Western Local Escort Force facts for kids

The Western Local Escort Force (WLEF) was a special group of ships during World War II. Their job was to protect convoys of merchant ships from U-boat attacks. These convoys sailed from North American cities. The WLEF escorted them to a place near Newfoundland. This spot was called the Western Ocean Meeting Point (WOMP). Here, other ships from the Mid-Ocean Escort Force (MOEF) took over. They would then guide the convoys safely to the British Isles.

HMCS Sackville, preserved at Halifax Harbour, is the only survivor of the Flower-class corvettes providing the backbone of the WLEF.

Why Convoys Were Needed

During World War I, the British Navy learned a lot about protecting ships. So, in September 1939, they started using convoys in waters around the United Kingdom. A convoy is a group of ships traveling together with naval escorts. This helps protect them from enemy attacks.

Over time, these convoys traveled further west. On May 27, 1941, the first convoy, HX 129, left Halifax, Nova Scotia. It had escorts for its entire journey from Canada. The United States had a "Neutrality Zone" that offered some safety near North America. But this changed when the U.S. entered the war in December 1941.

How the WLEF Was Set Up

The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) created the Western Local Escort Force in February 1942. This happened when German U-boats started patrolling near North American coasts. This period was known as the "second happy time" for U-boats.

The Royal Navy gave the WLEF twelve older, short-range destroyers. These ships were good at hunting submarines. They also had experienced crews. New Canadian Flower-class corvettes and Bangor-class minesweepers also joined the WLEF. Some larger destroyers, like St. Clair, Columbia, and Niagara, were also assigned to the WLEF. Their fuel range was not enough for longer trips with the MOEF. In the winter of 1942–43, some destroyers formed "Western Support Force" groups. These groups of three ships helped protect convoys under attack in the western Atlantic.

How the WLEF Operated

The WLEF was planned to have eight escort groups. Each group could provide four to six ships to protect a convoy. The WLEF escort groups changed more often than the MOEF groups. Ships in the WLEF rarely worked with the same team for many convoys.

A WLEF escort group would usually meet a westbound convoy (like an ON convoy) at the WOMP. Then, individual WLEF ships would split off with parts of the convoy. These smaller groups would head to different ports. These ports included Halifax, Sydney, Nova Scotia, Quebec on the St. Lawrence River, Saint John, New Brunswick, Boston, Massachusetts, or New York City.

Some WLEF escorts also protected coastal convoys. These convoys went as far south as the Caribbean Sea. Eastbound convoys, like HX convoys and SC convoys, worked in the opposite way. They would start with a few WLEF escorts in New York City. More ships would join from New England ports or the Maritimes. Escorts with short range or mechanical issues might be replaced at points between WOMP and New York City. The most common place for these changes was the Halifax Ocean Meeting Point (HOMP). This was near the WLEF's home port of Halifax.

The WLEF operated where anti-submarine planes could fly patrols. Bad weather sometimes stopped these flights. U-boats were careful in areas with air patrols. So, single U-boat attacks were more common than large "wolf pack" attacks. In the summer of 1943, the force's name was shortened to "Western Escort Force" (WEF).

Major Combat Events

Here are some important events where the WLEF was involved:

• May 12, 1942 – U-553 sank two ships in the St. Lawrence River.
• July 6, 1942 – U-132 sank three ships from convoy QS 15. Canadian Bangor-class minesweepers HMS Bangor and HMCS Drummondville escorted this convoy.
• July 20, 1942 – U-132 sank one ship from convoy QS 19. This convoy was escorted by Flower-class corvette HMCS Weyburn, Bangor-class minesweeper HMCS Chedabucto, and motor launches Q059, Q064, Q074.
• July 29, 1942 – U-132 sank one ship from convoy ON 113, which was escorted by WLEF ships.
• August 27, 1942 – Flower-class corvette HMCS Oakville sank U-94. At the same time, U-511 sank two ships from convoy TAW 15.
• September 3, 1942 – U-517 sank one ship from convoy NL 6. This convoy was escorted by Flower-class corvette HMCS Weyburn and Bangor-class minesweeper HMCS Clayoquot.
• September 6–7, 1942 – U-165 sank one ship and the armed yacht HMCS Raccoon. U-517 sank three ships from convoy QS 33. This convoy was escorted by Flower-class corvette HMCS Arrowhead, Bangor-class minesweepers HMCS Truro and HMCS Vegreville, and motor launches Q065 and Q083.
• September 11, 1942 – U-517 sank the Flower-class corvette HMCS Charlottetown. It had been traveling with the Bangor-class minesweeper HMCS Clayoquot.
• September 15–16, 1942 – U-517 sank two ships and U-165 sank two ships from convoy SQ 36. This convoy was escorted by Town-class destroyer HMCS Salisbury, Flower-class corvette HMCS Arrowhead, Bangor-class minesweeper HMCS Vegreville, and three motor launches.
• September 21, 1942 – Bangor-class minesweeper HMCS Georgian defended convoy SQ 38 from U-517.
• October 13, 1942 – U-69 sank the ferry SS Caribou from convoy NL 9. This convoy was escorted by Flower-class corvettes HMCS Trail, HMCS Arrowhead, and HMCS Shawinigan.
• September 7–8, 1944 – Flower-class corvette HMCS Norsyd attacked U-541 in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
• October 14, 1944 – U-1223 torpedoed River-class frigate HMCS Magog. This ship was escorting convoy ONS 33G in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
• October 23, 1944 – Three torpedoes from U-1221 missed the troopship Lady Rodney near Halifax.
• November 2, 1944 – U-1223 torpedoed the freighter SS Fort Thompson in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
• January 14, 1945 – U-1232 torpedoed the Liberty ship SS Martin van Buren and tankers Athelviking and British Freedom near Halifax Harbour.

Convoy Routes

The WLEF escorted convoys along many different routes. Each route had a special code:

• AH – From Aruba to Halifax Harbour (a short series for tankers in 1942)
• BS – From Corner Brook, Newfoundland to Sydney, Nova Scotia
• BW – From Sydney, Nova Scotia to St. John's, Newfoundland
• BX – From Boston to Halifax Harbour
• CL – From St. John's, Newfoundland to Sydney, Nova Scotia
• FH – From Saint John, New Brunswick to Halifax Harbour
• HA – From Halifax Harbour to Curaçao (in 1942)
• HF – From Halifax Harbour to Saint John, New Brunswick
• HHX – From Halifax Harbour to meet HX convoys that started in New York City at the Halifax Ocean Meeting Point (HOMP)
• HJ – From Halifax Harbour to St. John's, Newfoundland
• HON – From Halifax Harbour to ON convoys at the Halifax Ocean Meeting Point (HOMP)
• HS – From Halifax Harbour to Sydney, Nova Scotia
• HT – From Halifax Harbour to Trinidad (later replaced by HA convoys)
• JH – From St. John's, Newfoundland to Halifax Harbour
• JN – From St. John's, Newfoundland to Labrador
• LC – From Sydney, Nova Scotia to St. John's, Newfoundland
• LN – From St. Lawrence River to Labrador
• NJ – From the Newfoundland coast to St. John's, Newfoundland
• NL – From Labrador to the St. Lawrence River
• QS – From Quebec to Sydney, Nova Scotia
• SB – From Sydney, Nova Scotia to Corner Brook, Newfoundland
• SH – From Sydney, Nova Scotia to Halifax Harbour
• SHX – From Sydney, Nova Scotia to HX convoys
• SQ – From Sydney, Nova Scotia to Quebec
• TH – From Trinidad to Halifax Harbour
• WS – From Wabana, Newfoundland to Sydney, Nova Scotia
• XB – From Halifax Harbour to Boston

See also

• Battle of the St. Lawrence