146:(17 and 24 km/h; 10 and 15 mph) were assigned to odd-numbered (fast) convoys—sometimes designated ON(F); while ships capable of speeds between 6 and 9 knots (11 and 17 km/h; 6.9 and 10.4 mph) were assigned to even-numbered (slow) convoys—sometimes designated ON(S) or (ambiguously) ONS. This situation, which has proved confusing to modern historians, prevailed until a new and separate series of ONS (Outbound North Slow) convoys was organised. These convoys were sequentially numbered from ONS 1 sailing on 4 April 1943 to ONS 51 sailing on 21 May 1945. ON 171 was a fast convoy, as were all subsequent ON convoys. The ONS series were suspended in the summer of 1944 as escort groups were diverted to cover the
63:. The ON convoys replaced the earlier OA/OB series of outbound convoys in July 1941 and ran until the end of the campaign in May 1945. They were organized as alternating fast and slow convoys until March 1943, when the ONS series was begun to take over the slow trans-Atlantic traffic, after which all in the ON series were fast.
129:
Most ships in ON convoys were in ballast, although some carried coal or other export goods. A total of 14,864 ships sailed in 307 ON convoys. One ON convoy sailed in Fast and Slow sections and two others were cancelled. U-boats sank 81 of these ships, and another 23 were lost to marine accidents.
95:
in June 1940 these were successively reorganized as German aircraft, submarines, and surface ships reached further and further into the
Atlantic, until ships formerly assigned to OA/OB convoys were formed into ON convoys sailing from Liverpool via the
166:
The
Outbound Northern convoys saw some of the major convoy battles of the Atlantic campaign; of the 40 convoys which lost 6 or more ships, 8 were in the ON series (of which 5 were Slow, and 3 were Fast) and one was in the ONS series.
176:
was one of the few North
Atlantic trade convoy of early 1942 to be attacked by multiple U-boats. Eight ships were sunk, and one U-boat damaged, over a four day battle
130:
These figures do not include stragglers; although the majority of casualties to U-boats were ships that had fallen out of convoys or were sailing independently. Ten
545:
265:. Attacked in April–May 1943, ONS 5 saw the loss of 12 ships, and the destruction of 6 U-boats, in a week-long series of actions. It ushered in the period known as
291:: In September 1943 the forces escorting this ONS 19 destroyed three U-boats encountered in Mid-Atlantic. The convoy was not attacked and no ships were lost.
150:. A total of 1873 ships sailed in 51 ONS convoys. Only 5 of these were attacked (around 10%), though two of these battles were of major significance;
97:
277:. Attacked in September 1943, these two convoys saw the loss of 6 ships and 3 escorts, for the destruction of 3 U-boats, in the first battle of
526:
498:
467:
446:
427:
314:
231:
Loss of 486 lives with 14 ships during the "Christmas Convoy" of
December 1942 caused re-evaluation of Canadian convoy escorts.
208:
was the only North
Atlantic trade convoy of 1942 or 1943 where all U-boats deployed against the convoy launched torpedoes.
119:
251:
112:
104:. These convoys were sequentially numbered from ON 1 sailing on 26 July 1941 to ON 305 sailing on 27 May 1945.
84:
108:
56:
158:
was the last major convoy battle in the campaign. Nineteen ships were lost (around 1%) from ONS convoys.
510:
History of United States Naval
Operations in World War II, Volume I The Battle of the Atlantic 1939–1943
295:
273:
254:
217:
155:
75:, all traffic outbound from the UK was organized into the OA and OB series, sailing from London via the
287:
116:
240:
80:
522:
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147:
266:
60:
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101:
76:
299:: Attacked in October 1943, six U-boats were destroyed while one merchant ship was sunk
197:
92:
36:
539:
235:
227:
212:
204:
188:
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122:(WLEF) off Halifax; and the WLEF escorted most convoys from ON 125 through ON 301 to
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patrols before the ships dispersed to reach their individual destinations. After the
48:
278:
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180:
172:
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72:
143:
324:
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17:
239:. Attacked in late February, 1943, ON 166 lost 13 merchant ships and the
220:
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and is widely regarded as the turning point in the
Atlantic campaign.
247:
88:
40:
193:
476:(2000). ISBN (Canada) 1 55125 033 0 . ISBN (UK) 1 86176 147 3
142:
Until April 1943, ships capable of speeds between 9 and 13
154:
is regarded as the turning point of the campaign, while
87:. These would be escorted until beyond the range of
71:
From 7 September 1939, shortly after the outbreak of
223:
equipped with type 271 centimetre-wavelength radar.
192:was the first to illustrate the defensive value of
482:British and Dominion Warships of World War Two
257:cutter leading Escort Group A-3 was disabled.
8:
480:Lenton, H.T. & Colledge, J.J. (1968).
111:of British and Canadian ships (with a few
439:Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunted 1942–1945
420:Hitler's U-Boat War The Hunters 1939–1942
162:Notable battles around ON and ONS convoys
517:Rohwer, J. & Hummelchen, G. (1992).
184:lost seven ships over a three-day period
335:
546:North Atlantic convoys of World War II
519:Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945
115:cutters) delivered ON convoys to the
7:
283:'s autumn offensive after Black May.
198:type 271 centimeter-wavelength radar
474:The Allied Convoy System 1939–1945
25:
315:Gibraltar convoys of World War II
387:Rohwer&Hummelchen 1992 p.161
134:on escort duty were also lost.
508:Morison, Samuel Eliot (1975).
1:
512:. Little, Brown and Company.
216:demonstrated the ability of
100:and escorted all the way to
79:(OA) and from Liverpool via
562:
120:Western Local Escort Force
521:. Naval Institute Press.
493:. Naval Institute Press.
113:United States Coast Guard
484:. Doubleday and Company.
85:South-Western Approaches
55:orth America during the
396:Blair (1998) pp.118-120
250:were destroyed and the
109:Mid-Ocean Escort Force
107:From August 1942, the
489:Milner, Marc (1985).
460:The Atlantic Campaign
360:Hague 2000 pp.163-164
351:Hague 2000 pp.158-160
342:Hague 2000 pp.157-160
296:Convoys ONS 20/ON 206
274:Convoys ONS 18/ON 202
437:Blair, Clay (1998).
418:Blair, Clay (1996).
117:Royal Canadian Navy
491:North Atlantic Run
405:Milner 1985 pp.3-4
369:Blair (1996) p.510
241:Convoy rescue ship
81:St Georges Channel
378:Milner pp.148-150
148:Normandy landings
57:Atlantic campaign
47:utbound from the
35:were a series of
16:(Redirected from
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441:. Random House.
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93:fall of France
83:(OB) into the
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262:Convoy ONS 5
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218:Flower-class
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181:Convoy ON 92
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173:Convoy ON 67
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73:World War II
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32:
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138:ONS convoys
33:ONS convoys
412:References
325:SC convoys
320:HX convoys
310:CU convoys
67:ON convoys
31:and later
18:ON convoys
267:Black May
246:. Three
244:Stockport
221:corvettes
540:Category
462:(1988).
304:See also
132:warships
43:running
248:U-boats
59:of the
41:convoys
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497:
466:
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426:
156:ONS 20
89:U-boat
39:trade
331:Notes
194:HF/DF
152:ONS 5
144:knots
523:ISBN
495:ISBN
464:ISBN
443:ISBN
424:ISBN
252:USCG
196:and
27:The
51:to
542::
458:.
280:KM
126:.
29:ON
531:.
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451:.
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53:N
45:O
20:)
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