Convoy JW 65
The convoy JW 65 was an allied northern sea convoy that was put together in March 1945 in the Scottish Firth of Clyde and brought essential war goods to the Soviet Murmansk . The Allies lost an escort vehicle and two freighters with a total of 14,393 GRT to German submarines.
Composition and securing
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The convoy JW 65 consisted of 26 cargo ships. On March 11, 1945, they left the Firth of Clyde ( Lage ) in the direction of Murmansk ( Lage ). The destroyers HMS Myngs and Stord (Norwegian), the sloops HMS Lapwing and the corvettes HMS Allington Castle , HMS Alnwick Castle , HMS Bamborough Castle , HMS Lancaster Castle , HMS Camellia , HMS Honeysuckle and HMS Oxlip were responsible for securing the convoy . From March 12, further security ships such as the cruiser HMS Diadem , the escort carrier HMS Campania , the destroyers HMS Onslaught , HMS Opportune , HMS Orwell , HMS Scorpion , HMS Zambesi and HMCS Sioux and the corvette HMS Farnham Castle were added. On March 15, the escort carrier HMS Trumpeter and the destroyers HMS Savage and HMS Scourge joined the escort.
| Surname | Type | flag | Measurement in GRT | Whereabouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benjamin Schlesinger | freighter |
 United States
|
7176 | |
| Blue Ranger | freighter |
 United Kingdom
|
3417 | |
| Charles A McAllister | freighter |
United States
|
7176 | |
| Dolabella | freighter |
United Kingdom
|
8142 | |
| Eleazar Lord | freighter |
United States
|
7247 | |
| Eloy Alfaro | freighter |
United States
|
7176 | |
| Empire stalwart | freighter |
United Kingdom
|
7045 | |
| Fort Boise | freighter |
United Kingdom
|
7151 | |
| Fort Massac | freighter |
United Kingdom
|
7157 | |
| Fort Yukon | freighter |
United Kingdom
|
7153 | |
| Grace Abbott | freighter |
United States
|
7191 | |
| Horace Bushnell | freighter |
United States
|
7176 | torpedoed by U 995 on March 20, aground; Total loss ( location ) |
| Idefjord | freighter |
 Norway
|
4287 | |
| James m Gillis | freighter |
United States
|
7176 | |
| James McDonogh | freighter |
United States
|
7176 | |
| Lacklan | freighter |
United Kingdom
|
8670 | |
| Lawrence J Brengle | freighter |
United States
|
7209 | |
| Leo J Duster | freighter |
United States
|
7176 | |
| Nicholas Briddle | freighter |
United States
|
7191 | |
| San Venancio | freighter |
United Kingdom
|
8152 | |
| Stage door canteen | freighter |
United States
|
7176 | |
| Thomas Donaldson | freighter |
United States
|
7210 | sunk by U 986 on March 20 ( location ) |
| WR Grace | freighter |
United States
|
7176 | |
| William Pepper | freighter |
United States
|
7176 | |
| William Wheel Wright | freighter |
United States
|
7176 | |
| Winfred L Smith | freighter |
United States
|
7191 |
course
After the German B-Dienst recognized that the convoy was leaving on March 13, 1945, the submarine group "Hagen" with the submarines U 307 , U 312 , U 363 , U 968 , U 711 , U. 716 and U 997 in the Bären-Enge. The submarines U 313 and U 992 patrolled the Kola Bay. Since the German aerial reconnaissance did not find the convoy, from March 17th all submarines took up position in two lines in front of the Kola Bay. The first submarines made contact on March 20. U 995 torpedoed the freighter Horace Bushnell (7176 GRT), which was so badly damaged that it was aground and written off as a total loss. U 986 sank the sloop HMS Lapwing ( Lage ) and the freighter Thomas Donaldson (7217 BRT). On March 21, the convoy reached the Kola Bay off Murmansk. He lost an escort vehicle and two freighters with a total of 14,393 GRT.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Jürgen Rohwer , Gerhard Hümmelchen : Chronicle of the Sea War 1939–1945, March 1945. Retrieved January 18, 2017 .
- ^ Arnold Hague: Arnold Hague Convoy Database, JW Convoy Series. Retrieved January 18, 2017 .
Map with all coordinates: