11
Fort Nakasley
(Br)

21
Bernard N Baker
(Am)

31
Fort Kullyspell
(Br)

41
Thomas U Walter
(Am)

51
Harold L Winslow
(Am)

61
Ocean Viceroy
(Br)

12
Ocean Valour
(Br)

22
Fort Vercheres
(Br)

32
Norlys
(Pan)

42
British Statesman
(Br)

52
Ocean Pride
(Br)

62
Will Rogers
(Am)

13
John J Abel
(Am)

23
Cardinal Gibbons
(Am)

The Panamanian Norlys was escort oiler (Norwegian managers, and therefore listed on this site).

No merchant ships were lost from the convoy.

Escorts:
Dec. 20-Dec. 22: Corvettes Borage and Wallflower, minesweepers Hound and Hydra.
Ocean Escort: Destroyers Whitehall and Wrestler, minesweeper Gleaner, corvettes Honesuckle and Oxlip.
Dec. 22-Dec. 29: Destroyers Impulsive, Onslow, Onslaught, Orwell, Scourge, Canadian Haida, Huron and Iroquois.
Dec. 25-Dec. 26: Destroyers Matchless, Musketeer, Opportune and Virago (re-inforcements detached from the westbound Convoy RA 55A on orders of the Commander-in-Chief).
Dec. 28-Dec. 30: Minesweepers Halcyon and Hussar and 3 Russian destroyers.
Dec. 23-Dec. 27: Cruisers Belfast, Norfolk and Sheffield, distant cover by battle ship Duke of York, cruiser Jamaica, destroyers Savage, Saumarez, Scorpion and Norwegian Stord.

The Scharnhorst, screened by destroyers Z 29, Z 30, Z 33, Z 34, and Z 38, was dispatched on Dec. 25 to intercept the convoy, reported by U-601 that morning. In the morning of Dec. 26, the cruisers were ordered to close the convoy, and Scharnhorst was sighted by Sheffield (the German destroyers were no longer present). Hit by Norfolk's 8" gunfire and turned away. Matchless, Musketeer, Opportune and Virago were ordered to leave the convoy and join the cruisers. Scharnhorst was located again around noon, and a battle ensued, with Norfolk hit and Sheffield damaged. Scharnhorst withdrew, but was torpedoed that afternoon by Duke of York and sunk (helped by others, including Stord). The sites below have more on this action.

Related external links:
The Battle of the Cape - A section of the HMS Duke of York Association website.

The Russian Convoys & The Duke of York

Battle of North Cape

Arctic Convoys main page

To the next JW convoy in my list JW 56A

Source for the information on this page: Convoys to Russia 1941-1945, Bob Ruegg/Arnold Hague, 1992.

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