Royal Navy escorts thwarted half a dozen attacks by four U-boats in the North Atlantic last night around 250 miles south of Iceland.
But the Germans struck back this morning, torpedoing an American merchantmen as the battle for Convoy ONS5 begins.
A U-boat commander lines up a merchant ship in his periscope
ROYAL Navy escorts thwarted four U-boats hoping to attack a North Atlantic last night in a series of actions around 250 miles south of Iceland.
But the German submarines struck back this morning, torpedoing the American freighter McKeesport. All but one of her crew were picked up by the rescue trawler.
The series of attacks is the first against Convoy ONS5, nearly four dozen merchant ships heading to the New World to bring back supplies to sustain the British war effort.
The slow convoy left home waters seven days ago, since when it has faced, in the words of its escort group commander Cdr Peter Gretton “consistently adverse” weather.
A freighter sinks in the North Atlantic after its back was broken by a German torpedo
The stormy conditions more than halved the convoy’s speed on April 26 to a mere three knots, but since then the Atlantic has abated.
However around mid-day yesterday, Cdr Gretton in his flagship HMS Gretton picked up signals transmitted by a U-boat – believed to be U650.
It’s thought 16 German submarines forming a wolfpack were lying in wait for ONS5 as night fell. Cdr Gretton sent a single word signal to the other ships escorting the convoy: anticipate.
Aboard Flower-class corvette HMS Pink, Commanding Officer Lt Robert Atkinson let his men grab some food before clearing lower decks and briefing them.
ONS5 escorts – Flower-class corvettes HMS Pink and HMS Loosestrife (right) alongside in Londonderry. Picture: Imperial War Museum
“There’s going to be a hell of a battle tonight,” he said. I’m not sure how many of us will see daylight. I intend to see it if I can.”
During the night, HMS Duncan alone drove off four U-boat attacks inside an hour, despite still bad weather.
“The ship was pitching and rolling badly – the seas were washing down the quarterdeck, soaking the men there, while the heavy and cumbersome depth charges were difficult to reload,” said Cdr Gretton.
In all around half a dozen U-boat forays were thwarted and Duncan dropped a pattern of depth charges as one German submarine disappeared in a swirl into the Atlantic.
At daylight, however, the 6,200-tonne American-registered steamer McKeesport was torpedoed, probably by U258. Her forward hold imploded and, despite the best efforts of her crew for a good half hour to safe her, they were forced to abandon ship.
The convoy is continuing its journey westwards, bound for Halifax in Canada and onward ports on the Eastern Seaboard of America.
This is the second of our historic articles recounting the definitive battle for ONS5.
You can read the full story in the first of our two Battle of the Atlantic anniversary supplements in May’s Navy News, on sale now.
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