Convoy PQ 17

Convoy PQ 17
Conflict	Convoy PQ 17
Partof	World War II and the Arctic convoys of World War II
Date	27 June – 10 July 1942
Place	Arctic Ocean, Barents Sea
Result	German victory
Combatant1	Allies
Combatant2	Nazi Germany
Commander1	Commodore John Dowding
Commander2	Karl Dönitz, Erich Raeder
Strength1	35 merchant ships, 2 submarines, 6 destroyers, 15 other warships
Strength2	Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine surface fleet including Tirpitz, U-boats
Casualties1	24 merchant ships sunk, 153 merchant sailors killed
Casualties2	5 aircraft destroyed

Convoy PQ 17 was a major Arctic convoy during World War II that suffered devastating losses in July 1942. It was tasked with delivering vital Lend-Lease war supplies from Iceland and the United Kingdom to the Soviet Union's northern ports. The convoy's disastrous fate, precipitated by a controversial order to scatter, resulted in one of the worst Allied naval defeats of the Battle of the Atlantic.

Background and strategic importance

The Arctic convoy route was established following Operation Barbarossa to supply the Soviet Union with critical materials under the Lend-Lease program. These convoys, sailing from Iceland and Scapa Flow to ports like Arkhangelsk and Murmansk, were essential for sustaining the Eastern Front against the Wehrmacht. The route was perilous, facing constant threats from Luftwaffe bases in Norway, Kriegsmarine U-boat wolfpacks, and powerful surface raiders like the *Tirpitz*, stationed in Altafjord. The Admiralty and First Sea Lord Dudley Pound were acutely aware that the loss of a major convoy could cripple the Allied war effort and strain the Anglo-Soviet Treaty of 1942.

Composition and departure

The convoy assembled at Hvalfjörður in Iceland, comprising 35 merchant ships loaded with tanks, aircraft, and other munitions. Its close escort included six destroyers, led by HMS *Keppel*, and numerous corvettes, armed trawlers, and anti-aircraft ships under convoy commodore John Dowding. A distant covering force, including the battleships HMS *Duke of York* and USS *Washington* under Admiral Sir John Tovey, operated separately to intercept any German heavy units. Convoy PQ 17 departed on 27 June 1942, joined later by its Cruiser covering force, which included HMS *London* and USS *Wichita*.

German attacks and the order to scatter

Initial attacks by U-boats and the Luftwaffe were largely ineffective against the convoy's strong escort. However, on 4 July, British Admiralty intelligence, including reports from Bletchley Park, indicated the *Tirpitz*, the *Admiral Hipper*, and the *Scharnhorst* had sortied from Trondheim. Fearing a devastating surface attack, First Sea Lord Dudley Pound, at the Admiralty in London, issued a series of catastrophic orders: the cruiser force was withdrawn westward, and at 21:23, the famous signal "Convoy is to scatter" was sent to the merchant ships. This left the unarmed and slow vessels utterly defenseless in the Barents Sea against the gathering German forces.

Catastrophic losses

The scattered merchant ships were hunted down over the following week by coordinated attacks from U-boats of groups like Eisbär and aircraft from Luftflotte 5. The Heinkel He 111 and Junkers Ju 88 bombers, along with Fw 200 Condors, inflicted heavy damage. Only 11 of the original 35 ships reached Arkhangelsk, with 24 sunk. Vessels like the SS *Empire Byron* and the SS *Pan Atlantic* were lost with their valuable cargoes of Sherman tanks and Hawker Hurricane fighters. The United States Navy armed guard and merchant sailors suffered 153 fatalities in the icy waters.

Aftermath and consequences

The disaster of Convoy PQ 17 led to a temporary suspension of Arctic convoys, severely straining Allied relations with Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union. A Board of Enquiry and later the Roosevelt-Churchill correspondence addressed the failure. The controversial decision by Dudley Pound was heavily criticized, though defended as a precaution against a potential Denmark Strait-style disaster. The event prompted major changes in convoy tactics, escort strength, and Allied naval cooperation, influencing subsequent operations like Convoy PQ 18 and the Battle of the North Cape.

In popular culture

The tragedy has been depicted in several notable works, most famously in Alistair MacLean's novel HMS Ulysses and the BBC documentary The World at War. It is also featured in C. S. Forester's historical account and in episodes of the ITV series Sailor. The convoy's story remains a powerful subject in World War II historiography, symbolizing the extreme perils of the Arctic run.

Category:Arctic convoys of World War II Category:Naval battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom Category:1942 in the Arctic