Convoy ON 153

Convoy ON-153 was the 153rd of the numbered series of ON convoys of merchant ships Outbound from the British Isles to North America. The World War II convoy departed Liverpool on 11 December 1942 and was met on 12 December by Mid-Ocean Escort Force Group B-7. Two merchant ships and the escort group leader were sunk in a North Atlantic battle with U-boat Wolf pack Raufbold before reaching the Western Ocean Meeting Point (WOMP) where the Western Local Escort Force assumed responsibility for the convoy on 23 December. Surviving ships reached New York City on 31 December.[1]

Convoy ON.153
Part of World War II
Date11 December 1942 – 31 December 1942
Location
North Atlantic
Belligerents
Germany United Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Admiral Karl Dönitz Rear-Admiral Sir E Manners KBE
Strength
13 U-boats 45 merchant ships
6 escorts
Casualties and losses
3 ships sunk
1 Damaged

Escorts

The convoy was protected by Escort Group B-7 comprising

  • Royal Navy - HMS Alisma, HMS Pink, HMS Snowflake, HMS Sunflower
  • British Lady

and by a Western Local Escort Force of

  • 1 Destroyer
  • 3 Corvettes
  • Royal Canadian Navy - HMCS Buctouche, HMCS Edmundston, HMCS Timmins
  • Royal Canadian Navy - HMCS Minas

U-boats

The convoy was attacked by 13 U-boats from Wolfpack Raufbold, namely

Ships in the convoy[1]
Name Flag Tonnage (GRT) Notes
HMS Alisma (K185)  Royal Navy Escort 12 Dec - 23 Dec. Corvette
Amstelkerk (1929)  Netherlands 4,457 Bound for Freetown
HMCS Annapolis (I04)  Royal Canadian Navy Escort 25 Dec - 27 Dec. Destroyer
Antilochus (1906)  United Kingdom 9,082 Bound for South Africa
Argolikos (1921)  Greece 4,786 Bound for St John's, Newfoundland
Asbjorn (1935)  United Kingdom 4,387 Bound for Halifax
Bello (1930)  Norway 6,125 Sunk by U-610[2] On 16 Dec. 33 of 40 crew died. Survivors picked up by HMS Pink (K137)
Bornholm (1930)  United Kingdom 3,177 Returned
British Lady (1923)  United Kingdom 6,098 Replenishment Oiler
HMCS Buctouche (K179)  Royal Canadian Navy Escort 23 Dec - 31 Dec. Corvette
Canada (1921)  Sweden 5,527 12 Passengers
HMS Chesterfield (I28)  Royal Navy Escort 12 Dec - 19 Dec. Destroyer
City of Hongkong (1924)  United Kingdom 9,609 150 Passengers. Bound for Karachi
City of Lille (1928)  United Kingdom 6,588 Bound for Basra
Comedian (1929)  United Kingdom 5,122 Bound for Halifax
HMCS Edmundston (K106)  Royal Canadian Navy Escort 23 Dec - 29 Dec. Corvette
Emile Francqui (1929)  Belgium 5,859 11 Passengers. Sunk by U-664[3] on 16 Dec. 46 dead.
Empire Grenadier (1942)  United Kingdom 9,811 Bound for New York City
Empire Highway (1942)  United Kingdom 7,166 Bound for Beira
HMS Firedrake (H79)  Royal Navy Escort 12 Dec - 17 Dec. Destroyer. Sunk by U-211[4] on 17 Dec. Broke in two in heavy weather. 170 of 196 crew died. Survivors picked up by HMS Sunflower
Geo W McKnight (1933)  United Kingdom 2,502 Bound for New York City
Gulf of Mexico (1917)  United States 7,807 Bound for New York City
Hilary (1931)  United Kingdom 7,403 365 Passengers, Bound for Freetown
Idefjord (1921)  Norway 4,287 Bound for Halifax
Jan Van Goyen (1919)  Netherlands 5,704 Fell Out Disabled
Kaldfonn (1936)  Norway 9,931
Mafuta (1920)  Belgium 6,322 Bound for Freetown
Magdala (1931)  Netherlands 8,248 Bound for New York City
Mahana (1917)  United Kingdom 10,951 Bound for New York City
Marquesa (1918)  United Kingdom 8,979 Bound for Montevideo
HMCS Minas (J165)  Royal Canadian Navy Escort 25 Dec - 31 Dec. Minesweeper
Norbris (1930)  Panama 7,619 Bound for New York City
North Gaspe (1938)  United Kingdom 888
Nueva Granada (1937)  Norway 9,968 Bound for New York City
Otina (1938)  United Kingdom 6,217 Straggled
Pandorian (1941)  United Kingdom 4,159 Bound for New York City. Rear-Admiral Sir E Manners KBE (Commodore)
HMS Pink (K137)  Royal Navy Escort 12 Dec - 20 Dec. Corvette
Regent Lion (1937)  United Kingdom 9,551 Tanker. Torpedoed and damaged by U-610[5] on 16 Feb. Hulk towed to Falmouth, Cornwall, arriving 5 Jan 43
Robert F Hand (1933)  United Kingdom 2,197 Bound for New York City
Saint Bertrand (1929)  United Kingdom 5,522 Bound for Saint John, New Brunswick
Salamis (1939)  Norway 8,286 Bound for New York City
San Andres (1921)  Norway 1,975 Returned
Sandanger (1938)  Norway 9,432 Bound for New York City
Santos (1928)  Norway 4,639 Bound for Halifax
HMS Snowflake (K211)  Royal Navy Escort 12 Dec - 23 Dec. Corvette
Solstad (1927)  Norway 5,952 Bound for New York City
Sovac (1938)  United Kingdom 6,724 Bound for New York City
HMS Sunflower (K41)  Royal Navy Escort 12 Dec - 23 Dec. Corvette
Tetela (1926)  United Kingdom 5,389 10 Passengers, Bound for New York City. Vice-commodore is Ship's Master
HMCS Timmins (K223)  Royal Canadian Navy Escort 23 Dec - 31 Dec. Corvette
Torr Head (1937)  United Kingdom 5,021 Bound for Saint John, New Brunswick
Tortuguero (1921)  United Kingdom 5,285 10 Passengers. Bound for Halifax
Tucurinca (1926)  United Kingdom 5,412 10 Passengers. Bound for Halifax
Vaalaren (1936)  Sweden 3,406 Bound for New York City
Vestfold (1931)  Panama 4,547 Bound for New York City
Villanger (1929)  Norway 4,884 Bound for New York City
Walter Jennings (1921)  United States 9,564 Bound for New York City

References
  1. "Convoy ON.153". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  2. "Bello – Norwegian motor tanker". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  3. "Emile Francqui – Belgian steam merchant". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  4. "HMS Firedrake (H79) – British Destroyer". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  5. "Regent Lion – British motor tanker". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 13 November 2013.

Bibliography
  • Hague, Arnold (2000). The Allied Convoy System 1939–1945. ISBN 1-86176-147-3.
  • Tramp to Queen autobiography by Capt. John Treasure Jones, The History Press (2008) ISBN 978 0 7524 4625 7
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