# HMT Vizalma (FY286)

HMT Vizalma was an anti-submarine warfare naval trawler of the Royal Navy during the Second World War. She spent the war escorting convoys in the Atlantic and Arctic, including the famous convoy JW 51B.

## Service history

Vizalma was ordered from Cook, Welton & Gemmell of Beverley by the Atlas Steam Fishing Company of Grimsby and launched on 11 April 1940. However, before she was completed, on 15 June 1940, she was requisitioned by the Admiralty and completed as an anti-submarine trawler on 12 August 1940. She was assigned to the Royal Naval Patrol Service and employed as a convoy escort.
Initially Vizalma was assigned to the Londonderry Escort Groups based in Derry, Northern Ireland, providing local escorts for Atlantic convoys entering and leaving the Western Approaches interspersed with trips to Gibraltar and Iceland. She was later transferred to the Iceland Command for duties on the Russian convoys escorting merchant ships from Scotland to the Kola Inlet via Iceland. She made two return trips to Murmansk.
The second outgoing convoy, in December 1942, was JW 51B, which was involved in the engagement that became known as the Battle of the Barents Sea. However, Vizalma had become separated from the convoy during a gale and was escorting merchantman Chester Valley away from the main group when the battle erupted. They went north to avoid the action and rejoined the convoy two days later. However, not directly involved in the battle she played a role in it : when the covering cruiser force of the convoy was racing towards the convoy in response to reports of an attacking German force, the force detected the 2 ships Vizalma and Chester Valley on their radar. They had to investigate and lost precious time whilst the German force was attacking the convoy escorts.
After returning from Russia, Vizalma resumed Atlantic convoy escort duties and, from September to November 1943, guard ship duties in the Faroes and Azores. On 23 December 1945 she was sold back to her original owners and converted into a deep-sea trawler. She was scrapped at Dunston from 4 November 1964.

## Convoys escorted by Vizalma

| Convoy | Convoy | Convoy | Escorted by Vizalma | Escorted by Vizalma |
| Number | Departed | Destination | From | To |
| OA 206 | Methil | Dispersed | 29 August 1940 | 3 September 1940 |
| WN 19 | Clyde | Methil | 29 September 1940 | 3 October 1940 |
| OB 232 | Liverpool | Dispersed at 56°30′N 26°50′W﻿ / ﻿56.500°N 26.833°W﻿ / 56.500; -26.833 | 21 October 1940 | 26 October 1940 |
| SC 8 | Sydney, Cape Breton | Liverpool | 26 October 1940 | 31 October 1940 |
| OB 245 | Liverpool | Dispersed at 56°35′N 17°38′W﻿ / ﻿56.583°N 17.633°W﻿ / 56.583; -17.633 | 18 November 1940 | 22 November 1940 |
| HX 85/1 | Sydney, Cape Breton | Liverpool | 22 November 1940 | 22 November 1940 |
| OB 256 | Liverpool | Dispersed at 59°04′N 15°30′W﻿ / ﻿59.067°N 15.500°W﻿ / 59.067; -15.500 | 8 December 1940 | 12 December 1940 |
| OB 269 | Liverpool | Dispersed | 4 January 1941 | 6 January 1941 |
| OB 283 | Liverpool | Dispersed | 8 February 1941 | 12 February 1941 |
| HX 106 | Halifax | Liverpool | 15 February 1941 | 18 February 1941 |
| HG 54 | Gibraltar | Liverpool | 20 February 1941 | 12 March 1941 |
| HG 57 | Gibraltar | Liverpool | 6 April 1941 | 9 April 1941 |
| OB 314 | Liverpool | Dispersed at 61°05′N 35°25′W﻿ / ﻿61.083°N 35.417°W﻿ / 61.083; -35.417 | 24 April 1941 | 28 April 1941 |
| HX 121 | Halifax | Liverpool | 28 April 1941 | 30 April 1941 |
| OB 319 | Liverpool | Dispersed at 61°N 35°W﻿ / ﻿61°N 35°W﻿ / 61; -35 | 9 May 1941 | 13 May 1941 |
| SC 30 | Halifax | Liverpool | 12 May 1941 | 20 May 1941 |
| HX 124 | Halifax | Liverpool | 14 May 1941 | 14 May 1941 |
| SL 75 | Freetown | Liverpool | 12 June 1941 | 13 June 1941 |
| N|8 | Liverpool | Dispersed at 56°09′N 44°32′W﻿ / ﻿56.150°N 44.533°W﻿ / 56.150; -44.533 | 18 August 1941 | 21 August 1941 |
| N|13 | Liverpool | Dispersed at 53°32′N 26°16′W﻿ / ﻿53.533°N 26.267°W﻿ / 53.533; -26.267 | 6 September 1941 | 8 September 1941 |
| N|18 | Liverpool | Dispersed at 45°25′N 50°25′W﻿ / ﻿45.417°N 50.417°W﻿ / 45.417; -50.417 | 21 September 1941 | 24 September 1941 |
| SC 45 | Sydney, Cape Breton | Liverpool | 1 October 1941 | 1 October 1941 |
| N|25 | Liverpool | Dispersed | 11 October 1941 | 13 October 1941 |
| N|32 | Liverpool | Halifax | 3 November 1941 | 6 November 1941 |
| N|39 | Liverpool | Dispersed at 53°34′N 39°30′W﻿ / ﻿53.567°N 39.500°W﻿ / 53.567; -39.500 | 22 November 1941 | 29 November 1941 |
| UR 7 | Loch Ewe | Reykjavík | 12 January 1942 | 17 January 1942 |
| UR 14 | Loch Ewe | Reykjavík | 28 February 1942 | 4 March 1942 |
| RU 14 | Reykjavík | Loch Ewe | 7 March 1942 | 11 March 1942 |
| PQ 15 | Oban | Murmansk | 26 April 1942 | 5 May 1942 |
| QP 12 | Kola Inlet | Reykjavík | 21 May 1942 | 29 May 1942 |
| JW 51B | Loch Ewe | Kola Inlet | 22 December 1942 | 3 January 1943 |
| RA 52 | Kola Inlet | Loch Ewe | 29 January 1943 | 8 February 1943 |
| ONS 4 | Liverpool | Halifax | | |
| ONS 9 | Liverpool | Halifax | 29 May 1943 | 7 June 1943 |
| SC 134 | Halifax | Liverpool | 20 June 1943 | 1 July 1943 |
| OS 64/KMS 38 | Liverpool | Convoy Split | 3 January 1944 | 9 January 1944 |
| RU 107 | Reykjavík | Loch Ewe | 3 February 1944 | 7 February 1944 |
| RU 109 | Reykjavík | Loch Ewe | 21 February 1944 | 24 February 1944 |
| RU 112 | Reykjavík | Loch Ewe | 18 March 1944 | 21 March 1944 |
| OS 73/KMS 47 | Liverpool | Convoy Split | 4 April 1944 | 16 April 1944 |
| KMS 47G | Liverpool | Gibraltar | 16 April 1944 | 17 April 1944 |
| MKS 46G | Gibraltar | Liverpool | 22 April 1944 | 23 April 1944 |
| SL 155/MKS 46 | Freetown/Port Said | Liverpool | 23 April 1944 | 3 May 1944 |
| HX 304 | New York | Liverpool | 23 August 1944 | 1 September 1944 |
| RU 127 | Reykjavík | Loch Ewe | 17 July 1944 | 18 July 1944 |