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Convoy QP 15

Convoy QP 15 was one of the Arctic convoys of World War II the last of the QP series from northern Russia to Britain which ran during the Second World War to return Allied ships to home ports. The convoy sailed from the Kola Inlet on 17 November 1942. It was scattered by a storm in which the Soviet destroyer Sokrushitelny was hit from behind by a big wave and foundered after two days' rescue attempts. The convoy was attacked by U-boats of the Kriegsmarine (German Navy) that sank two of the merchant ships. The convoy reached its destination at Loch Ewe on 30 November 1942.

Convoy QP.15
Part of Second World War

The Norwegian and the Barents seas, site of the Arctic convoys
Date17–30 November 1942
Location
Arctic Ocean
Result German tactical victory
Belligerents
Germany United Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Karl Dönitz Convoy commodore: W. C. Meek
Strength
gruppe Boreas (10 U-boat) 31 merchant ships
30 escorts (in relays)
Casualties and losses
2 ships sunk
1 escort foundered in storm

Prelude

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Convoy and escorts

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The convoy initially consisted of 31 merchant ships, most of which had arrived with Convoy PQ 18 and were returning empty. The convoy commodore was Captain W C. Meek RNR in Temple Arch, the vice-convoy commodore was in DanY-Bryn, Copeland was a rescue ship and Empire Morn was a CAM ship.[1] The close escort comprised four Halcyon-class minesweepers HMS Britomart, Halcyon, Hazard and Sharpshooter. From 18 to 20 November the Leningrad-class destroyer leader Baku and the Gnevny-class destroyer Sokrushitelny accompanied the convoy. The ocean escort from 17 to 30 November comprised the Flower-class corvettes HMS Bergamot, Bluebell, Bryony and Camellia and the Halcyon-class minesweeper HMS Salamander.[2]

From 20 to 26 November the destroyers HMS Faulknor, Intrepid, Icarus and Impulsive escorted the convoy, HMS Echo from 20 to 22 November, with HMS Musketeer and Orwell from 23 to 30 November. The Hunt-class destroyers HMS Ledbury and Middleton participated in the escort from 22 to 30 November and HMS Oakley from 23 to 30 November. The escort was supplemented by the AA cruiser MV Ulster Queen from 17 to 24 November, when it left to refuel. Distant cover was provided by HMS London and Suffolk screened by the destroyers HMS Forester, Obdurate and Onslaught to the west of Bear Island. Submarine patrols were mounted off Altenfjord by HMS Trespasser, HMS Seadog, Junon and HNoMS Uredd to oppose a sortie by German surface vessels.[2]

Kriegsmarine

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Convoy QP 15 was opposed by a patrol line of the Wolfpack gruppe Boreas (god of the north wind) comprising ten U-boats in the Norwegian Sea, and by the Luftwaffe, though much of the latter was grounded by the foul weather.[1]

Voyage

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The convoy set out from Archangel on 17 November 1942, accompanied by the local escort of four minesweepers, and were joined the following day by two Soviet destroyers. Two ships grounded after leaving harbour, and had to be left behind. They were refloated and returned to port. On 20 November the convoy was joined by its ocean escort of five destroyers. Also on 20 November a gale sprang up and scattered the convoy and damaged several ships, including the two Soviet destroyers. The Soviet destroyer Baku was badly damaged but managed to limp back to port. A large wave hit Sokrushitelny and broke her back, severing her stern. Three Soviet destroyers were sent to assist and manage to rescue 187 crewmen from the Sokrushitelny, which sank on 22 November.[3] On 23 November, the U-boat U-625 attacked and sank the British freighter Goolistan. Later in the day, U-601 fired a spread of torpedoes at the Soviet freighter Kuznetz Lesov, one of which struck and sank her; both ships were lost with all hands. The convoy arrived at Loch Ewe on 30 November 1942.[2]

Allied order of battle

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Merchant ships

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Convoyed ships[4]
Name Year Flag GRT Notes
SS Andre Marti 1918   Soviet Union 2,352
SS Belomorcanal 1936   Soviet Union 2,900
SS Charles R. McCormick 1920   United States 6,027
SS Copeland 1923   United Kingdom 1,526 Rescue ship
SS Dan-y-Bryn 1940   United Kingdom 5,117 Vice-convoy commodore
SS Empire Baffin 1941   United Kingdom 6,978
SS Empire Morn 1941   United Kingdom 7,092 CAM ship
SS Empire Snow 1941   United Kingdom 6,327
SS Empire Tristram 1942   United Kingdom 7,167
SS Esek Hopkins 1942   United States 7,191
SS Goolistan 1929   United Kingdom 5,851 Sunk by U-625 on 23 November[5]
SS Hollywood 1920   United States 5,498
SS Ironclad 1919   United States 5,685
SS Komiles 1932   Soviet Union 3,966
SS Kuznetz Lesov 1933   Soviet Union 3,974 Sunk by U-601 on 23 November[5]
SS Lafayette 1919   United States 5,887
SS Meanticut 1921   United States 6,061
SS Nathanael Greene 1942   United States 7,177
SS Ocean Faith 1942   United Kingdom 7,174
SS Patrick Henry 1941   United States 7,191
SS Petrovski 1921   Soviet Union 3,771
SS Sahale 1919   United States 5,028
SS Schoharie 1919   United States 4,971
SS St. Olaf 1942   United States 7,191
SS Tbilisi 1912   Soviet Union 7,169
SS Temple Arch 1940   United Kingdom 5,138 Convoy commodore
SS Virginia Dare 1942   United States 7,177
SS White Clover 1920   Panama 5,462
SS William Moultrie 1942   United States 7,177

Local escort

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Local escort[1]
Ship Flag Class Dates Notes
Baku   Soviet Navy Leningrad-class destroyer leader 18–20 November
Sokrushitelny   Soviet Navy Gnevny-class destroyer 18–20 November Foundered, 22 November
HMS Britomart   Royal Navy Halcyon-class minesweeper 17–20 November
HMS Halcyon   Royal Navy Halcyon-class minesweeper 17–20 November
HMS Hazard   Royal Navy Halcyon-class minesweeper 17–20 November
HMS Sharpshooter   Royal Navy Halcyon-class minesweeper 17–20 November

Ocean escort

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Ocean escort[1]
Ship Flag Class Dates Notes
MV Ulster Queen   Royal Navy AA cruiser 17–24 November Left to refuel
HMS Bergamot   Royal Navy Flower-class corvette 17–30 November
HMS Bluebell   Royal Navy Flower-class corvette 17–30 November
HMS Bryony   Royal Navy Flower-class corvette 17–30 November
HMS Camellia   Royal Navy Flower-class corvette 17–30 November
HMS Salamander   Royal Navy Halcyon-class minesweeper 17–30 November
HMS Echo   Royal Navy E-class destroyer 20–22 November
HMS Faulknor   Royal Navy F-class destroyer 20–26 November
HMS Intrepid   Royal Navy I-class destroyer 20–26 November
HMS Icarus   Royal Navy I-class destroyer 20–26 November
HMS Impulsive   Royal Navy I-class destroyer 20–26 November
HMS Ledbury   Royal Navy Hunt-class destroyer 22–30 November
HMS Middleton   Royal Navy Hunt-class destroyer 22–30 November
HMS Musketeer   Royal Navy M-class destroyer 23–30 November
HMS Orwell   Royal Navy O-class destroyer 23–30 November
HMS Oakley   Royal Navy Hunt-class destroyer 23–30 November.

Distant escort

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Cruiser cover[1]
Ship Flag Class Notes
HMS London   Royal Navy County-class cruiser
HMS Suffolk   Royal Navy County-class cruiser
HMS Forester   Royal Navy F-class destroyer destroyer screen
HMS Obdurate   Royal Navy O-class destroyer destroyer screen
HMS Onslaught   Royal Navy O-class destroyer destroyer screen

Submarine patrols

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Submarine patrols[1]
Ship Flag Class Notes
HMS Trespasser   Royal Navy Triton-class submarine
HMS Seadog   Royal Navy British S-class submarine
Junon   Free French Naval Forces Minerve-class submarine
HNoMS Uredd   Royal Norwegian Navy U-class submarine

Rescue flotilla

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Sokrushitelny rescue flotilla[6]
Ship Flag Class Dates Notes
Kuibyshev   Soviet Navy Novik-class destroyer 20–22 November Helped to rescue 187 men from Sokrushitelny
Razumny   Soviet Navy Gnevny-class destroyer 20–22 November Helped to rescue 187 men from Sokrushitelny
Uritski   Soviet Navy Orfey-class destroyer 20–22 November Helped to rescue 187 men from Sokrushitelny

German order of battle

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U-boats

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Wolfpack Boreas (god of the north wind) (19 November – 7 December 1942)[7]
Name Flag Commander Class Notes
U-209   Kriegsmarine Heinrich Brodda Type VIIC submarine
U-212   Kriegsmarine Helmut Vogler Type VIIC submarine
U-376   Kriegsmarine Friedrich-Karl Marks Type VIIC submarine
U-378   Kriegsmarine Hans-Jürgen Zetzsche Type VIIC submarine
U-405   Kriegsmarine Rolf-Heinrich Hopmann Type VIIC submarine
U-586   Kriegsmarine Dietrich von der Esch Type VIIC submarine
U-592   Kriegsmarine Carl Borm Type VIIC submarine
U-601   Kriegsmarine Peter-Ottmar Grau Type VIIC submarine Sank Kuznetz Lesov, 23 November[5]
U-625   Kriegsmarine Hans Benker Type VIIC submarine Sank Goolistan, 23 November[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Ruegg & Hague 1993, p. 47.
  2. ^ a b c Ruegg & Hague 1993, pp. 46–47.
  3. ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 2005, pp. 213–214.
  4. ^ Ruegg & Hague 1993, p. 46.
  5. ^ a b c d Hague 2000, p. 191.
  6. ^ Woodman 2004, p. 308.
  7. ^ Helgason 2024.

Bibliography

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  • Hague, Arnold (2000). The Allied Convoy System 1939–1945: Its Organisation, Defence and Operation. London: Chatham. ISBN 978-1-55125-033-5.
  • Helgason, Guðmundur (2024). "Wolfpacks: Boreas". U-boat.net. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  • Rohwer, Jürgen; Hümmelchen, Gerhard (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea: 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (3rd rev. ed.). Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-119-8.
  • 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.
  • Woodman, Richard (2004) [1994]. Arctic Convoys 1941–1945. London: John Murray. ISBN 978-0-7195-5752-1.

Further reading

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