| Convoy OG.71 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofWorld War II | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
.svg) Germany |  Royal Norwegian Navy | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| AdmiralKarl Dönitz | Vice-Admiral P E Parker DSO | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 8U-boats | 23 merchant ships 13 escorts | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 10 ships sunk (8 merchants, 2 escorts) 360 killed | |||||||
Convoy OG 71 was a tradeconvoy of merchant ships during thesecond World War. It was the 71st of the numberedOG convoysOutbound from theBritish Isles toGibraltar. The convoy departedLiverpool on 13 August 1941[1] and was found on 17 August by aFocke-Wulf Fw 200Condor ofKampfgeschwader 40. Starting on August 19, it became the first convoy of the war to be attacked by a German submarinewolfpack, when reached by eightU-boats from1st U-boat Flotilla, operating out ofBrest. Ten ships comprising a total tonnage of 15,185 tons were sunk before the U-boats lost contact on 23 August.[2]
This convoy was known as "Nightmare Convoy".[3] Eight merchant ships,[2] two naval escorts and over 400 people died, including 152 from thecommodore's ship,Aguila (146 on August 19 and 6 survivors lost on August 22 whenEmpire Oak sank). TheAguila losses included the 22"lost Wrens" (members of theWomen's Royal Naval Service, or WRNS) who had volunteered for duties atGibraltar. After this, Wrens were never sent again onpassenger liners in convoys, but transported onHM ships.[4] In their honour, a newBlack Swan-classsloop, launched in 1942, was namedHMS Wren, while aLiverpool-classlifeboat, launched in 1951, was namedAguila Wren.[5]
Of the convoy's surviving merchant ships, five reached Gibraltar while 10 retreated to neutral Portugal.[6][7] This was described as the most"bitter act of surrender could ever come our way".[8]
The two ships fromneutral Ireland were carrying British coal—after this incident, the Irish ship owners decided not to sail their vessels in British convoys and by the early months of 1942 the practice had ceased.[9]
A total of 23 merchant vessels joined the convoy in Liverpool.[10]
| Name | Flag | Tonnage(GRT) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aguila (1916) |  UK | 3,255 | Passenger ship sunk byU-201[11] on 19 Aug, with 146 dead (another 6 survivors died whenEmpire Oak was lost 3 days later) Convoy Commodore's ship (Vice-Admiral P E Parker DSO) |
| Aighai (1896) |  Greece | 1,406 | Retreated toPorto |
| Aldergrove (1918) | UK | 1,974 | Sunk byU-201[12] on 23 Aug, with 1 dead |
| Alva (1934) | UK | 1,584 | Sunk byU-559[13] on 19 Aug |
| Cervantes (1919) | UK | 1,810 | Retreated to Lisbon. |
| Ciscar (1919) | UK | 1,808 | Sunk byU-201[14] on 19 Aug |
| Clonlara (1926) |  Ireland | 1,203 | Retreated towardsLisbon. Sunk byU-201[15] on 22 Aug, with 19 dead |
| Copeland (1923) | UK | 1,526 | Rescue Ship |
| Ebro (1920) |  Denmark | 1,547 | ReachedGibraltar. |
| Empire Oak (1941) | UK | 484 | Sunk byU-564[16] on 22 Aug, with 19 dead (including 6 of 6 originally rescued fromAguila and 9 of 11 rescued fromAlva) |
| Empire Stream (1941) | UK | 2,911 | Retreated to Lisbon. Vice-Commodore's Ship |
| Grelhead (1915) | UK | 4,274 | Retreated to Lisbon |
| Lanarhone (1928) | Ireland | 1,221 | Arrived in Lisbon, her intended destination. |
| Lapwing (1920) | UK | 1,348 | Reached Gibraltar. |
| Lyminge (1919) | UK | 2,499 | Retreated to Lisbon. |
| Marklyn (1918) | UK | 3,090 | Reached Gibraltar. |
| Meta (1930) | UK | 1,575 | Retreated to Lisbon. |
| Petrel (1920) | UK | 1,354 | Retreated toPorto |
| Spero (1922) | UK | 1,589 | Reached Gibraltar. |
| Spind (1917) |  Norway | 2,197 | Torpedoed and damaged byU-564 & finally sunk byU-552[17] on 23 Aug, with no deaths |
| Starling (1930) | UK | 1,320 | Reached Gibraltar. |
| Stork (1937) | UK | 787 | Sunk byU-201[18] on 23 Aug, with 19 dead |
| Switzerland (1922) | UK | 1,291 | Retreated to Lisbon. |
A series of armed military ships escorted the convoy at various times during its journey.[10]
| Name | Flag | Type | Joined | Left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HNoMS Bath (I17) | Royal Norwegian Navy | Wickes-classdestroyer | 13 Aug 1941 | Sunk byU-204[19] on 19 Aug 1941, 88 Dead |
| HMS Bluebell (K80) |  Royal Navy | Flower-classcorvette | 15 Aug 1941 | 23 Aug 1941 |
| HMS Boreas (H77) | Royal Navy | B-classdestroyer | 22 Aug 1941 | 23 Aug 1941 |
| HMSCampanula (K18) | Royal Navy | Flower-classcorvette | 15 Aug 1941 | 23 Aug 1941 |
| HMSCampion (K108) | Royal Navy | Flower-classcorvette | 15 Aug 1941 | 23 Aug 1941 |
| HMS Gurkha (G63) | Royal Navy | L-class destroyer | 20 Aug 1941 | 23 Aug 1941 |
| HMSHydrangea (K39) | Royal Navy | Flower-classcorvette | 15 Aug 1941 | 23 Aug 1941 |
| HMS Lance (G87) | Royal Navy | L-class destroyer | 20 Aug 1941 | 23 Aug 1941 |
| HMS Leith (U36) | Royal Navy | Grimsby-classsloop | 13 Aug 1941 | 23 Aug 1941 |
| HMS Vidette (D48) | Royal Navy | Admiralty V-classdestroyer | 21 Aug 1941 | 23 Aug 1941 |
| HMSWallflower (K44) | Royal Navy | Flower-classcorvette | 15 Aug 1941 | 23 Aug 1941 |
| HMS Wivern (D66) | Royal Navy | Modified W-classdestroyer | 22 Aug 1941 | 23 Aug 1941 |
| HMS Zinnia (K98) | Royal Navy | Flower-classcorvette | 13 Aug 1941 | Sunk byU-564[20] on 23 Aug 1941, 68 Dead |
