Western Local Escort Force (WLEF) referred to the organization of
anti-submarine escorts for
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
trade
convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...
s from North American port cities to the
Western Ocean Meeting Point (WOMP or WESTOMP) near
Newfoundland where ships of the
Mid-Ocean Escort Force
Mid-Ocean Escort Force (MOEF) referred to the organisation of anti-submarine escorts for World War II trade convoys between Canada and Newfoundland, and the British Isles. The allocation of United States, British, and Canadian escorts to these c ...
(MOEF) assumed responsibility for safely delivering the convoys to the
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
.
[Morison (1975) p. 319]
Background
On the basis of experience during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the
Admiralty
Admiralty most often refers to:
*Admiralty, Hong Kong
*Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964
*The rank of admiral
*Admiralty law
Admiralty can also refer to:
Buildings
* Admiralty, Traf ...
instituted trade convoys in United Kingdom coastal waters from September 1939. Convoys gradually extended westward until HX 129 left
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...
on 27 May 1941 as the first convoy to receive escort for the entire trip from Canada. The American Neutrality Zone offered some protection in North American coastal waters until United States declaration of war in December 1941.
Organization
The
Royal Canadian Navy
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...
organized the Halifax-based Western Local Escort Force in February 1942 as German
U-boat
U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...
s began patrolling North American coastal waters during the "
second happy time".
[Milner (1985) p. 97] The
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
provided the WLEF with twelve old, short-range
destroyers well-equipped for anti-submarine warfare and manned by experienced personnel.
Newly commissioned Canadian s and s were assigned to the WLEF.
[Milner (1985) p. 98] s , , and were assigned to the WLEF after their endurance proved inadequate for MOEF assignments.
During the winter of 1942–43, some of these destroyers were organized into Western Support Force (WSF) groupings of three ships to augment protection of convoys coming under attack in the western Atlantic.
Operations
The WLEF was theoretically organized into eight escort groups
able to provide an escort of four to six ships to each convoy. WLEF escort group assignments were more dynamic than the MOEF escort groups, and WLEF escorts seldom worked with the same team of ships through successive convoys. A WLEF escort group would typically meet a westbound
ON convoy at WOMP and then individual WLEF ships would be detached with elements of the convoy proceeding separately to Halifax,
Sydney, Nova Scotia,
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
ports on the
St. Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting ...
,
Saint John, New Brunswick
Saint John is a seaport city of the Atlantic Ocean located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in Canada, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign of K ...
,
Boston, Massachusetts, or
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. Some WLEF escorts were assigned to coastal convoys reaching as far south as the
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
. Eastbound
HX convoys and
SC convoys worked in reverse forming with a few WLEF escorts in New York City and picking up others as ships joined from
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...
ports or the
Maritimes. Short range escorts or escorts experiencing mechanical problems might be similarly detached and replaced at intermediate points between WOMP and New York City. The most frequent location for escort exchanges was the Halifax Ocean Meeting Point (HOMP) off the WLEF home port of Halifax.
The WLEF operated exclusively within range of anti-submarine patrol bombers; although weather often limited flight operations. U-boats were deployed cautiously in areas where air patrols were expected, so single U-boat encounters were more common than
wolf pack engagements. The name was shortened to "Western Escort Force" (WEF) in the summer of 1943.
Major combat event chronology
* 12 May 1942 – sank two ships in the St. Lawrence River.
* 6 July 1942 – sank three ships from convoy QS 15 escorted by Canadian ''Bangor''-class minesweepers and .
[Rohwer & Hummelchen (1992) p. 149]
* 20 July 1942 – ''U-132'' sank one ship from convoy QS 19 escorted by Flower-class corvette , ''Bangor''-class minesweeper and anti-submarine
motor launches ''Q059'', ''Q064'' and ''Q074''.
* 29 July 1942 – ''U-132'' sank one ship from convoy ON 113 escorted by WLEF.
* 27 August 1942 – Flower-class corvette sank while sank two ships from convoy TAW 15.
* 3 September 1942 – sank one ship from convoy NL 6 escorted by Flower-class corvette HMCS ''Weyburn'' and ''Bangor''-class minesweeper .
[Rohwer & Hummelchen (1992) p. 158]
* 6–7 September 1942 – sank one ship and the
armed yacht
An armed yacht was a yacht that was armed with weapons and was typically in the service of a navy. The word "yacht" ("hunter"; Dutch "jacht"; German "jagd", literally meaning "to hunt") was originally applied to small, fast and agile naval vessels ...
and ''U-517'' sank three ships from convoy QS 33 escorted by Flower-class corvette , ''Bangor''-class minesweepers and , and motor launches ''Q065'' and ''Q083''.
* 11 September 1942 – ''U-517'' sank the Flower-class corvette that had been traveling with the ''Bangor''-class minesweeper HMCS ''Clayoquot''.
* 15–16 September 1942 – ''U-517'' sank two ships and ''U-165'' sank two ships from convoy SQ 36 escorted by Town-class destroyer , Flower-class corvette HMCS ''Arrowhead'', ''Bangor''-class minesweeper HMCS ''Vegreville'', and three motor launches.
* 21 September 1942 – ''Bangor''-class minesweeper defended convoy SQ 38 from ''U-517''.
* 13 October 1942 – sank the
ferry from convoy NL 9 escorted by Flower-class corvettes , HMCS ''Arrowhead'' and .
* 7–8 September 1944 – Flower-class corvette attacked in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
* 14 October 1944 – torpedoed escorting convoy ONS 33G in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
* 23 October 1944 – Three torpedoes from missed troopship ''Lady Rodney'' off Halifax.
[Runyan & Copes (1994) p. 206]
* 2 November 1944 – ''U-1223'' torpedoed freighter in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
* 14 January 1945 – torpedoed
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Ma ...
and
tankers
Tanker may refer to:
Transportation
* Tanker, a tank crewman (US)
* Tanker (ship), a ship designed to carry bulk liquids
** Chemical tanker, a type of tanker designed to transport chemicals in bulk
** Oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tank ...
''Athelviking'' and ''British Freedom'' off
Halifax Harbour
Halifax Harbour is a large natural harbour on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, located in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Halifax largely owes its existence to the harbour, being one of the largest and deepest ice-free natural harbo ...
.
Convoy routes
* AH –
Aruba to
Halifax Harbour
Halifax Harbour is a large natural harbour on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, located in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Halifax largely owes its existence to the harbour, being one of the largest and deepest ice-free natural harbo ...
a brief tanker series from July to September 1942
* BS –
Corner Brook, Newfoundland
Corner Brook ( 2021 population: 19,333 CA 29,762) is a city located on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Corner Brook is the fifth largest settlement in Newfoundland and Labrador. ...
to
Sydney, Nova Scotia
* BW – Sydney, Nova Scotia to
St. John's, Newfoundland
St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland.
The city spans and is the easternmost city in North America ...
*
BX –
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
to Halifax Harbour
* CL –
St. John's, Newfoundland
St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland.
The city spans and is the easternmost city in North America ...
to Sydney, Nova Scotia
* FH –
Saint John, New Brunswick
Saint John is a seaport city of the Atlantic Ocean located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in Canada, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign of K ...
to Halifax Harbour
* HA – Halifax Harbour to
Curaçao (1942)
* HF – Halifax Harbour to Saint John, New Brunswick
* HHX – Halifax Harbour to meet
HX convoys originating in New York City at the Halifax Ocean Meeting Point (HOMP)
* HJ – Halifax Harbour to St. John's, Newfoundland
* HON – Halifax Harbour to
ON convoys
The ON convoys were a series of North Atlantic trade convoys running Outbound from the British Isles to North America during the Battle of the Atlantic.
History
From 7 September 1939, shortly after the outbreak of World War II, OB convoys saile ...
at the Halifax Ocean Meeting Point (HOMP)
* HS – Halifax Harbour to Sydney, Nova Scotia
* HT – Halifax Harbour to
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
(replaced by HA convoys)
* JH – St. John's, Newfoundland to Halifax Harbour
* JN – St. John's, Newfoundland to
Labrador
, nickname = "The Big Land"
, etymology =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Canada
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 ...
* LC – Sydney, Nova Scotia to St. John's, Newfoundland
* LN –
St. Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting ...
to Labrador
* NJ –
Newfoundland coast to St. John's, Newfoundland
* NL – Labrador to St. Lawrence River
* QS –
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
to Sydney, Nova Scotia
* SB – Sydney, Nova Scotia to Corner Brook, Newfoundland
* SH – Sydney, Nova Scotia to Halifax Harbour
* SHX – Sydney, Nova Scotia to
HX convoys
* SQ – Sydney, Nova Scotia to
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
* TH –
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
to Halifax Harbour
* WS –
Wabana, Newfoundland to Sydney, Nova Scotia
* XB – Halifax Harbour to Boston
[Hague (2000) pp. 109–114]
See also
*
Battle of the St. Lawrence
The Battle of the St. Lawrence involved marine and anti-submarine actions throughout the lower St. Lawrence River and the entire Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Strait of Belle Isle, Anticosti Island and Cabot Strait from May–October 1942, September ...
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* {{cite book , title=The Atlantic Campaign , author=van der Vat, Dan , publisher=Harper & Row , year=1988 , isbn=0-06-015967-7 , url=https://archive.org/details/atlanticcampaign00vand
Escort Groups of the Royal Navy in World War II
North American Coastal convoys of World War II
North Atlantic convoys of World War II
American Theater of World War II
Battle of the Atlantic
History of Halifax, Nova Scotia
Royal Canadian Navy
Military units and formations of Canada in World War II
Naval battles and operations of World War II involving the United Kingdom