The longest convoy of ships ever assembled during wartime was the Convoy HX 300, which began sailing from North America in 1944. It consisted of 166 merchant ships and was escorted by 32 warships, with the entire formation spanning about 9 miles wide and 4 miles long.
The vessels arranged in 19 parallel columns were a testament to the Allied efforts in the Battle of the Atlantic during World War II. Ships of the convoy did not depart from one port, but rather from several ports in North America, including New York, Halifax Harbour, Sydney and St. John’s.
The ships were vital for shipping cargo from North America to the British Isles. By 1944, after several years of intense U-boat warfare, Allied anti-submarine tactics had improved, allowing such formations to cross the Atlantic safely.
HX 300’s passage without any loss showed the effectiveness of the defence strategies and the volume of cargo being moved to support the war machines of the allied forces.
The cargo ranged from food, fuel, to war material and supported the civilian population and the ongoing military operations in Europe. The ships also carried motor vehicles, lumber, steel, grain, sugar, phosphates, U.S Navy aircraft parts, etc.
This convoy, which sailed from July 17 to August 3, 1944, was destined for Liverpool and other ports in the U.K.
The merchant ships were protected by 32 warships, and this escort varied throughout the journey.
For instance, the submarine chasers SC 1338 and SC 1340 of the U.S Navy escorted the vessels from New York while naval trawlers HMS Cape Mariato and HMS Southern Spray assumed responsibility for western approaches.
The Western Local Escort Force minesweepers, Portage, Winnipeg and corvettes; Chicoutimi, Kamsack, The Pas, Arvida, Pictou, Lethbridge, Rosthern provided escort from Canadian ports.
Mid-Ocean Escort Force group C5, which included River-class frigates like Dunver and corvettes, Dauphin, Wetaskiwin, New Westminster, Hespeler, Algoma, and Long Branch, took over for the transatlantic part of the voyage.
An astonishing aspect was the convoy’s arrival at U.K ports by August 3, 1944, without a single ship lost or attacked by U-boats, something which was common in the early years of the Battle of the Atlantic.
Apart from Convoy HX 300, there were other wartime convoys as well, such as the Arctic Convoys, PQ-17 and PQ-18.
Convoy PQ-17 left Hvalfjörður, Iceland, on June 27, 1942, for Arkhangelsk in the Soviet Union to deliver war material to the Soviet Union, which suffered from German invasion.
The convoy included 34 merchant vessels and 1 tanker, though some turned back due to mechanical problems, leaving only 33 ships.
The cargo they carried was estimated to be worth more than 700 million dollars and included 297 aircraft, 594 tanks and more than 4246 trucks and other vehicles.
There were 156,000 tonnes of general cargo, including food, fuel and other military stores, which was enough for 50,000 men.
The convoy had several escort ships, including 6 destroyers, 4 corvettes, 4 armed trawlers, 3 minesweepers and 2 submarines. There were 4 cruisers, namely, HMS London, Norfolk, Wichita, Tuscaloosa and battleships HMS Duke of York and USS Washington, the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious, and 14 destroyers to intercept German surface units like Tirpitz.
However, Germany had naval forces in Norway, including battleship Tirpitz and heavy cruisers Lutzow and Admiral Hipper and other destroyers. On July 4, 1942, the Admiralty got information that Tirpitz and the major German warships had left to intercept the convoy.
Fearing the annihilation of the entire convoy, order was given to scatter, and each ship was to proceed to its destination independently. This decision turned the ships into defenceless targets hunted by German U-boats and Luftwaffe torpedo bombers and dive bombers.
The Tirpitz and other German ships never reached the convoy as they were recalled by Hitler due to his caution with his capital ships and concerns over air cover.
Of the 33 ships, only 11 reached their destinations and 24 sank, leading to the loss of 430 tanks, 210 aircraft, 100,000 tonnes of supplies and 3350 vehicles. 153 merchant seamen lost their lives.
This event was a severe blow to Allied morale and was considered a big win for Germany. The Soviets felt the supplies were sacrificed for no reason, and Arctic convoys were suspended for some time until September 1942, which allowed time to evaluate the convoy strategy.
The next convoy was PQ-18, which had 40 merchant vessels. Like its predecessor, it transported war supplies to the Eastern Front, including aircraft, tanks, vehicles and general cargo.
It was the first Arctic convoy which was escorted directly by a carrier, the HMS Avenger.
Germany was aware of its existence and decided to destroy it. From 12 to 21 September, it was subjected to attacks by German aircraft and U-boats.
PQ-18 suffered from losses despite the heavy protection. 13 ships were sunk of the 40; however, the Germans paid a bigger price as 4 U-boats sank and 44 German aircraft were destroyed.
This was seen as a victory for the Allies and showed that with enough escort ships and air cover from escort carriers, the Arctic route could be made viable, though it was still dangerous.
These long convoys, whether crossing the Atlantic, the icy Arctic or the invasion beaches of Normandy, represent a vital achievement in naval logistics. These were important arteries that kept the war effort alive, enabling the delivery of men, machines and essential supplies necessary to secure victory over the adversaries.
The human cost was immense as seafarers faced not only the enemies but the natural elements as well.
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