In January 1942, Convoy SL 97 faced U-boats and repeated air attacks. The escorts held the convoy together while a Gibraltar-based anti-submarine support force surged to reinforce them. Their combined defence ended with no merchant losses and the destruction of U-93. The result depended on the original escorts surviving long enough for mobile reserves to intervene. Convoy defence worked through endurance, reinforcement, and concentration rather than the achievement of any one ship. Egret later took part in Operation Torch before the 1943 Bay of Biscay campaign intensified.
Notable Point · 21:42-23:07
Convoy SL 97: escorts held the line until reinforcements arrived
During the heavy attack on Convoy SL 97, the escorts held off U-boats and aircraft long enough for Gibraltar-based reinforcements to arrive and U-93 to be destroyed.