page_title: Convoy HG 76
section_title: 14–15 December
hierarchical_section_title: Convoy HG 76 / Battle / 14–15 December
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Carte topographique et administrative en portugais du Portugal Português: Carta topográfica e da administração do Portugal, em português Deutsch: Topographische Karte von Portugal, portugiesische VersionEnglish: Topographic and administrative map in Portuguese of PortugalEspañol: Mapa topográfico y administrativo en portugés del PortugalItaliano: Carta topografica e amministrativa de Portogallo日本語: ポルトガル語で表示したポルトガル地形·行政地図
context_page_description: HG 76 was an Allied convoy of the HG series, during the Second World War. It was notable for the destruction of five German U-boats.
  Two Focke-Wulf Condor long-range reconnaissance aircraft were shot down by Martlet fighters. The fighter cover was provided by the escort carrier HMS Audacity, which was sunk during the voyage along with a destroyer and two merchant ships. Despite the loss of the escort carrier, it was regarded as the first big convoy victory for the Allies in the Battle of the Atlantic.
context_section_description: HG 76 sailed from Gibraltar on 14 December 1941, in company with a small convoy bound for Cape Town, and was reported almost immediately by German agents across the bay in neutral Spain, who reported the composition, escort strength and departure time of the convoy; BdU was confused by an agent report that the convoy had returned to port. The first sightings of HG 76 were made by U-74 and U-77, both en route to the Mediterranean and about to transit the Straits. U-77 sank one ship from the Cape Town convoy, but U-74 was unable to attack HG 76; Fairey Swordfish aircraft of RAF Gibraltar Command were escorting the convoy and on three occasions during the night of 14/15 December, drove off the U-boats. The {{lang|de|Seerauber]} boats formed a patrol line south of Cape St Vincent but HG 76 passed through the line without detection. At 8:15 a.m. Lockheed Hudson and Consolidated Catalina aircraft took over from the Swordfish and for the next two days co-operated with the 802 NAS Martlets on Audacity, forcing U-boats to submerge. U-127 was detected on a routine anti-submarine sweep by a Short Sunderland from Gibraltar late in the day and next morning was detected on Asdic by Nestor and sunk at 11:00 a.m.
caption: Topographic map showing Cape St Vincent (Cabo de São Vicente) at the south-west extremity
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