Sherbrooke's Victoria Cross citation places him in HMS Onslow as the senior officer of the destroyer escort off North Cape on 31 December. Four times he led the destroyers toward a stronger German force, using the threat of torpedoes to drive it behind smoke and outside gun range of the convoy. The action lasted about two hours, but Onslow was hit and Sherbrooke suffered a serious facial wound after roughly forty minutes. He continued directing the escort until further damage forced his ship to disengage. Only after confirming that the next senior officer had taken control did he leave the bridge for treatment, and he kept asking for action reports. The citation credits his leadership with bringing the convoy through without damage.
Chapter · 15:12-17:21
Sherbrooke's Victoria Cross defence of convoy JW 51B
Sherbrooke drove a superior German force away from JW 51B four times and retained command after Onslow was badly hit and he was wounded.