Mid-Ocean Escort Force group B7, HMS Tay
Escort of Convoy ONS-5
Royal Navy
May 1943
This battle has definitely marked the decline of U-boat supremacy in the Atlantic. The tide has been turned, and Doenitz will have a hard time recovering from the results of this confrontation! The convoy suffered the loss of twelve merchant ships out of forty-three. However, its escorts have managed to destroy six U-boats, and inflict severe damage on seven more U-boats. If we can repeat the successes of this battle, Doenitz will be forced to admit defeat by May!
But boasting does no good on its own, so I shall describe my actions in the battle.
Commander Gretton was commanding the HMS Duncan, but was forced to withdraw. The weather conditions were poor at that point in time - ONS-5 was travelling slowly, and the escort fleet was scattered. The difficulty of refueling in such poor weather also led Commander Gretton to take the HMS Duncan to refuel at St John's. Prior to that, Gretton had successfully driven off five U-boat attacks, and succeeded in damaging two U-boats, forcing them to return to base. I took over command of the escort fleet from Commander Gretton on the 3rd of May.
After I assumed command, the weather began to improve, and the convoy was able to pick up speed. Doenitz had called off his earlier attacks on ONS-5 due to poor weather conditions, instead choosing to focus on interception of the SC128 convoy. However, failure to detect SC128 caused him to turn his attentions to us, mobilising forty U-boats against ONS-5. Doenitz launched his attack on May 4th, but the corvette Pink was able to sink a U-boat and round up the stragglers in the convoy.
The assaults continued into the night of May 5th. By that time, the crews of the escorts were worn out from the dreadful weather and their lack of sleep, but they still managed to mount an assault against the U-boats. We succeeded in sinking four U-boats and damaging a few others. While the U-boats attempted to assault the convoy twenty-six times, every attempt failed. Doenitz was forced to break off the battle shortly after the reinforcements sent by Admiral Horton arrived on May 6th - HMS Pelican, the cutter Sennen, and the frigates Spey, Wear, and Jed.
Our victory in this battle was due to the hard work of the crews and Admiral Horton's incredible ability to strategise, but also due to our superior technology. The failure of the U-boats' twenty-six attempts can be credited to our radar. Vidette was able to detect and drive off three attackers due to its radar. After detecting the enemy with radar, our ships were able to use anti-submarine weapons against them. Depth charges enabled Snowflake to blow a U-boat to the surface. When the U-boat attempted to escape after being forced to surface, Vidette used the Hedgehog against the U-boat. The Hedgehog's small mortar bombs exploded promptly on contact, sending the U-boat to the bottom of the ocean.
Air support from our allies also aided the battle. The US Army sweeping the area and the Canadian air cover on May 4th helped to delay the U-boats from making initial contact with the convoy, and the depth charges from the Canadians succeeded in sinking U-630.
This battle has thoroughly dispelled the mystique of the Wolf Pack - this great success will be a turning point. The U-boats are no longer undefeatable. With our superior crews, technology, and intelligence, as well as the cooperation of the Americans and Canadians, we will be able to force Doenitz to turn tail and admit defeat in the Atlantic!
