The Convoy Battles
The Convoy system
More than 200 convoy-routes existed in the war, here we show the 94 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 for '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.
| AS | USA - Freetown | OB | UK - Outward (North America) |
| BA | Bombay - Aden/Red Sea | OG | UK - Gibraltar |
| BC | Beira - Capetown | ON(F) | UK - North America (fast) |
| BD | White sea - Dikson (Soviet) | ONS | UK - North America (slow) |
| BRN | Brazilian coastal | OS | UK - Freetown |
| BS | Brest - Casablanca (French) | OT | New York - North West Africa |
| BT | Bahia - Trinidad | PA | Persian Gulf - Aden |
| BTC | UK coastal | PG | Panama - Guantanamo |
| BX | Boston - Halifax | PK | Petsamo (Kirkenes) - Kola Fjord |
| CB | Colombo - Bombay | PQ | Iceland - North Russia |
| CD | Capetown - Durban | QP | North Russia - Iceland |
| CU | Caribbean - UK (tankers) | QS | Quebec - Sydney |
| DN | Durban - North | RA | Kola Fjord - Loch Ewe |
| EBC | Channel | RB | St. Lawrence - UK |
| ECP | Channel (Invasion convoys) | RS | Gibraltar - Brest (french) |
| EMC | Channel (Invasion convoys) | RS | Gibraltar - Sierra Leone |
| ET | North African ports - Gibraltar | RU | Reykjavik - UK |
| ETC | Channel | SC | Sydney - UK |
| FN | Southend - Methil | SG | Sydney - Greenland |
| FN | Freetown - Natal (?) | SL | Sierra Leone (Freetown) - UK |
| FS | Methil - Southend | SN | Napoli - North African ports |
| FXP | Channel (Invasion convoys) | SQ | Sydney - Quebec |
| Gibr | Canaries - Gibraltar (coastal) | TA | UK - USA |
| GTX | Gibraltar - Tripoli - Alexandria | TAG | Trinidad - Aruba - Guantanamo |
| GUS | Gibraltar - USA (slow) | TAM | Gibraltar - UK |
| HA | Tripoli - Augusta | TB | Trinidad - Bahia |
| HG | Gibraltar - UK | TBC | UK coastal |
| HN | Bergen - Methil | TJ | Trinidad - Rio de Janeiro |
| HX | Halifax/ New York - UK | TM | Trinidad - Gibraltar |
| JT | Rio de Janeiro - Trinidad | TS | Takoradi - Freetown |
| JW | Loch Ewe - Kola Fjord | UC | UK - Caribbean |
| K | Casablanca - Brest (French) | UGF | USA - Gibraltar (fast) |
| KB | Kola Fjord - White Sea (Soviet) | UGS | USA - Gibraltar (slow) |
| KG | Key West - Guantanamo | UR | UK - Reykjavik |
| KJ | Kingston - Europe | UT | USA - UK |
| KMF | UK - Mediterranean (fast) | VA | Vilkitsky - Dikson (Soviet) |
| KMS | UK - Mediterranean (slow) | VD | Vilkitsky Strait - Dikson (Soviet) |
| KRS | UK - North Africa | VWP | UK coastal |
| KS | Casablanca - Brest/ St Nazaire | WAT | Key West - Aruba - Trinidad |
| LMD | Lorenco Marques - Durban | WEG | UK coastal |
| MH | UK coastal | WEP | |
| MKF | Mediterranean - UK (fast) | WS | UK - Middle East |
| MKS | Mediterranean - UK (slow) | X | Vernon - Casablanca (french) |
| MWS | Mediterranean West - Malta | XB | Halifax - Boston |
| NG | New York - Guantanamo | XK | Gibraltar - UK |
| OA | Southend - Outward (N.-America) |