B-7 Escort Group (Royal Navy)

Escort Group B7 was a British formation of the Royal Navy which saw action during the Second World War; principally in the Battle of the Atlantic.

Formation

Escort Group B7 was one of seven such British naval groups which served with the Mid-Ocean Escort Force (MOEF). It provided convoy protection in the most dangerous middle section of the North Atlantic route. The MOEF was originally to be five American, five British and four Canadian groups. B7 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, Escort Group B6 and Escort Group B7, were formed.

Service history

Led by , under the leadership of Commander William Banks, B7 comprised six s; from the disbanded American group A-5 and , , , and
. These were joined later by the destroyers HMS ''Chesterfield'' and ''Ripley''.

B7's first convoys, in the spring of 1942, were uneventful and as the Battle of the Atlantic increased in intensity in the summer and autumn, the group's charges were escorted without loss. In December, while escorting Convoy ON 153, the convoy came under attack and three ships were sunk. During this action, on 11 December, ''Firedrake'' was torpedoed by the U-boat and sank with the loss of 168 of her crew, including her commander and the group's Senior Officer – Escort (SOE), Commander Eric Tilden. Thirty-five survived the torpedoing but only 27 managed to get on board ''Sunflower'' (Captain John Treasure Jones).

B7's new SOE was Commander Peter Gretton, of , a tough and capable leader, who quickly molded the group to his own image. At this point B7 comprised the destroyers ''Duncan'' and , the frigate and the corvettes HMS ''Alisma'', ''Loosestrife'', ''Pink'', ''Sunflower'' and .

After several convoys had been escorted without loss, B7 covered Convoy HX 231 in April 1943. This came under attack by Wolfpack ''Lowenherz'', which sank six ships, for the loss of two submarines destroyed and five damaged. In May 1943, B7 escorted Convoy ONS 5, sometimes regarded as the turning point of the Atlantic campaign. In a week-long battle against wolfpacks, ''Star'', ''Amstel'' and later ''Fink'', Convoy ONS 5 lost 13 ships, for the destruction of six U-boats and the disabling of seven. At least four of these were credited to B7. Later that month, returning with Convoy SC 130, B7 saw the destruction of between three and five U-boats (sources vary) for no loss. at least one of these was credited to B7. 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 B7 to operate as a Support Group. In October 1943 this was given, as the German U-boat arm launched its autumn offensive.

B7 was involved in the battles for convoys ONS 20 and ON 206, Convoy ON 207 and Convoy ON 208, during which nine U-boats were destroyed. The battle for Convoy ONS20/206 saw six U-boats sunk, of which was credited to ''Sunflower'' and was damaged by ''Duncan'', to be destroyed later in an air attack. Convoy ON 207 saw three U-boats destroyed, by ships of B7, another shared with aircraft. B7 had steamed , crossing the Atlantic five times. The group members had refuelled at sea on six occasions and had re-armed with depth charges at sea. B7 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, the naval contribution to the Normandy invasion.

B7 ships

Losses

Ships lost

* ''Firedrake'' was torpedoed and sunk by ''U-211'' when escorting Convoy ON 153 on 16 December 1942.Blair, 2000, pp. 128–129

U-boats destroyed

Commanding officers

Notes

References

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External links

* http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4706.html Alisma at uboatnet
* 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.hmsfiredrake.co.uk/ Firedrake Association with survivors' accounts
* http://www.carlsen.karoo.net/ Sunflower crewman's website describing his 2nd Drafting
* http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-10DD-18D-Duncan.htm Duncan at naval history

{{World War II

Escort Groups of the Royal Navy in World War II