Convoy OA 178

Convoy OA 178 was an Atlantic convoy that sailed in July 1940 from the Thames Estuary via the English Channel, prior to dispersal to various trans-Atlantic destinations.

Departure and escort
OA 178 assembled off Southend-on-Sea on the coast of Essex and departed on 3 July. It consisted of 35 merchant ships, escorted by the Flower class corvette HMS Clarkia. Convoy Commodore was Capt. RP Galer, in SS Peterton. OA 178 passed though the Straits of Dover during the night of 3/4 July and by the afternoon of 4 July was in the Channel, some 20 miles south of Portland Bill.

Attack
At about 1300 hrs on 4 July two Gruppen of Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers from StG 2 attacked the convoy in the English Channel off Portland Bill. The Stukas were armed with 50 kg bombs and attacked in waves of six aircraft. There was no Allied air cover and the attack lasted about two hours.

In this attack one ship, MV Dallas City was sunk and five ships, SS Antonio, SS Argos Hill, SS Briarwood, SS Eastmoor and Danish turbine steamer TS Lifland were damaged. The Antonio rescued 67 survivors, including two with serious injuries, from ships that were sunk.

Some ships of the convoy took shelter in Portland Harbour, where the Luftwaffe attacked them again. Also in Portland Harbour were a number of other ships, which were hit in the attack. The Royal Navy anti-aircraft ship HMS Foylebank was severely damaged, and sank the next day with the loss of 176 lives. The tug Silverdial was also sunk and the cargo ships SS City of Melbourne, SS East Wales and MV William Wilberforce were damaged.

Bombs had damaged the Antonio's rudder and the stanchions supporting her propellor shaft. She had to reduce speed and did not reach anchorage in Portland Harbour until about 2300 hrs. The continuing air raid prevented her from landing the survivors she had rescued until mid-day on 5 July.

At dusk those members of the convoy that had remained at sea were 13 mi south of Portland when they were attacked by German E-boats. Four ships were sunk, and one damaged. The cargo ship SS Elmcrest was sunk by a torpedo and 16 of her crew were lost. SS Hartlepool was damaged.

Also lost were the Dutch ships SS Britsum and SS Deucalion, and the Estonian ship SS Kolga. The Deucalion's wreck lies south of Selsey Bill, which suggests that either she was a straggler or she was dive-bombed before the main air raid off Portland Bill.

Aftermath
On 5 July OA 178's lone escort was reinforced by the destroyer HMS Broke (D83). She remained with the convoy until 6 July when it dispersed in the Southwest Approaches.

The severity of loss and damage that OA 178 sustained was such that all subsequent OA convoys were re-routed, from Methil in Fife around the north of Scotland to avoid the English Channel.

Table
Allied ships sunk