Convoy JW 51A
Encyclopedia
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.
JW 51A was not detected or attacked by German forces and arrived without loss.
The JW series were organized to sail from Loch Ewe
, Scotland
rather than Iceland
, as previously, and sailed with a substantial destroyer escort to guard against surface attacks, as had proved effective with PQ 18.
JW 51A was the first out-bound Arctic convoy of the 1942–43 winter season, and began the practice of sailing smaller convoys twice-monthly during the winter months to reduce the problems of controlling large groups of ships in the gloom of the polar night
.
on 15 December 1942.Ruegg, Hague p48
Close escort was provided by the minesweeper Seagull
, two corvettes and two armed trawlers.
These were supported by six Home Fleet destroyers led by Faulknor
.
The convoy was also accompanied initially by a local escort group from Britain.
A cruiser cover force comprising Jamaica and 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 King George V
, the cruiser Berwick
and three escorting destroyers.
JW 51A was opposed by a force of three 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 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 sighted by German reconnaissance aircraft, nor by any of the patrolling U-boats, and crossed the Norwegian
and Barents Sea
s without incident.
On 25 December JW 51A arrived safely at Kola Inlet.
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 December 1942, reaching the Soviet northern ports at the end of the month.
JW 51A was not detected or attacked by German forces and arrived without loss.
Background
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
Loch 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...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
rather than Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, as previously, and sailed with a substantial destroyer escort to guard against surface attacks, as had proved effective with PQ 18.
JW 51A was the first out-bound Arctic convoy of the 1942–43 winter season, and began the practice of sailing smaller convoys twice-monthly during the winter months to reduce the problems of controlling large groups of ships in the gloom of the polar night
Polar night
The polar night occurs when the night lasts for more than 24 hours. This occurs only inside the polar circles. The opposite phenomenon, the polar day, or midnight sun, occurs when the sun stays above the horizon for more than 24 hours.-Description:...
.
Forces
JW 51A consisted of 16 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 15 December 1942.Ruegg, Hague p48
Close escort was provided by the minesweeper Seagull
HMS Seagull (J85)
HMS Seagull was a , and the first Royal Navy ship to be built entirely without rivets. She was completed on 30th March 1938.During the Second World War she helped escort 21 Arctic convoys, and participated in Operation Neptune...
, two corvettes and two armed trawlers.
These were supported by six Home Fleet destroyers led by Faulknor
HMS Faulknor (H62)
HMS Faulknor was a F class destroyer flotilla leader of the British Royal Navy in commission from 1934. The ship had a particularly active operational role during World War II, being awarded 11 battle honours, and was known as "The hardest worked destroyer in the Fleet"...
.
The convoy was also accompanied initially by a local escort group from Britain.
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 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 King George V
HMS King George V (41)
HMS King George V was the lead ship of the five British King George V-class battleships of the Royal Navy. Laid down in 1937 and commissioned in 1940, King George V operated during the Second World War as part of the British Home and Pacific Fleets...
, the cruiser Berwick
HMS Berwick (65)
HMS Berwick was a Royal Navy County class heavy cruiser, of the Kent subclass. She was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company , with the keel being laid down on 15 September 1924...
and three escorting destroyers.
JW 51A was opposed by a force of three 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.
Voyage
JW 51A 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 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
Scapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
also put to sea, taking station 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...
.
The convoy was not sighted by German reconnaissance aircraft, nor by any of the patrolling U-boats, and crossed the Norwegian
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 Barents Sea
Barents Sea
The Barents Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of Norway and Russia. Known in the Middle Ages as the Murman Sea, the sea takes its current name from the Dutch navigator Willem Barents...
s without incident.
On 25 December JW 51A arrived safely at Kola Inlet.
Conclusion
JW 51A was a successful start to JW convoy series and to the 1942–43 winter convoy season, with the safe arrival of 16 merchant ships and the war materiel they carried.Allied Ships
Merchant ships- Beauregard
- Briarwood
- Dynastic
- El Almirante
- El Oceano
- Empire Meteor
- Gateway City
- Greylock
- JLM Curry
- Oligarch
- Oremar 52
- Richard Basset
- Richard Bland
- San Cipriano
- West Gotomska
- Wind Rush
Close escort
- SeagullHMS Seagull (J85)HMS Seagull was a , and the first Royal Navy ship to be built entirely without rivets. She was completed on 30th March 1938.During the Second World War she helped escort 21 Arctic convoys, and participated in Operation Neptune...
- Honeysuckle
- Oxlip
- Lady Madeleine
- Northern Wave
Ocean escort
- FaulknorHMS Faulknor (H62)HMS Faulknor was a F class destroyer flotilla leader of the British Royal Navy in commission from 1934. The ship had a particularly active operational role during World War II, being awarded 11 battle honours, and was known as "The hardest worked destroyer in the Fleet"...
- FuryHMS Fury (H76)HMS Fury was an F class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was ordered from the yards of J. Samuel White, of Cowes, Isle of Wight on 17 March 1933 and was laid down on the 19 May of that year. She was launched on 10 September 1934 and commissioned on 18 May 1935...
- BoadiceaHMS Boadicea (H65)HMS Boadicea was a built for the Royal Navy that saw service during World War II until sunk on 13 June 1944 while supporting the invasion of Normandy.-Construction:...
- EchoHMS Echo (H23)HMS Echo was an E class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service in the Atlantic, Arctic and Mediterranean theatres during World War II, before being transferred to the Royal Hellenic Navy in 1944, and renamed Navarinon, until scrapped in 1956.-Service history:Echo had a small role in...
- EclipseHMS Eclipse (H08)HMS Eclipse was an E class destroyer of the Royal Navy that saw service in the Atlantic, Arctic, and Mediterranean theatres during World War II, until sunk by a mine in the Aegean Sea on 24 October 1943.-Service history:...
- InglefieldHMS Inglefield (D02)HMS Inglefield was an I-class destroyer leader built for the Royal Navy that served during World War II. She was the navy's last purpose-built flotilla leader. She was named after the 19th century Admiral Sir Edward Augustus Inglefield , and is so far the only warship to carry the name of that...
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...
- BeagleHMS Beagle (H30)HMS Beagle was a of the British Royal Navy that saw extensive service throughout World War II; in Norway, the Atlantic, North Africa, on Russian Convoys, and in the Normandy landings.-Construction:...
- 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
- King George VHMS King George V (41)HMS King George V was the lead ship of the five British King George V-class battleships of the Royal Navy. Laid down in 1937 and commissioned in 1940, King George V operated during the Second World War as part of the British Home and Pacific Fleets...
- BerwickHMS Berwick (65)HMS Berwick was a Royal Navy County class heavy cruiser, of the Kent subclass. She was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company , with the keel being laid down on 15 September 1924...
- MusketeerHMS Musketeer (G86)HMS Musketeer was a M-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy during World War II.-External links:...
- Quadrant
- RaiderHMS Raider (H15)HMS Raider was an R or Rotherham class destroyer adopted by Romford during World War II. The town council still has all of the relevant documents regarding the adoption. The local Sea Cadet Unit was renamed T S Raider....
Axis ships
U-boat forceSurface force
- 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