Convoy PQ 15
Convoy PQ 15 was an Arctic convoy sent from Iceland by the Western Allies to aid the Soviet Union during World War II. It sailed in late April 1942, reaching the Soviet northern ports after air attacks that sank three ships. Twenty-two ships arrived safely.
Ships
The convoy consisted of 25 merchant ships and was accompanied by one auxiliary, the oiler Gray Ranger, which travelled with her own escort of destroyers.
The Close Escort was led by Commander J. Crombie in the minesweeper HMS Bramble and consisted of two other minesweepers and four trawlers, joined later by four destroyers and the antiaircraft ship HMS Ulster Queen.
There were two support groups: a Cruiser Cover Force led by Rear Admiral H. M. Burrough in the light cruiser HMS Nigeria, with the heavy cruiser HMS London and two destroyers; and a Distant Covering Force led by 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 10 destroyers.
The convoy was also covered by a patrol of four submarines off Norway, guarding against a sortie by German warships.
Action
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 nautical miles (463 km) southwest of Bear Island. However no attack developed for two days as the attention of German forces focused on the reciprocal Convoy QP 11, which left Murmansk in the Soviet Union on 28 April.
On 1 May the German Luftwaffe made its first attack on PQ 15, by six Junkers Ju 88s. The German bombers were unsuccessful, and lost one of their number.
Also on 1 May, 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 task force.
The escorts made an asdic contact on 2 May, which the destroyer HMS St. Albans and minesweeper HMS Seagull attacked. 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 abandoned and scuttled.
On 3 May at 0130 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, attacked the convoy, making the first German torpedo bomber attack of World War II.[1] Three ships were hit. Two were sunk, and one was damaged and later 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 any German further attacks; an Arctic gale quickly turning into a snowstorm. PQ 15 arrived at the Kola Inlet at 2100 on 5 May with no further losses.
Aftermath
Three of PQ 15's ships had been sunk, Botavon and Cape Corso by torpedo bombers and Jutland 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.
Ships in the convoy[2]
| Name | Flag | Tonnage (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 Apr |
| HMS Badsworth (L03) |  Royal Navy |
Escort 28 Apr - 05 May Rescued survivors from Jutland | |
| Bayou Chico (1920) | United States |
5,401 | |
| HMS Belvoir | Royal Navy |
Escort 28 Apr - 28 Apr | |
| HMS Boadicea (H65) | Royal Navy |
Escort 28 Apr - 05 May Destroyer | |
| Botavon (1912) |  United Kingdom |
5,848 | Torpedoed and sunk later by convoy escort Capt H J Anchor OBE RD RNR (Commodore) |
| HMS Bramble (J11) | Royal Navy |
Escort 26 Apr - 05 May | |
| Cape Corso (1929) | United Kingdom |
3,807 | Sunk by aircraft torpedo |
| HMS Cape Palliser (FY256) | Royal Navy |
Escort 26 Apr - 05 May ASW trawler | |
| Cape Race (1930) | United Kingdom |
3,807 | At Reykjavik 15-26 Apr Vice-Commodore |
| Capira (1920) |  Panama |
5,625 | |
| HMS Chiltern | Royal Navy |
Escort 26 Apr - 05 May | |
| Deer Lodge (1919) | United States |
6,187 | At Reykjavik 16-26 Apr |
| HMS Duke of York (17) | Royal Navy |
Escort 02 May - 05 May | |
| 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 Apr |
| HMS Escapade (H17) | Royal Navy |
Escort 02 May - 05 May | |
| Expositor (1919) | United States |
4,959 | Reykjavik 15-26 Apr |
| HMS Faulknor (H62) | Royal Navy |
Escort 02 May - 05 May | |
| 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 | |
| HMS Hursley (L84) | Royal Navy |
Escort 28 Apr - 28 Apr | |
| HMS Inglefield (D02) | Royal Navy |
Escort 28 Apr - 05 May | |
| Jutland (1928) | United Kingdom |
6,153 | Bombed, Wreck Sunk By U-251 |
| HMS Kenya (14) | Royal Navy |
Escort 28 Apr - 05 May Cruiser | |
| HMS King George V (41) | Royal Navy |
Escort 28 Apr - 02 May Battleship | |
| Krassin (1917) |  Soviet Union |
4,902 | Icebreaker on passage |
| HMS Lamerton (L88) | Royal Navy |
Escort 28 Apr - 04 May Destroyer | |
| Lancaster (1918) | United States |
7,516 | |
| HMS Leda (J93) | Royal Navy |
Escort 26 Apr - 05 May | |
| HMS Ledbury (L90) | Royal Navy |
Escort 26 Apr - 27 May | |
| HMS London (69) | Royal Navy |
Escort 30 Apr - 01 May Heavy cruiser | |
| HMS Marne (G35) | Royal Navy |
Escort 29 Apr - 05 May Destroyer | |
| HMS Martin (G44) | Royal Navy |
Escort 29 Apr - 05 May Destroyer | |
| HMS Matchless (G52) | Royal Navy |
Escort 28 Apr - 05 May Destroyer | |
| HMS Middleton (L74) | Royal Navy |
Escort 28 Apr - 04 May Destroyer | |
| Minerve |  Free French Naval Forces |
Escort 01 May - 05 May Submarine | |
| Montcalm (1904) | United Kingdom |
1,432 | Icebreaker on passage |
| Mormacrey (1919) | United States |
5,946 | |
| Mormacrio (1919) | United States |
5,940 | |
| HMS Nigeria (60) | Royal Navy |
Escort 28 Apr - 02 May | |
| HMS Northern Pride (FY105) | Royal Navy |
Escort 26 Apr - 05 May ASW trawler | |
| HMS Oribi (G66) | Royal Navy |
Escort 29 Apr - 05 May Destroyer | |
| HMS Unison (P43) | Royal Navy |
Escort 01 May - 05 May Submarine | |
| ORP Jastrząb (P551) |  Polish Navy |
Escort 01 May - 05 May Submarine 2 May 1942 was mistakenly engaged by the HNoMS St. Albans and HMS Seagull. She was attacked with depth charges and made to surface, there she was strafed with the loss of 5 crew (including British liaison officer) and 6 injured, including the commander. The ship was badly damaged and had to be scuttled, near 71°30′N 12°32′E / 71.500°N 12.533°E | |
| Paul Luckenbach (1913) | United States |
6,606 | |
| HMS Punjabi | Royal Navy |
Escort 29 Apr - 01 May Destroyer Lost in collision with HMS King George V | |
| HMS Seagull (J85) | Royal Navy |
Escort 26 Apr - 05 May | |
| Seattle Spirit (1919) | United States |
5,627 | |
| HMS Somali (F33) | Royal Navy |
Escort 28 Apr - 05 May Destroyer | |
| Southgate (1926) | United Kingdom |
4,862 | At Reykjavik 16-26 Apr |
| HNoMS St. Albans (I15) |  Royal Norwegian Navy |
Escort 28 Apr - 05 May | |
| HMS Sturgeon (73S) | Royal Navy |
Escort 28 Apr - 01 May Submarine | |
| Texas (1919) | United States |
5,638 | |
| Topa Topa (1920) | United States |
5,356 | |
| HMS Ulster Queen | Royal Navy |
Escort 28 Apr - 05 May | |
| HNoMS Uredd (P-41) | Royal Norwegian Navy |
Escort 01 May - 05 May Submarine | |
| USS Madison (DD-425) | United States |
Escort 28 Apr - 06 May | |
| USS Plunkett (DD-431) | United States |
Escort 28 Apr - 06 May | |
| USS Tuscaloosa (CA-37) | United States |
Escort 28 Apr - 06 May Heavy cruiser | |
| USS Wainwright (DD-419) | United States |
Escort 28 Apr - 06 May Destroyer | |
| USS Washington (BB-56) | United States |
Escort 28 Apr - 06 May Battleship | |
| USS Wichita (CA-45) | United States |
Escort 28 Apr - 06 May Heavy cruiser | |
| USS Wilson (DD-408) | United States |
Escort 28 Apr - 06 May Destroyer | |
| HMS Venomous (D75) | Royal Navy |
Escort 28 Apr - 05 May Destroyer | |
| HMS Victorious (R38) | Royal Navy |
Escort 28 Apr - 05 May Aircraft carrier | |
| HMT Vizalma | Royal Navy |
Escort 26 Apr - 05 May ASW trawler | |
| Zebulon B Vance (1942) | United States |
7,177 | |
Notes
- ↑ Macintyre, p. 270.
- ↑ "Convoy PQ.15". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
References
- Blair, Clay. Hitler's U-Boat War Vol I. (1996) ISBN 0-304-35260-8.
- Kemp, Paul. Convoy! Drama in Arctic Waters (1993) ISBN 1-85409-130-1.
- Macintyre, Donald. The Naval War Against Hitler. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1971. No ISBN number.
- Schofield, Bernard. The Russian Convoys BT Batsford, 1964. ISBN (none)
- PQ 15 at Convoyweb
External links
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