was an anti-submarine warfare naval trawler of the Royal Navy during the Second World War. She spent the war escorting convoys in the Atlantic and Arctic, including the famous convoy JW 51B.

Service history Vizalma was ordered from Cook, Welton & Gemmell of Beverley by the Atlas Steam Fishing Company of Grimsby and launched on 11 April 1940. However, before she was completed, on 15 June 1940, she was requisitioned by the Admiralty and completed as an anti-submarine trawler on 12 August 1940. She was assigned to the Royal Naval Patrol Service and employed as a convoy escort.

Initially Vizalma was assigned to the Londonderry Escort Groups based in Derry, Northern Ireland, providing local escorts for Atlantic convoys entering and leaving the Western Approaches interspersed with trips to Gibraltar and Iceland. She was later transferred to the Iceland Command for duties on the Russian convoys escorting merchant ships from Scotland to the Kola Inlet via Iceland. She made two return trips to Murmansk.

The second outgoing convoy, in December 1942, was JW 51B, which was involved in the engagement that became known as the Battle of the Barents Sea. However, Vizalma had become separated from the convoy during a gale and was escorting merchantman Chester Valley away from the main group when the battle erupted. They went north to avoid the action and rejoined the convoy two days later. However, not directly involved in the battle she played a role in it : when the covering cruiser force of the convoy was racing towards the convoy in response to reports of an attacking German force, the force detected the 2 ships Vizalma and Chester Valley on their radar. They had to investigate and lost precious time whilst the German force was attacking the convoy escorts.Kemp, p.119

After returning from Russia, Vizalma resumed Atlantic convoy escort duties and, from September to November 1943, guard ship duties in the Faroes and Azores. On 23 December 1945 she was sold back to her original owners and converted into a deep-sea trawler. She was scrapped at Dunston from 4 November 1964.Lenton, H.T.and Colledge, J.J. (1964). British and Dominion Warships of World War II. Doubleday., London.

Convoys escorted by Vizalma ConvoyFromToNotes OA 206 Methil Dispersed 29 August − 3 September 1940 WN 19 Clyde Methil 29 September – 3 October 1940 OB 232 Liverpool Dispersed at 21–26 October 1940 SC 8 Sydney, Cape Breton Liverpool 26–31 October 1940 OB 245 Liverpool Dispersed at 18–22 November 1940 HX 85/1 Sydney, Cape Breton Liverpool 22 November 1940 OB 256 Liverpool Dispersed at 8–12 December 1940 OB 269 Liverpool Dispersed 4–6 January 1941 OB 283 Liverpool Dispersed 8–12 February 1941 HX 106 Halifax Liverpool 15–18 February 1941 HG 54 Gibraltar Liverpool 20 February – 12 March 1941 HG 57 Gibraltar Liverpool 6–9 April 1941 OB 314 Liverpool Dispersed at 24–28 April 1941 HX 121 Halifax Liverpool 28–30 April 1941 OB 319 Liverpool Dispersed at 9–13 May 1941 SC 30 Halifax Liverpool 12–20 May 1941 HX 124 Halifax Liverpool 14 May 1941 SL 75 Freetown Liverpool 12–13 June 1941N|8 Liverpool Dispersed at 18–21 August 1941N|13 Liverpool Dispersed at 6–8 September 1941N|18 Liverpool Dispersed at 21–24 September 1941 SC 45 Sydney, Cape Breton Liverpool 1 October 1941N|25 Liverpool Dispersed 11–13 October 1941N|32 Liverpool Halifax 3–6 November 1941N|39 Liverpool Dispersed at 22–29 November 1941 UR 7 Loch Ewe Reykjavík 12–17 January 1942 UR 14 Loch Ewe Reykjavík 28 February – 4 March 1942 RU 14 Reykjavík Loch Ewe 7–11 March 1942 PQ 15 Oban Murmansk 26 April – 5 May 1942 QP 12 Kola Inlet Reykjavík 21–29 May 1942 JW 51B Loch Ewe Kola Inlet 22 December 1942 – 3 January 1943 RA 52 Kola Inlet Loch Ewe 29 January – 8 February 1943 ONS 4 Liverpool Halifax — ONS 9 Liverpool Halifax 29 May – 7 June 1943 SC 134 Halifax Liverpool 20 June – 1 July 1943 OS 64/KMS 38 Liverpool Convoy Split 3–9 January 1944 RU 107 Reykjavík Loch Ewe 3–7 February 1944 RU 109 Reykjavík Loch Ewe 21–24 February 1944 RU 112 Reykjavík Loch Ewe 18–21 March 1944 OS 73/KMS 47 Liverpool Convoy Split 4–16 April 1944 KMS 47G Liverpool Gibraltar 16–17 April 1944 MKS 46G Gibraltar Liverpool 22–23 April 1944 SL 155/MKS 46 Freetown/Port Said Liverpool 23 April – 3 May 1944 HX 304 New York Liverpool 23 August – 1 September 1944 RU 127 Reykjavík Loch Ewe 17–18 July 1944

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