Spring of 1943
Escort Group B-5 returned to MOEF with G and H class destroyer Havelock, Flower class corvettes Pimpernel, Godetia, Saxifrage, Buttercup and Lavender and with new River class frigate Swale replacing the old destroyers. Convoy ON 168 was escorted without loss. Convoy SC 122 lost 8 ships. Convoy SC 126 was escorted without loss.
River class frigates brought two significant advantages to MOEF. Their numbers allowed the older escorts time to refit with modern sensors like 10-centimeter radar and modern anti-submarine weapons like the Hedgehog projector. Destroyers replaced by new frigates were formed into mobile support groups able to move rapidly to convoys coming under attack. Through 1943, new escort carriers became available to increase the surveillance capability of support groups. As the winter weather cleared, new long-range B-24 Liberator patrol bombers extended surveillance into the mid-Atlantic.
Read more about this topic: Mid-Ocean Escort Force
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The spring of all delight,
Denying water to the amorous thirst;”
—Torquato Tasso (1544–1595)
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