Convoy HX 106 was the 106th of the numbered series of Allied

HX convoys HX convoys were transatlantic convoys in the North Atlantic during the First World War and in the Battle of the Atlantic in the Second World War. HX convoys sailed eastwards from Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada, to Liverpool and other ports in Br ...

of merchant ships from

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, England. Forty-one ships departed Halifax, Nova Scotia on 30 January 1941, eastbound to Liverpool, England. The use of convoys was a standard

tactic Tactic(s) or Tactical may refer to: * Tactic (method), a conceptual action implemented as one or more specific tasks ** Military tactics, the disposition and maneuver of units on a particular sea or battlefield ** Chess tactics ** Political tacti ...

throughout the

Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allies of World War II, ...

as a defence against U-boats and German commerce raiders. On 8 February 1941 the two German

battleship A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...

s, and , found the convoy. The German squadron was under the command of Admiral

Günther Lütjens Johann Günther Lütjens (; 25 May 1889 – 27 May 1941) was a German admiral whose military service spanned more than 30 years and two world wars. Lütjens is best known for his actions during World War II and his command of the battleship du ...

. The captain of ''Scharnhorst'' offered to draw off the escorting

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

battleship , so that ''Gneisenau'' could sink the merchant ships. This strategy, if successful, would have entailed little risk to ''Scharnhorst'' as she was faster than ''Ramillies'', and her newer guns outranged the 1915 era guns of the British ship. However, Lutjens strictly followed

Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

's directive not to engage enemy capital ships, and withdrew. Later, two of the convoy's merchant ships were sunk by the submarine , including ''Arthur F. Corwin'' loaded with 14,500 tons of

aviation fuel Aviation fuels are either petroleum-based or blends of petroleum and synthetic fuels, used to power aircraft. They have more stringent requirements than fuels used for ground applications, such as heating and road transport, and they contain add ...

. She went down on 13 February, taking all 59 crew with her.

Ships in the convoy

Allied merchant ships

A total of 41 merchant vessels joined the convoy, either in Halifax or later in the voyage.

Convoy escorts

A series of armed military ships escorted the convoy at various times during its journey.

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 HX106 Naval battles of World War II involving Canada C