Convoys PQ 9 and 10 were Arctic convoys sent from Great Britain by the Western Allies to aid the Soviet Union during World War II. They sailed together in early February 1942 and arrived in Murmansk without loss.

Ships

Convoys PQ 9 and 10 together comprised ten ships; three British, four Soviet, one American, one Norwegian and one of Panamanian registry. The convoy was escorted by two destroyers, HMS Faulknor and HMS Intrepid, and five trawlers, supported by the cruiser HMS Nigeria. These were joined in the last stage of the voyage by a Soviet destroyer and three Royal Navy minesweepers based at Murmansk.

Voyage

PQ 9 sailed from Scotland for Iceland in mid-January, where it was joined by ships from the Americas. PQ 10 was due to follow, but delays and failures meant that just one ship Trevorian, sailed for Reykjavik, on 26 January 1942. Meanwhile, PQ 9's departure on 17 January had been delayed after the Admiralty received reports of a sortie by the German battleship Tirpitz.[1] It was decided that Trevorian would join the ships of PQ 9, rather than wait for PQ 10 to be re-formed. The combined convoy of ten ships sailed from Reykjavik on 1 February. It was undetected by German aircraft or U-boats in the continuous darkness of the polar night, and arrived safely at Murmansk on 10 February.

Ships in Convoy PQ 9

Name[2] Flag Tonnage (GRT) Notes
Atlantic (1939)  United Kingdom 5,414
HMS Britomart (J22)  Royal Navy Escort 7 Feb - 10 Feb
El Lago (1920)  Panama 4,221
Empire Selwyn (1941)  United Kingdom 7,167 Reykjavik 31 Jan, sailed 1 Feb
HMS Faulknor (H62)  Royal Navy Escort 5 Feb - 10 Feb
Friedrich Engels (1930)  Soviet Union 3,972
HMS Hav  Royal Navy Escort 10 Feb - 10 Feb
Ijora (1921)  Soviet Union 2,815
HMS Intrepid (D10)  Royal Navy Escort 5 Feb - 10 Feb
HMS Nigeria (60)  Royal Navy Escort 5 Feb - 08 Feb
Noreg (1931)  Norway 7,605
Revolutsioner (1936)  Soviet Union 2,900
HMS Sharpshooter  Royal Navy Escort 7 Feb - 10 Feb
HMS Shikari (1919)  Royal Navy Escort 10 Feb - 10 Feb
Tbilisi (1912)  Soviet Union 7,169
Trevorian (1920)  United Kingdom 4,599
West Nohno (1919)  United States 5,769

Ships in Convoy PQ 10

Name[3] Flag Tonnage (GRT) Notes
Trevorian (1920)  United Kingdom 4,599

Notes

  1. ↑ Roskill p116
  2. ↑ "Convoy PQ.9". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  3. ↑ "Convoy PQ.10". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 15 October 2013.

References

  • Clay Blair : Hitler's U-Boat War Vol I (1996) ISBN 0-304-35260-8
  • Paul Kemp : Convoy! Drama in Arctic Waters (1993) ISBN 1-85409-130-1
  • Stephen Roskill : The War at Sea 1939-1945 Vol II (1956). ISBN (none)
  • Bernard Schofield : (1964) The Russian Convoys BT Batsford ISBN (none)
  • PQ 9/10 at Convoyweb
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