Convoy SC 121 was the 121st of the numbered series of World War II slow convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Liverpool.Hague 2000 p.133 The ships departed New York City 23 February 1943;Hague 2000 p.135 and were met by the Mid-Ocean Escort Force Group A-3 consisting of the United States Coast Guard (USCG) , the American , the British and Canadian s , , and and the convoy rescue ship Melrose Abbey.Milner 1985 p.291Rohwer & Hummelchen 1992 p.196 Three of the escorts had defective sonar and three had unserviceable radar.Morison 1975 p.342

Background As western Atlantic coastal convoys brought an end to the second happy time, Admiral Karl Dönitz, the Befehlshaber der U-Boote (BdU) or commander in chief of U-Boats, shifted focus to the mid-Atlantic to avoid aircraft patrols. Although convoy routing was less predictable in the mid-ocean, Dönitz anticipated that the increased numbers of U-boats being produced would be able to find convoys with the advantage of intelligence gained through B-Dienst decryption of British Naval Cypher Number 3.Tarrant p.108 Only 20 percent of the 180 trans-Atlantic convoys, from the end of July 1942 until the end of April 1943, lost ships to U-boat attack.Hague pp.132, 137-138,161-162,164&181

Battle On 6 March sighted the convoy, which had been scattered by nine consecutive days of northwesterly Force 10 gales and snow squalls.Morison 1975 p.341 The storm damaged the radio communication system aboard the escort commander's ship Spencer and Dauphin had to leave the convoy with damaged steering gear. torpedoed the British freighter Egyptian on the night of 6–7 March.Hague 2000 p.137 The British freighter Empire Impala stopped to rescue survivors and was torpedoed after dawn by .

torpedoed the British freighter Empire Lakeland when the gale subsided on 8 March and four more stragglers were sunk by , , U-591, and . On 9 March the convoy escort was reinforced by No. 120 Squadron RAF B-24 Liberators from Northern Ireland and by the Wickes-class destroyer and the Treasury-class cutters and from Iceland.

torpedoed straggling Swedish freighter Milos on the evening of 9 March. That night U-405 torpedoed the Norwegian freighter Bonneville while torpedoed the British freighter and torpedoed the British escort oiler Rosewood and American ammunition ship Malantic.Hague 2000 pp.137-8

The Flower-class corvettes and reinforced the convoy escort on 10 March, and the convoy reached Liverpool on 14 March. Only 76 of the 275 crewmen of the sunken ships were rescued.

Ships in convoy NameFlagDeadTonnage (GRT)CargoNotesAlcoa Leader (1919)5,041 PetrolAstrid (1942)2,861SugarBadjestan (1928)5,573WheatBaldbutte (1919)6,295Bengkalis (1918)6,453General cargoSurvived this convoy and convoy ONS 5Bonneville (1929)364,6657,196 tons explosives & general cargoCarried convoy commodore Capt H.C. Birnie DSO RD RNR; sunk by 10 MarBrant County (1915)5,001General cargoReturned to HalifaxBritish Freedom (1928)6,985Furnace fuel oilBritish Progress (1927)4,581PetrolVeteran of convoy SC 104Camerata (1931)4,875Iron oreClunepark (1928)3,491PhosphatesCoulmore (1936)3,670General cargoTorpedoed, but towed and salvagedDilworth (1919)7,045Gas oilEgton (1938)4,363Iron oreEgyptian (1920)442,868Oilseed, palm oil & tin oreSunk by 7 MarEl Grillo (1922)7,264Fuel oil (1913)5,787General cargoSurvived this convoy and convoy ONS 5 (1919)6,448General cargoArrived in tow after steering failure on 11 March (1942)2,873Bauxite (1942)7,025General cargoEmpire Grebe (1918)5,736General cargoEmpire Impala (1920)486,1167,628 tons general cargoSunk by while picking up survivors 7 MarEmpire Keats (1942)7,035West African produceCarried convoy vice commodore Capt A Cocks DSC RD RNREmpire Lakeland (1942)7,015Refrigerated and general cargoStraggled and sunk by Empire Opossum (1918)5,644GrainEmpire Planet (1923)4,290General cargoSurvived this convoy and convoy ONS 5Eskdalegate (1930)4,250Iron oreFort Lamy (1919)5,242Steel & general cargoVeteran of convoy ON 154; straggled and sunk by 8 MarFort Remy (1943)7,127General cargoGarnes (1930)1,559Veteran of convoy SC 104Gascony (1925)4,716General cargoGatineau Park (1942)7,128General cargoFitted with Admiralty Net DefenceGuido (1920)3,921Sugar & cottonRomped and sunk by 8 MarHallfried (1918)2,968FlourHarpefjell (1939)1,333General cargoHarperly (1930)4,586BauxiteSurvived to be sunk 2 months later in convoy ONS 5Hollywood (1920)5,498General cargoVeteran of convoy PQ 18Katendrecht (1925)5,099Gas oilKingswood (1929)5,080General cargoL V Stanford (1921)7,138Furnace fuel oilVeteran of convoy SC 107USS Laramie (1919)5,450Detached for GreenlandLeadgate (1925)2,125FlourStraggled and sunk by 8 MarLobos (1921)6,479Tin & general cargoLombardy (1921)3,379General cargoLorient (1921)4,737Steel & lumberVeteran of convoy SC 42; survived to be sunk 2 months later in convoy ONS 5Malantic (1929)253,8378,000 tons ammunitionVeteran of convoy SC 107; sunk by 9 MarManchester Progress (1938)5,620General cargoMelrose Abbey (1929)1,924convoy rescue shipMiguel de Larrinaga (1924)5,231TobaccoVeteran of convoy SC 42Milos (1898)303,058804 tons steel & lumberSunk by 11 MarMorska Wola (1924)3,208General cargoVeteran of convoy HX 84Nadin (1904)3,582Steel & lumber454,9467,661 tons copper & general cargoSunk by 10 MarParkhaven (1920)4,803General cargoPorjus (1906)2,965Steel & pulpVeteran of convoy SC 104; returned to port & sailed with convoy SC 122Raranga (1916)10,043Refrigerated & general cargoRavnefjell (1938)1,339General cargoVeteran of convoy HX 79 & convoy ON 154; survived this convoy & convoy SC 130Reaverley (1940)4,998BauxiteReturned to portRosewood (1931)425,989Furnace fuel oilEscort oiler; sunk by 9 MarSan Tirso (1913)6,266Furnace fuel oilScorton (1939)4,813SugarSinnington Court (1928)6,910General cargoVeteran of convoy SC 104Suderoy (1913)7,562Fuel oilVeteran of convoy SC 104Sutlej (1940)5,189General cargoThraki (1941)7,460Grain & general cargoTrontolite (1918)7,115Vancolite (1928)11,404Vojvoda Putnik (1916)5,879WheatStraggled and sunk by Zouave (1930)4,256Iron oreReturned to port to be sunk sailing with convoy SC 122

See also Convoy Battles of World War II

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