| Convoy HX 112 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofSecond World War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Germany |  United Kingdom Canada | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| AdmiralKarl Dönitz | convoy: escort : CdrDonald Macintyre | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 5 U-boats | 41 ships 6 escorts | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 2 U-boats sunk | 6 ships sunk | ||||||
HX 112 was aNorth Atlanticconvoy of the HX series which ran during thebattle of the Atlantic in theSecond World War. It saw the loss ofU-boats commanded by two of theKriegsmarine's most celebrated commanders and propaganda heroes:U-99 underOtto Kretschmer (POW), andU-100 underJoachim Schepke (KIA).
HX 112 was an east-bound convoy of ships which sailed fromHalifax on 1 March 1941, making forLiverpool with war materials. Many of the ships in HX 112 were tankers carrying fuel oil to Britain.
It was escorted by5th Escort Group which consisted of two destroyers,HMS Walker andHMS Vanoc and two corvettes, and was led by CommanderDonald Macintyre of HMSWalker. 5th Escort Group was reinforced on this occasion by an additional two destroyers, in view of the importance of the cargo, and met the convoy as it entered theWestern Approaches.
On 15 March 1941 HX 112 was sighted byU-110 commanded byFritz-Julius Lemp, who sent in a sighting report and commenced shadowing the convoy. He was joined throughout the day by four other boats;U-99 (Kretschmer)U-100 (Schepke)U-37 (Clausen) andU-74 (Kentrat).
On the night of 15th/16th the attack started;U-110 was able to torpedo a tanker, which burst into flames, but survived to reach port; all other attacks that night were frustrated by the activities of the escorts.
Keeping up with the convoy on the surface during the day, the pack tried again as night fell on the 16th.
U-99 managed to penetrate the convoy from the north, on its port side, and sank three tankers and a freighter and damaged another tanker in under an hour. Remaining with the central column of the convoy she sank another freighter 15 minutes later before making her getaway.
Meanwhile, the escorts, searching for U-boats outside the convoy perimeter, foundU-100 around 1.30am moving in on the surface. She dived, butWalker attacked with a depth charge pattern at close range.U-100 evaded further damage, and surfaced, to be sighted and rammed byVanoc just after 3am; Schepke was killed whenVanoc smashed into his periscope structure andU-100 went down with most of her crew.
As this was happening,U-99 was making her escape; she nearly collided with a destroyer in the dark and dived. Picked up onASDIC byWalker, she was depth-charged and severely damaged. SavingU-99 from being crushed as she sank deeper and deeper, Kretschmer brought her to the surface, where she was fired on by the encircling warships.U-99 was sunk, but Kretschmer and most of his crew were saved, to be taken prisoner.
There were no further attacks on HX.112 and the convoy arrived in Liverpool on 20 March.
A total of 41 merchant vessels joined the convoy, either in Halifax or later in the voyage.[1]
| Name | Flag | Tonnage(GRT) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ahamo (1926) |  United Kingdom | 8,621 | |
| Auris (1935) | United Kingdom | 8,030 | |
| Beduin (1936) |  Norway | 8,136 | Torpedoed byU-99, Wreck sunk by convoy escort |
| Bic Island (1917) | United Kingdom | 4,000 | |
| Black Condor (1921) | United Kingdom | 5,358 | |
| Bonde (1936) | Norway | 1,570 | Returned |
| British Commodore (1923) | United Kingdom | 6,865 | Arrived after collision off Liverpool 20 Mar |
| British Sincerity (1939) | United Kingdom | 8,538 | Joined Ex BHX 112 |
| Chaucer (1929) | United Kingdom | 5,792 | |
| Cistula (1939) |  Netherlands | 8,097 | Joined Ex BHX 112, Straggled 10 Mar 41 |
| City Of Oxford (1926) | United Kingdom | 2,759 | |
| Dalcross (1930) | United Kingdom | 4,557 | |
| Diloma (1939) | United Kingdom | 8,146 | Joined Ex BHX 112 |
| Elona (1936) | United Kingdom | 6,192 | Joined Ex BHX 112 |
| Erodona (1937) | United Kingdom | 6,207 | Torpedoed byU-110 |
| Everleigh (1930) | United Kingdom | 5,222 | |
| Ferm (1933) | Norway | 6,593 | Torpedoed byU-99 16 Mar. Wreck sank 21 Mar |
| Franche-Comté (1936) | United Kingdom | 9,314 | Damaged byU-99 16 Mar; Storing Hulk |
| Gloucester City (1919) | United Kingdom | 3,071 | Straggled 10 Mar 41 |
| Ixion (1912) | United Kingdom | 10,263 | Joined Ex BHX 112, Straggled 10 Mar |
| J B White (1919) |  Canada | 7,375 | Sunk byU-99 |
| Katendrecht (1925) | Netherlands | 5,099 | Joined Ex BHX 112 |
| Korshamn (1920) |  Sweden | 6,673 | Sunk byU-99 16 Mar |
| Lancaster Castle (1937) | United Kingdom | 5,172 | |
| Lima (1918) | Sweden | 3,762 | |
| Margarita Chandris (1920) |  Greece | 5,401 | Straggled 10 Mar |
| Mosli (1935) | Norway | 8,291 | |
| Mount Kassion (1918) | Greece | 7,914 | |
| Norefjord (1920) | Norway | 3,082 | |
| Ocana (1938) | Netherlands | 6,256 | Joined Ex BHX 112 |
| Oilreliance (1929) | United Kingdom | 5,666 | Joined Ex BHX 112 |
| Reynolds (1927) | United Kingdom | 5,113 | |
| Robert F Hand (1933) | United Kingdom | 12,197 | Joined Ex BHX 112, Straggled 10 Mar |
| San Cipriano (1937) | United Kingdom | 7,966 | Joined Ex BHX 112 |
| Silvercedar (1924) | United Kingdom | 4,354 | Later torpedoed and lost inConvoy SC 48 on 15 Oct 1941 |
| Stad Haarlem (1929) | Netherlands | 4,518 | |
| Tortuguero (1921) | United Kingdom | 5,285 | |
| Traveller (1922) | United Kingdom | 3,963 | Joined Ex BHX 112. Straggled 10 Mar |
| Trekieve (1919) | United Kingdom | 5,244 | |
| Venetia (1927) | United Kingdom | 5,728 | Sunk byU-99 16 Mar |
| Westland (1931) | Netherlands | 5,888 | Straggled 10 Mar, Returned New York City |
| Winamac (1926) | United Kingdom | 8,621 | Joined Ex BHX 112. Straggled 10 Mar |
A series of armed military ships escorted the convoy at various times during its journey.[1]
| Name | Flag | Type | Joined | Left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMCS Bittersweet | Royal Canadian Navy | Flower-classcorvette | 10 Mar 1941 | 10 Mar 1941 |
| HMS Bluebell | Royal Navy | Flower-classcorvette | 15 Mar 1941 | 18 Mar 1941 |
| HMCS Fennel | Royal Canadian Navy | Flower-classcorvette | 10 Mar 1941 | 10 Mar 1941 |
| HMS Norfolk | Royal Navy | County-classheavy cruiser | 05 Mar 1941 | 14 Mar 1941 |
| Ranpura | Royal Navy | Armed merchant cruiser | 10 Mar 1941 | 14 Mar 1941 |
| HMS Sardonyx | Royal Navy | Admiralty S-class destroyer | 15 Mar 1941 | 19 Mar 1941 |
| HMSScimitar | Royal Navy | Admiralty S-class destroyer | 15 Mar 1941 | 19 Mar 1941 |
| HMSSyringa | Royal Navy | Minesweeper | 15 Mar 1941 | 18 Mar 1941 |
| HMS Vanoc | Royal Navy | V-class destroyer | 15 Mar 1941 | 20 Mar 1941 |
| HMS Viceroy | Royal Navy | W-class destroyer | 15 Mar 1941 | 15 Mar 1941 |
| HMS Volunteer | Royal Navy | Modified W-class destroyer | 16 Mar 1941 | 20 Mar 1941 |
| HMS Walker | Royal Navy | W-class destroyer | 15 Mar 1941 | 19 Mar 1941 |
HX.112 had lost six ships totalling 50,000 tons. However, the loss of two of the Kriegsmarine's successful U-boat commanders and propaganda heroes was a severe blow to the Kriegsmarine offensive. The defence of HX.112, coupled with the successful defence ofConvoy OB 293 and the loss of U-boat commanderGünther Prien along with his subU-47 the previous week, marked a minor turning point in the Atlantic campaign.