Convoy PQ 4

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Convoy PQ 4
Part of Arctic Convoys of the Second World War
The Norwegian and the Barents seas, site of the Arctic convoys
Date 17−28 November 1941 Location Arctic Ocean Result British victory
Belligerents
Royal Navy Merchant Navy	Kriegsmarine   Luftwaffe

Convoy PQ 4 was the fifth of the Arctic Convoys of World War II by which the Western Allies supplied material aid to the Soviet Union in its fight with Nazi Germany. The Convoy sailed from Hvalfjord, Iceland on 17 November 1941 and arrived at Arkhangelsk on 28 November 1941.

Ships

Example of a Halcyon-class minesweeper (HMS Salamander in 1943)

The convoy consisted of eight merchant ships (four British and four Soviet) all of which arrived safely. The escort consisted of the cruiser HMS Berwick, the destroyers HMS Offa and Onslow and the armed trawlers HMT Bute and HMT Stella Capella. The Halcyon-class minesweepers HMS Gossamer, HMS Seagull and HMS Speedy sortied from Murmansk on 27 November to guide the convoy into the Kola Inlet. ^[1]

Allied order of battle

Convoyed ships

Merchant ships ^[1]

Name	Year	Flag	GRT	Notes
SS Alma Ata	1920	Soviet Union	3,611
SS Budenni	1923	Soviet Union	2,482
SS Dan-Y-Bryn	1940	United Kingdom	5,117	Convoy commodore embarked
SS Empire Meteor	1940	United Kingdom	7,457
SS Eulima	1937	United Kingdom	6,207
SS Mossovet	1935	Soviet Union	2,981
SS Rodina	1922	Soviet Union	4,441
SS Sukhona	1918	Soviet Union	3,124

Oceanic escorts

Oceanic escorts ^[1]

Name	Flag	Type	Notes
HMS Berwick	Royal Navy	County-class cruiser	Escort 25–27 November
HMS Offa	Royal Navy	O-class destroyer	Escort 25–27 November
HMS Onslow	Royal Navy	O-class destroyer	Escort 25–27 November
HMT Bute	Royal Navy	Isles-class trawler	Escort 17–27 November
HMT Stella Capella	Royal Navy	ASW Trawler	Escort 17–27 November

Murmansk escorts

Local escorts from Murmansk, 27−28 November ^[1]

Name	Flag	Type	Notes
HMS Gossamer	Royal Navy	Halcyon-class minesweeper	Met convoy, 27 November, escorted to Murmansk, 28 November
HMS Seagull	Royal Navy	Halcyon-class minesweeper	Met convoy, 27 November, escorted to Murmansk, 28 November
HMS Speedy	Royal Navy	Halcyon-class minesweeper	Met convoy, 27 November, escorted to Murmansk, 28 November

References

1. Ruegg & Hague 1993, p. 23.

Bibliography

• Ruegg, R.; Hague, A. (1993) [1992]. Convoys to Russia: Allied Convoys and Naval Surface Operations in Arctic Waters 1941–1945 (2nd rev. enl. ed.). Kendal: World Ship Society. ISBN   0-905617-66-5.

Further reading

• Rohwer, Jürgen; Hümmelchen, Gerhard (2005) [1972]. Chronology of the War at Sea, 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (3rd rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN   1-86176-257-7.
• Woodman, Richard (1994). Arctic Convoys 1941–1945 (hbk. ed.). London: John Murray. ISBN   0-7195-5079-3.

External links

• Convoy web