Her first assignment in this new rôle was to escort Arctic Convoy JW 53 to Murmansk on 15 February. Things did not start well, with several ships unable to even begin the journey. The convoy encountered terrible weather from the start, some of the worst experienced by any of the Russian convoys. HMS "Jason" was the lead ship and under command of Cdr. H.G.A. Lewis. Lewis did a remarkable job of keeping order in the confusion which saw several ships damaged. had the armour plating torn from one of her turrets by the heavy seas on the first day. The visibility was so poor that it was rarely clear how many ships were keeping up with the convoy, and communication was always troublesome.