Convoy PQ 12 explained

Convoy PQ 12 was an Arctic convoy sent from Great Britain by the Western Allies to aid the Soviet Union during World War II. It sailed in March 1942, reaching Murmansk despite a sortie against it by the German battleship Tirpitz. All ships arrived safely.

Ships

PQ 12 consisted of 16 ships under the command of the Convoy Commodore, Hubert Hudson. The Close Escort comprised the minesweeper and five whalers. These were joined on 5 March by the Ocean Escort of two destroyers,, commanded by Commander J. E. H. McBeath who took over as Senior Officer Escort and, supported by the cruiser .

Distant cover was provided by two Heavy Cover Forces; one comprising the battleship (Vice Admiral Alban Curteis commanding), the battlecruiser and six destroyers, sailing from Reykjavík and another led by Admiral John Tovey comprising the battleship, the carrier, the cruiser and six destroyers, sailing from Scapa Flow.

Action

PQ 12 sailed from Reykjavík on 1 March 1942 with its Close Escort. It was joined on 5 March by the Ocean Escort and on 6 March by the cruiser Kenya. Also at sea were the Heavy Cover Forces, Curteis from Reykjavík sailing on 3 March and Tovey from Scapa Flow on 4 March. On 5 March the convoy was sighted by a German reconnaissance aircraft and on 6 March, after obtaining permission from Hitler to do so, Tirpitz sortied from Trondheim with three destroyers as escort. This was Operation Sportpalast, and was intended to find and destroy PQ 12 and its reciprocal, QP 8, which was also at sea.

Shortly after sailing Tirpitz was sighted by the patrolling submarine and the Heavy Cover Forces, now joined, sought to bring Tirpitz to action. Over the next two days these groups of ships manoeuvred around each other without coming into contact, though on two occasions they were apart. Tirpitz had no success, though her destroyers encountered one straggler from QP 8, the freighter Ijora, and sank her. Finally on 9 March as Tirpitz headed for home, she was sighted by aircraft from Victorious and attacked, though also without success.

PQ 12 arrived at Murmansk on 12 March. No ships were lost, though the escort suffered one whaler lost, Shera, capsized by ice buildup and Oribi, damaged by pack ice. On 24 March, Lancaster Castle was dive-bombed alongside the quay in Murmansk and ten men were killed. It was towed out and moored in the river, the crew remaining on board. A few days later it was dive-bombed again and received five hits. There were no casualties but the crew moved to shore. PQ 12 provided valuable military equipment and other materials for the Soviet war effort. The distribution of equipment and supplies delivered with PQ 12 was the subject of a Soviet State Defence Committee decree.

Ships in the convoy

Allied merchant ships

The ships of the convoy arrived at Reykjavík on 27 February.^{[1] [2]}

Name	Flag	Tonnage (GRT)	Notes
(1920)		5,613
(1922)		6,131	Dynamo defects, did not sail with PQ 12
(1926)		4,687	Returned
(1927)		7,467
(1936)		2,900
(1920)		4,977
(1919)		4,756
(1941)		7,195
(1924)		7,286
(1910)		6,008
(1941)		6,645	Convoy Vice Commodore's ship
(1917)		5,823	Position probable but not definite
(1937)		5,172	Sunk by Luftwaffe in Murmansk roads, 9 killed, 48 survivors
(1937)		4,825	Convoy Commodore's ship, Captain Hubert Hudson RD RNR
(1937)		4,825
(1932)		3,974
(1922)		6,131
(1940)		5,138

Convoy escorts

The smaller RN escorts operated in relays.^[2]

style=width:140px;	Name	style=width:100px;	Flag	Type	Joined	Left
HMT Angle (FY201)		Naval trawler	1 March 1942	4 March 1942
		Tribal-class destroyer	6 March 1942	10 March 1942
		Tribal-class destroyer	6 March 1942	10 March 1942
		County-class cruiser	6 March 1942	10 March 1942
HMT Chiltern		Anti-submarine naval trawler	1 March 1942	4 March 1942
		King George V-class battleship	6 March 1942	10 March 1942
		E-class destroyer	6 March 1942	10 March 1942
		E-class destroyer	6 March 1942	10 March 1942
		E-class destroyer	6 March 1942	10 March 1942
		E-class destroyer	6 March 1942	10 March 1942
		F-class destroyer	6 March 1942	10 March 1942
		F-class destroyer	6 March 1942	11 March 1942
^[3]		Halcyon-class minesweeper	4 March 1942	10 March 1942
Gremyaschi		Gnevny-class destroyer	11 March 1942	12 March 1942
		Hunt-class destroyer	10 March 1942	10 March 1942
		Halcyon-class minesweeper	11 March 1942	12 March 1942
		Halcyon-class minesweeper	11 March 1942	12 March 1942
		I-class destroyer	6 March 1942	11 March 1942
		I-class destroyer	10 March 1942	10 March 1942
		I-class destroyer	6 March 1942	11 March 1942
		J-class destroyer	10 March 1942	10 March 1942
		Crown Colony-class cruiser	6 March 1942	12 March 1942
		King George V-class battleship	6 March 1942	10 March 1942
HMS Lancaster (G05)		Town-class destroyer	10 March 1942	10 March 1942
		Hunt-class destroyer	10 March 1942	10 March 1942
		L-class destroyer	6 March 1942	11 March 1942
HMT Notts County (FY250)		Anti-submarine naval trawler	1 March 1942	4 March 1942
		O-class destroyer	4 March 1942	12 March 1942
		O-class destroyer	6 March 1942	10 March 1942
		O-class destroyer	4 March 1942	10 March 1942
		Tribal-class destroyer	6 March 1942	11 March 1942
		Renown-class battlecruiser	6 March 1942	10 March 1942
HMT Shera (FY1724)		Anti-submarine whaler	4 March 1942	9 March 1942
HMT Shusa (FY1702)		Anti-submarine whaler	4 March 1942	12 March 1942
		Halcyon-class minesweeper	11 March 1942	12 March 1942
HMT Stefa (FY1702)		Anti-submarine whaler	4 March 1942	12 March 1942
HMT Stella Capella		Anti-submarine naval trawler	1 March 1942	4 March 1942
HMT Sulla (FY1874)		Anti-submarine whaler	4 March 1942	12 March 1942
HMT Svega (FY294)		Anti-submarine whaler	4 March 1942	12 March 1942
		Tribal-class destroyer	9 March 1942	10 March 1942
		V-class destroyer	10 March 1942	10 March 1942
		Illustrious-class aircraft carrier	6 March 1942	10 March 1942
HMS Wells		Town-class destroyer	10 March 1942	10 March 1942
		W-class destroyer	10 March 1942	10 March 1942

References

• Book: Hague, Arnold . The Allied Convoy System 1939–1945 . 2000 . Chatham . London . 978-1-55125-033-5.
• Hill . Alexander . 2006 . The Allocation of Allied "Lend-Lease" Aid to the Soviet Union arriving with Convoy PQ 12, March 1942 — A State Defense Committee Decree . The Journal of Slavic Military Studies . 19 . 4 . 10.1080/13518040601028545 . 144712146.
• Book: Jordan, Roger W. . The World's Merchant Fleets 1939: The Particulars and Wartime Fates of 6,000 Ships . 2006 . 1999 . Chatham/Lionel Leventhal . London . 2nd . 978-1-86176-293-1.

Further reading

• Book: Blair, Clay . Hitler's U-Boat War . I . 1996 . 0-304-35260-8.
• Book: Kemp, Paul . Convoy: Drama in Arctic Waters . Arms and Armour . London . 1993 . 978-1-85409-130-7 . registration.
• Book: Jürgen . Rohwer . Gerhard . Hümmelchen . Chronology of the War at Sea, 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two . 2005 . 1972 . Chatham . London . 3rd rev. . 978-1-86176-257-3.
• Book: Ruegg . R. . Hague . A. . Convoys to Russia: Allied Convoys and Naval Surface Operations in Arctic Waters 1941–1945 . 1993 . 1992 . World Ship Society . Kendal . 2nd rev. enl. . 0-905617-66-5.
• Book: Schofield, B. B. . The Russian Convoys . 1964 . BT Batsford . London . 923314731 . registration.
• Book: Woodman, Richard . 2004 . 1994 . Arctic Convoys 1941–1945 . John Murray . London . 978-0-7195-5752-1.

External links

• PQ 12 at Convoyweb

Notes and References

1. Web site: Convoy PQ.12. 15 October 2013. Arnold Hague Convoy Database.
2. Web site: Convoy HG.73 . Arnold Hague Convoy Database . 6 November 2013.
3. Web site: HMS Gossamer 1942. 15 October 2013. HALCYON CLASS - MINESWEEPERS AND SURVEY SHIPS OF WORLD WAR TWO.