On 31 March JW 58 met a  patrol line of enemy U boats.  Over a  48 hour period  the submarines   mounted eighteen  attacks on the convoy. None of the  ships were hit, but three U-boats were destroyed.


On 2 April during  another submarine  attack HMS Keppel destroyed U-360 and later  U-288 was destroyed in a machine gun attack from HMS Avenger.

On the following day the convoy wa joined by a local escort and arrived safely off Kola inlet on 4th April, with all the merchant and escort ships intact.

This was to be  the last Arctic convoy for many months.

The return voyage to Lock Ewe with convoy RA58 was uneventful and the crew were given leave as the ship required "weather repairs".  The cold obviously affected the vessel as well as the crew.

Eventually all the sailors, Merchant as well as Royal Navy were awarded the Arctic Star, but by the time this happened, most of them including Ernie McKie, were dead.