Convoy JW 56A
The convoy JW 56A was an allied northern sea convoy that was put together in January 1944 in Loch Ewe , Scotland , and brought goods essential to the war effort to the Soviet Murmansk . Due to German submarine attacks, the Allies lost three freighters with 21,530 GRT.
Composition and securing
The convoy JW 56A consisted of 20 cargo ships. On January 12, 1944, they left the Scottish Loch Ewe ( Lage ) in the direction of Murmansk ( Lage ). The Western Local Escort with the destroyer HMS Inconstant , the corvettes HMS Borage , HMS Dianella , HMS Poppy , the mine sweepers HMS Ready , HMS Orestes and the sloop HMS Cygnet took over the security as far as Iceland. Then the Ocean Escort took over the convoy with the destroyers HMS Hardy , HMS Savage , HMS Venus , HMS Offa , HMS Obdurate , HMS Vigilant , HMS Virago and Stord (Norwegian), as well as the corvettes HMS Poppy and HMS Dianella . The cruisers HMS Kent , HMS Norfolk and HMS Belfast stood ready near the convoy. From January 26th, the Eastern Local Escort secured the convoy to Murmansk with the Soviet destroyers Gremyashchi , Gromki and Razyarenny , the British minesweepers HMS Gleaner and HMS Speedwell and the Soviet minesweepers T-111 , T-114 and T-117 .
| Surname | Type | flag | Measurement in GRT | Whereabouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aert van der Neer | freighter |
 Netherlands
|
7170 | |
| Andrew G Curtin | freighter |
 United States
|
7200 | on 25/26 January sunk by U 278, U 360 and U 716 ( location ) |
| Charles Bulfinch | freighter |
United States
|
7176 | |
| Charles Scribner | freighter |
United States
|
7176 | |
| Edwin L Drake | freighter |
United States
|
7176 | |
| Empire Plowman | freighter |
 United Kingdom
|
7049 | |
| Fort Bellingham | freighter |
United Kingdom
|
7153 | on 25/26 January sunk by U 278, U 360 and U 716 ( location ) |
| Fort slave | freighter |
United Kingdom
|
7134 | |
| Jefferson Davis | freighter |
United States
|
7176 | |
| John a Quitman | freighter |
United States
|
7176 | |
| Joseph Nicolett | freighter |
United States
|
7176 | |
| Nathaniel Alexander | freighter |
United States
|
7177 | |
| Noreg | freighter |
 Norway
|
7605 | |
| Penelope Barker | freighter |
United States
|
7177 | on 25/26 January sunk by U 278, U 360 and U 716 ( location ) |
| Richard H Alvey | freighter |
United States
|
7191 | |
| San Adolfo | freighter |
United Kingdom
|
7365 | |
| San Cirilo | freighter |
United Kingdom
|
8012 | |
| Thorstein Veblen | freighter |
United States
|
7176 | |
| William Tyler Page | freighter |
United States
|
7176 | |
| Woodbridge N Ferris | freighter |
United States
|
7200 |
course
Because of a severe storm, the convoy had to call at the Icelandic port of Akureyri on January 16, 1944 , where five freighters were stuck due to serious damage. On January 21, he continued his voyage, albeit without the five freighters. The Germans set up the submarine group "Isegrim" between Bear Island and Norway . It included the submarines U 278 , U 314 , U 360 , U 425 , U 601 , U 716 , U 737 , U 739 and U 965 . From January 25th, all submarines, with the exception of U 739 , were with the convoy and attacked. Despite multiple attacks on escort vehicles using TV torpedoes , only U 360 damaged the destroyer HMS Obdurate . The Penelope Barker (7177 BRT), the flagship of the convoy commodore Fort Bellingham (7153 BRT) and the Andrew G. Curtin (7200 BRT) sank as a result of fan attacks by U 278 , U 360 and U 716 . The JW 56A reached Murmansk on January 28th. He lost a total of three freighters with 21,530 GRT. Nine merchant ships continued towards Arkhangelsk .
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c Jürgen Rohwer , Gerhard Hümmelchen : Chronik des Maritime War 1939–1945, January 1944. Retrieved January 18, 2017 .
- ^ Arnold Hague: Arnold Hague Convoy Database, JW Convoy Series. Retrieved January 18, 2017 .
Map with all coordinates: