Convoy PQ 12 facts for kids

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 Commodore H.T. Hudson. The Close Escort comprised the minesweeper HMS Gossamer and five whalers. These were joined on 5 March by the Ocean Escort of two destroyers, HMS Oribi, commanded by Commander J. E. H. McBeath who took over as Senior Officer Escort and Offa, supported by 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 Reykjavik 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 Reykjavik 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 Reykjavik 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. 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 eight 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 Reykjavik on 27 February.

Name	Flag	Tonnage (GRT)	Notes
Artigas (1920)	Panama	5,613
Ballot (1922)	Panama	6,131	Dynamo defects, did not sail with PQ 12
Bateau (1926)	Panama	4,687	Returned
Beaconstreet (1927)	United Kingdom	7,467
Belomorcanal (1936)	Soviet Union	2,900
Capulin (1920)	Panama	4,977
Dneprostroi (1919)	Soviet Union	4,756
Earlston (1941)	United Kingdom	7,195
El Coston (1924)	Panama	7,286
El Occidente (1910)	Panama	6,008
Empire Byron (1941)	United Kingdom	6,645	Convoy Vice Commodore's ship
Kiev (1917)	Soviet Union	5,823	Position probable but not definite
Lancaster Castle (1937)	United Kingdom	5,172	Lost in Russia
Llandaff (1937)	United Kingdom	4,825	Convoy Commodore's ship, Captain H T Hudson RD RNR
Navarino (1937)	United Kingdom	4,825
Sevzaples (1932)	Soviet Union	3,974
Stone Street (1922)	Panama	6,131
Temple Arch (1940)	United Kingdom	5,138

Convoy escorts

Navy ships escorted the convoy at various times during its journey.

Name	Flag	Type	Joined	Left
HMT Angle (FY201)	Royal Navy	Naval trawler	1 March 1942	4 March 1942
HMS Ashanti (F51)	Royal Navy	Tribal-class destroyer	6 March 1942	10 March 1942
HMS Bedouin (F67)	Royal Navy	Tribal-class destroyer	6 March 1942	10 March 1942
HMS Berwick (65)	Royal Navy	County-class cruiser	6 March 1942	10 March 1942
HMT Chiltern	Royal Navy	Anti-submarine naval trawler	1 March 1942	4 March 1942
HMS Duke of York (17)	Royal Navy	King George V-class battleship	6 March 1942	10 March 1942
HMS Echo (H23)	Royal Navy	E-class destroyer	6 March 1942	10 March 1942
HMS Eclipse (H08)	Royal Navy	E-class destroyer	6 March 1942	10 March 1942
HMS Eclipse (H08)	Royal Navy	E-class destroyer	6 March 1942	10 March 1942
HMS Eskimo (F75)	Royal Navy	E-class destroyer	6 March 1942	10 March 1942
HMS Faulknor (H62)	Royal Navy	F-class destroyer	6 March 1942	10 March 1942
HMS Fury (H76)	Royal Navy	F-class destroyer	6 March 1942	11 March 1942
HMS Gossamer (J63)	Royal Navy	Halcyon-class minesweeper	4 March 1942	10 March 1942
Gremyaschi	Soviet Union	Gnevny-class destroyer	11 March 1942	12 March 1942
HMS Grove (L77)	Royal Navy	Hunt-class destroyer	10 March 1942	10 March 1942
HMS Harrier (J71)	Royal Navy	Halcyon-class minesweeper	11 March 1942	12 March 1942
HMS Hussar (J82)	Royal Navy	Halcyon-class minesweeper	11 March 1942	12 March 1942
HMS Icarus (D03)	Royal Navy	I-class destroyer	6 March 1942	11 March 1942
HMS Inconstant (H49)	Royal Navy	I-class destroyer	10 March 1942	10 March 1942
HMS Intrepid (D10)	Royal Navy	I-class destroyer	6 March 1942	11 March 1942
HMS Javelin (F61)	Royal Navy	J-class destroyer	10 March 1942	10 March 1942
HMS Kenya (14)	Royal Navy	Crown Colony-class cruiser	6 March 1942	12 March 1942
HMS King George V (41)	Royal Navy	King George V-class battleship	6 March 1942	10 March 1942
HMS Lancaster (G05)	Royal Navy	Town-class destroyer	10 March 1942	10 March 1942
HMS Ledbury (L90)	Royal Navy	Hunt-class destroyer	10 March 1942	10 March 1942
HMS Lookout (G32)	Royal Navy	L-class destroyer	6 March 1942	11 March 1942
HMT Notts County (FY250)	Royal Navy	Anti-submarine naval trawler	1 March 1942	4 March 1942
HMS Offa (G29)	Royal Navy	O-class destroyer	4 March 1942	12 March 1942
HMS Onslow (G17)	Royal Navy	O-class destroyer	6 March 1942	10 March 1942
HMS Oribi (G66)	Royal Navy	O-class destroyer	4 March 1942	10 March 1942
HMS Punjabi	Royal Navy	Tribal-class destroyer	6 March 1942	11 March 1942
HMS Renown	Royal Navy	Renown-class battlecruiser	6 March 1942	10 March 1942
HMT Shera (FY1724)	Royal Navy	Anti-submarine whaler	4 March 1942	9 March 1942
HMT Shusa (FY1702)	Royal Navy	Anti-submarine whaler	4 March 1942	12 March 1942
HMS Speedwell (J87)	Royal Navy	Halcyon-class minesweeper	11 March 1942	12 March 1942
HMT Stefa (FY1702)	Royal Navy	Anti-submarine whaler	4 March 1942	12 March 1942
HMT Stella Capella	Royal Navy	Anti-submarine naval trawler	1 March 1942	4 March 1942
HMT Sulla (FY1874)	Royal Navy	Anti-submarine whaler	4 March 1942	12 March 1942
HMT Svega (FY294)	Royal Navy	Anti-submarine whaler	4 March 1942	12 March 1942
HMS Tartar (F43)	Royal Navy	Tribal-class destroyer	9 March 1942	10 March 1942
HMS Verdun (L93)	Royal Navy	V-class destroyer	10 March 1942	10 March 1942
HMS Victorious (R38)	Royal Navy	Illustrious-class aircraft carrier	6 March 1942	10 March 1942
HMS Wells	Royal Navy	Town-class destroyer	10 March 1942	10 March 1942
HMS Woolston	Royal Navy	W-class destroyer	10 March 1942	10 March 1942