Convoy SC 26 - Prelude

Prelude

SC 26 was an east-bound convoy of 23 ships which sailed from Halifax on 20 March 1941 bound for Liverpool. It carried war materials and was led by Commodore GTC Swabey in SS Magician.

SC 26 comprised 23 ships and was escorted only by the Armed Merchant Cruiser (AMC) Worcestershire (Cdr J Cresswell). At this stage of the campaign escorts against U-boat attack could only be provided in the Western Approaches; the Ocean escort, usually an AMC, was provided to give some protection against surface raiders.

SC 26 was opposed by a patrol line of 9 U-boats, positioned at the limit of endurance to intercept east-bound convoys before the Western Approaches escort had joined. These were U-46, U-69, U-73, U-74, U-97, U-98 and U-101. Two other boats, U-94 and U-76, were moving west to join the line. This patrol line was unnamed; at this stage of the campaign patrol lines did not carry identifying names, as they did later, though if a wolfpack formed it was referred to by the name of the sighting captain.

On 1 April 1941 an outbound U-boat, U-76 (Hippel) on her way to join the newly formed patrol line south of Iceland sighted a west-bound convoy in the North-West Approaches. This was OB 305, of 51 ships. Hippel reported this, but U-boat Command (BdU) was reluctant to engage so close to Britain and within range of Coastal Command aircraft; he ordered Hippel to shadow OB 305 westwards and moved the patrol line to intercept. U-76 followed the convoy during the day, but lost contact when she was forced to dive by approaching trawlers. Hippel was ordered to follow west to try and regain contact. As they did so, one of the boats on the patrol line, U-74 (Kentrat), made contact with an east-bound convoy, SC 26, which BdU determined to attack. After sending a sighting report, Kentrat commenced shadowing, and was joined throughout the day by 3 other U-boats that were nearby.