigerated meat & general cargo sunk by U-509 27 Oct President Doumer (1934) 260 11,898 GRT 63 passengers & general cargo joined at sea 19 Oct; sunk by 4,933 GRT Sembilan (1922) 6,566 GRT Silver Willow (1930) 5 6,373 GRT 9,000 tons general cargo sunk by 44 6,148 GRT 6,000 tons west African produce carried convoy vice commodore Capt R H Garstin CBE RIN; sunk by U-509 27 Oct Tasmania (1935) 2 6,405 GRT 8,500 tons food & iron sunk by U-103 31 Oct Tynemouth (1940) 3,168 GRT veteran of convoy SC 94; survived this convoy & convoy ON 154 Ville de Rouen (1919) 5,083 GRT survives to be sunk 2 months later in convoy ON 154 Welsh Trader (1938) 4,974 GRT West Kebar (1920) 
5,620 GRT detached 20 Oct Zarian (1938) 4,871 GRT survives to be sunk 2 months later in convoy ON 154 Notes
- ^ Hague 2000 p.138
- ^ a b c d e f g h "SL convoys". Andrew Hague Convoy Database. http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/sl2/index.html. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
- ^ a b c d e f g Blair 1998 p.69
- ^ a b c d e f Rohwer & Hummelchen 1992 p.172
- ^ a b Hague 2000 p.142
- ^ Edwards 1999 p.116
- ^ a b c d e f g Blair 1998 p.70
- ^ Hague 2000 pp.141-143
- ^ Edwards 1999 p.115
- ^ "ON convoys". Andrew Hague Convoy Database. http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/on/index.html. Retrieved 2011-05-25.
- ^ a b Hague 2000 p.146
References
- Blair, Clay (1998). Hitler's U-Boat War The Hunted 1942-1945. Random House. ISBN 0-679-45742-9.
- Edwards, Bernard (1999). Dönitz and the Wolf Packs. Brockhampton Press. ISBN 1-86019-927-5.
- Hague, Arnold (2000). The Allied Convoy System 1939-1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-019-3.
- Rohwer, J. and Hummelchen, G. (1992). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939-1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-105-X.
Categories:- South Atlantic convoys of World War II
- World War II Battle of the Atlantic
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
