Convoy JW 55B
The convoy JW 55B was an allied northern sea convoy that was put together in December 1943 in Loch Ewe , Scotland , and brought goods essential to the war effort to the Soviet Murmansk . The Allies suffered no losses, while the battleship Scharnhorst was lost on the German side .
Composition and securing
The convoy JW 55B consisted of 19 cargo ships. On December 20, 1943, they left Loch Ewe ( Lage ) in the direction of Murmansk ( Lage ). The Western Local Escort formed the corvettes HMS Borage and HMS Wallflower and the mine sweepers HMS Hound and HMS Hydra . The Ocean Escort were the destroyers HMS Onslow , HMS Onslaught , HMS Orwell , HMS Scourge , HMS Impulsive , HMCS Haida , HMCS Iroquois , HMCS Huron , HMS Whitehall and HMS Wrestler , the minesweeper HMS Gleaner and the corvettes HMS Honeysuckle and HMS Oxlip available . From December 28th, the Eastern Local Escort took over the security, with the Soviet destroyers Razyarenny , Razumny , Kujbyshev , four AM mine sweepers and the British mine sweepers HMS Speedwell , HMS Hussar , HMS Halcyon . A group of cruisers with HMS Belfast , HMS Norfolk and HMS Sheffield also drove close to the convoy . From December 26th, a long-range cover group consisting of the battleship HMS Duke of York , the cruiser HMS Jamaica and the destroyers HMS Savage , HMS Saumarez , HMS Scorpion and Stord (Norwegian) acted a little further away .
| Surname | Type | flag | Measurement in GRT | Whereabouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bernhard N Baker | freighter |
 United States
|
7191 | |
| British Statesman | freighter |
 United Kingdom
|
6991 | |
| Brockholst Livingston | freighter |
United States
|
7176 | |
| Cardinal gibbons | freighter |
United States
|
7191 | |
| Fort Kullyspell | freighter |
United Kingdom
|
7191 | |
| Fort Nakasley | freighter |
United Kingdom
|
7132 | |
| Fort Vercheres | freighter |
United Kingdom
|
7128 | |
| Harold L Winslow | freighter |
United States
|
7176 | |
| John J Abel | freighter |
United States
|
7191 | |
| John Viening | freighter |
United States
|
7191 | |
| John Wanamaker | freighter |
United States
|
7176 | |
| Norlys | freighter |
 Panama
|
9892 | |
| Ocean Gipsy | freighter |
United Kingdom
|
7178 | |
| Ocean Messenger | freighter |
United Kingdom
|
7178 | |
| Ocean Pride | freighter |
United Kingdom
|
7173 | |
| Ocean Valor | freighter |
United Kingdom
|
7174 | |
| Ocean Viceroy | freighter |
United Kingdom
|
7174 | |
| Thomas U Walter | freighter |
United States
|
7176 | |
| Will Rogers | freighter |
United States
|
7200 |
course
On December 22nd, 1943, the German aerial reconnaissance captured the convoy. As a result, some Junkers Ju 88 attacked on December 23, but they achieved nothing. On December 24th, the first submarines of the "Eisenbart" group with U 277 , U 387 , U 354 , U 601 , U 716 , U 957 , U 314 , U 601 and U 716 approached the convoy. But apart from missed torpedo shots, they achieved nothing. On December 26, a German combat group with the battleship Scharnhorst and the destroyers of the 4th Z-Flotilla Z 29 , Z 30 , Z 33 , Z 34 and Z 38 searched for the convoy. The British cruiser group located the Scharnhorst . There was a brief skirmish in which the HMS Norfolk scored two hits on the Scharnhorst . As a result, among other things, the radio measuring device failed. After the Scharnhorst had withdrawn, there was another meeting around noon, in which the HMS Norfolk received two hits. In the meantime the long-range cover group of the convoy came up. In the pursuit battle, the ships scored a few hits with radar-guided fire, but the Scharnhorst came out of range again until the destroyers HMS Savage and HMS Saumarez or HMS Scorpion and Stord scored four torpedo hits in a pincer attack and brought the Scharnhorst to a stop. The Scharnhorst continued to fire tirelessly and damaged the HMS Saumarez . Shot down with artillery by the HMS Duke of York , the HMS Jamaica and the oncoming cruisers HMS Belfast and HMS Norfolk and by another ten to eleven torpedoes the destroyers HMS Musketeer , HMS Opportune , HMS Virago , HMS Matchless and the cruisers HMS Belfast and HMS Jamaica hit, the Scharnhorst ( location ) sank in the evening. Only 36 of the 1972 crew members survived. The convoy reached Murmansk on December 29th.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Jürgen Rohwer , Gerhard Hümmelchen : Chronik des Maritime War 1939–1945, December 1943. Retrieved on January 18, 2017 .
- ^ Arnold Hague: Arnold Hague Convoy Database, JW Convoy Series. Retrieved January 18, 2017 .
Map with all coordinates: