| Conflict: | Convoy SC 94 |
| Partof: | Battle of the Atlantic |
| Date: | 5–10 August 1942 |
| Place: | North Atlantic |
| Result: | German tactical victory |
| Combatant1: |  United Kingdom CanadaPoland |
| Combatant2: | Germany |
| Commander1: | VADM D F Moir LCDR A. Ayer RNR[1] |
| Commander2: | BdU |
| Strength1: | 35 freighters 3 destroyers 6 corvettes |
| Strength2: | 19 submarines |
| Casualties1: | 11 freighters sunk (50,780GRT) 1 destroyer damaged 1 corvette damaged 61 killed/drowned |
| Casualties2: | 2 submarines sunk 46 killed/drowned 42 captured |
Convoy SC 94 was the 94th of the numbered series of World War II Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, to Liverpool.[2] The ships departed Sydney on 31 July 1942[3] and were met by Mid-Ocean Escort Force Group C-1.
As western Atlantic coastal convoys brought an end to the Second Happy Time, Admiral Karl Dönitz, the Befehlshaber der U-Boote (commander in chief of U-boats), shifted focus to the mid-Atlantic to avoid aircraft patrols. Although convoy routing was less predictable in the mid-ocean, Dönitz anticipated that the increased numbers of U-boats being produced would be able to effectively search the area with the advantage of intelligence gained through B-Dienst decryption of British Naval Cypher Number 3.[4] However, only 20 percent of the 180 trans-Atlantic convoys sailing from the end of July 1942 until the end of April 1943 lost ships to U-boat attack.[5]
reported the convoy on 5 August and torpedoed the Dutch freighter Spar.[6]
Assiniboines Type 286 radar spotted in a heavy fog on 6 August. The destroyer closed on the contact and briefly spotted the submarine twice before losing her in the fog. The submarine reappeared crossing the destroyer's bow at a range of, and both ships opened fire. The range was too close for Assiniboines 4.7abbr=onNaNabbr=on guns to engage, but her .50-calibre machine guns shot up the submarine's deck and conning tower. This kept the Germans from manning their 88abbr=onNaNabbr=on deck gun, but the 20abbr=onNaNabbr=on flak gun was already manned and firing. It punched holes through the destroyer's plating that set some petrol tanks on the deck afire and disabled 'A' gun. The destroyer was unable to ram U-210 until the rear 4.7-inch gun hit the conning tower, killing the entire bridge crew and the .50-caliber machine guns were able to silence the flak gun. This caused Lieutenant Sorber, the senior surviving officer, to order the submarine to dive, but this meant that she had to hold a straight course while doing so. Assiniboine was able to take advantage of this and rammed U-210 abaft the conning tower whilst she was diving. This caused the electric motors to fail, damaged her propellers and led to water entering the submarine, as a result of which Sorber ordered the ballast tanks to be blown and the submarine to be abandoned. The destroyer rammed her again when U-210 resurfaced, dropped a pattern of depth charges set to detonate at shallow depth and hit her one more time with a 4.7-inch shell before the submarine finally sank.[7]
torpedoed the British freighter Anneberg and American freighter Kaimoku on the afternoon of 8 August while torpedoed the British freighters Kelso and Trehata and Greek freighter Mount Kassion.[8] Three undamaged ships were abandoned in the resulting panic.[6] One of them, the British freighter Radchurch, was later torpedoed by U-176.[6] The Shakespeare-class destroyer leader and the Polish destroyer arrived to reinforce the escort, while Dianthus left the convoy to repair damage incurred while ramming and sinking U-379.[6]
torpedoed the Greek freighter Condylis in daylight on 10 August while torpedoed the British freighters Cape Race, Empire Reindeer and Oregon.[8] The remainder of the convoy reached Liverpool on 13 August.[2]
A total of 35 merchant vessels joined the convoy, either in Sydney or later in the voyage.[9] [8]
| Name | Flag | Dead | Tonnage (GRT) | Cargo | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aghios Spyridon (1905) |  | 3,338 | Grain | Survived this convoy and convoy SC 104 | ||
| Anneberg (1902) | 0 | 2,537 | 3,200 tons woodpulp | Sunk by 8 Aug | ||
| Bifrost (1923) |  | 4,949 | Flour | |||
| Boston City (1920) | 2,870 | General cargo | Survived this convoy, convoy ON 127, convoy SC 104 & convoy SC 122 | |||
| Brisk (1923) |  | 1,594 | Flour & general cargo | |||
| Cape Race (1930) | 0 | 3,807 | 13 passengers, 3,979 tons lumber & 1,040 tons steel | Sunk by 10 Aug | ||
| Castilian (1919) | 3,067 | General cargo | Veteran of convoy HX 84 | |||
| Condylis (1914) | | 9 | 4,439 | 6,924 tons grain & trucks | Sunk by & 10 Aug | |
| Daleby (1929) | 4,640 | General cargo | ||||
| Drakepool (1924) | 4,838 | (in ballast) | Survived this convoy and convoy SC 122 | |||
| (1919) | 4,945 | General cargo | Survived to be sunk 2 months later in convoy SC 107 | |||
| Empire Moonbeam (1941) | 6,849 | Phosphates | Survived to be sunk the following month in convoy ON 127 | |||
| Empire Reindeer (1919) | 0 | 6,259 | 5,950 tons woodpulp & general cargo | Sunk by 10 Aug | ||
| Empire Scout (1936) | 2,229 | Grain | Ship's master was convoy vice-commodore | |||
| Hagood (1919) |  | 6,866 | Diesel | |||
| Illinoian (1918) | | 6,473 | Mail & general cargo | |||
| Inger Lise (1939) | | 1,582 | Lumber | Survived this convoy and convoy SC 104 | ||
| Ingerfem (1912) | | 3,987 | Iron ore | Survived this convoy and convoy SC 104 | ||
| Kaimoku (1919) | | 4 | 6,367 | US Army stores | Sunk by 8 Aug | |
| Kelso (1924) | 3 | 3,956 | 2,000 tons ammunition & 2,618 tons general cargo | Sunk by 8 Aug | ||
| Mars (1925) |  | 1,582 | Flour | Survived this convoy and convoy SC 104 | ||
| Melmore Head (1918) | 5,273 | General cargo | Veteran of convoy SC 7; survived to be sunk 4 months later in convoy ON 154 | |||
| Mount Kassion (1918) | | 0 | 5,273 | 9,700 tons general cargo | Sunk by 8 Aug | |
| Mount Pelion (1917) | | 5,655 | General cargo | Survived to be sunk 2 months later in convoy SC 107 | ||
| Norelg (1920) | | 6,103 | General cargo | |||
| Oregon (1920) | 11 | 6,008 | 1 passenger & 8,107 tons general cargo | Sunk by & 10 Aug | ||
| Osric (1919) | | 1,418 | Timber | |||
| Panos (1920) | 4,914 | Coal | ||||
| Penolver (1912) | 3,721 | Grain & general cargo | ||||
| Radchurch (1910) | 0 | 3,701 | Iron ore | Abandoned undamaged & sunk by 9 Aug | ||
| Spar (1924) | | 3 | 3,616 | Mail & 4,900 tons general cargo | Sunk by 5 Aug | |
| Trehata (1928) | 31 | 4,817 | 3,000 tons steel & 3,000 tons food | Carried convoy commodore VADM Dashwood Fowler Moir DSO; sunk by 8 Aug | ||
| Tynemouth (1940) | 3,168 | Lumber & steel | Survived this convoy, convoy SL 125 & convoy ON 154 | |||
| Veni (1901) | | 2,982 | Steel & woodpulp | Survived this convoy & convoy ON 154 | ||
| Willemsplein (1910) | | 5,489 | Iron ore | Survived this convoy & convoy ON 127 |
A series of armed military ships escorted the convoy at various times during its journey.[10] [9]
| Name | Flag | Type | Joined | Left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Jul 1942 | 13 Aug 1942 | |||
| 31 Jul 1942 | 13 Aug 1942 | |||
| 8 Aug 1942 | 13 Aug 1942 | |||
| Shakespeare-class destroyer leader | 8 Aug 1942 | 13 Aug 1942 | ||
| 31 Jul 1942 | 13 Aug 1942 | |||
| 31 Jul 1942 | 8 Aug 1942, due to damage from sinking | |||
| 31 Jul 1942 | 13 Aug 1942 | |||
| 31 Jul 1942 | 13 Aug 1942 | |||
| 31 Jul 1942 | 13 Aug 1942 | |||