Convoy HX 126

The ships departed Halifax on 10 May 1941.Hague p.127 At this time, there were no escorts to provide protection against U-boats for the whole duration of the journey across the North Atlantic. For the first leg of the crossing, the only escort was the armed merchant cruiser {{HMS|Aurania}} which task was to provide protection against merchant raiders.

On the U-boat side, the submarines were reorganized in the group West after the attack on convoy OB 318 and were sent to scout for convoys ever more westward.Rohwer &Hummelchen, p.62

On 19 May, the U-boat {{GS|U-94|1940|2}} found the convoy and she directed the other boats of the group West. The group began their attacks on 20 May. The first attack of U-94 in the early morning misses, but in a second attack she sank one{{Cite web |title=HX-126 |url=https://uboat.net/ops/convoys/convoys.php?convoy=HX-126}} or two ships.Blair, p.286 Then contact with the convoy is lost.

The next U-boat, {{GS|U-556||2}} found the convoy at noon. In two attacks U-556 sank three ships. As the convoy was still unescorted at the time, it started to break up.

{{GS|U-111|1940|2}} discovered the large 13,000-ton tanker San Felix and damaged it with a torpedo, but the tanker did not belong to HX 126. It was an outbound vessel from the dispersed convoy OB 322.{{Cite web |title=San Felix |url=https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship/938.html}} In the evening {{GS|U-98|1940|2}} sank the freighter Rothermere. Around the same time U-94 regained contact with the convoy and sank the tanker John P. Pedersen. Just before midnight, {{GS|U-109||2}} sank the straggler Harpagus with two torpedoes. Harpagus had fallen behind to rescue survivors from Norman Monarch. The 12th escort group, which comprised at the time five destroyers, four corvettes and two anti-submarine trawlers, arrived and started to round up the dispersed ships and reform the convoy. Five of the escorts find U-109 and damage the submarine with depth charges. As a result U-109 aborted to France.{{Cite book |last=Hirschfeld |first=Wolfgang |title=Feindfahrten. Logbuch eines U-Bootfunkers |publisher=Heyne |year=1985 |isbn=3-453-02051-0 |location=Miunchen |pages=48–70 |language=de}}

In the early morning of 21 May, {{GS|U-93|1940|2}} struck the tanker Elusa which was later scuttled. {{GS|U-74|1940|2}} was damaged and forced to abort to France by depth charge attacks from the corvette {{HMS|Verbena|K85|6}} and a destroyer (either {{HMS|Churchill|I-45|6}} or {{HMS|Burnham}}{{Cite web |title=U-74 |url=https://uboat.net/boats/u74.htm}}). Upon learning that a strong escort has arrived, German command disengaged the U-boats and reformed them in a new patrol line further south. Only U-111 is left in place in order to transmit decoy radio signals. On 22 May U-111 found and sank Barnby which either straggled or romped from the convoy.

A total of 33 merchant vessels joined the convoy, either in Halifax or later in the voyage.{{cite web|url=http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/hx/index.html?hx.php?convoy=126!~hxmain|title=Convoy HX.126|publisher=Arnold Hague Convoy Database |access-date=13 December 2024}} Surviving ships reached Liverpool on 28 May.

|-

|align="left"|Empire Kudu (1919)

|align="left"|{{flagcountry|UKGBI|civil}}

|align="right"|6,622

|align="left"|

|-

|align="left"|Gretavale (1928)

|align="left"|{{flagcountry|UKGBI|civil}}

|align="right"|4,586

|align="left"|

|-

|align="left"|Hada County (1921)

|align="left"|{{flagcountry|Norway}}

|align="right"|4,853

|align="left"|

|- {{no2}}

|align="left"|Harpagus (1940)

|align="left"|{{flagcountry|UKGBI|civil}}

|align="right"|5,173

|align="left"|Sunk By {{GS|U-109|1940|2|}}.{{cite web|url=http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/932.html|title=Harpagus – British steam merchant|publisher=www.uboat.net|accessdate=3 November 2013}} Rescue Ship

|-

|align="left"|Havsten (1930)

|align="left"|{{flagcountry|Norway}}

|align="right"|6,161

|align="left"|

|-

|align="left"|Hindustan (1940)

|align="left"|{{flagcountry|UKGBI|civil}}

|align="right"|5,245

|align="left"|Rear-Admiral F B Watson DSO (Commodore)

|- {{no2}}

|align="left"|John P Pedersen (1930)

|align="left"|{{flagcountry|Norway}}

|align="right"|6,128

|align="left"|Sunk By {{GS|U-94|1940|2|}}{{cite web|url=http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/935.html|title=John P Pedersen – Norwegian motor tanker|publisher=www.uboat.net|accessdate=3 November 2013}}

|-

|align="left"|Karabagh (1932)

|align="left"|{{flagcountry|UKGBI|civil}}

|align="right"|6,427

|align="left"|

|-

|align="left"|Morgenen (1930)

|align="left"|{{flagcountry|Norway}}

|align="right"|7,093

|align="left"|

|-

|align="left"|Nicoya (1929)

|align="left"|{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}

|align="right"|5,364

|align="left"|

|- {{no2}}

|align="left"|Norman Monarch (1937)

|align="left"|{{flagcountry|UKGBI|civil}}

|align="right"|4,718

|align="left"|Sunk By {{GS|U-94|1940|2|}}{{cite web|url=http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/930.html|title=Norman Monarch – British steam merchant|publisher=www.uboat.net|accessdate=3 November 2013}}

|-

|align="left"|Regent Panther (1937)

|align="left"|{{flagcountry|UKGBI|civil}}

|align="right"|9,556

|align="left"|

|-

|align="left"|Ribera (1940)

|align="left"|{{flagcountry|UKGBI|civil}}

|align="right"|5,559

|align="left"|Straggled 20 May

|-

|align="left"|Rosewood (1931)

|align="left"|{{flagcountry|UKGBI|civil}}

|align="right"|5,989

|align="left"|Iceland

|- {{no2}}

|align="left"|Rothermere (1938)

|align="left"|{{flagcountry|UKGBI|civil}}

|align="right"|5,356

|align="left"|Sunk By {{GS|U-98|1940|2|}}{{cite web|url=http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/933.html|title=Rothermere – British steam merchant|publisher=www.uboat.net|accessdate=3 November 2013}}

|-

|align="left"|Salando (1920)

|align="left"|{{flagcountry|Netherlands}}

|align="right"|5,272

|align="left"|Returned

|-

|align="left"|Tongariro (1925)

|align="left"|{{flagcountry|UKGBI|civil}}

|align="right"|8,720

|align="left"|

|-

|align="left"|Toward (1923)

|align="left"|{{flagcountry|UKGBI|civil}}

|align="right"|1,571

|align="left"|Rescue Ship

|-

|align="left"|Westport (1918)

|align="left"|{{flagcountry|UKGBI|civil}}

|align="right"|5,665

|align="left"|Joined Ex Convoy SC 31

|-

|align="left"|Winona County (1919)

|align="left"|{{flagcountry|UKGBI|civil}}

|align="right"|6,159

|align="left"|Returned

|-

|}

A series of armed military ships escorted the convoy at various times during its journey. Only one escort was present during the German attacks.

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book

| last = Hague

| first = Arnold

| title = The Allied Convoy System 1939–1945

| year = 2000

| isbn = 1-86176-147-3

| ref = {{sfnRef|Hague}}

}}

• {{cite book| title=Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945 |author1=Rohwer, J. |author2=Hummelchen, G. |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=1992 |isbn=1-55750-105-X}}
• {{Cite book |last=Blair |first=Clay |title=Hitler's U-Boat War [Volume 1 ]: The Hunters |year=2000 |publisher=Cassell |isbn=0-304-35260-8}}

• [http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/hx/index.html?hx.php?convoy=126!~hxmain HX.126 at convoyweb]

HX126

Category:Conflicts in 1941

Category:Naval battles of World War II involving Germany

Category:Naval battles of World War II involving Canada

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