Wikipedia

Convoy JW 51A

Convoy JW 51A was an Arctic convoy sent from Great Britain by the Western Allies to aid the Soviet Union during World War II. It sailed in December 1942, reaching the Soviet northern ports at the end of the month. Convoy JW 51A was not detected or attacked by German forces and arrived without loss.

Convoy JW 51A
Part of Arctic Convoys of the Second World War

The Norwegian and the Barents seas, site of the Arctic convoys
Location
Arctic Ocean
Result British victory
Belligerents
Royal Navy
Merchant Navy		 Nazi Germany Luftwaffe
Kriegsmarine

Background

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Convoy JW 51A was the first of the JW/RA convoy series, replacing the previous PQ/QP series which had been suspended during the summer and autumn of 1942. The JW series were organized to sail from Loch Ewe, Scotland, rather than Iceland and sailed with a substantial destroyer escort to guard against surface attacks, as had proved effective with Convoy PQ 18. Ships from the US crossed the Atlantic in HX convoys from New York. Convoy JW 51A was the first outbound Arctic convoy of the 1942–1943 winter season and began the sailing of smaller convoys twice-monthly to reduce the problems of controlling large groups of ships in the gloom of the polar night.[1]

Forces

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Convoy JW 51A consisted of 16 merchant ships, which departed from Loch Ewe on 15 December 1942.[2] Close escort was provided by the minesweeper HMS Seagull, two corvettes and two armed trawlers. These were supported by six Home Fleet destroyers led by HMS Faulknor. The convoy was also accompanied initially by a local escort group from Britain. A cruiser cover force comprising HMS Jamaica and HMS Sheffield, and three destroyers, also followed the convoy to guard against attack by surface units. Distant cover was provided by a Heavy Cover Force comprising the battleship HMS King George V, the cruiser HMS Berwick and three escorting destroyers. Convoy JW 51A was opposed by a force of three U-boats commanded by Konteradmiral (Rear Admiral) Otto Klüber in a patrol line in the Norwegian Sea, and the aircraft of Luftflotte V based in Norway. A surface force comprising the heavy cruisers Admiral Hipper and Köln with six destroyers were at Altenfjord. Lützow reached Narvik on 12 December.[3]

Voyage

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Convoy JW 51A departed Loch Ewe on 15 December 1942, accompanied by its local escort, of three destroyers, and its close escort. Three days later, on 18 December, it was joined by the ocean escort, while the local escort departed. At the same time the Cruiser Force and the Distant Cover Force from Scapa Flow also put to sea, taking station in the Norwegian Sea. The convoy was not seen by German reconnaissance aircraft, nor by any of the patrolling U-boats, and crossed the Norwegian and Barents Seas without incident. On 25 December Convoy JW 51A arrived safely at Kola Inlet but five ships were sunk in the inlet by mines and attacks by the Luftwaffe.[4] Five ships sailed on to Molotovsk, near Archangelsk.[5]

Conclusion

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Convoy JW 51A was a successful start to the JW convoy series and to the 1942–43 winter convoy season, with the safe arrival of 16 merchant ships.[6]

Allied order of battle

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Allied merchant ships

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Merchant ships[2]
Name Year Flag GRT Notes
Beauregard 1920   United States 5,976 15–25 December
Briarwood 1930   United Kingdom 4,019 15–25 December, Convoy Commodore Charles Turle[7]
Dynastic 1919   United States 5,773 15–25 December
El Almirante 1917   Panama 5,248 15–25 December
El Oceano 1925   Panama 6,767 15–25 December
Empire Meteor 1940   United Kingdom 7,457 15–25 December, Vice-Convoy Commodore
Gateway City 1920   United States 5,432 15–25 December
Greylock 1921   United States 7,640 15–25 December
JLM Curry 1942   United States 7,176 15–25 December
RFA Oligarch 1918   Royal Navy 6,894 15–25 December, Tanker
Oremar 52 1919   United States 6,854 15–25 December
Richard Basset 1942   United States 7,191 15–25 December
Richard Bland 1942   United States 7,191 15–25 December
San Cipriano 1937   United Kingdom 7,966 15–25 December
West Gotomska 1918   United States 5,728 15–25 December
Wind Rush 1918   United States 5,586 15–25 December

Western escort

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Western local escort[4]
Name Flag Type Notes
HMS Blankney   Royal Navy Hunt-class destroyer 15–18 December
HMS Chiddingfold   Royal Navy Hunt-class destroyer 15–18 December
HMS Ledbury   Royal Navy Hunt-class destroyer 15–18 December

Close escort

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Close convoy escort[2]
Name Flag Type Notes
HMS Seagull   Royal Navy Halcyon-class minesweeper 15–25 December
HMS Honeysuckle   Royal Navy Flower-class corvette 15–25 December
HMS Oxlip   Royal Navy Flower-class corvette 15–25 December
HMT Lady Madeleine   Royal Navy ASW trawler 15–25 December
HMT Northern Wave   Royal Navy ASW trawler 15–25 December

Ocean escort

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Fighting destroyer escort[8]
Name Flag Type Notes
HMS Boadicea   Royal Navy B-class destroyer 18 December – 4 January
HMS Echo   Royal Navy E-class destroyer 18 December – 4 January
HMS Eclipse   Royal Navy E-class destroyer 18 December – 4 January
HMS Faulknor   Royal Navy F-class destroyer 18 December – 4 January
HMS Fury   Royal Navy F-class destroyer 18 December – 4 January
HMS Inglefield   Royal Navy I-class destroyer 18 December – 4 January

Force R

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Cruiser covering force[4]
Name Flag Type Notes
HMS Sheffield   Royal Navy Town-class cruiser Flagship, Rear-Admiral Robert "Bullshit Bob" Burnett 19–24 December
HMS Jamaica   Royal Navy Fiji-class cruiser 19–24 December
HMS Beagle   Royal Navy B-class destroyer 19–24 December
HMS Matchless   Royal Navy M-class destroyer 19–24 December
HMS Opportune   Royal Navy O-class destroyer 19–24 December

Distant cover

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Home Fleet[2]
Ship Flag Type Notes
HMS King George V   Royal Navy King George V-class battleship 19–22 December
HMS Berwick   Royal Navy County-class cruiser 19–22 December
HMS Musketeer   Royal Navy M-class destroyer 19–22 December
HMS Quadrant   Royal Navy Q-class destroyer 19–22 December
HMS Raider   Royal Navy R-class destroyer 19–22 December


German order of battle

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Surface flotilla[9]
Ship Flag Type Notes
Admiral Hipper   Kriegsmarine Admiral Hipper-class cruiser
Lützow   Kriegsmarine Admiral Hipper-class cruiser
Z16 Friedrich Eckoldt   Kriegsmarine Type 1934A-class destroyer
Z4 Richard Beitzen   Kriegsmarine Type 1934-class destroyer
Z6 Theodor Riedel   Kriegsmarine Type 1934A-class destroyer
Z29   Kriegsmarine Type 1936A-class destroyer
Z30   Kriegsmarine Type 1936A-class destroyer
Z31   Kriegsmarine Type 1936A-class destroyer

Footnotes

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  1. ^ Blair 2000, p. 152.
  2. ^ a b c d Ruegg & Hague 1993, p. 48.
  3. ^ Blair 2000, pp. 152–153.
  4. ^ a b c Rohwer & Hümmelchen 2005, p. 219.
  5. ^ Blair 2000, p. 163.
  6. ^ Blair 2000, p. 153.
  7. ^ Woodman 2004, p. 311.
  8. ^ Ruegg & Hague 1993, p. 48; Woodman 2004, p. 311.
  9. ^ Woodman 2004, p. 316.

References

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  • Blair, Clay (2000) [1999]. Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunted 1942–1945. Loondon: Cassell. ISBN 0-304-35261-6.
  • Rohwer, Jürgen; Hümmelchen, Gerhard (2005) [1972]. Chronology of the War at Sea, 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (3rd rev. ed.). London: Chatham. ISBN 978-1-86176-257-3.
  • Ruegg, Bob; Hague, Arnold (1993) [1992]. Convoys to Russia: Allied Convoys and Naval Surface Operations in Arctic Waters 1941–1945 (2nd rev. enl. ed.). Kendal: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-66-5.
  • Woodman, Richard (2004) [1994]. Arctic Convoys 1941–1945. London: John Murray. ISBN 978-0-7195-5752-1.

Further reading

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