Convoy QP 15

Arctic naval operations of World War II

Weserübung Norwegian Campaign Convoys Claymore Gauntlet PQ 7 PQ 8 PQ 12 Sportpalast PQ 13 PQ 14 QP 10 PQ 15 QP 11 PQ 16 PQ 17 Rösselsprung QP 13 Wunderland PQ 18 QP 14 Doppelschlag QP 15 JW 51A JW 51B Regenbogen Barents Sea JW 55B Ostfront North Cape JW 56A JW 56B JW 57 JW 58

Convoy QP 15 was an Arctic convoy of World War II, consisting of empty merchant ships traveling to the United Kingdom after having delivered their cargo in the Soviet Union. It was the last convoy in the "QP" series. The convoy was scattered by a storm which sunk the Soviet destroyer Sokrushitelny. German U-boats attacked the convoy and sunk two out of the thirty merchant ships.^[1]

Voyage

The convoy initially consisted of 31 merchant ships and 12 escorts, though more escorts joined during the course of the voyage.^[2] The convoy set out from Archangel on 17 November 1942.^[3] On 20 November, a gale sprang up, and grew so fierce that the convoy was scattered.^[4] The two Soviet destroyers escorting the convoy were hard hit. Baku was badly damaged, but managed to limp back to port. A large wave hit the other Soviet destroyer, Sokrushitelny, and tore off her stern. Three Soviet destroyers were sent to assist and manage to rescue 187 crewmen from the Sokrushitelny, which sank on 22 November.^[4]

Two German submarines attacked the convoy on 23 November. U-625 attacked first, sinking the British freighter Goolistan. Later in the day, U-601 fired a spread of torpedoes at the Soviet Kuznets Lesov, one of which struck and sunk the freighter. There were no survivors from either ship.^[3]

References

↑ "Convoy QP.15". Archived from the original on 7 July 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
↑ Murfett, Malcolm (2009). Naval warfare 1919-1945 an operational history of the volatile war at sea. Abingdon, UK: Routledge. p. 243. ISBN 0-203-88998-3.
1 2 Walling, Michael G. Forgotten sacrifice : the Arctic convoys of World War II. Oxford, UK: Osprey Pub. ISBN 1849087180.
1 2 Hümmelchen, Jürgen Rohwer ; with special assistance from Gerhard; Weis, Thomas (2005). Chronology of the war at sea : 1939-1945 : the naval history of World War II (3. rev. ed.). Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press. pp. 213–214. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.

Arctic convoys of World War II

1941

Outbound	Dervish PQ 1 PQ 2 PQ 3 PQ 4 PQ 5 PQ 6

Homebound	QP 1 QP 2 QP 3

1942

Outbound	PQ 7a PQ 7b PQ 8 PQ 9 PQ 10 PQ 11 PQ 12 PQ 13 PQ 14 PQ 15 PQ 16 PQ 17 PQ 18 Operation FB JW 51A JW 51B

Homebound	QP 4 QP 5 QP 6 QP 7 QP 8 QP 9 QP 10 QP 11 QP 12 QP 13 QP 14 QP 15 RA 51

1943

Outbound	JW 52 JW 53 JW 54A JW 54B JW 55A JW 55B

Homebound	RA 52 RA 53 RA 54A RA 54B RA 55A RA 55B

1944

Outbound	JW 56A JW 56B JW 57 JW 58 JW 59 JW 60 JW 61 JW 61A JW 62 JW 63

Homebound	RA 56 RA 57 RA 58 RA 59 RA 59A RA 60 RA 61 RA 61A RA 62 RA 63

1945

Outbound	JW 64 JW 65 JW 66 JW 67

Homebound	RA 64 RA 65 RA 66 RA 67

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