SC 143 was a
North Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe and ...
convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be use ...
of the
SC series which ran during 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 Allied naval blocka ...
in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.
It was the second battle in the ''
Kriegsmarine
The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with th ...
''s autumn offensive in the North Atlantic.
Background
Following the attack on convoys
ONS 18 and
ON 202 by the
wolfpack ''Leuthen'', U-boat Control (''
Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote
The ''Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote'' or BdU (Eng: "Commander of the U-boats") was the supreme commander of the German Navy's U-boat Arm (''Ubootwaffe'') during the First and Second World Wars. The term also referred to the Command HQ of the U-bo ...
'' (BdU) was convinced of success and eager to continue the offensive.
Accordingly, they re-organized the boats then in the North Atlantic into a new patrol line, the 12 remaining ''Leuthen'' boats being joined by 9 newcomers, from bases in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
and
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
. Code-named
''Rossbach'', the group was stationed at the western edge of the
Greenland Air Gap to intercept the expected east-bound convoys, carrying
materiel
Materiel (; ) refers to supplies, equipment, and weapons in military supply-chain management, and typically supplies and equipment in a commercial supply chain context.
In a military context, the term ''materiel'' refers either to the spec ...
for the
invasion of Europe
Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...
.
For their part, the
Allies
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
were also encouraged by the outcome of the battle for ONS 18/ON 202, and were keen to seek battle with group ''Rossbach''.
While forming, ''Rossbach'' came under attack by air patrols; four boats were destroyed, and another four were damaged and forced to return to base. Three others were damaged, but were able to continue operations, while a further two boats arrived from base as re-inforcement.
Protagonists
SC 143 left
Halifax on 28 September 1943 bound for
Liverpool
Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
It was composed of 39 ships and was escorted by C-2 escort group comprising the destroyer , frigate ''Duckworth'' and 5 corvettes. Also accompanying the convoy was the
MAC
Mac or MAC most commonly refers to:
* Mac (computer), a family of personal computers made by Apple Inc.
* Mackintosh, a raincoat made of rubberized cloth
* A variant of the word macaroni, mostly used in the name of the dish mac and cheese
* Mac, ...
carrier .
By 6 October ''Rossbach'', comprising fourteen U-boats at this point, was deployed to intercept the expected west-bound convoys, HX 259 and SC 143.
Western Approaches Command
Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches was the commander of a major operational command of the Royal Navy during World War II. The admiral commanding, and his forces, sometimes informally known as 'Western Approaches Command,' were responsibl ...
became aware of ''Rossbach''s position via intelligence, principally
Enigma
Enigma may refer to:
*Riddle, someone or something that is mysterious or puzzling
Biology
*ENIGMA, a class of gene in the LIM domain
Computing and technology
* Enigma (company), a New York-based data-technology startup
* Enigma machine, a family ...
decrypts, but decided to engage the wolfpack and force a battle.
Diverting HX 259 to the south, SC 143 was reinforced with 10th Support Group, of four destroyers, ''Musketeer'','' Oribi'', ''Orkan'' and ''Orwell'', and allowed to continue towards ''Rossbach'' as
bait
Bait may refer to:
General
* Bait (luring substance), bait as a luring substance
** Fishing bait, bait used for fishing
Film
* ''Bait'' (1950 film), a British crime film by Frank Richardson
* ''Bait'' (1954 film), an American noir film by Hu ...
.
Action
SC 143 was sighted on 8 October by ''U-731'', which was returning to base following an air attack; she sent a sighting report, and throughout the day the ''Rossbach'' boats converged on the position.
Seven boats had gathered by evening, and at nightfall mounted their attack.
During the night of 8/9 October the seven ''Rossbach'' boats were able to attack;
torpedoed and sank ''Yorkmar'', and hit which sank with the loss of 157 men. This was the worst naval loss suffered by the
Polish Navy during the war.
During the day the convoys air cover was able to mount several successful attacks;
three U-boats were attacked by aircraft during the day.
was attacked and sunk by a
Liberator
Liberator or The Liberators or ''variation'', may refer to:
Literature
* ''Liberators'' (novel), a 2009 novel by James Wesley Rawles
* ''The Liberators'' (Suvorov book), a 1981 book by Victor Suvorov
* ''The Liberators'' (comic book), a Britis ...
from
No. 86 Squadron RAF;
was damaged by 2 other Liberators, from 86 Sqdn RAF and
No. 120 Squadron RAF; it was later caught on the surface by another Liberator of RAF 86 Sqdn and sunk.
was attacked by a
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
from
423 Sqdn RCAF and sunk.
Two other boats were damaged in air attacks and forced to return to base;
by an unidentified aircraft, and by a Liberator of
No. 120 Squadron RAF.
Following this the attack was discontinued by BdU and ''Rossbach'', now reduced to six boats, was disbanded. SC 143 continued its voyage, and arrived without further loss at
Liverpool
Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
on 12 October 1943.
Conclusion
Undeterred by the poor result of this attack, and the losses suffered by ''Rossbach'', BdU wished to press on with the offensive; the remaining ''Rossbach'' boats were reinforced to form a new group code-named
''Schlieffen''.
Tables
Allied ships sunk
Allied warships sunk
Axis submarines destroyed
Notes
References
*
* Arnold Hague : ''The Allied Convoy System 1939–1945'' (2000) ISBN (Canada) 1 55125 033 0 : ISBN (UK) 1 86176 147 3
*
*
*
Stephen Roskill
Captain Stephen Wentworth Roskill, (1 August 1903 – 4 November 1982) was a senior career officer of the Royal Navy, serving during the Second World War and, after his enforced medical retirement, served as the official historian of the Royal ...
: ''The War at Sea 1939–1945 Vol III'' (1960) ISBN (none)
* Jak P M Showell : ''U-Boat Warfare: The Evolution of the Wolf-Pack'' (2002)
External links
SC 143 on convoyweb
{{DEFAULTSORT:Convoy Sc 143
SC143
Naval battles of World War II involving Canada
C