Convoy RA 56 - Arctic Convoys, warsailors.com

Convoy RA 56 Cruising Order
Left Kola Inlet Febr. 3-1944, arrived Loch Ewe Febr. 11 - initially 39 ships Transcribed with the help of "Convoys to Russia 1941-1945", Bob Ruegg / Arnold Hague, and Advance Sailing Telegram received from Tony Cooper.

Br=British, Am=American, Pan=Panamanian, Norw-Norwegian

The British Empire Pickwick and the American Philip Livingston were also in this convoy but returned to Murmansk.

Note that several of the ships in this convoy later proceeded to the U.S. with Convoy ON 224.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8

9

10

11
Eugene Field
Loch Ewe f. o. U.S.A.
(Am)

21
Collis P Huntington
Loch Ewe f. o. U.S.A.
(Am)

31
Ocean Gypsy? *
Birkenhead
(Br)

41
Horace Grey
Loch Ewe f. o. U.S.A.
(Am)

51
Thistledale
Tyne
(Br)

61
Will Rogers
Loch Ewe f. o. U.S.A.
(Am)

71
John Vining
Loch Ewe f. o. U.S.A.
(Am)

81
Stage Door Canteen
Loch Ewe f. o. U.S.A.
(Am) 91
John J Abel
Loch Ewe f. o. U.S.A.
(Am) 101
Ocean Viceroy
W. Hartlepool
(Br)

12
Thomas Scott
Loch Ewe f. o. U.S.A.
(Am)

22
Lewis Emery Jr.
Loch Ewe f. o. U.S.A.
(Am)

32
Fort Hall
Glasgow
(Br)

42
Fort Missanabie
Birkenhead
(Br)

52
Noreg
Clyde
(Norw)

72
British Statesman
Clyde
(Br)

82
Fort Nakasley
Mersey f. o.
(Br) 92
James Woodrow
Liverpool
(Am) 102
Ocean Messenger
Tyne
(Br)

13
Fort Astoria *
Grangemouth
(Br)

23
John Fitch
Loch Ewe f. o. U.S.A.
(Am)

33
Daniel Willard
Loch Ewe f. o. U.S.A.
(Am) 43
Empire Lionel
Manchester
(Br) 53
Ocean Valour
Mersey f. o.
(Br) 63 73
Fort Kullyspell
Middlesbrough
(Br) 83
James A Farrell
Manchester
(Am) 93
Harold L Winslow
Loch Ewe f. o. U.S.A.
(Am) 103
John Wanamaker
Loch Ewe f. o. U.S.A.
(Am) 14 24
Fort Vercheres
Middlesbrough
(Br) 34
George Weems
Loch Ewe f. o. U.S.A.
(Am) 44
Brockholst Livingston
Loch Ewe f. o. U.S.A.
(Am) 54
Empire Archer
Immingham
(Br) 64 74
Fort Thompson
Manchester
(Br) 84
Cardinal Gibbons
Loch Ewe f. o. U.S.A.
(Am) 94
Ocean Pride
Manchester
(Br) 104
Thomas U Walter
Loch Ewe f. o. U.S.A.
(Am) * These 2 ships are both listed with station 13, I'm guessing one of them might be a printing error and should be 31(?)

Commodore was in Will Rogers, Vice Commodore in Fort Hall and Rear Commodore in Fort Nakasley.

(This was a combination of the ships that had been in eastbound Convoys JW 56A and JW 56B (available at the external link below). The escorts of the 2 convoys were also combined to form the escort for RA 56.

The Panamanian Norlys was escort oiler as was the Norwegian Noreg.