| Convoy TAG.5 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of World War II | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Germany |
 Canada Netherlands Norway Panama United Kingdom United States | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Admiral Karl Dönitz Kapitänleutnant Günther Krech | |||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 1 U-boat |
17 merchant ships 1 destroyer 2 corvettes 2 submarine chasers 2 minesweepers | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
2 ships sunk 1 damaged, and then total loss | |||||||
Convoy TAG 5 was a trade convoy of merchant ships during the second World War. It was the 5th of the numbered TAG Convoys from Trinidad and Aruba to Guantánamo. The convoy was found on 13 September 1942 by U-558. Kapitänleutnant Günther Krech (Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross) destroyed three ships from the convoy in two approaches aboard U-558.
Ships in the convoy
| Name | Flag | Tonnage (GRT) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alar (1939) | Norway
|
9,430 | Curaçao to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base |
| Altair (1920) | United States
|
6,933 | Curaçao to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base |
| Beaconoil (1919) |  United Kingdom
|
6,893 | Curaçao to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base; probably this convoy |
| Cottica (1927) | Netherlands
|
3,989 | |
| Empire Kangaroo (1919) | United Kingdom
|
6,219 | |
| Empire Lugard (1941) | United Kingdom
|
7,241 | Sunk by U-558 |
| Examiner (1942) | United States
|
6,736 | |
| Gulftide (1937) | United States
|
7,140 | |
| HMCS Halifax | Royal Canadian Navy
|
Escort 12 Sep – 14 Sep | |
| Henry D Whiton (1921) | United States
|
4,548 | |
| Hoegh Silverdawn (1940) | Norway
|
7,715 | |
| Leonatus (1938) | Panama
|
2,242 | |
| Macabi (1921) | Panama
|
2,802 | |
| Peter Hurll (1930) | Panama
|
10,871 | |
| Saintonge (1936) | United Kingdom
|
9,386 | Curaçao to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base |
| Suriname (1930) | Netherlands
|
7,915 | Sunk by U-558 |
| USS PC-481 | United States Navy
|
Escort 12 Sep – 16 Sep | |
| USS PC-574 | United States Navy
|
Escort 12 Sep – 16 Sep | |
| USS Spry | United States Navy
|
Escort 12 Sep – 16 Sep | |
| USS Upshur | United States Navy
|
Escort 12 Sep – 16 Sep | |
| USS YMS-24 | United States Navy
|
Escort 13 Sep – 16 Sep | |
| USS YMS-56 | United States Navy
|
Escort 13 Sep – 16 Sep | |
| Vilja (1928) | Norway
|
6,672 | Torpedoed by U-558 and abandoned, but reboarded and safely arrived in Trinidad damaged. Later declared a total loss. |
| West Kyska (1918) | United States
|
5,552 | Did not sail |
References
- Hague, p.113
- Rohwer & Hummelchen, p.164
- "Convoy". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
- "MV Empire Lugard – British Motor merchant". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
- "SS Suriname – Dutch Steam merchant". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
- "MV Vilja – Norwegian Motor tanker". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
Bibliography
- Hague, Arnold (2000). The Allied Convoy System 1939–1945. ISBN 1-86176-147-3.
- Rohwer, J.; Hummelchen, G. (1992). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-105-X.