Convoy QP 15

Convoy QP 15 was one of the Arctic convoys of World War II the last of the QP series from northern Russia to Britain which ran during the Second World War to return Allied ships to home ports. The convoy sailed from the Kola Inlet on 17 November 1942. It was scattered by a storm in which the Soviet destroyer Sokrushitelny was hit from behind by a big wave and foundered after two days' rescue attempts. The convoy was attacked by U-boats of the Kriegsmarine (German Navy) that sank two of the merchant ships. The convoy reached its destination at Loch Ewe on 30 November 1942.

Convoy QP.15
Part of Second World War
The Norwegian and the Barents seas, site of the Arctic convoys
Date 17–30 November 1942 Location Arctic Ocean Result German tactical victory
Belligerents
Germany	United Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Karl Dönitz	Convoy commodore: W. C. Meek
Strength
gruppe Boreas (10 U-boat)	31 merchant ships 30 escorts (in relays)
Casualties and losses
	2 ships sunk 1 escort foundered in storm

Prelude

Convoy and escorts

The convoy initially consisted of 31 merchant ships, most of which had arrived with Convoy PQ 18 and were returning empty. The convoy commodore was Captain W C. Meek RNR in Temple Arch, the vice-convoy commodore was in DanY-Bryn, Copeland was a rescue ship and Empire Morn was a CAM ship.^[1] The close escort comprised four Halcyon-class minesweepers HMS Britomart, Halcyon, Hazard and Sharpshooter. From 18 to 20 November the Leningrad-class destroyer leader Baku and the Gnevny-class destroyer Sokrushitelny accompanied the convoy. The ocean escort from 17 to 30 November comprised the Flower-class corvettes HMS Bergamot, Bluebell, Bryony and Camellia and the Halcyon-class minesweeper HMS Salamander.^[2]

From 20 to 26 November the destroyers HMS Faulknor, Intrepid, Icarus and Impulsive escorted the convoy, HMS Echo from 20 to 22 November, with HMS Musketeer and Orwell from 23 to 30 November. The Hunt-class destroyers HMS Ledbury and Middleton participated in the escort from 22 to 30 November and HMS Oakley from 23 to 30 November. The escort was supplemented by the AA cruiser MV Ulster Queen from 17 to 24 November, when it left to refuel. Distant cover was provided by HMS London and Suffolk screened by the destroyers HMS Forester, Obdurate and Onslaught to the west of Bear Island. Submarine patrols were mounted off Altenfjord by HMS Trespasser, HMS Seadog, Junon and HNoMS Uredd to oppose a sortie by German surface vessels.^[2]

Kriegsmarine

Convoy QP 15 was opposed by a patrol line of the Wolfpack gruppe Boreas (god of the north wind) comprising ten U-boats in the Norwegian Sea, and by the Luftwaffe, though much of the latter was grounded by the foul weather.^[1]

Voyage

The convoy set out from Archangel on 17 November 1942, accompanied by the local escort of four minesweepers, and were joined the following day by two Soviet destroyers. Two ships grounded after leaving harbour, and had to be left behind. They were refloated and returned to port. On 20 November the convoy was joined by its ocean escort of five destroyers. Also on 20 November a gale sprang up and scattered the convoy and damaged several ships, including the two Soviet destroyers. The Soviet destroyer Baku was badly damaged but managed to limp back to port. A large wave hit Sokrushitelny and broke her back, severing her stern. Three Soviet destroyers were sent to assist and manage to rescue 187 crewmen from the Sokrushitelny, which sank on 22 November.^[3] On 23 November, the U-boat U-625 attacked and sank the British freighter Goolistan. Later in the day, U-601 fired a spread of torpedoes at the Soviet freighter Kuznetz Lesov, one of which struck and sank her; both ships were lost with all hands. The convoy arrived at Loch Ewe on 30 November 1942.^[2]

Allied order of battle

Merchant ships

Convoyed ships^[4]

Name	Year	Flag	GRT	Notes
SS Andre Marti	1918	Soviet Union	2,352
SS Belomorcanal	1936	Soviet Union	2,900
SS Charles R. McCormick	1920	United States	6,027
SS Copeland	1923	United Kingdom	1,526	Rescue ship
SS Dan-y-Bryn	1940	United Kingdom	5,117	Vice-convoy commodore
SS Empire Baffin	1941	United Kingdom	6,978
SS Empire Morn	1941	United Kingdom	7,092	CAM ship
SS Empire Snow	1941	United Kingdom	6,327
SS Empire Tristram	1942	United Kingdom	7,167
SS Esek Hopkins	1942	United States	7,191
SS Goolistan	1929	United Kingdom	5,851	Sunk by U-625 on 23 November[5]
SS Hollywood	1920	United States	5,498
SS Ironclad	1919	United States	5,685
SS Komiles	1932	Soviet Union	3,966
SS Kuznetz Lesov	1933	Soviet Union	3,974	Sunk by U-601 on 23 November[5]
SS Lafayette	1919	United States	5,887
SS Meanticut	1921	United States	6,061
SS Nathanael Greene	1942	United States	7,177
SS Ocean Faith	1942	United Kingdom	7,174
SS Patrick Henry	1941	United States	7,191
SS Petrovski	1921	Soviet Union	3,771
SS Sahale	1919	United States	5,028
SS Schoharie	1919	United States	4,971
SS St. Olaf	1942	United States	7,191
SS Tbilisi	1912	Soviet Union	7,169
SS Temple Arch	1940	United Kingdom	5,138	Convoy commodore
SS Virginia Dare	1942	United States	7,177
SS White Clover	1920	Panama	5,462
SS William Moultrie	1942	United States	7,177

Local escort

Local escort^[1]

Ship	Flag	Class	Dates	Notes
Baku	Soviet Navy	Leningrad-class destroyer leader	18–20 November
Sokrushitelny	Soviet Navy	Gnevny-class destroyer	18–20 November	Foundered, 22 November
HMS Britomart	Royal Navy	Halcyon-class minesweeper	17–20 November
HMS Halcyon	Royal Navy	Halcyon-class minesweeper	17–20 November
HMS Hazard	Royal Navy	Halcyon-class minesweeper	17–20 November
HMS Sharpshooter	Royal Navy	Halcyon-class minesweeper	17–20 November

Ocean escort

Ocean escort^[1]

Ship	Flag	Class	Dates	Notes
MV Ulster Queen	Royal Navy	AA cruiser	17–24 November	Left to refuel
HMS Bergamot	Royal Navy	Flower-class corvette	17–30 November
HMS Bluebell	Royal Navy	Flower-class corvette	17–30 November
HMS Bryony	Royal Navy	Flower-class corvette	17–30 November
HMS Camellia	Royal Navy	Flower-class corvette	17–30 November
HMS Salamander	Royal Navy	Halcyon-class minesweeper	17–30 November
HMS Echo	Royal Navy	E-class destroyer	20–22 November
HMS Faulknor	Royal Navy	F-class destroyer	20–26 November
HMS Intrepid	Royal Navy	I-class destroyer	20–26 November
HMS Icarus	Royal Navy	I-class destroyer	20–26 November
HMS Impulsive	Royal Navy	I-class destroyer	20–26 November
HMS Ledbury	Royal Navy	Hunt-class destroyer	22–30 November
HMS Middleton	Royal Navy	Hunt-class destroyer	22–30 November
HMS Musketeer	Royal Navy	M-class destroyer	23–30 November
HMS Orwell	Royal Navy	O-class destroyer	23–30 November
HMS Oakley	Royal Navy	Hunt-class destroyer	23–30 November.

Distant escort

Cruiser cover^[1]

Ship	Flag	Class	Notes
HMS London	Royal Navy	County-class cruiser
HMS Suffolk	Royal Navy	County-class cruiser
HMS Forester	Royal Navy	F-class destroyer	destroyer screen
HMS Obdurate	Royal Navy	O-class destroyer	destroyer screen
HMS Onslaught	Royal Navy	O-class destroyer	destroyer screen

Submarine patrols

Submarine patrols^[1]

Ship	Flag	Class	Notes
HMS Trespasser	Royal Navy	Triton-class submarine
HMS Seadog	Royal Navy	British S-class submarine
Junon	Free French Naval Forces	Minerve-class submarine
HNoMS Uredd	Royal Norwegian Navy	U-class submarine

Rescue flotilla

Sokrushitelny rescue flotilla^[6]

Ship	Flag	Class	Dates	Notes
Kuibyshev	Soviet Navy	Novik-class destroyer	20–22 November	Helped to rescue 187 men from Sokrushitelny
Razumny	Soviet Navy	Gnevny-class destroyer	20–22 November	Helped to rescue 187 men from Sokrushitelny
Uritski	Soviet Navy	Orfey-class destroyer	20–22 November	Helped to rescue 187 men from Sokrushitelny

German order of battle

U-boats

Wolfpack Boreas (god of the north wind) (19 November – 7 December 1942)^[7]

Name	Flag	Commander	Class	Notes
U-209	Kriegsmarine	Heinrich Brodda	Type VIIC submarine
U-212	Kriegsmarine	Helmut Vogler	Type VIIC submarine
U-376	Kriegsmarine	Friedrich-Karl Marks	Type VIIC submarine
U-378	Kriegsmarine	Hans-Jürgen Zetzsche	Type VIIC submarine
U-405	Kriegsmarine	Rolf-Heinrich Hopmann	Type VIIC submarine
U-586	Kriegsmarine	Dietrich von der Esch	Type VIIC submarine
U-592	Kriegsmarine	Carl Borm	Type VIIC submarine
U-601	Kriegsmarine	Peter-Ottmar Grau	Type VIIC submarine	Sank Kuznetz Lesov, 23 November[5]
U-625	Kriegsmarine	Hans Benker	Type VIIC submarine	Sank Goolistan, 23 November[5]

References

1. Ruegg & Hague 1993, p. 47.
2. Ruegg & Hague 1993, pp. 46–47.
3. Rohwer & Hümmelchen 2005, pp. 213–214.
4. Ruegg & Hague 1993, p. 46.
5. Hague 2000, p. 191.
6. Woodman 2004, p. 308.
7. Helgason 2024.

Bibliography

• Hague, Arnold (2000). The Allied Convoy System 1939–1945: Its Organisation, Defence and Operation. London: Chatham. ISBN 978-1-55125-033-5.
• Helgason, Guðmundur (2024). "Wolfpacks: Boreas". U-boat.net. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
• Rohwer, Jürgen; Hümmelchen, Gerhard (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea: 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (3rd rev. ed.). Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-119-8.
• 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.
• Woodman, Richard (2004) [1994]. Arctic Convoys 1941–1945. London: John Murray. ISBN 978-0-7195-5752-1.

Further reading

• Blair, Clay (1996). Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunters 1939–42. Vol. I. London: Cassell. ISBN 0-304-35260-8.
• Kemp, Paul (1993). Convoy! Drama in Arctic Waters. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 1-85409-130-1 – via Archive Foundation.
• Walling, Michael G. (20 October 2012). Forgotten Sacrifice: The Arctic Convoys of World War II. Oxford: Osprey. ISBN 978-1-84908-718-6.