Convoy HX 229
Departed New York City on March 8-1943 and arrived Liverpool on the 23rd.

For various reasons the escort for this Convoy was very inadequate and the difficulties of the Senior Officer (who was not, in any case, the proper Senior Officer of the Group) during the period of attacks were greatly increased by the fact that the Convoy had no rescue ship. The escort itself consisted of two destroyers and two corvettes and was supported for a proportion of the time by one additional destroyer. The situation was a difficult one for the Senior Officer (Volunteer) from the start but once the U-boats began to attack it became critical. The "snowball" effect of a Convoy battle was here clearly illustrated. The Senior Officer had continually to make extremely hard decisions concerning the disposition of his small force. The question was to what extent he could afford to allow his escorts to pick up survivors from the torpedoed ships. Even if he had ignored entirely the many men he was leaving astern in the water his escort would still have been inadequate to provide anything like complete protection. As it was he did attempt as much rescue work as was possible in the circumstances.

The first aircraft to escort this Convoy met at 1655/17 at a distance of 1,000 miles from its base. This achievement reaped the reward it merited in six sightings of U-boats, three of which were attacked. It was largely due to this feat that the heavy series of attacks made on this Convoy on the previous night were not repeated. On the night 18th/19th several attempts were frustrated; by this time Highlander had joined and taken over the duties of Senior Officer. Two daylight attacks also were made on the 17th and 18th, one on each; in neither of these cases was the U-boat detected before the attack. During the early hours of 19th March, while on her way to reinforce the Convoy, a promising series of attacks on a U-boat were made by Babbitt. A sample of oil obtained at this time has been received but not yet analysed. This Convoy was attacked in an area further West than were the others, and aircraft were unable to assist during the most critical period.