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CONVOY JW 58

Convoy JW 58 Cruising Order
Left Loch Ewe on March 27-1944, arrived Kola Inlet on Apr. 4 (50 ships).

Br=British, Am=American, Norw-Norwegian
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
 12
11
William S Thayer *
(Am)
21
George M Cohan
(Am)
31
John Davenport
(Am)
41
Joseph N Nicollett
(Am)
51
John McDonogh
(Am)
61
Fort Kullyspell
(Br)
71
Fort Yukon
(Br)
 81
Francis Scott Key
(Am)		 91
Grace Abbott
(Am)		 101
William Matson
(Am)		 111
Benjamin H Latrobe
(Am)		 121
Thomas Sim Lee
(Am)
12
John T Holt *
(Am)
22
Edward P Alexander
(Am)
32
Fort Vercheres
(Br)
42
Joshua Thomas
(Am)
52
Noreg
(Norw)
62
Diadem **
72
Lacklan
(Br)
 82
Arunah S Abell
(Am)		 92
Fort Columbia
(Br)		 102
Barbara Frietchie
(Am)		 112
Charles Gordon Curtis
(Am)		 122
George Gale
(Am)
13
William McKinley
(Am)
23
Julien Poydras
(Am)
 33
Empire Prowess
(Br)		 43
Dolabella
(Br)		 53 63
Activity **		 73 83
Milwaukee **		 93
Hawkins Fudske
(Am)		 103
Henry Villard
(Am)		 113
Morris Hillquit
(Am)		 123
Nicholas Biddle
(Am)
14
James Smith
(Am)		 24
Townsend Harris
(Am)		 34
Fort Hall
(Br)		 44
John B Lennon
(Am)		 54 64
Tracker **		 74 84
George T Angell
(Am)		 94
Joyce Kilmer
(Am)		 104
Gilbert Stuart *
(Am)		 114
Benjamin Schlesinger
(Am)		 124
William D Byron
(Am)
15 25
William Moultrie
(Am)		 35
Francis Vigo
(Am)		 45
Charles Henderson
(Am)		 55 65 75 85
John Carver
(Am)		 95
W R Grace
(Am)		 105
William Pepper
(Am)		 115
Pierre S Dupont
(Am)		 125
Andrew Carnegie
(Am)
86
Rathlin
Rescue Vessel
(Br)


3 ships joined from Iceland, namely the 2 ships that are denoted * above, as well as the American Eloy Alfaro, which returned to Iceland (not included in the table above - she went back to Loch Ewe with Convoy RU 114). They were escorted by the frigate Fitzroy and minesweepers Chamois and Chance (on delivery passage to the UK from U.S.A.).

* Gilbert Stuart straggled and returned.

** Within the convoy were also the American cruiser Milwaukee (en route to be handed to the Russian Northern Fleet), the cruiser Diadem and the escort carriers Activity and Tracker.

No merchant ships were lost on this passage, but 4 U-boats were sunk:
U-961 by Starling on March 29
U-355 by Beagle and Tracker's aircraft on March 31.
U-360 by Hedgehog attack from Keppel on Apr. 2.
U-288 by a Swordfish, Wildcat fighter and Avenger A/S aircraft on Apr. 3.
See also text under Noreg.

The Rescue Vessel Rathlin was on her 18th voyage as such. She was with the convoy from Loch Ewe to the Kola Inlet, and returned with Convoy RA 58 on Apr. 7, to Clyde Apr. 15-1944.

Escorts:
March 27-March 29: Minesweepers Rattlesnake (SOE), Onyx, Orestes and corvettes Rhododendron and Starworth.
March 27-Apr. 4: Close A/S Escort by destroyers Westcott (SOE), Whitehall and Wrestler and corvettes Bluebell, Honeysuckle and Lotus.
March 29-Apr. 4: Cruiser Diadem, escort carriers Activity and Tracker, destroyers Impulsive, Inconstant (joined March 27), Obedient, Offa, Onslow, Opportune, Oribi, Orwell, Saumarez, Serapis, Scorpion, Venus and Norwegian Stord. Also, the Western Approaches 2nd Escort Group, commanded by Captain F. J. Walker: Sloops Starling (SO), Magpie, Wild Goose, Wren and Whimbrel, and destroyers Beagle, Boadicea, Keppel and Walker.
Distant cover by Home Fleet ships, at that time engaged in Operation "Tungsten", the Fleet Air Arm attack on Tirpitz.
Apr. 3-Apr. 4: Russian destroyers Gremyaschi, Kuibyshev, Razumny and Razyarenni.

(Many of the above went on to escort Convoy RA 58, which left Kola on Apr. 7).

Arctic Convoys main page

To the next JW convoy in my list JW 59

Sources for the information on this page: Convoys to Russia 1941-1945, Bob Ruegg/Arnold Hague, 1992, and "Convoy Rescue Ships 1940-1945", Arnold Hague, 1998.

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