JW 54A was the first out-bound Arctic convoy of the 1943–44 winter season, following their suspension during the summer.
Convoy JW 54A consisted of 19 merchant ships which departed from Loch Ewe on 15 November 1943.
Convoy JW 54A was opposed by a U-boat force of five boats in a patrol line, code-named Eisenbart, in the Norwegian Sea.
The convoy was not sighted by German reconnaissance aircraft, nor by any of the Eisenbart U-boats, and crossed the Norwegian and Barents Seas without incident.
JW 54A was a successful start to the 1943–44 convoy season, with the safe arrival of 19 merchant ships and the war materiel they carried.