[[File:SS El Occidente.jpg|thumb|200 px|SS ”El Occidente”]]
[[File:SS El Occidente.jpg|thumb|200 px|SS ”El Occidente”]]
At 01:00 in the morning of 13 April, the convoy was attacked by the German U-boat {{GS|U-435||2}}. The Russian freighter ”Kiev” was hit by the U-boat’s first torpedo and sunk. At 03:30, ”U-435” struck again, hitting {{SS|El Occidente||2}} which sank almost immediately.<ref name=”Road” /> At around 05:00, more Ju 88s appeared and circled the convoy for about an hour before attacking. ”Harpalion” came under repeated air attack that damaged her steering gear and broke her rudder. The crew of ”Harpalion” tried to jury-rig a replacement, but their attempts were halted by four Ju 88s that strafed the ship’s deck with machine-guns. Finally, ”Harpalion ”was scuttled by shells from ”Fury”.<ref name=”Road” /> Also on 13 April ”Hermann Schoemann”, ”Z24 ”and ”Z25 ”made another attempt to look for the convoy but turned back due to poor weather.<ref name=”Royal Navy” /> The convoy was not attacked again. Later in the voyage, the convoy was joined by six ships from Convoy PQ 14 that turned around due to ice and weather damage.<ref name=”Road” />
At 01:00 in the morning of 13 April, the convoy was attacked by the German U-boat {{GS|U-435||2}}. The Russian freighter ”Kiev” was hit by the U-boat’s first torpedo and sunk. At 03:30, ”U-435” struck again, hitting {{SS|El Occidente||2}} which sank almost immediately.<ref name=”Road” /> At around 05:00, more Ju 88s appeared and circled the convoy for about an hour before attacking. ”Harpalion” came under repeated air attack that damaged her steering gear and broke her rudder. The crew of ”Harpalion” tried to jury-rig a replacement, but their attempts were halted by four Ju 88s that strafed the ship’s deck with machine-guns. Finally, ”Harpalion ”was scuttled by shells from ”Fury”.<ref name=”Road” /> Also on 13 April ”Hermann Schoemann”, ”Z24 ”and ”Z25 ”made another attempt to look for the convoy but turned back due to poor weather.<ref name=”Royal Navy” /> The convoy was not attacked again. Later in the voyage, the convoy was joined by six ships from Convoy PQ 14 that turned around due to ice and weather damage.<ref name=”Road” />
==Orders of battle==
===Local escorts===
{|class=”wikitable sortable”
|-
|+Local escort{{sfn|Ruegg|Hague|1993|p=32}}
|-
! scope=”col” width=”120px” |Name
! scope=”col” width=”160px” |Flag
! scope=”col” width=”160px” |Type
! Notes
|-
|align=”left”|{{HMS|Gossamer|J63|6}}
|align=”left”|{{naval|United Kingdom}}
|align=”left”|{{sclass|Halcyon|minesweeper}}
|align=”left”|
|-
|align=”left”|{{HMS|Harrier|J71|6}}
|align=”left”|{{naval|United Kingdom}}
|align=”left”|{{sclass|Halcyon|minesweeper}}
|align=”left”|
|-
|align=”left”|{{HMS|HussarJ82|6}}
|align=”left”|{{naval|United Kingdom}}
|align=”left”|{{sclass|Halcyon|minesweeper}}
|align=”left”|
|-
|align=”left”|Two Soviet destroyers
|align=”left”|{{naval|Soviet Union}}
|align=”left”|
|align=”left”|
|-
|}
===Oceanic escort===
{|class=”wikitable sortable”
|-
|+Ocean escort{{sfn|Ruegg|Hague|1993|p=32}}
|-
! scope=”col” width=”120px” |Name
! scope=”col” width=”160px” |Flag
! scope=”col” width=”160px” |Type
! Notes
|-
|align=”left”|{{HMS|Liverpool|C11|6}}
|align=”left”|{{naval|United Kingdom}}
|align=”left”|{{sclass2|Town|cruiser|||1936|2}}
|align=”left”|
|-
|align=”left”|{{HMS|Fury|H76|6}}
|align=”left”|{{naval|United Kingdom}}
|align=”left”|[[E and F-class destroyer|F-class destroyer]]
|align=”left”|
|-
|align=”left”|{{HMS|Marne|G35|6}}
|align=”left”|{{naval|United Kingdom}}
|align=”left”|[[L and M-class destroyer|M-class destroyer]]
|align=”left”|
|-
|align=”left”|{{HMS|Oribi|G66|6}}
|align=”left”|{{naval|United Kingdom}}
|align=”left”|[[O and P-class destroyer|O-class destroyer]]
|align=”left”|
|-
|align=”left”|{{HMS|Punjabi||6}}
|align=”left”|{{naval|United Kingdom}}
|align=”left”|{{sclass2|Tribal|destroyer|||1936|2}}
|align=”left”|
|-
|align=”left”|{{HMS|Eclipse|H08|6}}
|align=”left”|{{naval|United Kingdom}}
|align=”left”|[[E and F-class destroyer|E-class destroyer]]
|align=”left”|
|-
|align=”left”|{{HMS|Speedwell|J87|6}}
|align=”left”|{{naval|United Kingdom}}
|align=”left”|{{sclass|Halcyon|minesweeper}}
|align=”left”|
|-
|align=”left”|{{HMT|Blackfly|FY117|6}}
|align=”left”|{{naval|United Kingdom}}
|align=”left”|[[List of requisitioned trawlers of the Royal Navy (WWII)|ASW trawler]]
|align=”left”|
|-
|align=”left”|{{HMT|Paynter||6}}
|align=”left”|{{naval|United Kingdom}}
|align=”left”|[[List of requisitioned trawlers of the Royal Navy (WWII)|ASW trawler]]
|align=”left”|
|-
|}
==References==
==References==
Arctic convoy of World War II
Convoy QP 10 was an Arctic convoy of the Second World War, consisting of empty merchant ships returning from the Soviet Union after unloading. The convoy had 16 merchant ships and an escort of nine warships.[1] The convoy departed Murmansk on 10 April 1942 and arrived in Reykjavík on 21 April.[2] The convoy was attacked by German U-boats and aircraft, resulting in the loss of four merchant ships. Stone Street, was damaged by air attack and forced to turn back to the Kola Inlet.[3] The convoy escorts shot down six German aircraft and damaged another during the voyage.[2] Later, six merchant ships from Convoy PQ 14 joined Convoy QP 10.[3]
Ships
Convoy QP 10 consisted of 16 merchant ships. During the voyage, six ships from the outbound Convoy PQ 14 joined Convoy QP 10 after turning back due to ice and weather damage.[3] The convoy was escorted by HMS Liverpool a Town-class cruiser, the destroyers HMS Oribi, Punjabi, Fury, Eclipse and Marne, the Halcyon-class minesweeper HMS Speedwell and the trawlers HMT Blackfly and Paynter.[1] From 10 April to 12 April the escort was augmented by the Soviet destroyers Gremyashchiy and Sokrushitelny and the minesweepers Gossamer, Harrier and Hussar.[1] Between Iceland and Norway a distant covering force was present, consisting of the battleships HMS Duke of York and King George V, the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious, the cruisers HMS Kent and Nigeria and 12 destroyers, though this force was too far away from the convoy to defend it against submarine and air attacks.[1]
Voyage
Convoy QP 10 departed Murmansk at 17:00 on 10 April. The first attack on the convoy came on 11 April. Several German Junkers Ju 88 bombers appeared overhead and attacked the convoy. The merchant ship Empire Cowper was hit by three 500 lb (230 kg) bombs and then two more bombs as the ship was being evacuated. Paynter rescued survivors from Empire Cowper, which then sank. The merchant ship Harpalion shot down one of the attacking Ju 88s.[4] On 12 April, the German destroyers Z7 Hermann Schoemann, Z24 and Z25 set out to search for the convoy, but failed to find it.[1]
At 01:00 in the morning of 13 April, the convoy was attacked by the German U-boat U-435. The Russian freighter Kiev was hit by the U-boat’s first torpedo and sunk. At 03:30, U-435 struck again, hitting El Occidente which sank almost immediately.[4] At around 05:00, more Ju 88s appeared and circled the convoy for about an hour before attacking. Harpalion came under repeated air attack that damaged her steering gear and broke her rudder. The crew of Harpalion tried to jury-rig a replacement, but their attempts were halted by four Ju 88s that strafed the ship’s deck with machine-guns. Finally, Harpalion was scuttled by shells from Fury.[4] Also on 13 April Hermann Schoemann, Z24 and Z25 made another attempt to look for the convoy but turned back due to poor weather.[2] The convoy was not attacked again. Later in the voyage, the convoy was joined by six ships from Convoy PQ 14 that turned around due to ice and weather damage.[4]
Orders of battle
Local escorts
Oceanic escort
References
Further reading
- Boog, H.; Rahn, W.; Stumpf, R.; Wegner, B. (2001). The Global War: Widening of the Conflict into a World War and the Shift of the Initiative 1941–1943. Germany in the Second World War. Vol. VI. Translated by Osers, E.; Brownjohn, J.; Crampton, P.; Willmot, L. (Eng trans. Oxford University Press, London ed.). Potsdam: Militärgeschichtliches Forschungsamt (Research Institute for Military History). ISBN 0-19-822888-0.
- Cain, T. J.; Sellwood, A. V. (1976). HMS Electra. London: Futura. ISBN 978-0-86007-330-7.
- Claasen, A. R. A. (2001). Hitler’s Northern War: The Luftwaffe’s Ill-fated Campaign, 1940–1945. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 0-7006-1050-2.
- “Convoy QP.3”. Arnold Hague Convoy Database. ConvoyWeb. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- Hancock, W. K.; Gowing, M. M. (1949). Hancock, W. K. (ed.). British War Economy. History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Civil Series. London: HMSO. OCLC 630191560.
- Hinsley, F. H. (1994) [1993]. British Intelligence in the Second World War: Its Influence on Strategy and Operations. History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series (2nd rev. abr. ed.). London: HMSO. ISBN 978-0-11-630961-7.
- Hobbs, David (2022). The Fleet Air Arm and the War in Europe 1939–1945. Barnsley: Seaforth (Pen & Sword). ISBN 978-1-5267-9979-1.
- Kahn, D. (1973) [1967]. The Codebreakers: The Story of Secret Writing (10th abr. Signet, Chicago ed.). New York: Macmillan. LCCN 63-16109. OCLC 78083316.
- Kemp, Paul (1993). Convoy! Drama in Arctic Waters. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 1-85409-130-1 – via Archive Foundation.
- Macksey, K. (2004) [2003]. The Searchers: Radio Intercept in two World Wars (Cassell Military Paperbacks ed.). London: Cassell. ISBN 978-0-304-36651-4.
- Paterson, Lawrence (2016). Steel and Ice: The U-boat Battle in the Arctic and Black Sea 1941–45. Stroud: The History Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-258-4.
- Rohwer, Jürgen; Hümmelchen, Gerhard (2005) [1972]. Chronology of the War at Sea, 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (3rd rev. ed.). London: Chatham. ISBN 978-1-86176-257-3.
- Roskill, S. W. (1957) [1954]. Butler, J. R. M. (ed.). The War at Sea 1939–1945: The Defensive. History of the Second World War United Kingdom Military Series. Vol. I (4th impr. ed.). London: HMSO. OCLC 881709135. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022.
- Ruegg, R.; Hague, A. (1993) [1992]. Convoys to Russia: Allied Convoys and Naval Surface Operations in Arctic Waters 1941–1945 (2nd rev. enl. ed.). Kendal: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-66-5.
