Convoy SC 100

Convoy SC.100
Part of World War II
Date 12–28 September 1942 Location North Atlantic
Belligerents
Germany	United Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Admiral Karl Dönitz
Strength
17 U-boats	26 merchant ships 21 escorts
Casualties and losses
	5 ships sunk

Convoy SC-100 was the 100th of the numbered series of World War II Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Liverpool. The convoy departed Halifax on 12 September 1942 and was joined on 16 September^[1] by Mid-Ocean Escort Force Group A-3. The convoy had been scattered by an equinoctial storm when U-boats found it on 18 September. The ships of Group A-3 were not fast enough to catch surfaced U-boats;^[2] and the U-boats sank five scattered ships before losing contact on 25 September.^[3] Surviving ships reached Liverpool on 28 September.^[4]

Escorts

The convoy was ecorted by the following allied warships:-

• 13 Corvettes

• HMCS Bittersweet, HMCS Kenogami, HMCS Louisburg, HMCS Lunenburg, HMCS Matapedia, HMCS Mayflower, HMCS Moose Jaw, HMS Nasturtium, HMCS Prescott, HMCS Rosthern, HMCS Trillium, HMCS Weyburn, HMCS Woodstock

• 2 Destroyers

• ORP Blyskawica, HMCS Niagara

• 1 Sloop

• HMS Deptford

• 1 ASW Trawler

• HMS Kingston Beryl

• 1 Frigate

• HMS Rother

• 1 LST

• HMS Narvik

• 2 Treasury-class cutter

• USCGC Campbell, USCGC Spencer

U-Boats

The convoy was attacked by both Wolfpack Lohs comprising 9 u-boats, and 8 u-boats from Wolfpack Pfeil, namely

Wolf pack Lohs

• U-135 – Kapitänleutnant Friedrich-Hermann Praetorius^[5]
• U-176 – Kapitänleutnant Reiner Dierksen^[6]
• U-259 – Kapitänleutnant Klaus Köpke^[7]
• U-373 – Kapitänleutnant Paul-Karl Loeser^[8]
• U-410 – Kapitänleutnant Kurt Sturm^[9]
• U-432 – Kapitänleutnant Heinz-Otto Schultze^[10]
• U-569 – Kapitänleutnant Hans-Peter Hinsch^[11]
• U-599 – Kapitänleutnant Wolfgang Breithaupt^[12]
• U-755 – Kapitänleutnant Walter Göing^[13]

Wolf pack Pfeil

• U-216 – Kapitänleutnant Karl-Otto Schultz^[14]
• U-221 – Kapitänleutnant Hans-Hartwig Trojer^[15]
• U-258 – Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm von Mässenhausen^[16]
• U-356 – Kapitänleutnant Georg Wallas^[17]
• U-595 – Kapitänleutnant Jürgen Quaet-Faslem^[18]
• U-607 – Kapitänleutnant Ernst Mengersen^[19]
• U-615 – Kapitänleutnant Ralph Kapitzky^[20]
• U-617 – Kapitänleutnant Albrecht Brandi^[21]

Ships in the Convoy^[1]

Name	Flag	Tonnage (GRT)	Notes
Ary Lensen (1930)	United Kingdom	3,214	Sugar
Athelsultan (1929)	United Kingdom	8,882	Sunk by U-617[22] on 23 Sep SE of Cape Farewell, Greenland. 51 dead, including Capt N H Gale DSO Rd RNR (Commodore). Survivors picked up by HMCS Weyburn (K173) and HMS Nasturtium (K107) and landed at Londonderry Port.
Atland (1910)	Sweden	5,203	Iron ore ex-Wabana
Atlantic (1939)	United Kingdom	5,414	Steel, lumber
Belgian Fisherman (1918)	Belgium	4,714	General cargo
HMCS Bittersweet (K182)	Royal Canadian Navy		Escort 16 Sep – 28 Sep. Corvette
ORP Blyskawica	Polish Navy		Escort 26 Sep – 26 Sep. Destroyer
Boris (1917)	Greece	5,166	Iron ore ex-Wabana
HMS Deptford	Royal Navy		Escort 25 Sep – 25 Sep. Sloop
Dux (1934)	Norway	1,590	Lumber
Empire Guinevere (1942)	United Kingdom	7,072	Steel and tobacco
Empire Hartebeeste (1918)	United Kingdom	5,676	Sunk by U-596[23] on 20 Sep SE of Cape Farewell, Greenland. No dead
Empire Opal (1941)	United Kingdom	9,811	Tanker. Benzene, Paraffin
Empire Razorbill (1920)	United Kingdom	5,118	Steel, Tobacco
Empire Soldier (1928)	United Kingdom	4,539	General cargo
Empire Stour (1930)	United Kingdom	4,696	General cargo
Esturia (1914)	United Kingdom	6,968	Fuel oil
Greylock (1921)	United States	7,460	General cargo
Gunvor Maersk (1931)	United Kingdom	1,977	Lumber ex-Sydney
Innesmoor (1928)	United Kingdom	4,392	General cargo
HMCS Kenogami (K125)	Royal Canadian Navy		Escort 12 Sep – 16 Sep. Corvette
HMS Kingston Beryl	Royal Navy		Escort 27 Sep – 27 Sep. ASW Trawler
HMCS Louisburg (K143)	Royal Canadian Navy		Escort 21 Sep – 26 Sep. Corvette
HMCS Lunenburg (K151)	Royal Canadian Navy		Escort 16 Sep – 27 Sep. Corvette
HMCS Matapedia (K112)	Royal Canadian Navy		Escort 12 Sep – 16 Sep. Corvette
HMCS Mayflower (K191)	Royal Canadian Navy		Escort 16 Sep – 28 Sep. Corvette
HMCS Moose Jaw (K164)	Royal Canadian Navy		Escort 12 Sep – 16 Sep. Corvette
Mount Evans (1919)	Panama	5,598	General cargo
HMS Narvik	Royal Navy		Escort 27 Sep – 28 Sep. LST
HMS Nasturtium (K107)	Royal Navy		Escort 16 Sep – 27 Sep. Corvette
HMCS Niagara (I57)	Royal Canadian Navy		Escort 12 Sep – 16 Sep. Destroyer
Norhauk (1919)	Norway	6,086	General cargo. Rescued crew from Empire Hartebeeste
Panama (1915)	United Kingdom	6,650	Sugar
Pennmar (1920)	United States	5,868	General cargo. Straggled and was sunk by U-432[24] on 24 Sep. 2 dead. Survivors picked up by USCGC Bibb (WPG-31)
HMCS Prescott (K161)	Royal Canadian Navy		Escort 21 Sep – 26 Sep. Corvette
Rio Verde (1924)	Norway	3,223	General cargo
HMCS Rosthern (K169)	Royal Canadian Navy		Escort 16 Sep – 27 Sep. Corvette
HMS Rother (K224)	Royal Navy		Escort 25 Sep – 25 Sep. Frigate
Roumanie (1906)	Belgium	3,658	General cargo. Straggled and was sunk by U-617[25] on 24 Sep. 42 of 43 crew died. The only survivor was picked up by U-617 as a PoW and landed at St Nazaire.
Spurt (1918)	Norway	2,061	Lumber. Returned
Tennessee (1921)	United Kingdom	2,342	Grain ex-Sydney. Straggled and sunk by U-617[26] on 23 Sep SE of Cape Farewell, Greenland. 15 dead. Survivors picked up by HMS Nasturtium (K107) and USCGC Ingham (WPG35)
Tore Jarl (1920)	Norway	1,514	Lumber
HMCS Trillium (K172)	Royal Canadian Navy		Escort 15 Sep – 28 Sep. Corvette
USCGC Campbell (WPG-32)	United States Coast Guard		Escort 16 Sep. Treasury-class combat cutter
USCGC Spencer (WPG-36)	United States Coast Guard		Escort 16 Sep. Treasury-class combat cutter
HMCS Weyburn (K173)	Royal Canadian Navy		Escort 16 Sep – 27 Sep. Corvette
HMCS Woodstock (K238)	Royal Canadian Navy		Escort 21 Sep – 26 Sep. Corvette

References

1. "Convoy SC.100". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
2. Willoughby, p.198
3. Rohwer & Hummelchen, pp.144&162
4. Hague 2000, pp. 133–135.
5. "Friedrich-Hermann Praetorius". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
6. "Reiner Dierksen". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
7. "Klaus Köpke". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
8. "Paul-Karl Loeser". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
9. "Kurt Sturm". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
10. "Heinz-Otto Schultze". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
11. "Hans-Peter Hinsch". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
12. "Wolfgang Breithaupt". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
13. "Walter Göing". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
14. "Karl-Otto Schultz". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
15. "Hans-Hartwig Trojer". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
16. "Wilhelm von Mässenhausen". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
17. "Georg Wallas". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
18. "Jürgen Quaet-Faslem". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
19. "Ernst Mengersen". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
20. "Ralph Kapitzky". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
21. "Albrecht Brandi". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
22. "Athelsultan – British motor tanker". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
23. "Empire Hartebeeste – British steam merchant". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
24. "Pennmar – American steam merchant". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
25. "Roumanie – Belgian steam merchant". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
26. "Tennessee – British steam merchant". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 12 November 2013.

Bibliography

• Hague, Arnold (2000). The Allied Convoy System 1939–1945. ISBN 1-86176-147-3.
• Rohwer, J. and Hummelchen, G. (1992). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-105-X.
• Willoughby, Malcolm F. The U.S. Coast Guard in World War II (1957) United States Naval Institute

External links

• SC.100 at convoyweb