Convoy PQ 12

Convoy PQ 12 was an Arctic convoy sent from Reykjavík in Iceland by the Western Allies to aid the Soviet Union during the Second World War. It sailed 1 March 1942, reaching Murmansk on 12 March 1942 for no losse despite a sortie against it by the Tirpitz.

Convoy PQ 12
Part of Arctic Convoys of the Second World War
The Norwegian and the Barents seas, site of the Arctic convoys
Date 1–12 March 1942 Location Arctic Ocean
Belligerents
United Kingdom Soviet Union	Germany

Ships

PQ 12 consisted of 16 ships under the command of the Convoy Commodore, Hubert Hudson. The Close Escort comprised the minesweeper HMS Gossamer and five whalers. These were joined on 5 March by the Ocean Escort of the destroyers, HMS Oribi (Commander J. E. H. McBeath, Senior Officer Escort) and Offa with the cruiser HMS Kenya. Distant cover was provided by two Heavy Cover Forces; one comprising the battleship HMS Duke of York (Vice Admiral Alban Curteis commanding), the battlecruiser HMS Renown and six destroyers, sailing from Reykjavík and another led by Admiral John Tovey comprising the battleship HMS King George V, the carrier HMS Victorious, the cruiser HMS Berwick and six destroyers, sailing from Scapa Flow.

Action

PQ 12 sailed from Reykjavík on 1 March 1942 with its Close Escort.^[1] 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 HMS Seawolf 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 60 nmi (110 km; 69 mi) 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.^[1] 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.^[2] 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.^[3]

Ships in the convoy

Allied merchant ships

Ships convoyed^[4][a]

Name	Year	Flag	GRT	No.	Notes
Artigas	1920	Panama	5,613	12
Ballot	1922	Panama	6,131	41	Dynamo defects, did not sail
Bateau	1926	Panama	4,687	23	Returned
Beaconstreet	1927	United Kingdom	7,467	32
Belomorcanal	1936	Soviet Union	2,900	43
Capulin	1920	Panama	4,977	52
Dneprostroi	1919	Soviet Union	4,756	42
Earlston	1941	United Kingdom	7,195	53
El Coston	1924	Panama	7,286	33
El Occidente	1910	Panama	6,008	22
Empire Byron	1941	United Kingdom	6,645	51	Vice-Convoy Commodore
Kiev	1917	Soviet Union	5,823	13
Lancaster Castle	1937	United Kingdom	5,172	63	Sunk Luftwaffe Murmansk, 9 killed, 48 survivors [6]
Llandaff	1937	United Kingdom	4,825	31	Convoy commodore Captain Hubert Hudson
Navarino	1937	United Kingdom	4,825	21	Rear-Convoy Commodore
Sevzaples	1932	Soviet Union	3,974	62
Stone Street	1922	Panama	6,131	11
Temple Arch	1940	United Kingdom	5,138	61

Convoy escorts

Iceland escorts

Iceland local escorts^[7]

Name	Flag	Type	Notes
HMT Angle	Royal Navy	ASW trawler	1–4 March 1942
HMT Chiltern	Royal Navy	ASW trawler	1–4 March 1942
HMT Notts County	Royal Navy	ASW trawler	1–4 March 1942
HMT Stella Capella	Royal Navy	ASW trawler	1–4 March 1942

Close cover

Close escort^[8]

Name	Flag	Type	Notes
HMS Kenya	Royal Navy	Crown Colony-class cruiser	Detached to convoy 6–12 March 1942
HMS Offa	Royal Navy	O-class destroyer	4–12 March 1942
HMS Oribi	Royal Navy	O-class destroyer	4–10 March 1942
HMS Shera	Royal Navy	ASW whaler	4–9 March 1942 capsized in storm, 3 survivors
HMS Shusa	Royal Navy	ASW whaler	4–12 March 1942
HMS Stefa	Royal Navy	ASW whaler	4–6 March 1942, lost contact[b]
HMS Sulla	Royal Navy	ASW whaler	4–12 March 1942
HMS Svega	Royal Navy	ASW whaler	4–11 March 1942, arrived independently

Distant cover

Distant cover^[9]

Name	Flag	Type	Notes
HMS Duke of York	Royal Navy	King George V-class battleship	6–10 March 1942
HMS Renown	Royal Navy	Renown-class battlecruiser	6–10 March 1942
HMS Punjabi	Royal Navy	Tribal-class destroyer	6–11 March 1942, 11–12 March sortied against Tirpitz
HMS Tartar	Royal Navy	Tribal-class destroyer	9–10 March 1942, 11–12 March sortied against Tirpitz
HMS Echo	Royal Navy	E-class destroyer	6–10 March 1942
HMS Eclipse	Royal Navy	E-class destroyer	6–10 March 1942
HMS Eskimo	Royal Navy	E-class destroyer	6–10 March 1942, 11–12 March sortied against Tirpitz
HMS Faulknor	Royal Navy	F-class destroyer	6–10 March 1942, 11–12 March sortied against Tirpitz
HMS Fury	Royal Navy	F-class destroyer	6–11 March 1942, 11–12 March sortied against Tirpitz
HMS Inconstant	Royal Navy	I-class destroyer	10 March 1942
HMS Javelin	Royal Navy	J-class destroyer	10 March 1942
HMS Lancaster	Royal Navy	Town-class destroyer	10 March 1942
HMS Wells	Royal Navy	Town-class destroyer	10 March 1942
HMS Verdun	Royal Navy	V-class destroyer	10 March 1942
HMS Woolston	Royal Navy	W-class destroyer	10 March 1942
HMS Grove	Royal Navy	Hunt-class destroyer	10 March 1942
HMS Ledbury	Royal Navy	Hunt-class destroyer	10 March 1942

Home Fleet

Home Fleet^[9]

Name	Flag	Type	Notes
HMS King George V	Royal Navy	King George V-class battleship	6–10 March 1942
HMS Victorious	Royal Navy	Illustrious-class aircraft carrier	6–10 March 1942
HMS Berwick	Royal Navy	County-class cruiser	6–10 March 1942
HMS Ashanti	Royal Navy	Tribal-class destroyer	6–10 March 1942
HMS Bedouin	Royal Navy	Tribal-class destroyer	6–10 March 1942, 11–12 March sortied against Tirpitz
HMS Icarus	Royal Navy	I-class destroyer	6–11 March 1942, 11–12 March sortied against Tirpitz
HMS Intrepid	Royal Navy	I-class destroyer	6–11 March 1942, 11–12 March sortied against Tirpitz
HMS Lookout	Royal Navy	L-class destroyer	6–11 March 1942
HMS Onslow	Royal Navy	O-class destroyer	6–10 March 1942

Murmansk escort

Murmansk local escort^[10]

Name	Flag	Type	Notes
Gremyaschi	Soviet Navy	Gnevny-class destroyer	11–12 March 1942
HMS Gossamer	Royal Navy	Halcyon-class minesweeper	4–10 March 1942
HMS Harrier	Royal Navy	Halcyon-class minesweeper	11–12 March 1942
HMS Hussar	Royal Navy	Halcyon-class minesweeper	11–12 March 1942
HMS Speedwell	Royal Navy	Halcyon-class minesweeper	11–12 March 1942

Allied submarines

Allied submarines^[9]

Name	Flag	Type	Notes
HMS Sealion	Royal Navy	S-class submarine
HMS Seawolf	Royal Navy	S-class submarine
HMS Trident	Royal Navy	Triton-class submarine
HNoMS Uredd	Royal Norwegian Navy	U-class submarine
Junon	Free French Naval Forces	Minerve-class submarine
D-3	Soviet Navy	Dekabrist-class submarine	South flank convoy cover
K-21	Soviet Navy	Soviet K-class submarine	South flank convoy cover
K-23	Soviet Navy	Soviet K-class submarine	South flank convoy cover
S-102	Soviet Navy	Soviet S-class submarine	South flank convoy cover
Shch-403	Soviet Navy	Shchuka-class submarine	South flank convoy cover
Shch-422	Soviet Navy	Shchuka-class submarine	South flank convoy cover

U-boats

U-boats^[11]

Name	Flag	Class	Notes
U-134	Kriegsmarine	Type VIIC submarine
U-377	Kriegsmarine	Type VIIC submarine
U-403	Kriegsmarine	Type VIIC submarine
U-584	Kriegsmarine	Type VIIC submarine

German ships

German ships^[11]

Name	Flag	Type	Notes
Tirpitz	Kriegsmarine	Bismarck-class battleship
Z5 Paul Jacobi	Kriegsmarine	Type 1934A-class destroyer
Z7 Hermann Schoemann	Kriegsmarine	Type 1934A-class destroyer
Z14 Friedrich Ihn	Kriegsmarine	Type 1934A-class destroyer
Z25	Kriegsmarine	Type 1936A-class destroyer

Notes

1. Convoys had a standard formation of short columns, number 1 to port in the direction of travel. Each position in the column was numbered; position number 11 was the first ship in column 1, 12 was the second ship in the column; position number 21 was the first ship in column 2.^[5]
2. Joined Sevaples 10 March, shot down aircraft 12 March