Convoy HX.47
Part of World War II
Date 14/15 June 1940 Location Atlantic Ocean Result German tactical victory
Belligerents
Germany	United Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
V.Adm. Karl Dönitz	Adm. B S Thesiger
Strength
2 U-boats	58 merchant ships 2 escorts
Casualties and losses
	3 ships sunk

Convoy HX 47 was a North Atlantic convoy of the HX series which ran during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II. It was the 47th of the numbered series of merchant convoys run by the Allies from Halifax to Liverpool. The convoy was attacked by German U-boats and lost three of its 58 ships.

HX 47 was formed of two sections sailing from the Americas. The main body, of 37 ships departed Halifax on 2 June 1940^[1] with ships gathered from the US eastern seaboard; it was led by convoy commodore Adm. BS Thesiger RN in the steamship Pacific Pioneer. It was accompanied by its ocean escort, the armed merchant cruiser HMS Esperance Bay, and a local escort, a Royal Canadian Navy destroyer. Two ships dropped out early in the voyage; Randsfjord was damaged in collision with a Greek steamer and returned for repairs, and another returned to port for degaussing.

On 8 June the convoy was joined by BHX 47, 21 ships from the Caribbean and South America, that had gathered at Bermuda, departing there on 31 May escorted by the armed merchant cruiser HMS Ascania and a local escort.^[2]

Ranged against HX 47 were U-boats of the German Navy's U-boat Arm (UBW), on patrol in Britain's sea lanes. The UBW had just two U-boats in Southwest Approaches, U-38 and U-47, with another, U-32, further west.^[3]

On 14 June HX 47’s Western Approaches escort arrived. These were the sloops HMS Sandwich, from escorting the outbound convoy OA 164, and HMS Fowey from port following a refit. During the crossing three ships had dropped out of convoy; of these, Balmoralwood, was sighted on 14 June by U-47 and sunk, 70 miles from Cape Clear Island.^[4]

That evening U-38 had attacked the Greek freighter Mount Myrto, on independent passage;^[5] sighting HX 47 the U-boat left the freighter in a sinking condition and stalked the convoy. Attacking after midnight of 14/15 June U-38 sank two ships, the tanker Italia^[6][7] and the freighter Erik Boye.^[8] The U-boat escaped and HX 47 continued without further loss.

The main body of the convoy reached Liverpool on 17 June.^[1]

Of the 58 ships that set out, two turned back and three were sunk. 53 ships made a safe and timely arrival. HX 47 was one of two trans-Atlantic convoys attacked during June, the other, HX 49, also losing three ships. During the month as a whole the UBW sank 63 ships in the Atlantic; most of these were unescorted vessels sailing independently.^[9] June 1940 was the beginning of a marked increase in successes by the U-boat Arm, referred to by them as "The Happy Time".^[10]

Convoy information is from Arnold Hague's Convoyweb^[11]

Merchant ships

Name	Flag	Tonnage (GRT)	Notes
Aegeon (1919)	Greece	5,285	Aluminium and pulp
Andreas (1919)	Greece	6,566	Wheat
Anna Mazaraki (1913)	Greece	5,411	Grain
Annavore (1921)	Norway	3,324	Copper and General Cargo
Argos Hill (1922)	United Kingdom	7,178	Steel
Ashby (1927)	United Kingdom	4,868	Grain
Askeladden (1920)	Norway	2,496	Pitprops Diverted to Portland, Maine for degaussing
Balmoralwood (1937)	United Kingdom	5,834	Wheat and 4 aircraft (deck cargo) Straggled 6 June Sunk by U-47: 41 survivors[4] on 14 June
Beaverbrae (1928)	United Kingdom	9,956	General cargo
Beaverhill (1928)	United Kingdom	10,041	General cargo
Blairspey (1929)	United Kingdom	4,155	Steel and timber
Boston City (1920)	United Kingdom	2,870	General cargo
Briarwood (1930)	United Kingdom	4,019	Pitprops
British Captain (1923)	United Kingdom	6,968	Petrol
British Faith (1928)	United Kingdom	6,955	Benzine
British Prince (1935)	United Kingdom	4,879	General cargo
Cairnvalona (1918)	United Kingdom	4,929	General cargo Vice-commodore: Adm Sir A J Davies KBE CB
Capsa (1931)	United Kingdom	8,229	Crude oil
Clydebank (1925)	United Kingdom	5,156	Steel and coke
Comedian (1929)	United Kingdom	5,122	Cotton and lumber
Diplomat (1921)	United Kingdom	8,240	General cargo
Dornach (1939)	United Kingdom	5,186	Wheat
Egda (1939)	Norway	10,050	Petrol
El Aleto (1927)	United Kingdom	7,203	Crude oil
Elax (1927)	United Kingdom	7,403	Fuel oil
Erik Boye (1924)	Canada	2,238	Grain Sunk by U-38: 22 survivors[8]
F J Wolfe (1932)	Panama	12,190	Crude oil
Ferncastle (1936)	Norway	9,940	Fuel oil
Georgios G (1918)	Greece	4,289	General cargo
Georgios Potamianos (1913)	Greece	4,044	General cargo
Germanic (1936)	United Kingdom	5,352	Grain
Harborough (1932)	United Kingdom	5,415	Grain
Hartbridge (1927)	United Kingdom	5,080	Wheat
Hellen (1921)	Norway	5,289	Scrap iron
Hoyanger (1926)	Norway	4,624	Pulp and lumber
Italia (1939)	Norway	9,973	13,000 tons aviation spirit Sunk by U-38: 19 dead, 16 survivors [6]
Kenbane Head (1919)	United Kingdom	5,225	General cargo
Loke (1915)	Norway	2,421	Copper
Manchester Citizen (1925)	United Kingdom	5,343	General cargo
Masunda (1929)	United Kingdom	5,250	Iron ore
Nailsea Manor (1937)	United Kingdom	4,926	Grain
Northumberland (1915)	United Kingdom	11,558	General cargo
Octavian (1938)	Norway	1,345	Wood pulp
Pacific Pioneer (1928)	United Kingdom	6,734	General cargo Convoy Commodore: Adm Sir B S Thesiger KBE CB CMG
Randsfjord (1937)	Norway	3,999	Wheat and general cargo Collision with Georgios Potamianos, returned to port
Regent Panther (1937)	United Kingdom	9,556	Petrol
Saimaa (1922)	Finland	2,001	General cargo
Salacia (1937)	United Kingdom	5,495	Lumber
San Adolfo (1935)	United Kingdom	7,365	Fuel Furnace Oil (FFO)
Saturnus (1940)	Sweden	9,965	Petrol
Southgate (1926)	United Kingdom	4,862	Steel and timber
Storanger (1930)	Norway	9,223	Fuel oil
Temple Inn (1940)	United Kingdom	5,218	Sugar
Theodoros Coumantaros (1917)	Greece	5,709	Sugar; straggled 11 June
Thiara (1939)	United Kingdom	10,364	Fuel and lub oil
Ulysses (1918)	Netherlands	2,666	General cargo
Vinemoor (1924)	United Kingdom	4,359	Wheat and lumber
Zurichmoor (1925)	United Kingdom	4,455	Steel and timber; straggled 6 June

Escort information is from Arnold Hague's Convoyweb^[12]

Escorts

Name	Flag	Ship Type	Notes
HMS Ascania	Royal Navy	Armed merchant cruiser	Ocean Escort: 31 May-8 June
HMS Esperance Bay	Royal Navy	Armed merchant cruiser	Ocean Escort: 2–15 June
HMS Fowey	Royal Navy	Shoreham-class sloop	Western Approaches Escort: 14–17 June
HMS Penzance	Royal Navy	Hastings-class sloop	Bermuda Local Escort: 31 May - ?
HMCS Saguenay	Royal Canadian Navy	Canadian River-class destroyer	Halifax Local Escort: 2–3 June
HMS Sandwich	Royal Navy	Bridgewater-class sloop	Western Approaches Escort: 14–17 June

U-boat information is from Guðmundur Helgason's uboat.net^[13]

• Blair, Clay (1996) Hitler's U-boat War Vol I Cassell ISBN 0-304-35260-8
• Hague, Arnold (2000). The Allied Convoy System 1939–1945. ISBN 1-86176-147-3.
• Edwards, Bernard (1996). Dönitz and the Wolf Packs - The U-boats at War. Cassell Military Classics. ISBN 0-304-35203-9.
• Rohwer, J; Hummelchen, G (1992). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-105-X.
• Tarrant, VE (1989) The U-boat Offensive: 1914-1945. Arms & Armour ISBN 0-85368-928-8

• HX.47 at convoyweb^{[permanent dead link‍]}