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Convoy QP 10 was an Arctic convoy of World War II, consisting of empty merchant ships returning from the Soviet Union after delivering their cargo there. The convoy consisted of 16 merchant ships and an escort of nine warships. The convoy departed Murmansk on 10 April 1942 and arrived in Reykjavik on 21 April. The convoy was attacked by German U-boats and aircraft, resulting in the loss of four merchant ships. Another ship, , was damaged by air attack and forced to turn back to the Kola Inlet. The convoy's escorts shot down six German planes and damaged another during the course of the voyage. Later, six merchant ships from
QP 10 departed Murmansk at 17:00 on 10 April. The first attack on the convoy came on 11 April. Several German Ju 88 bombers appeared overhead, and attacked the convoy. The merchant ship ''
At 01:00 in the morning of 13 April, the convoy was attacked by the German U-boat . The Russian freighter ''Kiev'' was hit by the U-boat's first torpedo and sunk. At 03:30, struck again, hitting which sank almost immediately. 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 rudder, 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 HMS ''Fury''. Also on 13 April ''Hermann Schoemann'', ''Z24 ''and ''Z25 ''made another attempt to look for the convoy, but turned back due to poor weather.
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.
Convoy PQ 14
Convoy PQ 14 was an Arctic convoy sent from Britain by the Western Allies to aid the Soviet Union during the Second World War. Convoys from Britain had been despatched since August 1941 and advantage had been taken of the perpetual darkness o ...
joined QP 10.
Ships
QP 10 consisted of 16 merchant ships. During the voyage, six ships from the Britain-to-Russia convoy PQ 14 joined QP 10 after turning back due to ice and weather damage. The convoy was escorted by the cruiser HMS ''Liverpool'', the destroyers HMS ''Oribi'', ''Punjabi
Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan
* Punjabi language
* Punjabi people
* Punjabi dialects and languages
Punjabi may also refer to:
* Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...
'', '' Fury'', ''Eclipse
An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three ce ...
'', and ''Marne Marne can refer to:
Places France
*Marne (river), a tributary of the Seine
*Marne (department), a département in northeastern France named after the river
* La Marne, a commune in western France
*Marne, a legislative constituency (France)
Nethe ...
'', the minesweeper ''Speedwell'', and the trawlers Trawler may refer to:
Boats
* Fishing trawler, used for commercial fishing
* Naval trawler, a converted trawler, or a boat built in that style, used for naval purposes
** Trawlers of the Royal Navy
* Recreational trawler, a pleasure boat built tra ...
''Blackfly ''and ''Paynter''. From 10 April to 12 April the escort was augmented by the Soviet destroyers '' Gremyashchi'' and '' Sokrushitelny'' and the minesweepers ''Gossamer'', ''Harrier'' and ''Hussar''. Between Iceland and Norway a distant covering force was present, consisting of the battleships ''Duke of York
Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was Du ...
''and '' King George V'', the aircraft carrier '' Victorious'', the cruisers '' Kent'' and '' Nigeria'', and 12 destroyers, though this force was too far away from the convoy to defend it against submarine and air attacks.
Voyage
QP 10 departed Murmansk at 17:00 on 10 April. The first attack on the convoy came on 11 April. Several German Ju 88 bombers appeared overhead, and attacked the convoy. The merchant ship ''Empire Cowper
''Empire Cowper'' was a cargo ship that was built in 1941 by William Doxford & Sons Ltd, Sunderland, United Kingdom. She was built for the Ministry of War Transport. ''Empire Cowper'' was bombed and sunk on 11 April 1942 whilst a member of ...
'' was hit by three 500 lb bombs and then two more bombs as the ship was being evacuated. HMS ''Paynter'' rescued survivors from ''Empire Cowper'', which then sank. The merchant ship ''Harpalion'' shot down one of the attacking Ju 88s. On 12 April, the German destroyers '' Hermann Schoemann'', '' Z24'' and '' Z25'' set out to search for the convoy, but failed to find it.
At 01:00 in the morning of 13 April, the convoy was attacked by the German U-boat . The Russian freighter ''Kiev'' was hit by the U-boat's first torpedo and sunk. At 03:30, struck again, hitting which sank almost immediately. 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 rudder, 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 HMS ''Fury''. Also on 13 April ''Hermann Schoemann'', ''Z24 ''and ''Z25 ''made another attempt to look for the convoy, but turned back due to poor weather.
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.
References
{{Arctic convoys QP 10 Naval battles of World War II involving Germany Naval battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom