Order of battle for Convoy PQ 17
Convoy PQ 17 was the penultimate of the PQ/QP series of arctic convoys, bound from British ports through the Arctic Ocean via Reykjavík to the White Sea ports of the Soviet Union, particularly Murmansk and Archangel. The convoy was heavily defended, but fearing an imminent attack by substantial German surface forces, the Admiralty made the decision to disperse the convoy.
The convoy comprised 35 merchant ships and 6 naval auxiliaries (41 in all) and was defended by a close escort and two distant escort forces, 43 warships in total. It was opposed by a U-boat group, Eisteufel, of first 6, then 8 U-boats, and a surface attack force of 16 warships, in two battle groups. This operation was code-named Rösselsprung. These were assisted by the 234 aircraft of Luftflotte 5.
Before the convoy dispersed, three ships had been lost. After it scattered each ship began its individual journey to the Russian ports. Some ships took refuge along the frozen coast of Novaya Zemlya, landing at Matochkin.[1] The Soviet tanker Azerbaijan had lost her cargo of linseed oil, and much of SS Winston-Salem's cargo had also been jettisoned in Novaya Zemlya.[2]
Of the forty-one ships which left Iceland, three were forced to return, and twenty-four were sunk.[3] Ten merchant ships (one British, six American, one Panamanian and two Russian) and four auxiliaries reached Archangel, and delivered 70,000 tons out of the 200,000 which had started from Iceland. Fourteen American ships in all were sunk.[4]
Allied forces
Merchants
This along with the * indicates that the ship was sunk
| Name | Nationality | Cargo | Tonnage | Fate | Date of attack | Survivors | Dead | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alcoa Ranger | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} United States | Steel, armour plates, flour, tanks | 5,116 | Sunk by U-255* | 7 July | 40 | 0 | |
| Aldersdale |  Royal Fleet Auxiliary | Fleet oiler | 8,402 | Damaged by aircraft Sunk by U-457* | 5 July 7 July | 54 | 0 | |
| Azerbaidjan |  Soviet Union | 6,114 | Damaged; reached port safely | |||||
| Bellingham | United States | 5,345 | Reached port safely | |||||
| Benjamin Harrison | United States | 7,191 | Reached port safely | |||||
| Bolton Castle |  United Kingdom | 5,203 | Sunk by aircraft* | 5 July | ||||
| Carlton | United States | Tanks, ammunition, fuel, food | 5,127 | Sunk by U-88* | 5 July | 42 | 3 | |
| Christopher Newport | United States | War material | 7,191 | Damaged by aircraft Sunk by U-457* | 4 July | 47 | 3 | |
| Daniel Morgan | United States | Steel, food, explosives, tanks | 7,177 | Damaged by aircraft Sunk by U-88* | 5 July | 51 | 3 | |
| Donbass | Soviet Union | 7,925 | Reached port safely | |||||
| Earlston | United Kingdom | Military stores, vehicles, aircraft, steam launch | 7,195 | Damaged by aircraft Sunk by U-334* | 5 July | |||
| El Capitan |  Panama | Machinery, food, leather, ammunition, tanks | 5,255 | Damaged by aircraft Sunk by U-251* | 9 July 10 July | 67 | 0 | |
| Empire Byron | United Kingdom | Military stores, vehicles, tanks, aircraft | 6,645 | Damaged by aircraft Sunk by U-703* | 4 July 5 July | 63 | 7 | |
| Empire Tide | United Kingdom | CAM ship | 6,978 | Reached port safely | ||||
| Exford | United States | 4,969 | Damaged by ice, turned back | |||||
| Fairfield City | United States | 5,686 | Sunk by aircraft* | 5 July | ||||
| Grey Ranger | Royal Fleet Auxiliary | Fleet oiler | 3,313 | Damaged by ice; reached port safely | ||||
| Hartlebury | United Kingdom | Vehicles, tanks, aircraft, military stores | 5,082 | Sunk by U-355* | 7 July | 20 | 38 | |
| Honomu | United States | Food, steel, ammunition and tanks | 6,977 | Sunk by U-456* | 5 July | 28 | 13 | |
| Hoosier | United States | Machinery, explosives, tanks | 5,060 | Damaged by aircraft Sunk by U-376* | 9 July 10 July | 53 | 0 | |
| Ironclad | United States | 5,685 | Reached port safely | |||||
| John Witherspoon | United States | Ammunition, tanks | 7,191 | Sunk by U-255* | 6 July | 49 | 1 | |
| Navarino | United Kingdom | 4,841 | Sunk by aircraft* | 5 July | ||||
| Ocean Freedom | United Kingdom | 7,173 | Reached port safely | |||||
| Olopana | United States | Explosives, petroleum and trucks | 6,069 | Sunk by U-255* | 8 July | 34 | 7 | |
| Pan Atlantic | United States | 5,411 | Sunk by aircraft* | 6 July | ||||
| Pan Kraft | United States | 5,644 | Sunk by aircraft* | 7 July | ||||
| Paulus Potter |  Netherlands | Goods, ammunition, tanks, aircraft, trucks | 7,168 | Damaged by aircraft Sunk by U-255* | 5 July 13 July | 76 | 0 | |
| Peter Kerr | United States | 6,476 | Sunk by aircraft* | 5 July | ||||
| Rathlin | United Kingdom | Rescue ship | 1,600 | Reached port safely | Arrived Archangel on 9 July | |||
| Richard Bland | United States | 7,191 | Ran aground, towed back to port | |||||
| River Afton | United Kingdom | Military stores, tanks, vehicles, aircraft | 5,479 | Sunk by U-703* | 5 July | 38 | 26 | Convoy Commodore's ship |
| Samuel Chase | United States | 7,191 | Reached port safely | |||||
| Silver Sword | United States | 4,937 | Reached port safely | |||||
| Troubador | Panama | 6,428 | Reached port safely | |||||
| Washington | United States | 5,564 | Sunk by aircraft* | 5 July | ||||
| West Gotomska | United States | 5,728 | Developed engine trouble, returned to port | |||||
| William Hooper | United States | military stores, trucks, ammunition, tanks | 7,177 | Damaged by aircraft Sunk by U-334* | 4 July | |||
| Winston-Salem | United States | 6,223 | Ran aground, abandoned later recovered | Reached port 28 July | ||||
| Zaafaran | United Kingdom | Rescue ship | 1,559 | Sunk by aircraft* | 5 July | |||
| Zamalek | United Kingdom | Rescue ship | 1,567 | Reached port safely | ||||
Escorts
Axis forces
U-boats
| Name | Type | Ships sunk | Ships damaged | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U-88 | VIIC | Carlton, Daniel Morgan[5] | 0 | |
| U-251 | VIIC | El Capitan[5] | 0 | |
| U-255 | VIIC | John Witherspoon, Alcoa Ranger, Olopana, Paulus Potter[5] | 0 | |
| U-334 | VIIC | William Hooper,[5] Earlston,[5] | 0 | |
| U-355 | VIIC | Hartlebury | 0 | |
| U-376 | VIIC | Hoosier[5] | 0 | |
| U-456 | VIIC | Honomu | 0 | |
| U-457 | VIIC | Christopher Newport,[5] Aldersdale[5] | 0 | |
| U-703 | VIIC | Empire Byron,[5] River Afton | 0 | |
Surface ships
| Name | Class | 1st departure | Fate | 2nd departure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tirpitz | Bismarck-class battleship | 2 July 1942 | 5 July 1942 | ||
| Admiral Hipper | Admiral Hipper-class cruiser | 2 July 1942 | 5 July 1942 | ||
| Z14 Friedrich Ihn | Type 1934A destroyer | 2 July 1942 | 5 July 1942 | ||
| Z10 Hans Lody | Type 1934A destroyer | 2 July 1942 | ran aground | N/A | |
| Z20 Karl Galster | Type 1936 destroyer | 2 July 1942 | ran aground | N/A | |
| Z6 Theodor Riedel | Type 1934A destroyer | 2 July 1942 | ran aground | N/A | |
| Z4 Richard Beitzen | Type 1934 destroyer | ? | 5 July 1942 | joined later | |
| T7 | Type 35 torpedo boat | 2 July 1942 | 5 July 1942 | ||
| T15 | Type 37 torpedo boat | 2 July 1942 | 5 July 1942 | ||
| Lützow | Deutschland-class cruiser | 3 July 1942 | ran aground | N/A | |
| Admiral Scheer | Deutschland-class cruiser | 3 July 1942 | 5 July 1942 | ||
| Z24 | Type 1936A destroyer | 3 July 1942 | 5 July 1942 | ||
| Z27 | Type 1936A destroyer | 3 July 1942 | 5 July 1942 | ||
| Z28 | Type 1936A destroyer | 3 July 1942 | 5 July 1942 | ||
| Z29 | Type 1936A destroyer | 3 July 1942 | 5 July 1942 | ||
| Z30 | Type 1936A destroyer | 3 July 1942 | 5 July 1942 | ||
| Dithmarschen | Oiler | 3 July 1942 | N/A | ||
Notes
- Riesenberg, Sea War, Part 773., p. 320
- Morison, History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, p. 187
- Helgason, Gudmundur, "PQ-17 The Greatest Convoy Disaster", German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net, retrieved 16 April 2009
- Churchill, The Second World War, Volume IV, p. 237
- Disabled by aircraft, sunk later by U-boat
References
- Churchill, Winston S. (1951), The Second World War: Volume IV, The Hinge of Fate, Cassell & Co. Ltd.
- Connell, G. G. (1982), Arctic destroyers: the 17th Flotilla, W. Kimber, ISBN 978-0-7183-0428-7
- Hill, Roger P. (1986), Destroyer Captain, Periscope Publishing Ltd., ISBN 1-904381-25-1
- Hinsley F.H., Francis; Eastaway Thomas, Edward (1990), British intelligence in the Second World War: its influence on strategy and operations, Volume II, H.M.S.O, ISBN 978-0-11-630934-1
- Langer, John D. (1979), The Harriman-Beaverbrook Mission and the Debate over Unconditional Aid for the Soviet Union, 1941, Journal of Contemporary History, ISSN 0022-0094
- Moore, Arthur R. (1984), "A careless word-- a needless sinking": a history of the staggering losses suffered by the U.S. Merchant Marine, both in ships and personnel during World War II, American Merchant Marine Museum
- Morison, Samuel E. (2001), History of United States Naval Operations in World War II: The Battle of the Atlantic, September 1939-May 1943, Volume 1 of History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, University of Illinois Press, ISBN 978-0-252-06963-5
- Riesenberg, Felix (1956), Sea War, Part 773, Rinehart
- Schofield, Bernard (1964) The Russian Convoys BT Batsford. OCLC 923314731
- The Bookseller (1971), Issues 3394-3405, Authors Publishers' Association, Booksellers Association of Great Britain and Ireland, ISBN 978-0-340-12512-0
- The London Gazette, Issue 39041 (17 October 1950), Supplement To The London Gazette: Convoys to North Russia:1942
- Frayn Turner, John (2002), Fight for the sea: naval adventures from World War II, Naval Institute Press, ISBN 978-1-55750-884-3
- Winton, John (1988), Ultra at sea, Leo Cooper, ISBN 0-85052-883-6
- Wynn, Kenneth G. (1997), U-boat Operations of the Second World War: Career histories, U1-U510, Chatham, ISBN 978-1-55750-860-7
External links
- U.S. Naval Historical Center account of PQ-17
- Description of Rösselsprung
- The Requiem on Convoy PQ-17, Russian novel by Valentin Pikul
- Memoirs of Chief Steward Horace Carswell DSM, MM, BEM during Convoy PQ.17
- Coxswain Sid Kerslake of armed trawler "Northern Gem" in PQ.17
- Convoy PQ.17, a primary source diary and supporting material by Jack Bowman, ERA aboard HMS La Malouine.
- PQ 17 at Convoyweb
- Helgason, Gudmundur. "PQ-17 The Greatest Convoy Disaster". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.
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