Endrass was a "wolfpack" of German U-boats that operated from 12 to 17 June 1942 in attacking Convoy HG 84 that comprised 23 Allied ships. The group's name commemorated the U-boat commander Engelbert Endrass, who was killed in action in December 1941.[1]
Five ships of Convoy HG 84, assembled at Gibraltar for passage to Liverpool, were sunk, all by the U-boat U-552 in the early hours of 15 June.
The first attack came at 00:59, about 700 kilometres (380 nmi) west of Corunna, Spain, when U-552 fired torpedoes at the convoy and hit and sank the 1,943-ton British merchant ship Etrib,[2] the 1,346-ton British merchant ship Pelayo,[3] and the 7,374-ton Norwegian tanker Slemdal.[4]
U-552 struck again at 04:34, firing three torpedoes at the convoy. Two British merchant ships, the 2,759-ton City of Oxford[5] and the 2,436-ton Thurso[6] were hit and sunk.