Convoy battles

HX-72

Homeward from Halifax (North Atlantic)

20 Sep 1940 - 22 Sep 1940

The Convoy41 ships
First sightingOn 20 Sep 1940 by U-47
EscortsFrom 21st September Escort Group (Cdr. Knapp) with:
Sloop Lowestoft
Destroyer Shikari
Corvettes La Malouine, Calenduala, Heartsease

From 22nd September the destroyer Scimitar and Skate


U-boats

U-29, U-32*, U-43, U-46, U-47*, U-48*, U-65, U-99*, U-100*

* U-boats that fired torpedo or used the deck gun


The battle

After sighting the convoy by U-47 the BdU tried to bring additional boats to the convoy, but not all ordered boats managed to reach it. U-47 had been for the last days serving as a weather boat and had only one torpedo on board. U-99 under Kptlt. Kretschmer reached the convoy as the first boat and sank 3 ships in the night of 20/21 Sept. On the morning of 21 Sept U-48 under Kptlt. Bleichrodt sank the Blairangus. The next evening U-100 under Kptlt. Schepke reached the convoy and sank during the night 7 ships for a total of 50,340 tons. A masterpiece in view of such a strong escort!

Article compiled by Tom Linclau

Ships hit from convoy HX-72


Date U-boat Commander Name of ship Tons Nat.Map
21 Sep 1940U-99Otto Kretschmer Invershannon9,154brA
21 Sep 1940U-99Otto Kretschmer Baron Blythswood3,668brB
21 Sep 1940U-47Günther Prien Elmbank (d.)5,156brC
21 Sep 1940U-48Heinrich Bleichrodt Blairangus4,409brD
21 Sep 1940U-99Otto Kretschmer Elmbank5,156brE
21 Sep 1940U-100Joachim Schepke Canonesa8,286brF
21 Sep 1940U-100Joachim Schepke Torinia10,364brG
21 Sep 1940U-100Joachim Schepke Dalcairn4,608brH
21 Sep 1940U-48Heinrich Bleichrodt Broompark (d.)5,136brI
22 Sep 1940U-100Joachim Schepke Empire Airman6,586brJ
22 Sep 1940U-100Joachim Schepke Scholar3,940brK
22 Sep 1940U-100Joachim Schepke Frederick S. Fales10,525brL
22 Sep 1940U-100Joachim Schepke Simla6,031nwM
22 Sep 1940U-32Hans Jenisch Collegian (d.)7,886brN
 90,905

11 ships sunk (72,727 tons) and 3 ships damaged (18,178 tons).

Legend
We have a picture of this vessel.
(d.) means the ship was damaged.


77 convoys on route HX were hit by U-boats in the war. Read more about them.


Media links


HX72 First Convoy to Die

O\'Brien, David

Return to convoy information - convoy battles page.



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