Convoy Faith

Convoy Faith
Part of the Battle of the Atlantic, World War II
A Fw 200 C-4 Condor in 1942. Aircraft of this model attacked Convoy Faith.
Date 8–12 July 1943 Location Atlantic Ocean, about 480 kilometres (300 mi) west of Portugal Result German victory
Belligerents
Germany	United Kingdom  Canada  United States
Commanders and leaders
	W.G. Busk-Wood
Strength
First attack: three aircraft Second attack: two aircraft	Two troopships, one transport Two destroyers, two frigates, two flying boats
Casualties and losses
One wounded One aircraft damaged	115 killed Two troopships sunk one storeship damaged

Convoy Faith was a small, fast Allied convoy of World War II. It suffered heavy casualties when attacked by German long-range bombers while en route from Britain to West Africa in July 1943. The convoy comprised two large troopships and a freighter, later joined by two destroyers and two frigates as escorts at various dates after it sailed on 7 July 1943. The two troopships, SS California and SS Duchess of York, both former liners, were carrying military personnel to West Africa, where locally recruited troops were to be embarked as reinforcements for the Allied forces in Burma and the Middle East. The freighter MV Port Fairy, carrying ammunition, was ultimately bound for Australia and New Zealand via the Panama Canal.

On the evening of 11 July, four days after sailing, Convoy Faith was attacked by three Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condors. Both troopships were severely damaged and over 100 of the personnel aboard the two ships were killed; they were subsequently sunk by torpedoes from the escorts. The freighter escaped unscathed, but was damaged in a second air attack on 12 July en route to Casablanca. The loss of the two troopships delayed the movement of a division of West African soldiers to India until four replacements arrived.

The British military was surprised by the attack on Convoy Faith, as it had been believed that the Condors no longer posed a serious threat. In response, the convoy route between Britain and Africa was moved to the west. The German Condor force attempted to repeat its success against Convoy Faith by carrying out similar attacks on other convoys, but sustained heavy losses from Allied anti-aircraft guns and aircraft.