Monday, 20 September
ASSAULT ON THE ESCORTS, CONVOYS ONS.18 AND ON.202
Frigate LAGAN, escorting convoy ON.202, was torpedoed by U.260 in 57-09N, 27-28 using the new Gnat acoustic torpedoes. She was towed back to the UK by tug DESTINY, arriving on the 24th, but declared a constructive total loss.
Canadian destroyer ST CROIX (Lt Cdr A H Dobson RCNR), escorting ON.202, was torpedoed by U.305 in 57-30N, 31-10, and an hour later, torpedoed a second time by U.305 and sunk. The commanding officer, four officers and and 76 ratings were rescued by frigate ITCHEN, but when she was sunk, only one rating was saved from the crew of ST CROIX. In total, ST CROIX lost Cdr Dobson, Lt R T N Porter, Act/Ty/Lt Cdr P F M De Freitas RCNR, Lt P S Major RCNVR, Ty/Lt C A Ross RCNVR, Ty/Lt J F Gallagher RCNVR, Ty/Lt G B Wright RCNVR, Ty/Sub Lt L Page RCNVR, Surgeon Lt L M King RCNVR, Ty/Lt (E) D Ridge RCNVR and one hundred and thirty seven ratings.
Corvette POLYANTHUS (Ty/Lt J G Aitken RNR), also escorting ON 202, was ordered to join ITCHEN searching for the submarine responsible for sinking ST CROIX and also to rescue survivors. She never reached ITCHEN, and was sunk by U.952 in 57-00N, 31-10. Lt Aitken, Ty/Act/Sub Lt P J Atkins RNVR, Ty/Lt H Bradshaw RNR, Ty/Lt J R Harridge RNVR, Ty/Act/Sub Lt G M Ponman RNVR, Ty/Lt G H Shepard RNVR, Ty/Lt H Whitehead RNVR and seventy eight ratings were missing. The only survivor, Sub Lt F J Young RNVR, was rescued by ITCHEN.