Background
HX 72 was an east-bound convoy of 43 ships which sailed from Halifax on 9 September 1940 bound for Liverpool and carrying war materials.
The convoy, made up of contingents from Halifax, Sydney and Bermuda was led by Commodore HH Rogers RNR in Tregarthen.
Escorts at this stage of the campaign were generally meagre; convoys generally were unescorted, or had just an Armed Merchant Cruiser as protection against surface raiders until reaching the Western Approaches. HX 72's ocean escort was the AMC Jervis Bay, though at sunset on 20 September Jervis Bay detached to meet a west-bound convoy. HX 72 wasn’t due to meet the Western Approaches escort until the afternoon of 21st, so HX 72 was unprotected when it was sighted at last light by Prien of U-47.
The U boat Arm ((UBW) was also sparse, able to maintain only a few boats at any one time in the North Atlantic, operating at the edge of the Western Approaches to intercept convoys before their escort had joined. U 47 was on weather duty, her armament depleted after an attack on SC 2 earlier that month, and was able only to report contact.
After reporting the convoy Prien shadowed the convoy, while U-boat Control (BdU) summoned all available U-boats. During night and following day a pack of 6 boats was gathered, U-99 and U-65, which were nearby, and others en route from Germany.
Read more about this topic: Convoy HX 72
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