RA 55A was however threatened by a U-boat force of some thirteen boats in a patrol line, code-named Eisenbart, in the Norwegian Sea, which had operated against all the December convoys. Action RA 55A sailed from Kola with its escort on 31 December 1943, accompanied by an eastern local escort of three minesweepers. On 1 January 1944 the local escort returned to Murmansk, leaving RA 55B to continue. German air reconnaissance was unable to find RA 55B in the gloom of the polar night, and although several Eisenbart boats made contact, their attacks were ineffectual. RA 55B was able to shake off pursuit and on 7 January met the western local escort of two minesweepers, which brought the convoy into Loch Ewe on the following day, 8 January 1944. Conclusion The eight ships of RA 55B arrived in Britain without loss, while all German attempts to attack the convoy had failed. Ships involved  Allied ships  Merchant ships  Daldorich  Empire Stalwart Fort Columbia Fort Poplar  James Gordon Bennet Lucerna San Ambrosio Thomas Kearns  Close escort  Whitehall   Wrestler  Gleaner  Honeysuckle  Oxlip  Rhodedendron   Ocean escort  Onslow  Onslaught  Orwell  Impulsive  Haida  Huron  Iroquois  Axis ships  U-boat force    U-314    U-387    U-601  U-716  U-957  Notes  References  Clay Blair : Hitler's U-Boat War [Volume 2]: The Hunted 1942–1945 (1998)  (2000 UK paperback ed.) Paul Kemp : Convoy! Drama in Arctic Waters (1993)   Paul Kemp  : U-Boats Destroyed  ( 1997). Axel Neistle  : German U-Boat Losses during World War II  (1998).
RA 55A was however threatened by a U-boat force of some thirteen boats in a patrol line, code-named Eisenbart, in the Norwegian Sea, which had operated against all the December convoys. Action
 RA 55A sailed from Kola with its escort on 31 December 1943, accompanied by an eastern local escort of three minesweepers. On 1 January 1944 the local escort returned to Murmansk, leaving RA 55B to continue. German air reconnaissance was unable to find RA 55B in the gloom of the polar night, and although several Eisenbart boats made contact, their attacks were ineffectual. RA 55B was able to shake off pursuit and on 7 January met the western local escort of two minesweepers, which brought the convoy into Loch Ewe on the following day, 8 January 1944. Conclusion
 The eight ships of RA 55B arrived in Britain without loss, while all German attempts to attack the convoy had failed. Ships involved
 Allied ships
 Merchant ships
 Daldorich 
Empire Stalwart
 Fort Columbia
 Fort Poplar
 James Gordon Bennet
 Lucerna
 San Ambrosio
 Thomas Kearns
 Close escort
 Whitehall 
Wrestler
 Gleaner
 Honeysuckle
 Oxlip
 Rhodedendron
 Ocean escort
 Onslow
 Onslaught
 Orwell
 Impulsive
 Haida
 Huron
 Iroquois
 Axis ships
 U-boat force
 U-314 U-387
 U-601
 U-716
 U-957
 Notes
 References
 Clay Blair: Hitler's U-Boat War [Volume 2]: The Hunted 1942–1945 (1998) (2000 UK paperback ed.) Paul Kemp: Convoy! Drama in Arctic Waters (1993) 
Paul Kemp: U-Boats Destroyed (1997). Axel Neistle: German U-Boat Losses during World War II (1998).