Convoy PQ 8

HMS Matabele sunk

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 PQ 8 was an Arctic convoy sent from Great Britain by the Western Allies to aid the Soviet Union during World War II. It sailed in January 1942 and arrived in Murmansk with the loss of one escort sunk, and one ship damaged.

Ships

PQ 8 consisted of eight merchant ships; five British, one Soviet, one American, one of Panamanian registry. The convoy was escorted by two minesweepers, joined by an Ocean escort of two destroyers Matabele and Somali, supported by the cruiser Trinidad. The convoy was joined in the last stage of the voyage by two Royal Navy minesweepers based at Murmansk.

Voyage

PQ 8 sailed from Hvalfjord on 8 January 1942. and was joined on 10 January by the Ocean escort. The German navy (Kriegsmarine) had established a patrol line of four U-boats from Kirkenes to search for the convoy, but it was undetected by German aircraft or U-boats in the continuous darkness of the polar night, until the last day of the voyage. On 16 January the Eastern Local Escort joined; on 17 January the convoy was found by U-454, which attacked and torpedoed the freighter Hamatris. She was taken in tow by the minesweeper Speedwell, and brought into Kola escorted by Matabele. However U-454 struck again, torpedoing and sinking Matabele. Just two of her 200 crew survived. All other ships of PQ 8 arrived safely.

The German navy planned to attack the convoy with the battleship Tirpitz, but shortages of fuel and insufficient destroyer escorts forced a postponement of the attack.^[1]

List of ships^[2]

Name	Flag	Tonnage (GRT)	Notes
British Pride (1931)	United Kingdom	7,106
British Workman (1922)	United Kingdom	6,994
Dartford (1930)	United Kingdom	4,093
El Almirante (1917)	Panama	5,248
Harmatris (1932)	United Kingdom	5,395	Torpedoed, towed in by HMS Speedwell
HMS Harrier	Royal Navy		Escort 8 January - 17 January
HMS Hazard	Royal Navy		Escort 16 January - 17 January
Larranga (1917)	United States	3,804
HMS Matabele	Royal Navy		Escort 11 January - 17 January
HMS Sharpshooter	Royal Navy		Escort 16 January - 17 January
HMS Somali	Royal Navy		Escort 11 January - 17 January
Southgate (1926)	United Kingdom	4,862
HMS Speedwell	Royal Navy		Escort 8 January - 17 January
Stary Bolshevik (1933)	Soviet Union	3,974
HMS Trinidad	Royal Navy		Escort 11 January - 17 January

Citations

↑ Garzke & Dulin, p. 250
↑ "Convoy PQ.8". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 15 October 2013.

References

Blair, Clay : Hitler's U-Boat War Vol I (1996) ISBN 0-304-35260-8
Garzke, William H.; Dulin, Robert O. (1985). Battleships: Axis and Neutral Battleships in World War II. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-101-0.
Kemp, Paul: Convoy! Drama in Arctic Waters (1993) ISBN 1-85409-130-1
Schofield, Bernard: (1964) The Russian Convoys BT Batsford ISBN (none)
PQ 8 at Convoyweb

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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