Dervish Convoy
Dervish was the official name of an allied North Sea convoy, which expired in late August 1941 to transport supplies for the Red Army from Iceland to Archangel by the North Sea. The convoy was the first Allied Nordmeergeleitzug and was the only one name, while all later convoys were given an alphanumeric identifier.
- 3.1 Literature
- 3.2 External links
- 3.3 Notes and references
Installation and leakage
Requirement
After the attack on the Soviet Union formed the anti-Hitler coalition, decided the supply of military equipment and war material important to the Soviet Union under the Lend-Lease Act. In the so-called Moscow conference the delivery of 200 aircraft was agreed to in June 1942 in the first protocol. Although the Soviet representative had called fighters of the modern type Spitfire, these machines were not available because of losses from the Battle of Britain and so the British government machinery of the slightly older model Hawker Hurricane decided to first send to the Soviet Union. The first shipment should be sent by ship to Soviet North Sea ports to insert the aircraft locally with British teams in the framework of "Operation Benedict ". In particular they should secure the port facilities against German air attacks from Finland, so as to allow future convoys safe discharge.
Ground staff, part of the pilots, spare parts and 16 disassembled aircraft should be carried with the convoy " Dervish ", 24 more aircraft were launched from the aircraft carrier HMS Argus on 7 September in the North Sea and flew autonomously for their new base Waenga at Severomorsk.
Composition
The convoy ran from Liverpool on 12 August 1941, the convoy security consisted of the air defense ship Pozarica, the anti-submarine Trawleren HMT St. Cathan and HMT Le Tigre and the minesweeping trawlers HMT Celia, HMT Hamlet, HMT Ophelia and HMT Macbeth. The ships reached on 15 August Scapa Flow, where the destroyer HMS Electra, HMS Impulsive and HMS Active joined. The ships ran from there to Reykjavík and were accompanied by the light cruiser HMS Aurora until August 18.
The core of the convoy were there six cargo ships under the command of Commodore JCK Dowding:
- Llanstephan Castle, British, 11,348 GRT
- Trehata, British, 4,817 GRT
- New Westminster City, British, 4,747 GRT
- Alchiba, Dutch, 4,427 GRT
- Esneh, British, 1,931 GRT
- Lancastrian Prince, British, 1,914 GRT
Added was the fleet tanker RFA Aldersdale with 8,402 tons.
Leakage
The convoy left Hvalfjörður on 21 August 1941 protected by the Nahsicherung from HMS Electra, HMS Active, HMS Impulsive, the minesweepers HMS Halcyon, HMS Harrier, HMS Salamander, and the minesweeping trawlers HMT Hamlet, Macbeth and HMT HMT Ophelia.
The remote backup was responsible until August 30, a battle group with the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious, the heavy cruisers HMS Devonshire and HMS Suffolk and three destroyers.
Arrival of the convoy
The Convoy " Dervish " was not discovered by the German Enlightenment and reached without losses on August 31, 1941 Arkhangelsk. The merchant ships delivered: