Convoy PQ 1
The convoy PQ 1 was an Allied Nordmeergeleitzug, the end of September 1941 expired, to transport supplies for the Red Army from Iceland to Murmansk by the North Sea. The convoy was the second Allied Nordmeergeleitzug and was named as the first with an alphanumeric identifier.
- 3.1 Remarks
- 3.2 Literature
- 3.3 External links
- 3.4 Notes and references
Request and expiry
Requirement
After the so-called Moscow conference, the Allies had to June 1942 obliged to deliver 200 aircraft to the Soviet Union. The aircraft, which had been supplied by Vorgängergeleitzug as part of Operation Benedict, remained under control of the Royal Air Force. The mass of the promised aircraft should be delivered with the convoy PQ 1.
Composition
The convoy consisted of ten cargo ships:
- Ville d' Anvers, Belgium, 7462 BRT
- Capira, Panamanian, 5565 BRT [A 1]
- River Afton, British, 5,479 GRT
- Atlantic, British, 5,414 GRT
- Gemstone, British, 4,986 GRT
- North Kingstown, Panamanian, 4,934 GRT
- Lorca, British, 4,875 GRT
- Harmonic, British, 4,558 GRT
- Blair Nevis, British, 4,155 GRT
- Elna II, Soviet, 3,221 GRT
And the fleet tanker RFA Black Ranger with 3,417 GRT backup to supply the ships.
Leakage
The convoy left Hvalfjörður on September 29, 1941 at 18:45 clock. The fuse was for a battle group with the heavy cruisers HMS Suffolk and the three destroyers HMS Impulsive, HMS Anthony and HMS Antelope and the minesweepers HMS Britomart, HMS Gossamer, HMS Leda and HMS Hussar.
HMS Antelope was replaced on 2 October by the coming out of the naval base at Scapa Flow destroyer HMS Escapade and ran his hand to the naval base.
The tanker RFA Black Ranger left the convoy on 4 October 1941 and joined the ships of the escort, "QP 1 ", which was composed of the returning ships of the previous convoy Dervish.
Arrival of the convoy
The convoy PQ 1 was, like its predecessor, not attacked. Attacks on the Geleitzugsystem in the North Sea from the air began only with Convoy PQ PQ 1 6 So reached without loss on October 11, 1941 at 2:40 clock Murmansk. The merchant ships delivered: