Convoy HX 72

Convoy
Part of World War II
Date 20–22 September 1940 Location Western Approaches Result German victory
Belligerents
Kriegsmarine	Royal Navy
Commanders and leaders
Admiral Karl Dönitz	Comm : HH Rogers Escort :Cdr AM Knapp
Strength
8 U-boats	43 ships 5 escorts
Casualties and losses
none	11 ships sunk (72,727 GRT) and 3 ships damaged (18,178 GRT).

HX 72 was a North Atlantic convoy of the HX series which ran during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II. The convoy comprised 43 ships of which 11 were sunk and another damaged by German U-boats who suffered no losses.

HX 72 was an east-bound convoy of 43 ships which sailed from Halifax on 9 September 1940 bound for Liverpool and carrying war materials.

The convoy, made up of contingents from Halifax, Sydney and Bermuda was led by Commodore HH Rogers RNR in Tregarthen.

Escorts at this stage of the campaign were generally meagre; convoys generally were unescorted, or had just an armed merchant cruiser (AMC) as protection against surface raiders until reaching the Western Approaches. HX 72's ocean escort was the AMC Jervis Bay, though at sunset on 20 September Jervis Bay detached to meet a west-bound convoy. HX 72 was not due to meet the Western Approaches escort until the afternoon of 21 September, so HX 72 was unprotected when it was sighted at last light by Prien of U-47.

The U-boat Arm (UBW) was also sparse, able to maintain only a few boats at any one time in the North Atlantic, operating at the edge of the Western Approaches to intercept convoys before their escort had joined. U-47 was on weather duty, her armament depleted after an attack on Convoy SC 2 earlier that month, and was able only to report contact.

After reporting the convoy Prien shadowed the convoy, while U-boat Control (BdU) summoned all available U-boats. During night and following day a pack of 6 boats was gathered, U-99 and U-65, which were nearby, and others en route from Germany.

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