B-7 Escort Group (Royal Navy)
Encyclopedia
.B-7 Escort Group was a British formation of the Royal Navy
which saw action during the Second World War, principally in the Battle of the Atlantic.
(MOEF), which provided convoy protection in the most dangerous mid-section of the North Atlantic route. The MOEF was originally to be 5 American, 5 British and 4 Canadian groups. B-7 was formed in the spring of 1942, following the inability of the USN to form groups A-4 and A-5 due to other commitments. To replace them two new escort groups, B-6 and B-7 were formed.
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Led by Firedrake
, and under the leadership of Cdr WE Banks, B-7 comprised six Flower class corvette
; Loosestrife from the disbanded American group A-5, and
Alisma,
Coreopsis,
Jonquil
,
Pink and
Sunflower.
These were joined later by the destroyers
Chesterfield
and
Ripley
B-7’s first convoys, in the spring of 1942, were uneventful,
and as the pace of the Battle of the Atlantic hotted up in the summer and autumn the group's convoys were escorted without loss.
But in December 1942, while escorting ON 153 the convoy came under attack, and 3 ships were sunk. During this action, on 11 December, Firedrake was torpedoed by U-211 and sank with the loss of 168 of her crew, including her current commander, and group SOE, Cdr EH Tilden.
B-7s new SOE assigned was Cdr PW Gretton, of Duncan
, a tough and capable leader, who quickly moulded B-7 to his own image.
At this point B-7 comprised the destroyers Duncan
,
Vidette
,
the frigate Tay
, and the corvettes
Alisma,
Loosestrife,
Pink,
Sunflower and
Snowflake.
After several convoys escorted without loss, B-7 escorted HX 231 in April 1943. This came under attack by the Lowenherz U-boat group, which sank 6 ships, but lost 2 U-boats destroyed, and 5 damaged.
In May 1943 B-7 escorted ONS 5, sometimes regarded as the turning point of the Atlantic campaign.
In a week long battle against 3 U-boat groups, Star, Amstel and later Fink, ONS 5 saw the loss of 13 ships, for the destruction of 6 U-boats. At least 4 of these were credited to ships of B-7 EG.
Later in May returning with SC 130, B-7 saw the destruction of between 3 and 5 U-boats (sources vary) for no losses. at least one of these was credited to ships of B-7 EG.
A series of uneventful convoys followed, as the U-boat Arm withdrew from the North Atlantic after Black May
, while Gretton lobbied for a chance for B-7 to operate as a Support Group.
In October 1943 this was given, as the U-boat Arm launched its autumn offensive.
B-7 was involved in the battles for convoys ONS 20 and ON 206, ON 207
and ON 208, during which period 9 U-boats were destroyed.
The battle for ONS20/206 saw 6 U-boats destroyed, of which U-631 was credited to Sunflower and another, U-844 was damaged by Duncan, to be destroyed later in an air attack.
ON 207 saw 3 U-boats destroyed, one (U-282) by ships of B-7, and another shared with aircraft.
During this period B-7 had steamed 6,700 miles, crossing back and forth across the Atlantic five times. The group members had refueled at sea on six occasions, and had also re-armed with depth charges at sea.
Following this B-7 returned to escort duty on the North Atlantic route, continuing without major incident until the group was disbanded in the summer of 1944 as part of the preparations for Operation Neptune
.
Table
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
which saw action during the Second World War, principally in the Battle of the Atlantic.
Formation
B-7 Escort Group (B-7 EG) was one of seven British escort groups which served with the Mid-Ocean Escort ForceMid-Ocean Escort Force
Mid-Ocean Escort Force referred to the organization of anti-submarine escorts for World War II trade convoys between Canada and the British Isles...
(MOEF), which provided convoy protection in the most dangerous mid-section of the North Atlantic route. The MOEF was originally to be 5 American, 5 British and 4 Canadian groups. B-7 was formed in the spring of 1942, following the inability of the USN to form groups A-4 and A-5 due to other commitments. To replace them two new escort groups, B-6 and B-7 were formed.
Service history
HMS Firedrake (H79)
HMS Firedrake was an F-class destroyer of the Royal Navy built in 1934. She took part in the Battle of the Atlantic and was torpedoed in 1942.-Construction:...
, and under the leadership of Cdr WE Banks, B-7 comprised six Flower class corvette
Flower class corvette
The Flower-class corvette was a class of 267 corvettes used during World War II, specifically with the Allied navies as anti-submarine convoy escorts during the Battle of the Atlantic...
; Loosestrife from the disbanded American group A-5, and
Alisma,
Coreopsis,
Jonquil
HMS Jonquil (K68)
HMS Jonquil was a Flower-class corvette of the British Royal Navy. The corvette, named after the flower genus Jonquil, served in the Second World War....
,
Pink and
Sunflower.
These were joined later by the destroyers
Chesterfield
USS Welborn C. Wood (DD-195)
USS Welborn C. Wood was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She served with the United States Coast Guard as USCGD Wood. She was later transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Chesterfield....
and
Ripley
USS Shubrick (DD-268)
The third USS Shubrick was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy. She was later transferred to the Royal Navy, where she served as HMS Ripley during World War II.-As USS Shubrick:...
B-7’s first convoys, in the spring of 1942, were uneventful,
and as the pace of the Battle of the Atlantic hotted up in the summer and autumn the group's convoys were escorted without loss.
But in December 1942, while escorting ON 153 the convoy came under attack, and 3 ships were sunk. During this action, on 11 December, Firedrake was torpedoed by U-211 and sank with the loss of 168 of her crew, including her current commander, and group SOE, Cdr EH Tilden.
B-7s new SOE assigned was Cdr PW Gretton, of Duncan
HMS Duncan (D99)
HMS Duncan was a D-class destroyer leader built for the Royal Navy in the early 1930s. The ship was initially assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet before she was transferred to the China Station in early 1935 where she remained until mid-1939. Duncan returned to the Mediterranean Fleet just after...
, a tough and capable leader, who quickly moulded B-7 to his own image.
HMS Duncan (D99)
HMS Duncan was a D-class destroyer leader built for the Royal Navy in the early 1930s. The ship was initially assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet before she was transferred to the China Station in early 1935 where she remained until mid-1939. Duncan returned to the Mediterranean Fleet just after...
,
Vidette
HMS Vidette (D48)
HMS Vidette was an Admiralty V class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was laid down by Alexander Stephens & Sons Limited in Linthouse, Govan on 1 February 1917, was launched on 28 February 1918, and completed on 27 April 1918....
,
the frigate Tay
HMS Tay (K232)
HMS Tay was a River class frigate of the Royal Navy. Tay was built to the RN's specifications as a Group I River class frigate.-External links:...
, and the corvettes
Alisma,
Loosestrife,
Pink,
Sunflower and
Snowflake.
After several convoys escorted without loss, B-7 escorted HX 231 in April 1943. This came under attack by the Lowenherz U-boat group, which sank 6 ships, but lost 2 U-boats destroyed, and 5 damaged.
In May 1943 B-7 escorted ONS 5, sometimes regarded as the turning point of the Atlantic campaign.
In a week long battle against 3 U-boat groups, Star, Amstel and later Fink, ONS 5 saw the loss of 13 ships, for the destruction of 6 U-boats. At least 4 of these were credited to ships of B-7 EG.
Later in May returning with SC 130, B-7 saw the destruction of between 3 and 5 U-boats (sources vary) for no losses. at least one of these was credited to ships of B-7 EG.
A series of uneventful convoys followed, as the U-boat Arm withdrew from the North Atlantic after Black May
Black May (1943)
‘Black May’ refers to a period in the Battle of the Atlantic campaign during World War II, when the German U-boat arm suffered high casualties with fewer Allied ships sunk; it is considered a turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic.-Background:After February battles around convoys SC 118, ON...
, while Gretton lobbied for a chance for B-7 to operate as a Support Group.
In October 1943 this was given, as the U-boat Arm launched its autumn offensive.
B-7 was involved in the battles for convoys ONS 20 and ON 206, ON 207
Convoy ON 207
ON 207 was a North Atlantic convoy of the ONS/ON series which ran during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II.It was the subject of a major U-boat attack in October 1943, the fourth battle in the German Navy’s autumn offensive....
and ON 208, during which period 9 U-boats were destroyed.
The battle for ONS20/206 saw 6 U-boats destroyed, of which U-631 was credited to Sunflower and another, U-844 was damaged by Duncan, to be destroyed later in an air attack.
ON 207 saw 3 U-boats destroyed, one (U-282) by ships of B-7, and another shared with aircraft.
During this period B-7 had steamed 6,700 miles, crossing back and forth across the Atlantic five times. The group members had refueled at sea on six occasions, and had also re-armed with depth charges at sea.
Following this B-7 returned to escort duty on the North Atlantic route, continuing without major incident until the group was disbanded in the summer of 1944 as part of the preparations for Operation Neptune
Operation Neptune
The Normandy landings, codenamed Operation Neptune, were the landing operations of the Allied invasion of Normandy, in Operation Overlord, during World War II. The landings commenced on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 , beginning at 6:30 AM British Double Summer Time...
.
Ships lost
- HMS Firedrake torpedoed and sunk by U-211 escorting convoy ON 153 on 11 December 1942.
U-Boats destroyed
.- U-192 depth-charged by Pink on 5 May 1943
- U-638 depth-charged by Loosestrife on 5/6 May 1943.
- U-125 rammed by Oribi and finished with gun-fire by snowflake on 6 May 1943.
- U-531 depth-charged by Snowflake and hit by HedgehogHedgehog (weapon)The Hedgehog was an anti-submarine weapon developed by the Royal Navy during World War II, that was deployed on convoy escort warships such as destroyers to supplement the depth charge. The weapon worked by firing a number of small spigot mortar bombs from spiked fittings...
from Vidette on 6 May 1943 - U-381 depth-charged by Snowflake and hit by HedgehogHedgehog (weapon)The Hedgehog was an anti-submarine weapon developed by the Royal Navy during World War II, that was deployed on convoy escort warships such as destroyers to supplement the depth charge. The weapon worked by firing a number of small spigot mortar bombs from spiked fittings...
from Duncan on 19 May 1943. - U-631 depth-charged by Sunflower on 17 October 1943
- U-274 attacked by aircraft, hit by HedgehogHedgehog (weapon)The Hedgehog was an anti-submarine weapon developed by the Royal Navy during World War II, that was deployed on convoy escort warships such as destroyers to supplement the depth charge. The weapon worked by firing a number of small spigot mortar bombs from spiked fittings...
from Duncan on 26 October 1943 - U-282 Duncan Vidette on 29 october 1943
Senior Officer Escort
| From | To | Captain |
|---|---|---|
| 4 May 1942 | 1 September 1942 | Cdr William Eric Banks |
| 1 September 1942 | 17 December 1942 | Cdr Eric Henry Tilden |
| December 1942 | May 1944 | Cdr Peter Gretton |
Table
External links
- http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4386.html firedrake at uboatnet
- http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-10DD-23F-Firedrake.htm firedrake at naval history
- http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-10DD-18D-Duncan.htm duncan at naval history