Convoy HX 229

The convoy HX 229 was an Allied convoy of the HX convoy series for supplying Great Britain during World War II . He left New York on March 8, 1943 and arrived in Liverpool on March 23 . The Allies lost 13 cargo ships with 93,502 GRT to German submarines, while one submarine was lost on the German side. This made the HX 229 the most lossy HX convoy.

Composition and securing

The convoy HX 229 was composed of 40 cargo ships. On March 8, 1943, he left New York ( Lage ) for Liverpool ( Lage ). Commodore of the convoy was Captain MJD Mayal who had embarked on the Abraham Lincoln . By March 14, a local US-Canadian escort with the US destroyer Kendrick , the Canadian destroyer Chelsea and the Canadian corvettes Oakville and Fredericton took over the security. On March 12, the Canadian destroyer Annapolis joined them, replacing the Chelsea . After the convoy had reached the area of the mid-ocean escort force, the escort group B4 (Lt. Cdr. Luther) took over the sole security. This was composed of the British destroyers Volunteer , Mansfield , Beverly and Witherington and the British corvettes Anemone and Pennywort . After the convoy was attacked for the first time on the night of March 17, further security ships were added. These were withdrawn from other convoy trains or ran from the US east coast at maximum speed to the convoy. So on March 18th the British destroyer Highlander and on the 19th the US Coastguard Cutter Ingham , the US destroyer Babbitt and the British destroyer Vimy joined them. From March 21 to 23, a local British escort took over the security as far as Liverpool. 40.66 -74.0353.44 -3.04

Surname	flag	Measurement in GRT	Whereabouts
Abraham Lincoln	Norway Norway	5,740
Antar	United Kingdom United Kingdom	5,222
Belgian Gulf	Panama Panama	8,237
Canadian Star	United Kingdom United Kingdom	8,293	sunk by U 221 on March 18 ( Lage ) 53.4 -28.566667
Cape Breton	United Kingdom United Kingdom	6,044
City Of Agra	United Kingdom United Kingdom	6.361
Clan Matheson	United Kingdom United Kingdom	5,613
Coracero	United Kingdom United Kingdom	7,252	sunk by U 384 on March 17th ( Lage ) 51.066667 -33.333333
Daniel Webster	United States United States	7.176
El Mundo	Panama Panama	6,035
Elin K	Norway Norway	5,214	sunk by U 603 on March 16 ( Lage ) 50.633333 -34.766667
Empire Cavalier	United Kingdom United Kingdom	9,891
Empire Knight	United Kingdom United Kingdom	7,244
Fort Anne	United Kingdom United Kingdom	7.134
Gulfdisc	United States United States	7.141
Harry Luckenbach	United States United States	6,366	sunk by U 91 on March 17th ( Lage ) 50.633333 -34.766666
Hugh Williamson	United States United States	7.177
Irénée Du Pont	United States United States	6.125	sunk by U 91 on March 17th ( Lage ) 50.633332 -34.766667
James Oglethorpe	United States United States	7.176	sunk by U 91 on March 17th ( Lage ) 50.633333 -34.766668
Jean	United States United States	4,902
Kaipara	United Kingdom United Kingdom	5,882
Kofresi	United States United States	4,934
Luculus	United Kingdom United Kingdom	6,546
Magdala	Netherlands Netherlands	8,248
Margaret Lykes	United States United States	3,537
Mathew Luckenbach	United States United States	5,848	sunk by U 523 on March 19 ( Lage ) 54.383333 -23.566667
Nariva	United Kingdom United Kingdom	8,714	sunk by U 91 on March 17th ( Lage ) 50.566667 -35.033333
Nebraska	United Kingdom United Kingdom	8,261
Nicania	United Kingdom United Kingdom	8,179
Pan Rhode Island	United Kingdom United Kingdom	7,742
Regent panther	United Kingdom United Kingdom	9,556
Robert Howe	United States United States	7.177
San Veronico	United Kingdom United Kingdom	8,189
Southern Princess	United Kingdom United Kingdom	12,156	sunk by U 600 on March 17th ( Lage ) 50.6 -34.5
Stephen C Foster	United States United States	7,196	vice versa
Tekoa	United Kingdom United Kingdom	8,695
Terkoelei	Netherlands Netherlands	5,158	sunk by U 631 on March 17th ( Lage ) 51.75 -31.25
Walter Q Gresham	United States United States	7.191	sunk by U 221 on March 18 ( Lage ) 53.583333 -28.083333
William Eustis	United States United States	7,196	sunk by U 435 on March 17th ( Lage ) 50.166667 -35.033333
Zaanland	Netherlands Netherlands	6,813	sunk by U 758 on March 17th ( Lage ) 50.6333331 -34.7666671

course

On March 15, 1943, U 91 located the convoy with its hydrophone . Thereupon the BdU put the submarines U 84 , U 664 and U 758 of the Raubgraf group on the presumed route of the convoy. In the meantime, however, the U 653 on the march back sighted the convoy, reported its position and sent bearing signals. The submarine command then instructed the other Raubgraf boats U 89 , U 435 , U 468 , U 600 , U 603 , U 615 , U 621 , U 635 , U 638 and U 653 to steer for the direction indicators. Two other submarines from the Stürmer group ( U 631 and U 384 ) and the U 288 , which is on its home course , also reached the convoy. On the night of March 16-17, several boats were attacked. In the process, U 603 sank the freighter Elin K, which was loaded with wheat, manganese and mail and whose entire crew could be rescued. Subsequently, U 758 sank the freighter Zaanland with a load of wheat and zinc without any losses among the crew and U 600 sank the whaling mother ship Southern Princess which had loaded fuel and oil and lost 6 of its 199 men strong. Then U 91 was able to sink the freighter Harry Luckenbach with the loss of the entire 80-person crew, James Oglethorpe with 44 dead and 30 rescued and Nariva without crew losses. U 384 also destroyed the freighter Coracero , killing 5 seamen and U 631 destroyed the freighter Terkoelei with a cargo of wheat and zinc, which took 36 of 97 men to the bottom. U 91 damaged the William Eustis, which had loaded sugar, and the Irenee Du Pont with an oil load, which were sunk a little later by U 435 and U 600 . In total, the submarines sank ten ships with 72,170 GRT that night.

The Allied security ships could do little against the submarines because they were busy rescuing the crews of the sunken ships. Only U 758 reported damage from depth charges. On the morning of March 17, Allied long-haul aircraft stationed in Iceland appeared above the convoy. They sighted many submarines and attacked them. As a result, they had to submerge, which made it difficult to track the convoy. Nevertheless, on March 18, U 221 sank the Walter Q Gresham had loaded the groceries and on the 28 crew members lost their lives and the Canadian Star with the loss of 34 crew members. U 523 sent Mathew Luckenbach , who had already been damaged by U 527 on March 19, to the bottom without any loss of life. After that, in the meantime more security ships had approached and up to 16 aircraft ( B-24 , B-17 , Sunderland ) secured in the air , the submarines were no longer able to sink. A B 17 sank U 384 in the late afternoon of March 19, losing its entire crew. On the morning of March 21st, security ships U 631 , the last submarine still in contact , pushed away. On March 23, the convoy arrived in Liverpool with the loss of 13 ships with 93,502 GRT.

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b Jürgen Rohwer , Gerhard Hümmelchen : Chronik des Maritime War 1939–1945, March 1943 , accessed on May 4, 2014.
^ Arnold Hague Convoy Database , accessed May 4, 2014.
^ Martin Middlebrook: Convoy - German submarines chase allied convoys. Moewig Taschenbuchverlag. Rastatt. ISBN 3-8118-4342-7 . Page 159 f.
↑ Clay Blair : The Submarine War . tape 2 : The hunted 1942–1945 . Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-453-16059-2 , p. 324 (English: Hitler's U-boat war. The hunted 1942–1945 . Translated by Helmut Dierlamm).
↑ Clay Blair : The Submarine War . tape 2 : The hunted 1942–1945 . Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-453-16059-2 , p. 326 (English: Hitler's U-boat war. The hunted 1942–1945 . Translated by Helmut Dierlamm).

Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap

[Rohwer-1] Jürgen Rohwer , Gerhard Hümmelchen : Chronik des Maritime War 1939–1945, March 1943 , accessed on May 4, 2014.

[2] Arnold Hague Convoy Database , accessed May 4, 2014.

[3] Martin Middlebrook: Convoy - German submarines chase allied convoys. Moewig Taschenbuchverlag. Rastatt. ISBN 3-8118-4342-7 . Page 159 f.

[4] Clay Blair : The Submarine War . tape 2 : The hunted 1942–1945 . Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-453-16059-2 , p. 324 (English: Hitler's U-boat war. The hunted 1942–1945 . Translated by Helmut Dierlamm).

[5] Clay Blair : The Submarine War . tape 2 : The hunted 1942–1945 . Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-453-16059-2 , p. 326 (English: Hitler's U-boat war. The hunted 1942–1945 . Translated by Helmut Dierlamm).


1939	HX 1 • HXF 1 • HX 2 • HXF 2 • HX 3 • HX 3S • HX 4 • HX 5 • HX 6 • HXF 6 • HX 7 • HXF 7 • HX 8 • HXF 8 • HX 9 • HXF 9 • HX 10 • HXF 10 • HX 11 • HXF 11 • HX 12 • HXF 12 • HX 13 • HXF 13 • HX 14 • HXF 14
1940	HX 15 • HXF 15 • HX 16 • HXF 16 • HX 17 • HXF 17 • HX 18 • HXF 18 • HX 19 • HXF 19 • HX 20 • HXF 20 • HX 21 • HX 22 • HX 23 • HX 24 • HX 25 • HX 26 • HX 27 • HX 28 • HX 29 • HX 30 • HX 31 • HX 32 • HX 33 • HX 34 • HX 35 • HX 36 • HX 37 • HX 38 • HX 39 • HX 40 • HX 41 • HX 42 • HX 43 • HX 44 • HX 45 • HX 46 • HX 47 • HX 48 • HX 49 • HX 50 • HX 51 • HX 52 • HX 53 • HX 54 • HX 55 • HX 56 • HX 57 • HX 58 • HX 59 • HX 60 • HX 61 • HX 62 • HX 63 • HX 64 • HX 65 • HX 66 • HX 67 • HX 68 • HX 69 • HX 70 • HX 71 • HX 72 • HX 73 • HX 74 • HX 75 • HX 76 • HX 77 • HX 78 • HX 79 • HX 80 • HX 81 • HX 82 • HX 83 • HX 84 • HX 85 • HX 85/1 • HX 86 • HX 87 • HX 88 • HX 89 • HX 90 • HX 91 • HX 92 • HX 93 • HX 94 • HX 95 • HX 96 • HX 97 • HX 98 • HX 98/1 • HX 99
1941	HX 100 • HX 101 • HX 102 • HX 103 • HX 104 • HX 105 • HX 106 • HX 107 • HX 108 • HX 109 • HX 110 • HX 111 • HX 112 • HX 113 • HX 114 • HX 115 • HX 116 • HX 117 • HX 118 • HX 119A • HX 119B • HX 120 • HX 121 • HX 122 • HX 123 • HX 124 • HX 125A • HX 125B • HX 126 • HX 127 • HX 128 • HX 129 • HX 130 • HX 131 • HX 132 • HX 133 • HX 134 • HX 135 • HX 136 • HX 137 • HX 138 • HX 139 • HX 140 • HX 141 • HX 142 • HX 143 • HX 144 • HX 145 • HX 146 • HX 147 • HX 148 • HX 149 • HX 150 • HX 151 • HX 152 • HX 153 • HX 154 • HX 155 • HX 156 • HX 157 • HX 158 • HX 159 • HX 160 • HX 161 • HX 162 • HX 163 • HX 164 • HX 165 • HX 166 • HX 167
1942	HX 168 • HX 169 • HX 170 • HX 171 • HX 172 • HX 173 • HX 174 • HX 175 • HX 176 • HX 177 • HX 178 • HX 179 • HX 180 • HX 181 • HX 182 • HX 183 • HX 184 • HX 185 • HX 186 • HX 187 • HX 188 • HX 189 • HX 190 • HX 191 • HX 192 • HX 193 • HX 194 • HX 195 • HX 196 • HX 197 • HX 198 • HX 199 • HX 200 • HX 201 • HX 202 • HX 203 • HX 204 • HX 205 • HX 206 • HX 207 • HX 208 • HX 209 • HX 210 • HX 211 • HX 212 • HX 213 • HX 214 • HX 215 • HX 216 • HX 217 • HX 218 • HX 219 • HX 220 • HX 221
1943	HX 222 • HX 223 • HX 224 • HX 225 • HX 226 • HX 227 • HX 228 • HX 229 • HX 229A ; • HX 230 • HX 231 • HX 232 • HX 233 • HX 234 • HX 235 • HX 236 • HX 237 • HX 238 • HX 239 • HX 240 • HX 241 • HX 242 • HX 243 • HX 244 • HX 245 • HX 246 • HX 247 • HX 248 • HX 249 • HX 250 • HX 251 • HX 252 • HX 253 • HX 254 • HX 255 • HX 256 • HX 257 • HX 258 • HX 259 • HX 260 • HX 261 • HX 262 • HX 263 • HX 264 • HX 265 • HX 266 • HX 267 • HX 268 • HX 269 • HX 270 • HX 271 • HX 272 • HX 273
1944	HX 274 • HX 275 • HX 276 • HX 277 • HX 278 • HX 279 • HX 280 • HX 281 • HX 282 • HX 283 • HX 284 • HX 285 • HX 286 • HX 287 • HX 288 • HX 289 • HX 290 • HX 291 • HX 292 • HX 293 • HX 294 • HX 295 • HX 296 • HX 297 • HX 298 • HX 299 • HX 300 • HX 301 • HX 302 • HX 303 • HX 304 • HX 305 • HX 306 • HX 307 • HX 308 • HX 309 • HX 310 • HX 311 • HX 312 • HX 313 • HX 314 • HX 315 • HX 316 • HX 317 • HX 318 • HX 319 • HX 320 • HX 321 • HX 322 • HX 323 • HX 324 • HX 325 • HX 326 • HX 327 • HX 328 • HX 329
1945	HX 330 • HX 331 • HX 332 • HX 333 • HX 334 • HX 335 • HX 336 • HX 337 • HX 338 • HX 339 • HX 340 • HX 341 • HX 342 • HX 343 • HX 344 • HX 345 • HX 346 • HX 347 • HX 348 • HX 349 • HX 350 • HX 351 • HX 352 • HX 353 • HX 354 • HX 355 • HX 356 • HX 357 • HX 358 • HX 359