Convoy JW 53

Convoy JW 53 in the pack ice

The convoy JW 53 was an allied northern sea convoy , which was put together in February 1943 in Loch Ewe in Scotland and brought goods essential to the war to the Soviet Murmansk . He suffered no losses.

Composition and securing

The HMS Opportune in heavy seas at JW 53

Two freighters JW 53 in the Kola Bay, photographed by the HMS Inglefield from

The Empire Baffin did not reach its destination

The convoy JW 53 consisted of 29 cargo ships. On February 15, 1943, they left Loch Ewe ( Lage ) in the direction of Murmansk ( Lage ). Initially, the Western Local Escort took over the local security with the destroyers HMS Meynell , HMS Middleton and HMS Pytchley , the corvettes HMS Bryony , HMS Bergamot , HMS Poppy , HMS Bluebell , HMS Camellia and HMS Dianelladem , the minesweepers HMS Hazard , HMS Jason and HMS Halcyon and the anti-submarine trawlers HMS Lord Middleton and HMS Lord Austin . As of February 19, local security was transferred to the Fighting Escort Group, which operated the cruiser HMS Scylla and the destroyers HMS Milne , Orkan (Polish), HMS Orwell , HMS Opportune , HMS Obedient , HMS Obdurate , HMS Faulknor , HMS Boadicea , HMS Inglefield , HMS Fury , HMS Intrepid , HMS Impulsive, and HMS Eclipse . The close coverage group formed the cruisers HMS Belfast , HMS Cumberland and HMS Norfolk . From February 24th to 26th, a long-range cover group was added, with the battleships HMS King George V and HMS Howe , the cruiser HMS Berwick and the destroyers HMS Icarus , HMS Meteor , HMS Musketeer , HMS Offa , HMS Onslaught and Piorun (Polish) . On February 26th, the Soviet destroyers Gromki , Kuibyshev , Urizki and the guard cutters Grosa and Uragan were added for the last stretch . Furthermore, the submarines HMS Seanymph , HMS Sportsman , HMS Simoom , HMS Truculent and the Soviet K-21 , Shch-422 , M-119 , M-122 , M-171 , M-172 , M- stood off the Norwegian coast. 174 ready.

Surname	Type	flag	Measurement in GRT	Whereabouts
Artigas	freighter	Panama	5613
Atlantic	freighter	United Kingdom	5414
Beaconhill	freighter	United States	6941
Bering	freighter	United States	7631
British Governor	Tanker	United Kingdom	6840
City of Omaha	freighter	United States	6124
Dover Hill	freighter	United Kingdom	5815
Empire Baffin	freighter	United Kingdom	6978	had to break off the trip and go to Iceland
Empire Fortune	freighter	United Kingdom	6140
Empire Galliard	freighter	United Kingdom	7170
Empire Kinsman	freighter	United Kingdom	6744
Empire Portia	freighter	United Kingdom	7058
Empire Scott	freighter	United Kingdom	6150
Explorer	freighter	United Kingdom	6235	had to break off the trip and go to Iceland
Francis Scott Key	freighter	United States	7191
Israel Putnam	freighter	United States	7176
James Bowie	freighter	United States	7176	had to break off the trip and go to Iceland
John Laurance	freighter	United States	7176	had to break off the trip and go to Iceland
Joseph Johnston	freighter	United States	7196	had to break off the trip and go to Iceland
Comiles	freighter	Soviet Union	3962	had to break off the trip and go to Iceland
Llandaff	freighter	United Kingdom	4825
marathon	freighter	Norway	7208
Mobile City	freighter	United States	6157
Ocean Freedom	freighter	United Kingdom	7173	Sunk on March 13th by I./KG 30 in the port of Murmansk
Petrovsky	freighter	Soviet Union	3771
Pieter de Hoogh	freighter	Netherlands	7168
Tbilisi	freighter	Soviet Union	7169
Thomas Hartley	freighter	United States	7176
Tobruk	freighter	Poland	7048

course

Due to a severe storm, six freighters had to break off the voyage and call at Iceland, while the escort carrier HMS Dasher and the cruiser HMS Sheffield returned to Loch Ewe. After the convoy was captured by the German aerial reconnaissance on February 23, 1943, it evaded well-known submarine positions using HF / DF bearings. Only U 622 had brief contact and missed two destroyers. On February 25, ten Junkers Ju 88s of I. Gruppe / Kampfgeschwader 30 attacked and damaged the Empire Portia (7058 GRT). Further air and submarine attacks were unsuccessful. The convoy reached Murmansk on February 26th, and six ships continued towards Arkhangelsk.

On February 27th and 28th, Junkers Ju 87 of I. Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 5 flew several dive-fighting attacks against the freighters of the sub-escort which had entered Murmansk, severely damaging the El Oriente (6008 GRT) and the Andre Marti (2352 GRT). The Ocean Freedom (7173 GRT) was destroyed in further attacks by I./KG 30 on March 6 and 13 .

Web links

Commons : Convoy JW 53  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Jürgen Rohwer , Gerhard Hümmelchen : Chronik des Maritime War 1939–1945, February 1943. Retrieved January 18, 2017 . 
2. ^ Arnold Hague: Arnold Hague Convoy Database, JW Convoy Series. Retrieved January 18, 2017 . 

 Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap