Convoy RA 55B

Convoy RA 55B was an Arctic convoy during World War II. It was one of a series of convoys run to return Allied ships from Soviet northern ports to ports in Britain. It sailed at the end of December 1943, reaching British ports in early January 1944. All ships arrived safely.

Forces

RA 55B consisted of eight merchant ships which departed from Kola Inlet on 31 December 1943. Close escort was provided by the two destroyers, Whitehall and Wrestler, and three corvettes. These were supported by an Ocean escort of eight Home Fleet destroyers led by Onslow (Capt.JA McCoy commanding). Following the Battle of the North Cape on 26 December, which resulted in the sinking of the German battleship Scharnhorst, the threat from German surface units was, for the time being, eliminated, and RA 55B dispensed with the usual distant cover by heavy units of the Home Fleet.

RA 55A was however threatened by a U-boat force of some thirteen boats in a patrol line, code-named Eisenbart, in the Norwegian Sea, which had operated against all the December convoys.

Action

RA 55A sailed from Kola with its escort on 31 December 1943, accompanied by an eastern local escort of three minesweepers. On 1 January 1944 the local escort returned to Murmansk, leaving RA 55B to continue. German air reconnaissance was unable to find RA 55B in the gloom of the polar night, and although several Eisenbart boats made contact, their attacks were ineffectual. RA 55B was able to shake off pursuit and on 7 January met the western local escort of two minesweepers, which brought the convoy into Loch Ewe on the following day, 8 January 1944.

Conclusion

The eight ships of RA 55B arrived in Britain without loss, while all German attempts to attack the convoy had failed.

Ships involved

Allied ships

Merchant ships

Daldorich
Empire Stalwart
Fort Columbia
Fort Poplar

James Gordon Bennet
Lucerna
San Ambrosio
Thomas Kearns

Close escort

Whitehall
Wrestler
Gleaner
Honeysuckle
Oxlip
Rhodedendron

Ocean escort

Axis ships

U-boat force

Notes

References

Clay Blair : Hitler's U-Boat War [Volume 2]: The Hunted 1942-1945 (1998) ISBN 0-304-35261-6 (2000 UK paperback ed.)
Paul Kemp : Convoy! Drama in Arctic Waters (1993) ISBN 1-85409-130-1
Paul Kemp : U-Boats Destroyed ( 1997) . ISBN 1-85409-515-3
Axel Neistle : German U-Boat Losses during World War II (1998). ISBN 1-85367-352-8
Bob Ruegg, Arnold Hague : Convoys to Russia (1992) ISBN 0-905617-66-5
Bernard Schofield : (1964) The Russian Convoys BT Batsford ISBN (none)
RA 55B at Convoyweb

Arctic convoys of World War II

1941

Outbound	Dervish PQ 1 PQ 2 PQ 3 PQ 4 PQ 5 PQ 6

Homebound	QP 1 QP 2 QP 3

1942

Outbound	PQ 7a PQ 7b PQ 8 PQ 9 PQ 10 PQ 11 PQ 12 PQ 13 PQ 14 PQ 15 PQ 16 PQ 17 PQ 18 Operation FB JW 51A JW 51B

Homebound	QP 4 QP 5 QP 6 QP 7 QP 8 QP 9 QP 10 QP 11 QP 12 QP 13 QP 14 QP 15 RA 51

1943

Outbound	JW 52 JW 53 JW 54A JW 54B JW 55A JW 55B

Homebound	RA 52 RA 53 RA 54A RA 54B RA 55A RA 55B

1944

Outbound	JW 56A JW 56B JW 57 JW 58 JW 59 JW 60 JW 61 JW 61A JW 62 JW 63

Homebound	RA 56 RA 57 RA 58 RA 59 RA 59A RA 60 RA 61 RA 61A RA 62 RA 63

1945

Outbound	JW 64 JW 65 JW 66 JW 67

Homebound	RA 64 RA 65 RA 66 RA 67

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