Convoy SC-121

Convoy SC-121 was the 121st of the numbered series of World War II Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Liverpool. [Hague 2000 p.133] Fifty-seven ships departed New York City 23 February 1943; [Hague 2000 p.135] and were met by Mid-Ocean Escort Force Group A-3 consisting of the USCG Treasury Class Cutter "Spencer", the Wickes class destroyer "Greer", Flower class corvettes "Dianthus", "Rosthern", "Trillium" and "Dauphin", [Milner 1985 p.291] and the convoy rescue ship "Melrose Abbey". [Rohwer & Hummelchen 1992 p.196] Three of the escorts had defective SONAR and three had inoperative RADAR. [Morison 1975 p.342]

On 6 March "U-405" sighted the convoy [Rohwer & Hummelchen 1992 p.196] scattered by nine consecutive days of northwesterly Force 10 gales and snow squalls. [Morison 1975 p.341] The storm damaged the radio communication system aboard the escort commander's ship "Spencer"; and "Dauphin" had to leave the convoy with damaged steering gear. [Morison 1975 p.342] "U-230" torpedoed the 2868-ton British freighter "Egyptian" on the night of 6-7 March. [Hague 2000 p.137] The 6116-ton British freighter "Empire Impala" stopped to rescue survivors and was torpedoed after dawn by "U-591". Cargo losses were 7,628 tons of general cargo, oilseed, palm oil, and tin ore. [Hague 2000 p.137]

"U-190" torpedoed the 7015-ton British freighter "Empire Lakeland" when the gale subsided on 8 March; and four more stragglers were sunk by "U-526", "U-527", "U-591", and "U-642". [Rohwer & Hummelchen 1992 p.196] On 9 March the convoy escort was reinforced by No. 120 Squadron RAF B-24 Liberators from Northern Ireland and by the Wickes class destroyer "Babbitt" and the USCG Treasury Class Cutters "Bibb" and "Ingham" from Iceland. [Rohwer & Hummelchen 1992 p.196]

"U-530" torpedoed the straggling 3058-ton Swedish freighter "Milos" on the evening of 9 March; and that night "U-405" torpedoed the 4665-ton Norwegian freighter "Bonneville" while "U-229" torpedoed the 4946-ton British freighter "Nailsea Court" and "U-409" torpedoed the 5989-ton British escort oiler "Rosewood" and the 3837-ton American ammunition ship "Malantic". Cargo losses were 8000 tons of ammunition, 14856 tons of general cargo and explosives, steel and lumber. [Hague 2000 pp.137-8]

Flower class corvettes "Campion" and "Mallow" reinforced the convoy escort on 10 March, [Rohwer & Hummelchen 1992 p.196] and the convoy reached Liverpool on 14 March. [Hague 2000 p.137] Only 76 of the 275 crewmen of the sunken ships were rescued. [Morison 1975 p.342]

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