Convoy PQ 1 was the second 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 Hvalfiord in Iceland on 29 September 1941 and arrived at Archangelsk on 11 October 1941.
Arctic convoys
A convoy was defined as at least one merchant ship sailing under the protection of at least one warship.[1] At first the British had intended to run convoys to Russia on a forty-day cycle (the number of days between convoy departures) during the winter of 1941–1942 but this was shortened to a ten-day cycle. The round trip to Murmansk for warships was three weeks' long and each convoy needed a cruiser and two destroyers, which severely depleted the Home Fleet. Anti-submarine trawlers escorted the convoys on the first part of the outbound journey and British minesweepers based at Archangelsk met the convoys to escort then for the remainder of the voyage.[2]
Ships
This Convoy consisted of 11 merchant ships loaded with raw materials, 20 tanks and 193 crated Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft.The code prefix PQ was chosen from the initials of Commander Phillip Quellyn Roberts an operations officer in the Admiralty.[3]
- Cruiser HMS Suffolk (29 September – 11 October)
- Destroyers Antelope (29 September – 2 October) and Anthony (29 September – 4 October)[4]
- Minesweepers HMS Britomart, Gossamer, Leda and Hussar (29 September – 11 October)[4]
- Black Ranger (29 September – 4 October, detached to QP 1)[4]
- Destroyer HMS Escapade (2–11 October)[4]
Escorted ships of convoy PQ 1 in the coastal waters of the USSR (10–11 October 1941)
- Minesweeper HMS Harrier (10–11 October)[4]
- Destroyers Uritski, Valerian Kuybyshev on final part of the voyage.[5]
The ships arrived safely.[4]
List of ships
Merchant ships
The following information is taken from Ruegg and Hague Convoys to Russia: Allied Convoys and Naval Surface Operations in Arctic Waters 1941–1945 (1993 rev.) unless indicated.[4]
| Name | Flag | pos'n[a] | GRT | year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic |  United Kingdom | 21 | 5,414 | 1939 | (Convoy Commodore) arrived safely |
| RFA Black Ranger |  United Kingdom | 43 | 3,417 | 1941 | Detached 4 Oct with HMS Antelope to meet home bound QP 1 |
| Blairnevis | United Kingdom | 12 | 4,155 | 1930 | arrived safely |
| Capira |  Panama | 11 | 5,625 | 1920 | arrived safely |
| Elna II |  Soviet Union | 41 | 3,221 | 1903 | arrived safely |
| Gemstone | United Kingdom | 33 | 4,986 | 1938 | arrived safely |
| Harmonic | United Kingdom | 42 | 4,558 | 1930 | arrived safely |
| Lorca | United Kingdom | 23 | 4,875 | 1931 | arrived safely |
| North King | Panama | 31 | 4,934 | 1903 | arrived safely |
| River Afton | United Kingdom | 32 | 5,479 | 1935 | arrived safely |
| Ville D'Anvers |  Belgium | 22 | 7,462 | 1920 | arrived safely |
Escorts
The following information is taken from Ruegg and Hague Convoys to Russia: Allied Convoys and Naval Surface Operations in Arctic Waters 1941–1945 (1993 rev.) unless indicated.[4]
| Name | Flag | GRT | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| HMS Antelope |  Royal Navy | Escort 29 Sept – 4 Oct (det. with Black Ranger to meet QP 1) | |
| HMS Anthony | Royal Navy | Escort 29 Sept – 2 Oct | |
| HMS Britomart | Royal Navy | Escort 29 Sept – 11 Oct | |
| HMS Escapade | Royal Navy | Escort 2–11 Oct | |
| HMS Gossamer | Royal Navy | Escort 29 Sept – 11 Oct | |
| HMS Harrier | Royal Navy | Local escort 10–11 Oct | |
| HMS Hussar | Royal Navy | Escort 29 Sept – 11 Oct | |
| HMS Impulsive | Royal Navy | Escort 29 Sept – 11 Oct | |
| HMS Leda | Royal Navy | Escort 29 Sept – 11 Oct | |
| HMS Suffolk | Royal Navy | Escort 29 Sept – 11 Oct | |
| Uritski | Soviet Union | Local escort 10–11 Oct | |
| Valerian Kuybyshev | Soviet Union | Local escort 10–11 Oct |
Notes
Footnotes
References
- Kindell, D. (nd). "PQ Convoy Series". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- 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.
- 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
- Rohwer, Jürgen; Hümmelchen, Gerhard (2005) [1972]. Chronology of the War at Sea, 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (3rd rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1-86176-257-7.