Convoy PQ 13

PQ-13 was a British Arctic convoy that delivered war supplies from the Western Allies to the USSR during World War II. The convoy was subject to attack by German air, U-boat and surface forces and suffered the loss of five ships, plus one escort vessel. Fifteen ships arrived safely.

Ships

PQ 13 comprised 19 merchant ships; seven British, four American, one Polish, four of Panamanian and one of Honduran registry. It was commanded by Commodore D.A. Casey in River Afton. The convoy was escorted for the first stage of its voyage, from Scotland to Iceland, by a Local Escort Group, of two destroyers and an ASW Trawler. For the second stage, from Iceland to the Soviet Union, the Ocean escort was two destroyers, and two trawlers, augmented by three whalers being transferred to the Soviet Navy. The Ocean escort was commanded by Capt. LS Saunders, in the cruiser Trinidad. In support of the convoy escort, and guarding against a sortie by the German battleship Tirpitz, was a Heavy Cover Force, comprising the battleships Duke of York (V. Adm. ATB Curteis commanding), King George V, the battlecruiser Renown, the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious, two cruisers, Kent and Edinburgh, and sixteen destroyers. (Ashanti, Bedouin, Echo, Escapade, Eskimo, Faulknor, Foresight, Icarus, Inglefield, Ledbury, Marne, Middleton, Onslow, Punjabi, Tartar and Wheatland) This force was intended to accompany PQ 13 at a distance until it was past Bear Island.

Action

The convoy sailed from Loch Ewe in Scotland on 10 March 1942 and arrived in Reykjavík on 16 March 1942. After dropping out a contingent of three ships, bound from Loch Ewe to Reykjavík only, and the first stage escort, and collecting a further three bound from Reykjavík to Murmansk and the close escort for the voyage, PQ 13 left Reykjavík on 20 March 1942.

The voyage was uneventful until 24 March, when the convoy was struck by a violent four day storm, which left the convoy scattered and in disarray. The ships were dispersed over a distance of 150 miles. Over the next few days the ships coalesced into two groups, of eight and four, with four others proceeding independently.

On 28 March the ships were sighted by German aircraft, and attacked. Two ships were sunk, Raceland and Empire Ranger. Also on the 28th a German force of three Narvik class destroyers, Z24, Z25 and Z26, under the command of KzS G Ponitz, sortied from Kirkenes. They intercepted Bateau, which was sunk, in the evening of 28/29 March, before falling in with Trinidad and Fury in the early hours of 29 March. Z26 was badly damaged by HMS Trinidad, sinking later after a combined counter-attack of Oribi, Eclipse and the Soviet destroyer Sokrushitelny, but in the course of the action Trinidad was hit by her own torpedo (the torpedo's gyroscope froze). The remaining German ships broke off the action, and Trinidad, escorted by Fury and Eclipse, limped into Kola Inlet, arriving midday on 30 March.

In the meanwhile the ships of PQ 13 came under U-boat attack. Two ships were found and sunk by U-boats, Induna by U-376, and Effingham by U-435. Fury attacked an asdic contact and was credited with the destruction of U-585; however post-war analysis found that U-585 was lost elsewhere.

By 30 March most ships had arrived at Murmansk; the last stragglers came in on 1 April. 6 ships were lost in this convoy. The Germans sank five freighters. One whaler, (HMS Sulla), was lost, probably due to heavy icing, and the cruiser, Trinidad, was damaged. Against this one German destroyer had been sunk. Fourteen ships had arrived safely, more than two-thirds of the convoy.

Ship list

The convoy to Russia consisted of 19 freighters, a Fleet Oiler, and 3 whalers,

PQ13 main body: Loch Ewe to Murmansk

Ship	Captain	Tonnage (GRT)	Flag	Merchant Marines	Total Armed Guard or DEMS
SS Dunboyne	Ernest Prahter	3,515	United States	35	11, Ensign Brinn
SS Effingham	Charles H. Hewlett	6,421	United States	34	9, Ensign Gamblin
SS El Estero	Ivo Beatovic	4,219	Panama	39	none
SS Eldena	Ole M. Nilsen	6,900	United States	37	13, Ensign Fink
SS Empire Cowper	J.H. Wigham	7,164	United Kingdom	36	11
SS Empire Ranger	Maurice E. Sadler	7,008	United Kingdom	43	7
SS Empire Starlight	William H. Stein	6,850	United Kingdom	66	12
SS Gallant Fox	Eric Lundh	5,473	Panama	39	none
SS Harpalion	Henry W. Williams	5,486	United Kingdom	44	8
SS Induna	William N. Collins	5,086	United Kingdom	50	10
SS Mana	Oermulff Berg-Johannessen	3,283	Honduras	36	1?
SS Mormacmar	Wilfred H. Senior	5,453	United States	30	9, Ensign Smith
SS New Westminster City	William J. Harris	4,747	United Kingdom	44	6
SS Raceland	Sverre Brekke	4,815	Panama	45	None
SS River Afton	Harold W. Charlton	5,479	United Kingdom	43	10
SS Tobruk	Bronislaw Harko	7,048	Poland	47	At least 1

Reykjavík to Murmansk group

Ship	Captain	Tonnage (GRT)	Flag	Merchant Marines	Total Armed Guard or DEMS
SS Ballot	Henry Bejer	6,131	Panama	38	2
SS Bateau	Johan A. Haltlid	4,687	Panama	44	2
SS Scottish American	P. Sun	6,999	United Kingdom	38	6

Loch Ewe to Reykjavík group

Ship	Captain	Tonnage (GRT)	Flag	Merchant Marines	Total Armed Guard or DEMS
Groenland	b	1,220	United Kingdom
Lars Kruse	b	1,807	United Kingdom
Mano	b	1,418	United Kingdom

PQ13: Fleet replenishment oiler

Ship	Captain	Tonnage (GRT)	Flag	Merchant Marines	Total Armed Guard or DEMS
RFA Oligarch	A.V. Barton	6,897	United Kingdom

PQ13 Whalers

Ship	Captain	Tonnage (GRT)	Flag	Merchant Marines	Total Armed Guard or DEMS
HMS Silja		251	Royal Navy	21
HMS Sumba		251	Royal Navy
HMS Sulla	John Edward Thundercliffe	251	Royal Navy

• Lars Kruse, Mano and Groenland sailed with the convoy from Loch Ewe to Iceland, but didn't sail to the Soviet Union.
• Ballot, Bateau and Scottish American joined the convoy in Iceland.
• All other ships departed from Loch Ewe, for Murmansk.
• Three whalers: HMS Silja, HMS Sulla and HMS Sumba were under transfer to the Soviet Navy and would become magnetic mine minesweepers.

In Russia, HMS Silja was renamed T-107 and the HMS Sumba was renamed T-106.

Convoy Escorts

For the first stage, from Loch Ewe to Reykjavík, PQ 13 had a local escort of two destroyers and an ASW Trawler.

From Iceland to Murmansk the close escort consisted of the cruiser HMS Trinidad and the destroyers HMS Fury and HMS Eclipse, two armed trawlers and three minesweepers.

For the final leg the convoy was supported by the local escort based at Kola; two Soviet destroyers and four RN minesweepers.

Loch Ewe - Reykjavík: 10–16 March.
Leaving Loch Ewe in the afternoon of the 10th, the convoy was escorted by:

• Destroyer ORP Błyskawica (H34) (left the convoy on the 13th)
• Destroyer Lamerton
• ASW Trawler Paynter

On the 11th, another escort joined the convoy:

• Destroyer Saladin

Reykjavík - Murmansk: 18–31 March.
Leaving Reykjavík in the morning of the 18th, the convoy was escorted by:

• Trawler Celia, Bute and Wheatland. (left the convoy on the 23rd)

On the 23rd, other escorts joined the convoy:

• Destroyers Fury and Eclipse (left the convoy on the 25th)
• Light Cruiser Trinidad (left the convoy on the 25th)

The Barents Sea - Murmansk: 27 March - 3 April;
On the 27th, the convoy was joined by two Soviet destroyers:

• Destroyers Gremyashchi and Sokrushitelney

On 28 March the convoy was assisted by the involvement of the Sixth Minesweeping Flotilla operating here.
HMS Harrier, HMS Gossamer, HMS Speedwell and HMS Hussar of the Sixth Minesweeping Flotilla, under command of commander E.P. Hinton, sailed on 28 April for a patrol in the Arctic waters. On the 29th Harrier went for a search for survivors of the Empire Ranger. On the 29th Speedwell attempted to intercept Harpalion, but failed to find her. HMS Oribi found abandoned boats of Empire Ranger on the 29th which indicated they were picked up by other boats. ( A German wireless claimed prisoners from a merchant ship, it was obvious they were from Empire Ranger) On 30 March, Gossamer found Scottish American, Effingham and Dunboyne. But Gossamer received orders to proceed to the position of the torpedoed Indua, but failed to find her. Hussar made contact with a group of 9 ships of PQ 13 and a whaler. Escorted by two Russian destroyers and a trawler. Oribi sighted the whaler Silja who had run out of fuel. Oribi was ordered to go to the aid of River Afton which was reported to have been hit by a U-boat. Harrier took Silja in tow and Speedwell escorted them.

On 1 April, Niger (also of the Sixth Minesweeping Flotilla) sailed to search for Sulla, but returned on 3 April, having failed to find her.

Total convoy losses

After an attack on 28 March 1942, 16 crewmembers of Ballot left the ship in a lifeboat. These men were picked up by Silja and put on board Induna.

Merchant ships lost from the convoy

Date	Ship	Tonnage	Flag	Sunk by	Position	Crew	POW	Died
28 March	Raceland	4,815	Panama	Luftwaffe		45	13	32
28 March	Empire Ranger	7,008	United Kingdom	Luftwaffe		55	55	0
29 March	Bateau	4,687	Panama	Z-26		47	6	41
30 March	Induna	5,086	United Kingdom	U-376		66	0	42*
30 March	Effingham	6,421	United States	U-435		42	0	12

• 12 of them were former crewmembers of the SS Ballot

whaler lost from the convoy

Date	Ship	Tonnage	Flag	Sunk by	Position	Crew	POW	Died
29 March	HMS Sulla	251	Royal Navy	Icing		21	0	21

Aftermath

New Westminster City and Empire Starlight were bombed in Murmansk port on 3 April.
New Westminster City was lost, Empire Starlight was salvaged post war and renamed Murmansk.
Harpalion and Empire Cowper were lost on the return convoy, Convoy QP 10.

Merchant ships lost in harbour or return convoy

Date	Ship	Tonnage	Flag	Sunk by	Crew	POW	Died
3 April	New Westminster City	4,747	United Kingdom	Luftwaffe	52	0	2
3 April	Empire Starlight	6,850	United Kingdom	Luftwaffe	68	0	1
11 April	Empire Cowper	7,164	United Kingdom	Luftwaffe	68	0	19*
13 April	Harpalion	5,486	United Kingdom	U-435	52	0	0

• A former crewmember of New Westminster City died on this ship

References

• Clay Blair : Hitler's U-Boat War Vol I (1996) ISBN 0-304-35260-8
• Bernard Edwards. The road to Russia, arctic convoys 1942. (2002) ISBN 1-59114-732-8
• Paul Kemp : Convoy! Drama in Arctic Waters (1993) ISBN 1-85409-130-1
• Morris O. Mills. Convoy PQ13 - Unlucky for some. ISBN 0-9535670-2-8
• John L. Haynes. Frozen Fury, The Murmansk run of Convoy PQ-13. ISBN 978-1-4512-0156-7
• Bernard Schofield : (1964) The Russian Convoys BT Batsford ISBN (none)
• Richard Woodman. Arctic Convoys 1941-1945. (1994) ISBN 0-7195-5752-6

External links

• PQ 13 at Convoyweb
• Order of Battle-PQ13
• SS Raceland