Convoy PQ 6 was the seventh 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 Hvalfjörður, Iceland, on 8 December 1941 and arrived at Murmansk on 20 December 1941.

Ships

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The convoy consisted of eight merchant ships (1 Soviet, 4 British, 1 Norwegian and 2 Panamanian). The escort included the cruiser HMS Edinburgh, destroyers Echo and Escapade, two minesweepers and two armed trawlers. The ships arrived safely.

Order of battle

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Convoyed ships

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Ships in convoy[1]
Name Year Flag GRT Notes
SS Dekabrist 1903   Soviet Union 7,363
SS El Oceano 1925   Panama 6,767
SS Elona 1936   United Kingdom 6,192 Convoy Commodore
SS Empire Mavis 1919   United Kingdom 5,704 Vice-Commodore
SS Explorer 1935   United Kingdom 6,235
SS Mirlo 1922   Norway 7,455
SS Mount Evans 1919   Panama 5,598
SS Zamalek 1921   United Kingdom 1,567 Convoy rescue ship

Escorts

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Ocean escort[2]
Name Flag Type Notes
HMS Edinburgh   Royal Navy Town-class cruiser Escort 11–20 December
HMS Echo   Royal Navy E-class destroyer Escort 11–20 December
HMS Escapade   Royal Navy E-class destroyer Escort 11–20 December
HMS Hazard   Royal Navy Halcyon-class minesweeper Escort 19–20 December
HMS Leda   Royal Navy Halcyon-class minesweeper Escort 19–20 December
HMT Cape Argona   Royal Navy ASW trawler Escort 8–12 December
HMT Hugh Walpole   Royal Navy ASW trawler Escort 8–12 December
HMT Stella Capella   Royal Navy ASW trawler Escort 8–12 December

Footnotes

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  1. ^ Woodman 2004, pp. 46–49.
  2. ^ Woodman 2004, pp. 48–50.

Bibliography

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  • Woodman, Richard (2004) [1994]. Arctic Convoys 1941–1945. London: John Murray. ISBN 978-0-7195-5752-1.

Further reading

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  • Boog, H.; Rahn, W.; Stumpf, R.; Wegner, B. (2001). The Global War: Widening of the Conflict into a World War and the Shift of the Initiative 1941–1943. Germany in the Second World War. Vol. VI. Translated by Osers, E.; Brownjohn, J.; Crampton, P.; Willmot, L. (Eng trans. Oxford University Press, London ed.). Potsdam: Militärgeschichtliches Forschungsamt (Research Institute for Military History). ISBN 0-19-822888-0.
  • Claasen, A. R. A. (2001). Hitler's Northern War: The Luftwaffe's Ill-fated Campaign, 1940–1945. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 0-7006-1050-2.
  • Hague, Arnold (2000). The Allied Convoy System 1939–1945: Its Organisation, Defence and Operation. London: Chatham. ISBN 1-86176-147-3.
  • Hancock, W. K.; Gowing, M. M. (1949). Hancock, W. K. (ed.). British War Economy. History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Civil Series. London: HMSO. OCLC 630191560.
  • Hinsley, F. H. (1994) [1993]. British Intelligence in the Second World War: Its Influence on Strategy and Operations. History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series (2nd rev. abr. ed.). London: HMSO. ISBN 978-0-11-630961-7.
  • Kahn, D. (1973) [1967]. The Codebreakers: The Story of Secret Writing (10th abr. Signet, Chicago ed.). New York: Macmillan. LCCN 63-16109. OCLC 78083316.
  • Macksey, K. (2004) [2003]. The Searchers: Radio Intercept in two World Wars (Cassell Military Paperbacks ed.). London: Cassell. ISBN 978-0-304-36651-4.
  • Paterson, Lawrence (2016). Steel and Ice: The U-boat Battle in the Arctic and Black Sea 1941–45. Stroud: The History Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-258-4.
  • Roskill, S. W. (1957) [1954]. Butler, J. R. M. (ed.). The War at Sea 1939–1945: The Defensive. History of the Second World War United Kingdom Military Series. Vol. I (4th impr. ed.). London: HMSO. OCLC 881709135. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022.
  • 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.
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