Convoy JW 51B
Encyclopedia
Convoy JW 51B was an Arctic convoy
sent from Great Britain
by the Western Allies
to aid the Soviet Union
during World War II
. It sailed in late December 1942, reaching the Soviet northern ports in early January 1943.
JW 51B came under attack by German surface units, engaged in Operation Regenbogen
, on 31 December. In the clash that ensued, two escorting destroyers and one attacking destroyer were sunk; no ships were lost from the convoy. This engagement became known as the Battle of the Barents Sea
.
on 22 December 1942.
Close escort was provided by the minesweeper Bramble, two corvettes and two armed trawlers.
These were supported by six Home Fleet destroyers led by Onslow
(Capt R. St.V. Sherbrooke commanding).
The convoy was also accompanied initially by a local escort group from Britain, and was joined later by a local escort group from Murmansk
.
A cruiser cover force comprising Jamaica and Sheffield
, and two destroyers, was also at sea, out of Kola Inlet, to guard against attack by surface units, while distant cover was provided by a Heavy Cover Force from Iceland comprising the battleship Anson, the cruiser Cumberland
and five destroyers.
JW 51B was opposed by a force of four U-boat
s in a patrol line in the Norwegian Sea
, and the aircraft of Luftflotte V based in Norway
.
A surface force comprising the heavy cruisers Hipper
, Lützow and six destroyers was also available, stationed at Altenfjord.
on 22 December 1942, accompanied by its local escort, of four destroyers, and its close escort.
Three days later, on 25 December, it was joined by the ocean escort, while the local escort departed.
On 27 December JW 51B ran into a gale, which scattered the convoy over the next two days into several groups across a wide area. One ship, Dover Hill had been forced to return with weather damage, while five ships and two escorts had become separated.
Three of the ships rejoined on 30 December, but Chester Valley, in company with the armed trawler Vizalma, and another, with the destroyer Oribi, remained separated. During the 30th also, Bramble detached from the main body of the convoy to search for the stragglers.
On 24 December the convoy had been sighted by a patrolling aircraft, but was lost later during the storm. However on 30 December it was found again by U-354, and Operation Regenbogen was put into effect.
On 31 December the German ships, in two sections, met the ocean escort of JW 51B, and after a sharp engagement, which left the minesweeper Bramble, destroyer Achates sinking, and another, Onslow, damaged, the attacking force was driven off. One German destroyer, Eckholdt was sunk, and a cruiser, Hipper, damaged.
No further attacks developed, and on 1 January 1943 Vizalma and her charge rejoined the convoy.
On 2 January JW 51B was met by its eastern local escort, two minesweepers from Murmansk
.
On 3 January the main body arrived in Kola Inlet, joined the following day by Oribi and her charge.
, which eventually culminated in his resignation. Thereafter, the main threat to the Allied convoy system was from the U-boat Arm.
Close escort
Ocean escort
Cruiser cover force
Distant cover force
Surface force
Arctic convoys of World War II
The Arctic convoys of World War II travelled from the United Kingdom and North America to the northern ports of the Soviet Union—Arkhangelsk and Murmansk. There were 78 convoys between August 1941 and May 1945...
sent from Great Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by the Western Allies
Western Allies
The Western Allies were a political and geographic grouping among the Allied Powers of the Second World War. It generally includes the United Kingdom and British Commonwealth, the United States, France and various other European and Latin American countries, but excludes China, the Soviet Union,...
to aid the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It sailed in late December 1942, reaching the Soviet northern ports in early January 1943.
JW 51B came under attack by German surface units, engaged in Operation Regenbogen
Operation Regenbogen (Arctic)
Operation Regenbogen was the sortie in 1942 into the Arctic Ocean by warships of the German Navy during World War II...
, on 31 December. In the clash that ensued, two escorting destroyers and one attacking destroyer were sunk; no ships were lost from the convoy. This engagement became known as the Battle of the Barents Sea
Battle of the Barents Sea
The Battle of the Barents Sea took place on 31 December 1942 between German surface raiders and British ships escorting convoy JW 51B to Kola Inlet in the USSR. The action took place in the Barents Sea north of North Cape, Norway...
.
Forces
JW 51A consisted of 15 merchant ships which departed from Loch EweLoch Ewe
Loch Ewe is a sea loch in the region of in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. The shores are inhabited by a traditionally Gàidhlig speaking people living in or sustained by crofting villages, the most notable of which, situated on the north-eastern shore, is the Aultbea settlement...
on 22 December 1942.
Close escort was provided by the minesweeper Bramble, two corvettes and two armed trawlers.
These were supported by six Home Fleet destroyers led by Onslow
HMS Onslow (G17)
HMS Onslow was an O-class destroyer flotilla leader of the Royal Navy She was ordered from John Brown & Company at Clydebank, Glasgow on 3 September 1939. The ship was laid down on 1 July 1940 and launched on 31 March 1941. She was completed on 8 October 1941 at a cost of £416,942.Attached to the...
(Capt R. St.V. Sherbrooke commanding).
The convoy was also accompanied initially by a local escort group from Britain, and was joined later by a local escort group from Murmansk
Murmansk
Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
.
A cruiser cover force comprising Jamaica and Sheffield
HMS Sheffield (C24)
HMS Sheffield was one of the Southampton sub class of the Town-class cruisers of the Royal Navy during the Second World War. She took part in actions against several major German warships. Unlike most Royal Navy ships of her time, her fittings were constructed from stainless steel instead of the...
, and two destroyers, was also at sea, out of Kola Inlet, to guard against attack by surface units, while distant cover was provided by a Heavy Cover Force from Iceland comprising the battleship Anson, the cruiser Cumberland
HMS Cumberland (57)
HMS Cumberland was a County class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy that saw action during the Second World War.-Career:Cumberland served on the China Station with the 5th Cruiser Squadron from 1928 until 1938, returning to the UK in March 1935 for a refit...
and five destroyers.
JW 51B was opposed by a force of four U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s in a patrol line in the Norwegian Sea
Norwegian Sea
The Norwegian Sea is a marginal sea in the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of Norway. It is located between the North Sea and the Greenland Sea and adjoins the North Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Barents Sea to the northeast. In the southwest, it is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a...
, and the aircraft of Luftflotte V based in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.
A surface force comprising the heavy cruisers Hipper
German cruiser Admiral Hipper
Admiral Hipper, the first of five ships of her class, was the lead ship of the Admiral Hipper–class of heavy cruisers which served with the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1935 and launched February 1937; Admiral Hipper...
, Lützow and six destroyers was also available, stationed at Altenfjord.
Action
JW 51B departed Loch EweLoch Ewe
Loch Ewe is a sea loch in the region of in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. The shores are inhabited by a traditionally Gàidhlig speaking people living in or sustained by crofting villages, the most notable of which, situated on the north-eastern shore, is the Aultbea settlement...
on 22 December 1942, accompanied by its local escort, of four destroyers, and its close escort.
Three days later, on 25 December, it was joined by the ocean escort, while the local escort departed.
On 27 December JW 51B ran into a gale, which scattered the convoy over the next two days into several groups across a wide area. One ship, Dover Hill had been forced to return with weather damage, while five ships and two escorts had become separated.
Three of the ships rejoined on 30 December, but Chester Valley, in company with the armed trawler Vizalma, and another, with the destroyer Oribi, remained separated. During the 30th also, Bramble detached from the main body of the convoy to search for the stragglers.
On 24 December the convoy had been sighted by a patrolling aircraft, but was lost later during the storm. However on 30 December it was found again by U-354, and Operation Regenbogen was put into effect.
On 31 December the German ships, in two sections, met the ocean escort of JW 51B, and after a sharp engagement, which left the minesweeper Bramble, destroyer Achates sinking, and another, Onslow, damaged, the attacking force was driven off. One German destroyer, Eckholdt was sunk, and a cruiser, Hipper, damaged.
No further attacks developed, and on 1 January 1943 Vizalma and her charge rejoined the convoy.
On 2 January JW 51B was met by its eastern local escort, two minesweepers from Murmansk
Murmansk
Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
.
On 3 January the main body arrived in Kola Inlet, joined the following day by Oribi and her charge.
Conclusion
The 15 ships of JW 51B arrived at Murmansk without loss, though one had been damaged. Despite the loss of two warships, JW 51B was a success, and the failure of the German surface force to mount an effective assault on the convoy caused a loss of confidence by Hitler in the German Navy and its commander, Admiral Erich RaederErich Raeder
Erich Johann Albert Raeder was a naval leader in Germany before and during World War II. Raeder attained the highest possible naval rank—that of Großadmiral — in 1939, becoming the first person to hold that rank since Alfred von Tirpitz...
, which eventually culminated in his resignation. Thereafter, the main threat to the Allied convoy system was from the U-boat Arm.
Allied ships
Merchant ships- Ballot
- Calobre
- Chester Valley
- Daldorch
- Dover Hill
- Executive
- Jefferson Myers
- Pontfield
- Puerto Rican
- Vermont
- Yorkmar
Close escort
- Bramble
- Hyderabad
- Rhododendron
- Vizalma
- Northern Gem
Ocean escort
- OnslowHMS Onslow (G17)HMS Onslow was an O-class destroyer flotilla leader of the Royal Navy She was ordered from John Brown & Company at Clydebank, Glasgow on 3 September 1939. The ship was laid down on 1 July 1940 and launched on 31 March 1941. She was completed on 8 October 1941 at a cost of £416,942.Attached to the...
- Obedient
- ObdurateHMS Obdurate (G39)HMS Obdurate was an O-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was built by William Denny and Brothers of Dumbarton, being laid down at their yards on the River Clyde on 25 April 1940, launched on 19 February 1942 and commissioned on 3 September 1942....
- OribiHMS Oribi (G66)HMS Oribi was an O-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. Following the style of her sister ships she was named with a word beginning with O...
- OrwellHMS Orwell (G98)HMS Orwell was an O-class destroyer of the Royal Navy that entered service in 1942. She saw action at the Battle of the Barents Sea, and was involved in convoy escort duties during the Battle of North Cape. In 1952 she was converted to a Type 16 frigate and was broken-up in June 1965....
- AchatesHMS Achates (H12)HMS Achates was an A-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy launched on 4 October 1929 and commissioned on 27 March 1930. She was sunk on 31 December 1942 in the Battle of the Barents Sea.-Battle of the Denmark Strait:...
Cruiser cover force
- Jamaica
- SheffieldHMS Sheffield (C24)HMS Sheffield was one of the Southampton sub class of the Town-class cruisers of the Royal Navy during the Second World War. She took part in actions against several major German warships. Unlike most Royal Navy ships of her time, her fittings were constructed from stainless steel instead of the...
- MatchlessHMS Matchless (G52)HMS Matchless was a M-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy during World War II.-External links:...
- OpportuneHMS Opportune (G80)HMS Opportune was an O-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was ordered from John I. Thornycroft & Company, Woolston on 3 September 1939 for the 1st Emergency Flotilla. She was commissioned on 14 August 1942...
Distant cover force
- Anson
- CumberlandHMS Cumberland (57)HMS Cumberland was a County class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy that saw action during the Second World War.-Career:Cumberland served on the China Station with the 5th Cruiser Squadron from 1928 until 1938, returning to the UK in March 1935 for a refit...
- Blankney
- Chiddingfold
- ForesterHMS Forester (H74)HMS Forester was a F class destroyer of the British Royal Navy, commissioned in 1935, that saw service in World War II, seeing action in Norway, in the Mediterranean, on the Russian and Atlantic Convoys, and during the Normandy landings before being sold for scrap in early 1946.-Construction:The...
- Icarus
- ImpulsiveHMS Impulsive (D11)HMS Impulsive was an I-class destroyer that served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War. She has been the only ship of the Navy to bear this name....
Axis ships
U-boat force- U-354
Surface force
- Admiral HipperGerman cruiser Admiral HipperAdmiral Hipper, the first of five ships of her class, was the lead ship of the Admiral Hipper–class of heavy cruisers which served with the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1935 and launched February 1937; Admiral Hipper...
- Lützow
- Friedrich Eckholdt
- Richard Beitzen
- Theodor Riedel
- Z29
- Z30
- Z31