Convoy JW 51A

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	Luftwaffe Kriegsmarine

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.

Background

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

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

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

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

Allied merchant ships

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1. Blair 2000, p. 152.
2. Ruegg & Hague 1993, p. 48.
3. Blair 2000, pp. 152–153.
4. 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

• Blair, Clay (2000) [1999]. Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunted 1942–1945. London: 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

• Kemp, Paul (1993). Convoy: Drama in Arctic Waters . London: Arms and Armour. ISBN   978-1-85409-130-7 – via Archive Foundation.
• Kemp, Paul (1997). U-Boats Destroyed, German submarine losses in the World Wars. Arms and Armour. ISBN   1-85409-515-3.
• Niestle, Axel (1998). German U-Boat Losses During World War II. Greenhill. ISBN   1-85367-352-8.
• Schofield, Bernard (1964). The Russian Convoys . London: BT Batsford. OCLC   906102591 – via Archive Foundation.

External links

• JW 51A at Convoyweb