Convoy RA 57

The convoy RA 57 was an Allied Nordmeergeleitzug , who in March 1944 in the Murmansk upstream Kola Bay was compiled and largely without charge in the Scottish Loch Ewe was driving. The Allies only lost one freighter (7062 GRT). On the German side, the submarines U 472 , U 366 and U 973 were lost.

Composition and securing

Escort carrier HMS Chaser

The convoy RA 57 consisted of 32 cargo ships. On March 2, 1944, they left Soviet Murmansk ( Lage ) in the direction of Loch Ewe ( Lage ). The convoy's commodore was Captain MJD Mayall, who had embarked on Fort Crevecour . The destroyers HMS Keppel , HMS Beagle , HMS Boadicea and HMS Walker as well as the corvettes HMS Bluebell , HMS Camellia , HMS Lotus , HMS Rhododendron and the mine sweepers HMS Gleaner and HMS Seagull took over the local security . The flak cruiser HMS Black Prince , the escort carrier HMS Chaser and the destroyers HMS Milne , HMS Impulsive , HMS Matchless , HMS Meteor , HMS Obedient , HMS Offa , HMS Onslaught , HMS Oribi , HMS Savage , HMS Serapis , HMS Swift were ready as ocean escorts , HMS Verulam and HMS Vigilant . From March 8th, the Western Local Escort took over the security with the minesweepers HMS Hydra , HMS Loyalty , HMS Onyx , HMS Orestes and HMS Ready .

Surname	Type	flag	Measurement in GRT	Whereabouts
Abner Nash	freighter	United States	7177
Aert van der Neer	freighter	Netherlands	7170
Albert C Ritchie	freighter	United States	7176
Bernard N Baker	freighter	United States	7191
Charles A McAllister	freighter	United States	7176
Charles Scribner	freighter	United States	7176
Edward L Grant	freighter	United States	7176
Edwin L Drake	freighter	United States	7176
Empire Bard	freighter	United Kingdom	3114
Empire Pickwick	freighter	United Kingdom	7068
Empire Plowman	freighter	United Kingdom	7049
Empire tourist	freighter	United Kingdom	7062	sunk by U 703 on March 5th ( Lage )
Fort Crevecouer	freighter	United Kingdom	7191
Fort Norfolk	freighter	United Kingdom	7131
Fort slave	freighter	United Kingdom	7134
Henry Bacon	freighter	United States	7177
Henry Wynkoop	freighter	United States	7176
John HB Blatrobe	freighter	United States	7191
John La Farge	freighter	United States	7176
Tom Hamilton Hayne	freighter	United States	7177
Philip Livingston	freighter	United States	7176
Richard H Alvey	freighter	United States	7191
Robert Lowry	freighter	United States	7176
Samuel McIntyre	freighter	United States	7176
San Adolfo	freighter	United Kingdom	7365
San Ambrosia	freighter	United Kingdom	7410
San Cirilo	freighter	United Kingdom	8012
Thorstein Veblen	freighter	United States	7176
Willard Hall	freighter	United States	7200
William Tyler Page	freighter	United States	7176
Winfred L Smith	freighter	United States	7191
Woodbridge N Ferris	freighter	United States	7200

course

Although the westbound convoy first moved in a wide arc to the east, the German aerial reconnaissance caught it on March 4, 1944. Subsequently, the submarines U 278 , U 288 , U 472 , U 673 , U 703 , U 739 and U 959 assigned to the convoy. In the night of March 4th to 5th, the first attacks with TV torpedoes took place , but none of them resulted . A Swordfish of the escort carrier HMS Chaser damaged U 472 ( location ) so badly that it was sunk by the crew before the approaching destroyer HMS Onslaught . On March 5, U 703 sank the freighter Empire Tourist (7062 BRT). Further attacks by the submarines from March 5th to 7th failed. Carrier-based aircraft of the Swordfish type sank on March 5, U 366 ( Lage ) and on March 6, U 973 ( Lage ). On March 10, the convoy arrived in Loch Ewe, Scotland.

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b c} Jürgen Rohwer , Gerhard Hümmelchen : Chronik des Maritime War 1939–1945, March 1944. Retrieved January 18, 2017 . 
2. ^ Arnold Hague: Arnold Hague Convoy Database, RA Convoy Series. Retrieved January 18, 2017 . 

 Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap