Escort Group B2

Escort Group B2
Allegiance British Empire
Branch Royal Navy
Type Escort Group
Role Anti-submarine warfare
Size ~9 ships
Part of Western Approaches Command
Garrison/HQ Lisahally
March "The Zumba Zumba Za".[1]
Engagements Convoy HX 219
Convoy SC 118
Convoy ONS 4
Convoy SC 129
Commanders
Notable
commanders		 Donald MacIntyre

Escort Group B2 was a convoy escort British formation of the Royal Navy which saw action during the Second World War, principally in the Battle of the Atlantic. The group was under the command of Cdr Donald Macintyre, one of Britains most successful anti-submarine warfare commanders.

Formation

Escort Group B2 was one of seven British escort groups which served with the Mid-Ocean Escort Force (MOEF), which provided convoy protection in the most dangerous midsection of the North Atlantic route.

The group was formed in the spring of 1942 and originally consisted of the Havant-class destroyer Hesperus as group leader with the Town class destroyer Leamington, V-class destroyer Veteran, and the Flower-class corvettes Gentian, Clematis, Sweetbriar and Vervain.[2]

Later in the year the low-endurance destroyers Leamington and Veteran were replaced by long-range V & W destroyers Vanessa and Whitehall and the Flower-class corvettes Heather, Campanula, and Mignonette joined the group.[3]

Service history

The group commenced convoy escort duties in April 1942, in the critical mid-ocean section of the North Atlantic route, operating between Londonderry and St John's Newfoundland.

The first convoys, in the spring of 1942, were uneventful and as the pace of the Battle of the Atlantic hotted up in the summer and autumn the group's convoys were escorted without loss.

In October 1942, ON 138 came under attack but a vigorous defence by B2 ensured no ships were lost.[4] In December 1942 it was accompanying HX 219 when the convoy came under attack. Hesperus responded and counter-attacked and destroyed U-357 by ramming it. As a result, Hesperus was out of action for 2 months.

In February 1943 a depleted B2 under temporary command of Cdr Proudfoot escorted Convoy SC 118. This convoy came under attack by wolfpack Pfeil and lost eight ships for three U-boats destroyed in one of the hardest fought battles of the campaign.

In April during an attack on ONS 4, ships of the group sank U-191.

In May in an attack on SC 129 B2 sank U-186 and damaged U-402 and U-223 for the loss of two ships.

A series of uneventful convoys followed, as the U-boat arm withdrew from the North Atlantic after Black May, a state of affairs which continued until the end of the year.

During this period the group had escorted over 30 convoys, totalling over 900 ships of which only 10 were lost. [5] No warships were lost from the group, which accounted for three U-boats destroyed and two others damaged, and shared in the destruction of three others, in its 2-year career.

U-boats destroyed

Convoys escorted

Outbound Homebound
ON 83 SC 81
ON 97 SC 86
On 107 HX 198
ON 118 HX 203
ON 128 HX 208
ON 138 HX 213
ON 148 HX 219
ON 159 SC 118
ON 170 SC 123
ONS 4 SC 129
ONS 9 SC 134
ONS 13 SC138
ON 198 SC141
KMS 28 MKS 27
ONS 22 HX 267
ONS 25 HX 273
SL 157 .

Senior Officer Escort

From To Captain
April 1942 April 1944 Cdr Donald MacIntyre

Notes

  1. ↑ MacIntyre p
  2. ↑ Rohwer & Hummelchen p124
  3. ↑ Rohwer & Hummelchen p227
  4. ↑ Blair p42
  5. ↑ Hague App III
  6. ↑ Kemp p 98
  7. ↑ Kemp p 111
  8. ↑ Kemp p 115-6

References

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