HMS Achates (H12) - Battle of The Barents Sea

Battle of The Barents Sea

On 31 December 1942, Achates was on escort duty protecting the Russian convoy JW 51B en route from Loch Ewe to Murmansk when she was sunk in the Barents Sea

The German heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper, pocket battleship Lützow and six large destroyers had been ordered to attack and destroy the convoy. Despite being heavily outgunned the escort, under the command of Captain R. St. Vincent Sherbrooke, beat off the attack and not one merchant vessel was lost.

At 11:15, Achates was laying smoke to protect the convoy when she was hit by gunfire from the Hipper, killing the commanding officer, Lt Cdr Johns, and forty crew. The First Lieutenant, Lt L. E. Peyton-Jones, took over command and, despite having sustained severe damage in the shelling, Achates continued her smoke screen operation. At 13:30 she went down 135 nm ESE of Bear Island. 113 seamen were lost and 81 were rescued, one of whom later died on the trawler Northern Gem which had come to the aid of Achates. In response, the light cruiser HMS Sheffield (C24) damaged Hipper, and subsequently sank her escort, Z16 Friedrich Eckoldt.