- Order of battle for Convoy PQ 18
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Convoy PQ 18 was the last of the PQ/QP series of arctic convoys during World War II, bound from US and British ports via Reykjavik to the White Sea ports of the Soviet Union, particularly Murmansk and Archangel. The convoy sailed on 2 September 1942 and arrived three weeks later on 21 September 1942. It was opposed by German sea and air forces based in occupied Norway.
The convoy comprised 40 merchant ships and 4 naval auxiliaries, plus contingents to and from Iceland (48 in all) and was defended by a close escort and a “Fighting Destroyer Escort”, as well as local escort forces, and two distant escort forces (74 warships in total). These were supported by aircraft of the RAF based in the Soviet Union.
The German forces comprised a U-boat group, code-named "Ice Palace", of 12 U-Boats, and a surface attack force of 8 warships, though in the event these were not engaged. These were assisted by the aircraft of Luftflotte 5.
Contents
Allied forces
Merchant ships
Main body (Loch Ewe to Archangel) Name Nationality Cargo Tonnage Fate Casualties Notes SS Africander Panamanian 5,441 Sunk in air attack MV Atheltemplar British 8,992 damaged by Loch Ewe SS Black Ranger British Fleet oiler 3,417 SS Campfire American 5,671 SS Charles R. McCormick American 6,027 SS Copeland British Rescue ship 1,526 SS Dan-Y-Bryn British 5.117 SS Empire Baffin British 6,978 SS Empire Beaumont British 7,044 Sunk in air attack SS Empire Morn British CAM ship 7,092 Comm EK Boddam-Whetham SS Oligarch British Oiler 6,894 joined from Spitzbergen[2] group SS Oliver Ellsworth American 7,191 Sunk by Soviet 2,352 joined from Reykjavik SS Exford American 4,969 " SS Komiles Soviet 3,966 " SS Petrovski Soviet 3,771 " SS Richard Bassett American 7,191 engine trouble[3] joined from, returned to, Reykjavik SS Stalingrad Soviet 3,559 Sunk by edit] Escorts First stage Local escort group Name Class Navy Date joined Date departed Notes Royal Navy 2 Sep 42 8 Sep 42 joined Heavy Cover Force A/S trawler Royal Navy 2 Sep 42 8 Sep 42 to Reykjavik as escort destroyer Royal Navy 7 Sept 42 21 Sep 42 Cdr AB Russell SOE HMS Achates destroyer RN 7 Sept 42 21 Sep 42 HMS Amazon destroyer RN 7 Sept 42 21 Sep 42 Flower class corvette RN 7 Sept 42 21 Sep 42 HMS Bryony Flower class corvette RN 7 Sept 42 21 Sep 42 HMS Bluebell Flower class corvette RN 7 Sept 42 21 Sep 42 HMS Camellia Flower class corvette RN 7 Sept 42 21 Sep 42 A/S trawler RN 7 Sept 42 21 Sep 42 minesweeper RN 7 Sept 42 21 Sep 42 Escort carrier Royal Navy 9 Sept 42 17 Sep 42 Hunt class destroyer RN 9 Sept 42 17 Sep 42 Dido class cruiser Royal Navy 9 Sept 42 17 Sep 42 flagship R Adm. "Bob" Burnett HMS Onslow O class destroyer RN 9 Sept 42 17 Sep 42 Tribal class destroyer RN 9 Sept 42 17 Sep 42 HMS Eskimo Tribal class destroyer RN 9 Sept 42 17 Sep 42 HMS Somali Tribal class destroyer RN 9 Sept 42 17 Sep 42 HMS Tartar Tribal class destroyer RN 9 Sept 42 17 Sep 42 HMS Milne M class destroyer RN 9 Sept 42 17 Sep 42 HMS Marne M class destroyer RN 9 Sept 42 17 Sep 42 HMS Martin M class destroyer RN 9 Sept 42 17 Sep 42 HMS Meteor M class destroyer RN 9 Sept 42 17 Sep 42 HMS Faulknor F class destroyer RN 9 Sept 42 17 Sep 42 HMS Fury F class destroyer RN 9 Sept 42 17 Sep 42 HMS Impulsive I class destroyer RN 9 Sept 42 17 Sep 42 HMS Intrepid I class destroyer RN 9 Sept 42 17 Sep 42 Second stage Eastern local escort group Name Class Navy Date joined Date departed Notes Gnevny class destroyer Soviet Northern Fleet 17 Sep 42 22 Sep 42 Orfey class destroyer Soviet Northern Fleet 17 Sep 42 22 Sep 42 Minesweeper Royal Navy 17 Sep 42 22 Sep 42 County class cruiser Royal Navy 14 Sep 42 22 Sep 42 flagship V Adm. S Bonham-Carter HMS London County class cruiser RN 14 Sep 42 22 Sep 42 HMS Suffolk County class cruiser RN 14 Sep 42 22 Sep 42 HMS Bulldog B class destroyer RN 14 Sep 42 22 Sep 42 Admiralty modified W class destroyer RN 14 Sep 42 22 Sep 42 Second stage Heavy Cover Force Name Class Navy Date joined Date departed Notes HMS Anson battleship Royal Navy 11 Sep 42 14 Sep 42 flagship V Adm. B Fraser HMS Duke of York battleship RN 11 Sep 42 14 Sep 42 HMS Jamaica cruiser RN 11 Sep 42 14 Sep 42 HMS Keppel destroyer RN 11 Sep 42 14 Sep 42 Cdr JE Broome HMS Montrose destroyer RN 11 Sep 42 14 Sep 42 joined from local escort group edit] Support forces Second stage Spitzbergen re-fueling group[4] Name Class Navy Date joined Date departed Notes RFA Blue Ranger Oiler Royal Fleet Auxiliary 10 Sep 42 10 Sep 42 Hunt class destroyer Royal Navy 10 Sep 42 10 Sep 42 V and W class destroyer RN 10 Sep 42 10 Sep 42 County-class heavy cruiser Royal Navy 14 Sep 42 14 Sep 42 HMS Sheffield Town class cruiser RN 14 Sep 42 14 Sep 42 HMS Eclipse E class destroyer RN 14 Sep 42 14 Sep 42 Submarine patrol group Name Class Navy commence
patrolend
patrolNotes HMS Shakespeare S class submarine Royal Navy 7 Sep 42 1 Oct 42 HMS Unrivalled U class submarine RN 7 Sep 42 1 Oct 42 HMS Unique U class submarine RN 7 Sep 42 1 Oct 42 HMS Tribune T class submarine RN 2 Sep 42 1 Oct 42 HMS Tigris T class submarine RN 2 Sep 42 1 Oct 42 HMS Sturgeon S class submarine RN 2 Sep 42 6 Sep 42 returned to port;
mechanical defectHMS Unshaken U class submarine RN 2 Sep 42 1 Oct 42 HNoMS Uredd U class submarine Royal Norwegian Navy 2 Sep 42 1 Oct 42 Rubis Saphir class submarine Free French Axis forces
U-boats
Name Type Navy Success Fate Notes U-88 Type VIIC Kriegsmarine sunk by Faulknor[6] U-255 VIIC KM U-377 VIIC KM edit] Surface ships Name Type Navy Sortie/1st sailing Fate/2nd sailing Notes Scheer Deutschland class cruiser Kriegsmarine 9 Sep 42 cancelled flagship V Adm. O Kummetz Admiral Hipper Admiral Hipper class cruiser KM 9 Sep 42 " Koln K class cruiser KM 9 Sep 42 " Z4 Richard Beitzen Type 1934 Destroyer KM 9 Sep 42 " Z23 Type 1936A Destroyer KM 9 Sep 42 " Z27 Type 1936A Destroyer KM 9 Sep 42 " flag Capt Ponitz
8th Des FlotZ29 Type 1936A Destroyer KM 9 Sep 42 " Z30 Type 1936A Destroyer KM 9 Sep 42 " Notes
References
- Clay Blair : Hitler's U-Boat War Vol II (1998) ISBN 0-304-35261-7
- Bob Ruegg, Arnold Hague : Convoys to Russia (1992) ISBN 0 905617 66 5
- Peter Smith Arctic Victory: The Story of Convoy PQ 18 (1975) ISBN 0 7183 0074 2
- Arnold Hague: PQ 18 at convoyweb
Categories:- Arctic convoys of World War II
- World War II orders of battle
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