Convoy PQ 15 was an Arctic convoy sent from Iceland by the Western Allies to aid the Soviet Union during the Second World War. The convoy sailed in late April 1942, reaching the Soviet northern ports after air attacks that sank three ships out of twenty-five.
The convoy consisted of 25 merchant ships and was accompanied by one auxiliary, the oiler RFA Gray Ranger, which travelled with a destroyer escort.
The Close Escort was led by Commander John Crombie in the minesweeper HMS Bramble and consisted of two other minesweepers and four trawlers, joined later by four destroyers and the anti-aircraft ship HMS Ulster Queen.
A Cruiser Cover Force (Rear Admiral Harold Burrough) in the light cruiser HMS Nigeria, with the heavy cruiser HMS London and two destroyers and a Distant Covering Force (Admiral John Tovey), comprising the battleships HMS King George V and USS Washington (BB-56), (Rear Admiral Robert C. Giffen, USN, commanding), the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious, the heavy cruisers USS Tuscaloosa (CA-37) and USS Wichita (CA-45), the light cruiser HMS Kenya and ten destroyers.
The convoy was also covered by a patrol of four submarines off Norway, guarding against a sortie by German warships.
PQ 15 sailed from Reykjavík, Iceland, on 26 April 1942 with its local escort. This was joined on 28 April by the ocean escort, giving the convoy an immediate total escort of 12 warships.
German aircraft sighted the convoy on 28 April while it was 250 nmi (290 mi; 460 km)south-west of Bear Island. No attack developed for two days as the German forces were busy with the reciprocal Convoy QP 11, which left Murmansk in the Soviet Union on 28 April.
On 1 May the Luftwaffe made its first attack on PQ 15, by six Junkers Ju 88s. The German bombers failed to inflict any damage and lost one of their number. The Distant Cover Force suffered two losses when King George V and the destroyer HMS Punjabi collided in fog. Punjabi sank and King George V was forced to return to port. Her place in the group was taken by the battleship HMS Duke of York, which steamed from Scapa Flow to reinforce the escorts.
The escorts made an asdic contact on 2 May, which the destroyer HMS St. Albans and minesweeper HMS Seagull attacked. When the submarine was damaged and forced to the surface it was found to be the Polish Jastrzab, which was assigned to patrol off Norway but was some way out of position. Jastrzab was too badly damaged to continue and was scuttled.
On 3 May at 01:30 in the half light of the Arctic summer nights, six Heinkel He 111 bombers of I. Gruppe , Kampfgeschwader 26, the Luftwaffe's new torpedo bomber force, made the first German torpedo bomber attack of the war. [1] Three ships were hit, two were sunk and one was damaged, later to be sunk by the German submarine U-251. Two aircraft were shot down and a third damaged, which subsequently crashed. A further attack by German high-level bombers at dusk was unsuccessful.
Deteriorating weather on 4 May prevented further attacks, an Arctic gale quickly turning into a snowstorm. PQ 15 arrived at the Kola Inlet at 21:00 on 5 May with no further losses.
Botavon and Cape Corso had been sunk by torpedo bombers; Jutland was damaged by torpedo bombers and later sunk by U-251. Of the escorting warships, the submarine Jastrzab and destroyer Punjabi had been sunk and the battleship King George V had been damaged. However, 22 fully laden merchant ships had arrived safely in Murmansk, the largest Allied convoy yet to arrive in the Soviet Union. The convoy was regarded by the Allies as a success, although it gave them a taste of the difficulties to come on the Arctic convoy run.
The following information is from the Arnold Hague Convoy Database. [2]
| Name | Flag | Tonnage gross register tons (GRT) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alcoa Cadet (1919) |  United States | 4,823 | Lost in N.Russia after arrival |
| Alcoa Rambler (1919) | United States | 5,500 | At Reykjavik 15–26 April |
| Bayou Chico (1920) | United States | 5,401 | |
| Botavon (1912) |  United Kingdom | 5,848 | Torpedoed and sunk later by convoy escort Captain H. J. Anchor OBE RD RNR (convoy commodore) |
| Cape Corso (1929) | United Kingdom | 3,807 | Sunk by torpedo-bomber |
| Cape Race (1930) | United Kingdom | 3,807 | At Reykjavik 15–26 April vice convoy commodore |
| Capira (1920) |  Panama | 5,625 | |
| Deer Lodge (1919) | United States | 6,187 | At Reykjavik 16–26 April |
| Empire Bard (1942) | United Kingdom | 3,114 | Joined From Reykjavik. Heavy-lift crane ship N. Russia |
| Empire Morn (1941) | United Kingdom | 7,092 | CAM ship at Reykjavik 16–26 April |
| Expositor (1919) | United States | 4,959 | Reykjavik 15–26 April |
| Francis Scott Key (1941) | United States | 7,191 | |
| Gray Ranger (1941) | United Kingdom | 3,313 | Detached, arrived Lerwick 8 May Replenishment oiler |
| Hegira (1919) | United States | 7,588 | |
| Jutland (1928) | United Kingdom | 6,153 | Bombed, wreck sunk by U-251 |
| Krassin (1917) |  Soviet Union | 4,902 | Icebreaker on passage |
| Lancaster (1918) | United States | 7,516 | |
| Montcalm (1904) | United Kingdom | 1,432 | Icebreaker on passage |
| Mormacrey (1919) | United States | 5,946 | |
| Mormacrio (1919) | United States | 5,940 | |
| Paul Luckenbach (1913) | United States | 6,606 | |
| Seattle Spirit (1919) | United States | 5,627 | |
| Southgate (1926) | United Kingdom | 4,862 | At Reykjavik 16–26 April |
| Texas (1919) | United States | 5,638 | |
| Topa Topa (1920) | United States | 5,356 | |
| Zebulon B Vance (1942) | United States | 7,177 | |
The following information is from the Arnold Hague Convoy Database. [3]
| Name | Flag | Ship Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| HMS Badsworth (L03) |  Royal Navy | Escort destroyer | 28 April – 5 May Rescued survivors from Jutland |
| HMS Belvoir | Royal Navy | Escort destroyer | 28 April |
| HMS Boadicea (H65) | Royal Navy | Destroyer | 28 April – 5 May |
| HMS Bramble (J11) | Royal Navy | Minesweeper | 26 April – 5 May |
| HMS Cape Palliser (FY256) | Royal Navy | ASW trawler | 26 April – 5 May |
| HMS Chiltern | Royal Navy | Minesweeper | 26 April – 5 May |
| HMS Duke of York (17) | Royal Navy | Battleship | 2–5 May |
| HMS Escapade (H17) | Royal Navy | Destroyer | 2–5 May |
| HMS Faulknor (H62) | Royal Navy | Destroyer | 2–5 May |
| Gray Ranger (1941) | United Kingdom | Replenishment oiler | Detached, arrived Lerwick 8 May |
| HMS Hursley (L84) | Royal Navy | Escort destroyer | 28 April |
| HMS Inglefield (D02) | Royal Navy | Destroyer | 28 April – 5 May |
| HMS Kenya (14) | Royal Navy | Cruiser | 28 April – 5 May |
| HMS King George V (41) | Royal Navy | Battleship | 28 April – 2 May |
| HMS Lamerton (L88) | Royal Navy | Escort destroyer | 28 April – 4 May |
| HMS Leda (J93) | Royal Navy | Minesweeper | 26 April – 5 May |
| HMS Ledbury (L90) | Royal Navy | Escort destroyer | 26 April – 27 May |
| HMS London (69) | Royal Navy | Heavy cruiser | 30 April – 1 May |
| HMS Marne (G35) | Royal Navy | Destroyer | 29 April – 5 May |
| HMS Martin (G44) | Royal Navy | Destroyer | 29 April – 5 May |
| HMS Matchless (G52) | Royal Navy | Destroyer | 28 April – 5 May |
| HMS Middleton (L74) | Royal Navy | Escort destroyer | 28 April – 4 May |
| Minerve |  Free French Naval Forces | Submarine | 1–5 May |
| HMS Nigeria (60) | Royal Navy | Light Cruiser | 28 April – 2 May |
| HMS Northern Pride (FY105) | Royal Navy | ASW trawler | 26 Apr – 5 May |
| HMS Oribi (G66) | Royal Navy | Destroyer | 29 April – 5 May |
| HMS Unison (P43) | Royal Navy | Submarine | 1–5 May |
| ORP Jastrząb (P551) |  Polish Navy | Submarine | 2 May 1942, lost in friendly fire incident; five crew killed and six injured. Scuttled. |
| HMS Punjabi | Royal Navy | Destroyer | 29 April – 1 May Lost in collision with HMS King George V |
| HMS Seagull (J85) | Royal Navy | Minesweeper | 26 April – 5 May |
| HMS Somali (F33) | Royal Navy | Destroyer | 28 April – 5 May |
| HNoMS St. Albans (I15) |  Royal Norwegian Navy | Destroyer | 28 April – 5 May |
| HMS Sturgeon (73S) | Royal Navy | Submarine | 28 April – 1 May |
| HMS Ulster Queen | Royal Navy | AA Auxiliary Cruiser | 28 April – 5 May |
| HNoMS Uredd (P-41) | Royal Norwegian Navy | Submarine | 1–5 May |
| USS Madison (DD-425) | United States | Destroyer | 28 April – 6 May |
| USS Plunkett (DD-431) | United States | Destroyer | 28 April – 6 May |
| USS Tuscaloosa (CA-37) | United States | Heavy cruiser | 28 April – 6 May |
| USS Wainwright (DD-419) | United States | Destroyer | 28 April – 6 May |
| USS Washington (BB-56) | United States | Battleship | 28 April – 6 May |
| USS Wichita (CA-45) | United States | Heavy cruiser | 28 April – 6 May |
| USS Wilson (DD-408) | United States | Destroyer | 28 April – 6 May |
| HMS Venomous (D75) | Royal Navy | Destroyer | 28 April – 5 May |
| HMS Victorious (R38) | Royal Navy | Aircraft carrier | 28 April – 5 May |
| HMT Vizalma | Royal Navy | ASW trawler | 26 April – 5 May |
PQ 17 was the code name for an Allied Arctic convoy during the Second World War. On 27 June 1942, the ships sailed from Hvalfjörður, Iceland, for the port of Arkhangelsk in the Soviet Union. The convoy was located by German forces on 1 July, after which it was shadowed continuously and attacked. The First Sea Lord Admiral Dudley Pound, acting on information that German surface units, including the German battleship Tirpitz, were moving to intercept, ordered the covering force built around the Allied battleships HMS Duke of York and the USS Washington away from the convoy and told the convoy to scatter. Because of vacillation by Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, the Tirpitz raid never materialised. The convoy was the first large joint Anglo-American naval operation under British command; in Churchill's view this encouraged a more careful approach to fleet movements.
The Arctic convoys of World War II were oceangoing convoys which sailed from the United Kingdom, Iceland, and North America to northern ports in the Soviet Union – primarily Arkhangelsk (Archangel) and Murmansk in Russia. There were 78 convoys between August 1941 and May 1945, sailing via several seas of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, with two gaps with no sailings between July and September 1942, and March and November 1943.
Operation Sportpalast, also known as Operation Nordmeer, was a German naval raid between 6 and 13 March 1942 against two of the Allied Arctic convoys of World War II as they passed through the Norwegian Sea. It was conducted by the battleship Tirpitz, three destroyers and eight submarines. The German ships were unable to locate either of the convoys but sank a merchant vessel that was sailing independently. The Allies attempted to intercept the German force, also without success.
The Malta convoys were Allied supply convoys of the Second World War. The convoys took place during the Siege of Malta in the Mediterranean Theatre. Malta was a base from which British sea and air forces could attack ships carrying supplies from Europe to Italian Libya. Britain fought the Western Desert Campaign against Axis armies in North Africa to keep the Suez Canal and to control Middle Eastern oil. The strategic value of Malta was so great the British risked many merchant vessels and warships to supply the island and the Axis made determined efforts to neutralise the island as an offensive base.
Convoy PQ 16 was an Arctic convoy of British, United States and Allied ships from Iceland to Murmansk and Archangelsk in the Soviet Union during the Second World War. The convoy was the largest yet and was provided with a considerable number of escorts and submarines. QP 12, a return convoy, sailed on the same day
Operation Vigorous was a British operation during the Second World War, to escort supply convoy MW11 from the eastern Mediterranean to Malta, which took place from 11 to 16 June 1942. Vigorous was part of Operation Julius, a simultaneous operation with Operation Harpoon from Gibraltar and supporting operations. Sub-convoy MW11c sailed from Port Said (Egypt) on 11 June, to tempt the Italian battlefleet to sail early, use up fuel and be exposed to submarine and air attack. MW11a and MW11b sailed next day from Haifa, Port Said and Alexandria; one ship was sent back because of defects. Italian and German (Axis) aircraft attacked MW11c on 12 June and a damaged ship was diverted to Tobruk, just east of Gazala. The merchant ships and escorts rendezvoused on 13 June. The British plans were revealed unwittingly to the Axis by the US Military Attaché in Egypt, Colonel Bonner Fellers, who reported to Washington, D.C. in "Black"-coded wireless messages; it was later discovered that the Black Code had been broken by the Servizio Informazioni Militare.
HMS Orwell was an O-class destroyer of the Royal Navy that entered service in 1942 and was broken up in 1965.
HMS Onslow was an O-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. The O-class were intermediate destroyers, designed before the outbreak of the Second World War to meet likely demands for large number of destroyers. They had a main gun armament of four 4.7 in guns, and had a design speed of 36 kn. Onslow was ordered on 2 October 1939 and was built by John Brown & Company at their Clydebank, Glasgow shipyard, launching on 31 March 1941 and completing on 8 October 1941.
Convoy PQ 18 was an Arctic convoy of forty Allied freighters from Scotland and Iceland to Arkhangelsk in the Soviet Union in the war against Nazi Germany. The convoy departed Loch Ewe, Scotland on 2 September 1942, rendezvoused with more ships and escorts at Iceland and arrived at Arkhangelsk on 21 September. An exceptionally large number of escorts was provided by the Royal Navy in Operation EV, including the first escort carrier to accompany an Arctic convoy. Detailed information on German intentions was provided by the code breakers at Bletchley Park and elsewhere, through Ultra signals decrypts and eavesdropping on Luftwaffe wireless communications.
PQ 13 was a British Arctic convoy that delivered war supplies from the Western Allies to the USSR during World War II. The convoy was subject to attack by German air, U-boat and surface forces and suffered the loss of five ships, plus one escort vessel. Fifteen ships arrived safely.
Operation FB took place as part of the Arctic Convoys of the Second World War. The operation consisted of independent sailings by unescorted merchant ships between Iceland and Murmansk. In late 1942, the Allies had taken the offensive against Germany but the dispatch of supplies to the USSR by convoy via the Arctic route was suspended, due to the demands of the Mediterranean campaign. Convoy PQ 19 was cancelled because the Home Fleet diverted ships to the Mediterranean for Operation Torch which would have had to be postponed for three weeks had ships been provided for PQ 19.
Convoy PQ 14 was an Arctic convoy sent from Great Britain by the Western Allies to aid the Soviet Union during World War II. It sailed in April 1942, reaching Murmansk after air and U-boat attacks that sank one ship, and ice damage that saw 16 vessels returned to port. Seven ships arrived safely.
Convoy PQ 12 was an Arctic convoy sent from Great Britain by the Western Allies to aid the Soviet Union during World War II. It sailed in March 1942, reaching Murmansk despite a sortie against it by the German battleship Tirpitz. All ships arrived safely.
Convoys PQ 9 and 10 were Arctic convoys sent from Great Britain by the Western Allies to aid the Soviet Union during World War II. They sailed together in early February 1942 and arrived in Murmansk without loss.
Convoy PQ 8 was an Arctic convoy sent from Great Britain by the Western Allies to aid the Soviet Union during World War II. It sailed in January 1942 and arrived in Murmansk with the loss of one escort sunk, and one ship damaged.
Convoy JW 51B was an Arctic convoy sent from United Kingdom by the Western Allies to aid the Soviet Union during World War II. It sailed in late December 1942, reaching the Soviet northern ports in early January 1943.
The Arctic Circle defining the "midnight sun" encompasses the Atlantic Ocean from the northern edge of Iceland to the Bering Strait in the Pacific Ocean. Military activity in this area between 1939 and 1945 is often considered part of the Battle of the Atlantic or of the European Theatre of World War II. Pre-war navigation focused on fishing and the international ore-trade from Narvik and Petsamo. Soviet settlements along the coast and rivers of the Barents Sea and Kara Sea relied upon summer coastal shipping for supplies from railheads at Arkhangelsk and Murmansk. The Soviet Union extended the Northern Sea Route past the Taymyr Peninsula to the Bering Strait in 1935.
Convoy QP 11 was an Arctic Convoy of World War II, made up of merchant ships returning from the Soviet Union to Britain after delivering their cargo to the Soviet Union. The convoy consisted of 13 merchant ships, escorted by 18 warships. The convoy was attacked by German destroyers and submarines, suffering the loss of one merchant ship as well as the light cruiser HMS Edinburgh. The German forces lost the destroyer Z7 Hermann Schoemann.
Convoy QP 10 was an Arctic convoy of World War II, consisting of empty merchant ships returning from the Soviet Union after delivering their cargo there. The convoy consisted of 16 merchant ships and an escort of nine warships. The convoy departed Murmansk on 10 April 1942 and arrived in Reykjavik on 21 April. The convoy was attacked by German U-boats and aircraft, resulting in the loss of four merchant ships. Another ship, Stone Street, was damaged by air attack and forced to turn back to the Kola Inlet. The convoy's escorts shot down six German planes and damaged another during the course of the voyage. Later, six merchant ships from Convoy PQ 14 joined QP 10.
QP 14 was an Arctic convoy of the QP series which ran during World War II. It was one of a series of convoys run to return Allied ships from Soviet northern ports to home ports in Britain. It sailed in September 1942 from Archangel in Russia to Loch Ewe in Scotland.