Convoy battles
Convoy routes
More than 200 convoy-routes existed in the war, here we show most of the routes which U-boats attacked, from here you can go to every convoy-route to see all the attacked convoys and some details.
Each convoy was known by two or more letters, usual meaning the the departure and destination harbours, i.e. the AB convoys sailed from Aden to Bombay and BA convoys returned from Bombay to Aden. But also were used the H for Home and the O for Outward, i.e. HX meant 'Home from Halifax'. The lettering was also used to indicate the convoy's speed. The HX-convoys were allways fast ones and the SC's were slow ones.
The convoys received a number when they left the harbour, like BA-2 or HX-348, some convoys ended up with a number over 100 like the HX, SC, ON and OB convoys.
Code | Route | Area |
AS | USA - Freetown | Central Atlantic |
AT | Alexandria to Tobruk | Mediterranean |
BC | Beira, Mozambique - Capetown, South Africa | Indian Ocean |
BD | Archangel'sk - Dikson (Soviet coastal convoy) | Arctic Ocean |
BRN | Bahia and Recife, northward | South Atlantic |
BS | Corner Brook NF to Sydney CB | North Atlantic |
BT | Bahia, Brazil - Trinidad | South Atlantic / Caribbean |
BTC | UK coastal convoys | UK coastal waters |
BX | Boston to Halifax | North Atlantic |
CB | Durban to Beira | Indian Ocean |
CD | Capetown to Durban | South Atlantic and Indian Ocean |
CU | Curaçao to UK | Central Atlantic |
DN | Durban, northward | Indian Ocean |
EBC | Bristol Channel to France | UK coastal waters |
ET | North Africa to Gibraltar | Mediterranean |
FN | Capetown to Freetown, northward | South Atlantic |
FS | Firth of Forth to Thames | UK coastal waters |
GTX | Gibraltar to Tripoli and Alexandria | Mediterranean |
GUS | Port Said to USA via Gibraltar, slow | Central Atlantic and Mediterranean |
HG | Homeward from Gibraltar | North Atlantic |
HN | Homeward from Norway | North Sea |
HX | Homeward from Halifax | North Atlantic |
JT | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Trinidad | Central Atlantic |
JW | Loch Ewe, UK - Kola Fjord, Russia | Arctic Ocean |
K | Casablanca to Brest | North Atlantic |
KB | Kola Fjord - White Sea (Soviet) | Arctic Ocean |
KJ | Kingston, Jamaica to UK | North Atlantic |
KMF | UK - Mediterranean (fast) | North Atlantic and Mediterranean |
KMS | UK - Mediterranean (slow) | North Atlantic and Mediterranean |
MH | Milford Haven to Holyhead | UK coastal waters |
MKF | Mediterranean to UK, fast | Mediterranean and North Atlantic |
MKS | Mediterranean to UK, slow | Mediterranean and North Atlantic |
OA | Southend - Outward (N.-America) | North Atlantic and UK coastal waters |
OB | Liverpool - Outward (North America) | North Atlantic |
OG | United Kingdom - Gibraltar | North Atlantic |
ON | Outward, northbound | North Atlantic and UK coastal waters |
ONS | Outward, northbound, slow | North Atlantic |
OS | UK - Freetown | North Atlantic, Central Atlantic |
PK | Petsamo (Kirkenes) - Kola Fjord | Arctic Ocean |
PQ | Iceland - Russia | Arctic Ocean |
QP | Russia - Iceland | Arctic Ocean |
QS | Quebec to Sydney CB | Canadian coastal waters |
RA | Kola Fjord, Russia - Loch Ewe, UK | Arctic Ocean |
RU | Reykjavik - UK | North Atlantic |
SC | Sydney CB to UK | North Atlantic |
SL | Sierra Leone (Freetown) - UK | North Atlantic, Central Atlantic |
TAG | Trinidad to Aruba and Guantanamo | Caribbean |
TAW | Trinidad to Aruba and Key West | Caribbean |
TBC | Thames to Bristol Channel | UK coastal waters |
TE | Torch, eastward | Mediterranean |
TRIN | Trinidad, southeastward | Central Atlantic |
TS | Takoradi to Sierra Leone | South Atlantic |
UC | UK to Curaçao | Central Atlantic and North Atlantic |
UGF | USA to Gibraltar, fast | Central Atlantic and Mediterranean |
UGS | USA to Gibraltar, slow | Central Atlantic and Mediterranean |
UR | UK - Reykjavik | North Atlantic |
56 convoy routes documented here. This is currently not a complete list of all routes used by convoys. On this page you can see a list of all convoys we know to have been hit by U-boats. |