Reply To: Battle of the North Cape 1943 – replenishment at sea of the RN ships

[Derek N]

Spotting this discussion (just a bit) late, I have seen no direct evidence either way. However, the fact that Fraser ordered the ships of both forces to proceed to Murmansk without either forming up on him or returning to guard the convoy (which was still at risk from air and submarine attack) suggests he was seriously worried about the destroyers’ fuel state. With a 6-8M sea running, getting a line across even if there had been a tanker available would have been a tricky proposition. My bet, then, would be no.