Convoy PQ 13

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.

Ships

PQ 13 comprised 19 merchant ships; seven British, four American, one Polish, four of Panamanian and one of Honduran registry. It was commanded by Commodore D.A. Casey in River Afton. The convoy was escorted for the first stage of its voyage, from Scotland to Iceland, by a Local Escort Group, of two destroyers and an ASW Trawler. For the second stage, from Iceland to the Soviet Union, the Ocean escort was two destroyers, and two trawlers, augmented by three whalers being transferred to the Soviet Navy. The Ocean escort was commanded by Capt. LS Saunders, in the cruiser Trinidad. In support of the convoy escort, and guarding against a sortie by the German battleship Tirpitz, was a Heavy Cover Force, comprising the battleships Duke of York (V. Adm. ATB Curteis commanding), King George V, the battlecruiser Renown, the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious, two cruisers, Kent and Edinburgh, and sixteen destroyers. (Ashanti, Bedouin, Echo, Escapade, Eskimo, Faulknor, Foresight, Icarus, Inglefield, Ledbury, Marne, Middleton, Onslow, Punjabi, Tartar and Wheatland) This force was intended to accompany PQ 13 at a distance until it was past Bear Island.

Action

The convoy sailed from Loch Ewe in Scotland on 10 March 1942 and arrived in Reykjavík on 16 March 1942. After dropping out a contingent of three ships, bound from Loch Ewe to Reykjavík only, and the first stage escort, and collecting a further three bound from Reykjavík to Murmansk and the close escort for the voyage, PQ 13 left Reykjavík on 20 March 1942.

The voyage was uneventful until 24 March, when the convoy was struck by a violent four-day storm, which left the convoy scattered and in disarray. The ships were dispersed over a distance of 150 miles. Over the next few days the ships coalesced into two groups, of eight and four, with four others proceeding independently.

On 28 March the ships were sighted by German aircraft, and attacked. Two ships were sunk, Raceland and Empire Ranger. Also on the 28th a German force of three Narvik class destroyers, Z24, Z25 and Z26, under the command of KzS G Ponitz, sortied from Kirkenes. They intercepted Bateau, which was sunk, in the evening of 28/29 March, before falling in with Trinidad and Fury in the early hours of 29 March. Z26 was badly damaged by HMS Trinidad, sinking later after a combined counter-attack of Oribi, Eclipse and the Soviet destroyer Sokrushitelny,[1] but in the course of the action Trinidad was hit by her own torpedo (the torpedo's gyroscope froze). The remaining German ships broke off the action, and Trinidad, escorted by Fury and Eclipse, limped into Kola Inlet, arriving midday on 30 March.

In the meanwhile the ships of PQ 13 came under U-boat attack. Two ships were found and sunk by U-boats, Induna by U-376, and Effingham by U-435. Fury attacked an asdic contact and was credited with the destruction of U-585; however post-war analysis found that U-585 was lost elsewhere.

By 30 March most ships had arrived at Murmansk; the last stragglers came in on 1 April. 6 ships were lost in this convoy. The Germans sank five freighters. One whaler, (HMS Sulla), was lost, probably due to heavy icing, and the cruiser, Trinidad, was damaged. Against this one German destroyer had been sunk. Fourteen ships had arrived safely, more than two-thirds of the convoy.

Ship list

The convoy to Russia consisted of 19 freighters, a Fleet Oiler, and 3 whalers,

PQ13 main body: Loch Ewe to Murmansk
Ship Captain Tonnage (GRT) Flag Merchant Marines Total Armed Guard or DEMS
SS DunboyneErnest Prahter3,515 United States3511, Ensign Brinn
SS EffinghamCharles H. Hewlett6,421 United States349, Ensign Gamblin
SS El EsteroIvo Beatovic4,219 Panama39none
SS EldenaOle M. Nilsen6,900 United States3713, Ensign Fink
SS Empire CowperJ.H. Wigham7,164 United Kingdom3611
SS Empire RangerMaurice E. Sadler7,008 United Kingdom437
SS Empire StarlightWilliam H. Stein6,850 United Kingdom6612
SS Gallant FoxEric Lundh5,473 Panama39none
SS HarpalionHenry W. Williams5,486 United Kingdom448
SS IndunaWilliam N. Collins5,086 United Kingdom5010
SS ManaOermulff Berg-Johannessen 3,283 Honduras36None
SS MormacmarWilfred H. Senior5,453 United States309, Ensign Smith
SS New Westminster City  William J. Harris4,747 United Kingdom446
SS RacelandSverre Brekke4,815 Panama45None
SS River AftonHarold W. Charlton5,479 United Kingdom4310
SS TobrukBronislaw Harko7,048 Poland47At least 1
Reykjavík to Murmansk group
Ship Captain Tonnage (GRT) Flag Merchant Marines Total Armed Guard or DEMS
SS BallotHenry Bejer6,131 Panama382
SS BateauJohan A. Haltlid4,687 Panama442
SS Scottish AmericanP. Sun6,999 United Kingdom 386
Loch Ewe to Reykjavík group
Ship Captain Tonnage (GRT) Flag Merchant Marines Total Armed Guard or DEMS
Groenlandb 1,220 United Kingdom
Lars Kruseb 1,807 United Kingdom
Manob 1,418 United Kingdom
PQ13: Fleet replenishment oiler
Ship Captain Tonnage (GRT) Flag Merchant Marines Total Armed Guard or DEMS
RFA OligarchA.V. Barton6,897 United Kingdom
PQ13 Whalers
Ship Captain Tonnage (GRT) Flag Merchant Marines Total Armed Guard or DEMS
HMS Silja 251 Royal Navy21
HMS Sumba251 Royal Navy
HMS SullaJohn Edward Thundercliffe251 Royal Navy

In Russia, HMS Silja was renamed T-107 and the HMS Sumba was renamed T-106.

Convoy escorts

For the first stage, from Loch Ewe to Reykjavík, PQ 13 had a local escort of two destroyers and an ASW Trawler.

From Iceland to Murmansk the close escort consisted of the cruiser HMS Trinidad and the destroyers HMS Fury and HMS Eclipse, two armed trawlers and three minesweepers.

For the final leg the convoy was supported by the local escort based at Kola; two Soviet destroyers and four RN minesweepers.

Loch Ewe - Reykjavík: 10–16 March.
Leaving Loch Ewe in the afternoon of the 10th, the convoy was escorted by:

On the 11th, another escort joined the convoy:


Reykjavík - Murmansk: 18–31 March.
Leaving Reykjavík in the morning of the 18th, the convoy was escorted by:

On the 23rd, other escorts joined the convoy:

The Barents Sea - Murmansk: 27 March - 3 April;
On the 27th, the convoy was joined by two Soviet destroyers:

On 28 March the convoy was assisted by the involvement of the Sixth Minesweeping Flotilla operating here.
HMS Harrier, HMS Gossamer, HMS Speedwell and HMS Hussar of the Sixth Minesweeping Flotilla, under command of commander E.P. Hinton, sailed on 28 April for a patrol in the Arctic waters. On the 29th Harrier went for a search for survivors of the Empire Ranger. On the 29th Speedwell attempted to intercept Harpalion, but failed to find her. HMS Oribi found abandoned boats of Empire Ranger on the 29th which indicated they were picked up by other boats. ( A German wireless claimed prisoners from a merchant ship, it was obvious they were from Empire Ranger) On 30 March, Gossamer found Scottish American, Effingham and Dunboyne. But Gossamer received orders to proceed to the position of the torpedoed Indua, but failed to find her. Hussar made contact with a group of 9 ships of PQ 13 and a whaler. Escorted by two Russian destroyers and a trawler. Oribi sighted the whaler Silja who had run out of fuel. Oribi was ordered to go to the aid of River Afton which was reported to have been hit by a U-boat. Harrier took Silja in tow and Speedwell escorted them.

On 1 April, Niger (also of the Sixth Minesweeping Flotilla) sailed to search for Sulla, but returned on 3 April, having failed to find her.

Total convoy losses

After an attack on 28 March 1942, 16 crewmembers of Ballot left the ship in a lifeboat. These men were picked up by Silja and put on board Induna.

Merchant ships lost from the convoy
Date Ship Tonnage Flag Sunk by Position Crew POW Died
28 MarchRaceland4,815 PanamaLuftwaffe72°40′N 20°20′E / 72.667°N 20.333°E / 72.667; 20.333451332
28 MarchEmpire Ranger7,008 United KingdomLuftwaffe72°10′N 30°00′E / 72.167°N 30.000°E / 72.167; 30.00055550
29 March Bateau4,687 PanamaZ-2672°30′N 27°00′E / 72.500°N 27.000°E / 72.500; 27.00047641
30 March Induna5,086 United KingdomU-37670°55′N 37°18′E / 70.917°N 37.300°E / 70.917; 37.30066042*
30 March Effingham6,421 United StatesU-43570°28′N 35°44′E / 70.467°N 35.733°E / 70.467; 35.73342012


whaler lost from the convoy
Date Ship Tonnage Flag Sunk by Position Crew POW Died
29 MarchHMS Sulla251 Royal NavyIcing21021

Aftermath


New Westminster City and Empire Starlight were bombed in Murmansk port on 3 April.
New Westminster City was lost, Empire Starlight was salvaged post war and renamed Murmansk.
Harpalion and Empire Cowper were lost on the return convoy, Convoy QP 10.

Merchant ships lost in harbour or return convoy
Date Ship Tonnage Flag Sunk by Crew POW Died
3 AprilNew Westminster City4,747 United KingdomLuftwaffe5202
3 AprilEmpire Starlight6,850 United KingdomLuftwaffe6801
11 April Empire Cowper7,164 United KingdomLuftwaffe68019*
13 April Harpalion5,486 United KingdomU-4355200

References

  1. Helgason, Guðmundur. "PQ-13". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.
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