The Stuka attack made Portland too dangerous and crowded to shelter more than forty merchant ships, so convoy OA 178 was ordered back out. With Foylebank disabled and effective escort absent, German E-boats found a stream of vulnerable targets after dark. The freighter Elmcrest dodged one torpedo but was struck twice, and sixteen men drowned when the second attack overturned a boat. Air attack, harbor constraints, escort loss, and surface attack combined against the coastal convoy within hours.
Chapter · 1:34:23-1:36:22
How Portland's air attack exposed convoy OA 178 to E-boats
Damage inside Portland forced convoy OA 178 back to sea without effective escort, where German E-boats turned a failed refuge into a second disaster.